Matthew Anderson, Ph.D. student. Major advisor: Stanley F. Fox Antipredatory Behavior, Behavioral Ecology of Reptiles, Tail Autotomy.   B.S. 2002, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Phone: 405-744-5555 Email: matt.anderson@okstate.edu

Specific Interests

In general, I am interested in the behavioral ecology of reptiles, especially lizards and snakes. The antipredatory behavior of lizards forms the basis of my research, this behavior includes tail autotomy. I am currently investigating how the loss of a portion of the tail can affect a performance characteristic, like sprint speed, as well as more complicated behavior, like social and mating strategies, in the lizard Uta stansburiana. Also key to me are the responses of reptiles to changes in habitat structure, and especially the effect that continued habitat fragmentation will have on reptile communities worldwide.