Presidential Research Professor
Educational Background
Ph.D., 1985, Purdue University B.S., 1977, University of Wisconsin
Fields of Interest: Evolution; ecology; behavior; herpetology, conservation biology
Contact: Richard B. King
rbking@niu.edu
(815) 753-7833
Office: MO 445
Dept. of Biological Sciences
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115
Course / Lab Information
Recent Publications
(click on highlighted titles for .pdf of article).
Stanford, K. M., R. B. King, and D. Wynn. 2010. Summer and winter spatial habitat use by the Lake Erie Watersnake. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 1:122-130.
Wusterbarth, T.L., R.B. King, M.R. Duvall, W.S. Grayburn, and G.M. Burghardt. 2010. Phylogenetically widespread multiple paternity in New World natricine snakes. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 5:86-93.
King, R. B. 2009. Population and conservation genetics. In S. Mullin and R. A. Seigel, Snakes: Ecology and Conservation Biology. Cornell University Press. Pp. 78-122.
Sacerdote, A. B., and R. B. King. 2009. Dissolved oxygen requirements for hatching success of two ambystomatid salamanders in restored ephemeral ponds. Wetlands 29. In press.
King, R. B., R. Jadin, M. Grue, and H. D. Walley. 2009. Behavioural correlates with hemipenis morphology in New World natricine snakes. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 98:110-120. Supporting Materials. Request .pdf
Jones, P. C., R. B. King, K. M. Stanford, T. D. Lawson, and M. Thomas. 2009. Frequent consumption and rapid digestion and prey by the Lake Erie watersnake with implications for an invasive prey species. Copeia 2009:437-445.
King, R. B., K. M. Stanford, and J. M. Ray. 2008. Reproductive consequences of a changing prey base in island watersnakes (reptilia: colubridae). South American Journal of Herpetology. 3:155-161.
Fernie, K. J., R. B. King, K. G. Drouillard, and K. M. Stanford. 2008. Temporal and spatial patterns of contaminants in Lake Erie watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon insularum) before and after the round goby (Apollonia melanostoma) invasion. Science of the Total Environment 406:344-351.
Placyk, J. S., Jr., G. M. Burghardt, R. L. Small, R. B. King, G. S. Casper, and J. W. Robinson. 2007. Post-glacial recolonization of the Great Lakes region by the common gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis) inferred from mtDNA sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 43:452-467.
King, R. B., A. Queral-Regil, and K. M. Stanford. 2006. Population size and recovery criteria of the threatened Lake Erie watersnake: Integrating multiple methods of population estimation.
King, R. B., and K. M. Stanford. 2006. Headstarting as a management tool: a case study of the Plains gartersnake. Herpetologica 62:283-292.
King, R. B., J. M. Ray, and K. M. Stanford. 2006. Gorging on gobies: beneficial effects of alien prey on a threatened vertebrate. Canadian Journal of Zoology 84:108-115.
Ray, J. M., and R. B. King. 2006. The temporal and spatial scale of microevolution: fine-scale color pattern variation in the Lake Erie watersnake, Nerodia sipedon insularum. Evolutionary Ecology Research. 8:915-925.
Their post graduate degree pursuits:
- Exhibit Programs Coordinator at Chicago Academy of Sciences, then Shedd Aquarium volunteer coordinator
- Outreach Specialist at Maryland Science Center, then Law School,
- High school teacher, IL
- Prof. at Coastal Carolina Univ, then Director of the Center for Undergraduate Research at Xavier Univ, LA
- Avian Propagation Center at San Diego Zoo then Lincoln Park Zoo, IL
- Primate Center at Univ Wisconsin
Research Interests
Much of my research focuses on microevolutionary processes (natural selection, gene flow, random genetic drift) and their role in determining patterns of variation within and among populations on fine temporal and spatial scales. This focus has expanded to include:
- Analyses of the causes (genetic, environmental, developmental) and consequences of variation at the individual (vs. population) level and
- Analyses of landscape-level patterns of variation resulting from glacial retreat and formation of the North American Great Lakes.
More recently, my research has become more applied as I have developed a strong conservation biology component to my work. The links below provide summaries of three projects that apply my interests in individual-, population-, and landscape-level processes to problems in conservation biology.
Invasive Species, Demography, and Population Recovery of the Threatened Lake Erie Watersnake
Invasive Species, Habitat Restoration, and Reintroduction Biology of the Spotted Salamander
Conservation Genetics, Captive Breeding and Management of the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake