Dr. James Peterson
Dr. James Peterson
Assistant Unit Leader
Adjunct Associate Professor
Research Interests
My research focuses on multiple aspects of aquatic ecology- with an emphasis on stream fish communities. Most of my work has been in identifying and quantifying the effects of physical and biotic factors on stream fishes at multiple scales. This includes studies of population dynamics, community production, and fish-habitat/landscape relationships. Other aspects of my research include evaluating the efficiency of fish collection and population-estimation techniques and computer software development. I believe that the status of natural resources is dependent upon the ability to predict the impacts of environmental perturbations or differing management schemes. Thus, the principal goal of my research is to develop the tools and understanding necessary for effective and efficient fisheries management and conservation.
Background
Education:
Ph.D., Fisheries, 1996, University of Missouri
M.S., Biology, 1989, University of Illinois, Urbana
B.S., Ecology, Ethology, and Evolution, 1986, University of Illinois, Urbana
Courses
WILD8360: Quantitative Approaches to Conservation Biology, This course is designed to help students explore the processes and tools researchers and managers employ to address questions in quantitative conservation biology. I emphasize the applied, quantitative aspects to conservation biology including structured decision-making, model building, information theoretic approaches to inference, hierarchical modeling, empirical Bayesian statistics, population viability analysis, and adaptive management. (Fall Yearly)
Publications
Peterson, J; Jackson, C; Li, G; and Shea, C.P. The development and application of a stream channel classification system for estimating the response of fishes to changing streamflow. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society In Press.
Office:
GA Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Unit 426 Building 3
Phone: 706.542.1166
my homepage