Dr. Tom Anderson
Assistant Professor
Ph.D. University of Missouri, 2016
Office: SW 1250
Research Lab: SW 0310
Phone: (618) 650-3907
E-mail: thander@siue.edu
Web: https://tlandersonresearch.weebly.com/
Courses Taught: Introduction to Biological Sciences II (BIOL 151), Contemporary Biology (BIOL 111), Ecology (BIOL 365), Aquatic Ecosystems (BIOL 465), Herpetology (BIOL 486), Topics in Organismal Biology (BIOL 596).
Research Interests: I am interested in the factors that structure communities in freshwater ecosystems, especially ponds and other wetlands. Much of this work involves projects that look at intra- and interspecific competition and/or predator-prey interactions, using either amphibians or aquatic invertebrates as study organisms. I combine lab and field experiments, field sampling of natural communities, and modeling approaches to investigate questions on these topics. My current work is primarily focused on two areas: the importance of phenology in species interactions and how phenotypic plasticity (facultative paedomorphosis in salamanders) impacts population dynamics and community structure.
Research Opportunities: There are open opportunities for both undergraduate and Master’s students to participate in experimental and/or field-based projects in aquatic population and community ecology. Students interested in doing research should contact me and visit my personal webpage for more information.
Selected Publications
Anderson, T.L., J.J Burkhart, J. A. Cianci-Gaskill, and J.M. Davenport. 2023. Limited population and community effects of hatching asynchrony in a pond-breeding salamander. Ecosphere e4372 pdf
Anderson, T.L., J.E. Earl, D.J. Hocking, M.S. Osbourn, T.A.G. Rittenhouse and J.R. Johnson. 2021. Demographic effects of phenological variation in natural populations of two pond-breeding salamanders. Oecologia 196: 1073-1083 pdf
Anderson, T.L., J.J Burkhart, and J.M. Davenport. 2021. Asymmetric density-dependent competition and predation between larval salamanders. Freshwater Biology 66: 1356-1365 pdf
Anderson, T.L., B. H. Ousterhout, F. E. Rowland, J.J. Burkhart, D. L. Drake, and W.E. Peterman. 2021. Direct effects influence larval salamander size and density more than indirect effects. Oecologia 195: 173-186 pdf
Anderson, T.L., L.W. Sheppard, J.A. Walter, R. Rolley and D.C. Reuman. 2021. Synchronous effects produce major cycles in deer populations and deer-vehicle collisions. Ecology Letters 24: 337-347
Anderson, T.L., L.W. Sheppard, J. A. Walter, T.D. Levine, S.P. Hendricks, D.S. White, and D.C. Reuman. 2019. Mechanisms of spatial synchrony in freshwater plankton: an evaluation timescale and geographic structure in synchrony drivers. Limnology and Oceanography 64:483-502
