Earl McCoy

Earl McCoy
Professor and Associate Chair

Contact

Office: SCA 314
Phone: 813-974-5219
Fax: 974-3263
Email: earlmccoy@usf.edu

Education

Ph.D., Florida State University, 1977.

Research

Ecology
Biogeography, Biostatistics, Conservation, Restoration

My students and I study a broad range of ecological and biogeographical problems. Many of our projects relate in some way to conservation biology, either in theory or in practice. Most of our current research deals with conservation and restoration of severely threatened upland habitats, particularly sandhill and scrub, in Florida. Within this framework, my students have focused their projects on a variety of topics: structure of gopher tortoise populations, demography and autecology of sand skinks, restoration of Florida mouse populations on lands mined for phosphate, and comparative biology of common and rare frogs, for example. Other students have focused their projects on topics such as methods of ecological analysis and the composition of species' assemblages. My own research encompasses additional topics in the areas of disturbance ecology, particularly fire ecology; biogeographical theory; and the philosophical basis of ecology.

Virtually all of the research being conducted by my students is aimed at solving particular problems and, therefore, probably would be labeled "applied research" by many persons. My students are encouraged to take a broad view of ecological research, however. They are well-versed in ecological theory and practice, and most develop a useful set of computer, statistics, and modern genetics skills.

Specialty Area

Conservation Ecology

Current Courses

Ref	Course	Sec	Course Title	CR	Location
55738	BSC 4905	003	Independent Study	3	TBA 100
54148	BSC 4910	003	Undergraduate Research	3	TBA 100
50011	BSC 4910	009	Undergraduate Research	1	TBA 100
50323	BSC 4910	010	Undergraduate Research	2	TBA 100
50328	BSC 4910	011	Undergraduate Research	3	TBA 100
54480	BSC 6935	003	Graduate Seminar in Biology	1	TBA TBA
55418	BSC 6971	008	Thesis: Master's	2-19	TBA TBA
55485	BSC 7910	011	Directed Research	1-19	TBA 100
55068	BSC 7936	002	Ph.D Seminar	1	TBA 100
54112	BSC 7980	005	Dissertation: Doctoral	2-19	TBA 100

Recent Publications

Schrey, A.W., Grispo, M., Awad, M., Cook, M.B., McCoy, E.D., Mushinsky, H.R., Albayrak, T., Bensch, S., Butler, L.K., Fokidis, H.B., Jensen, H., Imboma, t., Kessler-Rios, M.M., Marzal, A., Stewart, I.R.K., Westerdahl, H., Westneat, D.F., Zehtindjiev, P., and Martin, L.B. Broad-scale latitudinal patterns in genetic diversity among native and introduced house sparrow (Passer domesticus) populations. Molecular Ecology. In Press.

McCoy, E.D. and J.H. Frank. 2010. How should the risk associated with the introduction of biological control agents be estimated? Agricultural and Forest Entomology 12: 1-8.

Mushinsky, H.R. and McCoy, E.D. 2008. Habitat requirements of key vertebrate species that are under-represented on phosphate mined lands. FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF PHOSPHATE RESEARCH.

McCoy, E.D., Mushinsky, H.R., W.J. Shockley & M.R. Alvarez. 2008. Aging the threatened sand skink with skeletochronology. COPEIA

McCoy, E.D., H.R. Mushinsky & R.D. Moore. 2008. A future with small populations of the gopher tortoise. In: Urban Herpetology, in press (HERPETOLOGICAL CONSERVATION, Jung and Mitchell, Eds.).

McCoy, E.D. & K.S. Berry. 2008. Using an Ecological Ethics framework to make decisions about the relocation of wildlife. SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ETHICS.

McCoy, E.D. 2008. A data aggregation problem in studies of upper respiratory tract disease in the gopher tortoise. HERPETOLOGICAL REVIEW

Halstead, B.J., H.R. Mushinsky & E.D. McCoy. 2008. Sympatric Masticophis flagellum and Coluberconstrictor select prey at different levels of taxonomy. COPEIA

Durbin, D., S. Gonzalez, K. Robbins, N. Halstead, H.R. Mushinsky & E.D. McCoy. 2008. Wildlife habitat and wildlife utilization of phosphate-mined lands. FLORIDA INSTITUTE OF PHOSPHATE RESEARCH.

Catenazzi, A, H.R. Mushinsky & E.D. McCoy. 2008. Plestiodon reynoldsi (sand skink) albinism. COPEIA

Riedl, S.C., H.R. Mushinsky & E.D. McCoy. 2008. Translocation of the gopher tortoise: Difficulties associated with assessing success. APPLIED HERPETOLOGY 5: 145-160

Mushinsky, H.R., E.D. McCoy & N. Halstead. 2007. Measuring wetland health: Establishing current population levels of anurans in cypress domes. SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT. 43pp.

McCoy, E.D., H.R. Mushinsky & J.K. Lindzey. 2007. Conservation strategies and emergent diseases: The case of upper respiratory tract disease in the gopher tortoise. CHELONIAN CONSERVATION AND BIOLOGY 6: 170-176.

McCoy, E.D. & H.R. Mushinsky. 2007. Estimates of minimum patch size depend on the method of estimation and the condition of the habitat. ECOLOGY 88: 1401-1407.

Hudson, P., K. Berry, C.R. Tracy, E.D. McCoy, K. Ralls, M. Reed & R. Steidl. 2007. Understanding disease in desert tortoise populations: A brief summary of knowledge and recommendations pertinent to conservation. US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE. 12pp.

Halstead, B.J., E.D. McCoy, T.A. Stilson & H.R. Mushinsky. 2007. Alternative foraging tactics of a central place forager examined using correlated random walk models. HERPETOLOGICA 63: 472-481.

Frank, J.H. & E.D. McCoy. 2007. The risk of classical biological control in Florida. BIOLOGICAL CONTROL 41:151-174.

McCoy, E.D. & K.S. Berry. 2007. Using an Ecological Ethics framework to make decisions about the relocation of wildlife. Science and Engineering Ethics, in press.

McCoy, E.D. & H.R. Mushinsky. 2007. Estimates of minimum patch size depend on the method of estimation and the condition of the habitat. Ecology 88: 1401-1407.

McCoy, E.D., H.R. Mushinsky & J.K. Lindzey. 2007. Conservation strategies and emergent diseases: The case of upper respiratory tract disease in the gopher tortoise. Chelonian Conservation and Biology, in press.

McCoy, E.D., H.R. Mushinsky & J.K. Lindzey. 2006. Population declines of the gopher tortoise on protected lands. Biological Conservation 128: 120-127.

Moon, J.C., E.D. McCoy, H.R. Mushinsky & S.A. Karl. 2006. Multiple paternity and breeding systems in the gopher tortoise. Journal of Heredity 97: 150-157.

Mushinsky, E.D. & E.D. McCoy. 2006. The gopher tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus, an underground engineer. REPTILIA 49:16-21.

Mushinsky, H.R., E.D. McCoy, J.S. Berish, R.E. Ashton & D.S. Wilson. 2006. Gopherus polyphemus – gopher tortoise. In: Biology and Conservation of Florida Turtles (Meylan, Ed.), Chelonian Research Monographs 3, pp. 350-375.

Wilson, D.S., H.R. Mushinsky & E.D. McCoy. 2006. Kinosternon baurii – striped mud turtle. In: Biology and Conservation of Florida Turtles (Meylan, Ed.), Chelonian Research Monographs 3, pp. 180-188.

McCoy, E.D. 2004. Philosophies of evidence encounter the realities of data. In: The Nature of Scientific Evidence: Statistical, Philosophical, and Empirical Considerations (Taper & Lele, Eds.), pp. 97-99, University of Chicago Press.

McCoy, E.D., P.P. Hartmann & H.R. Mushinsky. 2004. Population biology of the rare Florida scrub lizard in fragmented habitat. Herpetologica 60: 54-61.

McCoy, E.D. & S.K. Pierce. 2004. The function of course pre-requisites: Comparing “student- driven” and “faculty-driven” models. American Institute of Biolgical Sciences (http://www.actionbioscience.org/education/mccoy_pierce.html).

Mushinsky, H.R., T.A. Stilson & E.D. McCoy. 2003. Diet and dietary preference of the juvenile gopher tortoise. Herpetologica 59: 477-485.

Earl McCoy Professor and Associate Chair