- Room 423, Portland Square, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA
- +44 1752 584658
- robert.puschendorf@plymouth.ac.uk
Profiles
Dr Robert Puschendorf
Lecturer in Conservation Biology
School of Biological and Marine Sciences (Faculty of Science and Engineering)
Robert can be contacted through arrangement with our Press Office, to speak to the media on these areas of expertise.
- Climate change
- Biodiversity
- Conservation
- Tropical biology
- Emerging infectious diseases
- Amphibians
Email publicrelations@plymouth.ac.uk to enquire.
Lecturer in Conservation Biology
Qualifications
Lecturer in Conservation Biology
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Australian Research Council (2010-2013). JamesCook University, Queensland. Australia.
Ph.D (2009) James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland.
M.Sc. (2005) University of Costa Rica. San Pedro, SanJosé, Costa Rica.
B.Sc Hons (1998) EARTH University, Limón, Costa Rica.
Roles on external bodies
- Technical advisor for the Guanacaste Dry Forest Conservation Fund (GDFCF)
- Review editor EcoHealth Journal
- Editorial board member journal Diversity
Teaching interests
I am the programme lead for Conservation Biology.
I also lead the following modules:
- BIOL135 Introduction to Conservation Biology
- BIOL219 Ecology field course
- BIOL308 Applied Conservation Biology
I also teach in:
- ANIM5008 - Conservation Ecology and Society
- BIO014 - Issues in Biology
- BIOL119Z - Introduction to Biology
- BIOL123Z - Field Biology
- BIOL129Z - Professional Development in Biological Sciences 1
- BIOL130Z - Biological Sciences Field Biology
- BIOL132Z - Ecology and the Diversity of Life
- BIOL134Z - Introduction to Animal Behaviour and Welfare
- BIOL135Z - Introduction to Conservation Biology
- BIOL136Z - Behaviour and Ecology Field Biology
- BIOL137Z - Introduction to Zoology
- BIOL219Z - Ecology Field Course
- BIOL225Z- Professional Development in Biological Sciences 2
- BIOL232Z - Comparative Zoology
- BIOL234Z - Methods in Biology
- BIOL307 - Advanced Skills and Concepts, GIS podule
- BIOL307Z - Advanced Skills and Concepts
- BIOL308 - Applied Conservation Biology
- BIOL308Z - Applied Conservation Biology
- BIOL310 - Global Change Biology
- BIOL310Z - Global Change Biology
- ENVS309 Biodiversity Management in Tropical Regions
Research interests
My research interests surround the ecological and evolutionary consequences of the emerging infectious diseases and climate change on biodiversity loss.
Recently I have focused on the importance of environmental conditions in the frequency and likelihood of frog disease outbreaks, and the impacts on populations across different environmental gradients. Interestingly and significantly, this work has uncovered a pattern of dry forests as environmental refugia from disease driven amphibian extinctions, which is consistent across continents; in Costa Rica and tropical Australia.
Key publications
Key publications are highlighted
Journals
Articles
2020 'Geographic range estimates and environmental requirements for the harpy eagle derived from spatial models of current and past distributio' Ecology and Evolution 11, (1) 481-497 Publisher Site , DOI Open access
2020 'Choice of molecular assay determines ranavirus detection probability and inferences about prevalence and occurrence' Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 141, 139-147 , DOI Open access
2019 'Seasonal, annual and decadal change in tadpole populations in tropical Australian streams' Amphibia-Reptilia 40, (4) 447-459 , DOI Open access
2019 'Molecular Detection of Leishmania spp. in Skin and Blood of Stray Dogs from Endemic Areas of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Saudi Arabia' Iranian Journal of Parasitology 14, (2) 231-239 , DOI Open access
2019 'Effects of historic and projected climate
change on the range and impacts of an
emerging wildlife disease' Global Change Biology , DOI Open access
2019 'Cryptic diversity and ranavirus infection of a critically endangered Neotropical frog before and after population collapse' Animal Conservation , DOI Open access
2019 'Cryptic diversity in Lithobates warszewitschii (Amphibia, Anura, Ranidae)' ZooKeys 838, , DOI Open access
2019 'Morphological divergence and reduced ectoparasite prevalence in an introduced population of a Caribbean anole' Journal of Zoology , DOI Open access
2019 'Morphological divergence and reduced ectoparasite
prevalence in an introduced population of a Caribbean anole' Journal of Zoology , DOI Open access
2019 'Tadpole species have variable roles in litter breakdown, sediment removal, and nutrient cycling in a tropical stream' Freshwater Science , DOI
2018 'Climatic niche of the Saker Falcon Falco cherrug: predicted new areas to direct population surveys in Central Asia' IBIS: The International Journal of Avian Science , DOI Open access
2018 'Tick-Borne Pathogens in Ticks and Blood Samples Collected from
Camels in Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia' International Journal of Zoological Research 14, (1) 30-36 , DOI Open access
2018 'Molecular detection of equine trypanosomiasis in the Riyadh Province of Saudi Arabia' Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation 30, (6) , DOI Open access
2018 'Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) Infesting Domestic and Wild Mammalians
on the Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia' Journal of Entomology , DOI Open access
2017 'Tropidechis carinatus (Rough-scaled Snake) and Pseudechis poryphryriacus (Red-bellied Black Snake). Predation/ Diet' Herpetological Review 48, (1) 221-222 Open access
2017 'Characterisation of microsatellites for Litoria nannotis
(Amphibia : Hylidae), an endangered waterfall frog
endemic to the Australian Wet Tropics' Australian Journal of Zoology Open access
2016 'DERMOPHIS GLANDULOSUS (Glandular Caecilian) DIET' The Herpetological Bulletin 126, 31-31 Open access
2016 'Endemicity of chytridiomycosis features pathogen overdispersion' Journal of Animal Ecology 85, (3) 806-816 , DOI Open access
2016 'Boa constrictor (Common Boa). Reproduction / Courtship' Herpetological Review 47, (4)
2015 'Context-dependent conservation responses to emerging wildlife diseases' Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 13, (4) 195-202 , DOI
2015 'A new species of glassfrog, genus Hyalinobatrachium (Anura: Centrolenidae), from the Caribbean foothills of Costa Rica' Zootaxa 3920, (1) 69-84 , DOI
2014 'Extremely low prevalence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in frog populations from neotropical dry forest of Costa Rica supports the existence of a climatic refuge from disease' Ecohealth 11, (4) 593-602 , DOI
2014 'Moving Beyond Too Little, Too Late: Managing Emerging Infectious Diseases in Wild Populations Requires International Policy and Partnerships' EcoHealth 1-4 , DOI Open access
2013 'Do pathogens become more virulent as they spread? Evidence from the amphibian declines in Central America' Proc Biol Sci 280, (1766) , DOI
2013 'Underestimated ranges and overlooked refuges from amphibian chytridiomycosis' Diversiy and Distributions 19, (8) , DOI
2012 'Where are the survivors? Tracking relictual populations of endangered frogs in Costa Rica' Diversity and Distributions 18, (2) 204-212 , DOI
2012 'There is no evidence for a temporal link between pathogen arrival and frog extinctions in north-eastern Australia' PLoS One 7, (12) , DOI Open access
2011 'Environmental refuge from disease-driven amphibian extinction' Conserv Biol 25, (5) 956-964 , DOI
2011 'Mitigating amphibian disease: strategies to maintain wild populations and control chytridiomycosis' Front Zool 8, (1) , DOI Open access
2011 'Assessing spatial patterns of disease risk to biodiversity: implications for the management of the amphibian pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis' Journal of Applied Ecology 48, (1) 163-173 , DOI
2011 'Issues with modelling the current and future distribution of invasive pathogens' Journal of applied ecology 48, 177-180
2011 'Fresh waters and fish diversity: distribution, protection and disturbance in tropical Australia' PLoS One 6, (10) , DOI Open access
2011 'Short-term exposure to warm microhabitats could explain amphibian persistence with Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis' PLoS One 6, (10) , DOI Open access
2010 'The distribution and host range of the pandemic disease chytridiomycosis in Australia, spanning surveys from 1956-2007: Ecological Archives E091-108' Ecology 91, 1557-1558
2009 'Distribution models for the amphibian chytrid Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Costa Rica: proposing climatic refuges as a conservation tool' Diversity and Distributions 15, (3) 401-408 , DOI
2009 'Preserving pathogens for wildlife conservation: a case for action on amphibian declines' Oryx 43, 527-529
2007 'Global warming and amphibian losses; The proximate cause of frog declines? (Reply)' Nature 447, (7144) E5-E6 , DOI
2007 'Eleutherodactylus ranoides (NCN). Distribution. Eleutherodactylus ranoides (NCN). Distribución' Herpetological Review. 38, 184-185
2007 'PLANT CONSUMPTION IN AUSTRALIAN GECKOS: SAP FEEDING BY THE OCELLATED VELVET GECKO OEDURA MONILIS' Naturalist 21, 207-208
2006 'The amphibian chytrid fungus along an altitudinal transect before the first reported declines in Costa Rica' Biological Conservation 132, (1) 136-142 , DOI
2006 'Chytridiomycosis in Wild Frogs from Pico Bonito National Park, Honduras' EcoHealth 3, (3) 178-181 , DOI
2006 'Detection of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Eleutherodactylus fitzingeri: effects of skin sample location and histologic stain' J Wildl Dis 42, (2) 301-306 , DOI
2006 'Widespread amphibian extinctions from epidemic disease driven by global warming' Nature 439, (7073) 161-167 , DOI
2006 'Amphibian Chytrid Fungus Broadly Distributed in the Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest' EcoHealth 3, (1) 41-48 , DOI
2005 'Catastrophic Population Declines and Extinctions in Neotropical Harlequin Frogs (Bufonidae: Atelopus)1' Biotropica 37, (2) 190-201 , DOI
2005 'Eleutherodactylus ranoides (NCN). Dry forest population, refuge from decline?. Eleutherodactylus ranoides (NCN). Población del bosque seco, refugio en disminución?' Herpetological Review. 36, 53-53
2004 'Cochranella albomaculata (NCN)' Herpetological Review 35, 52-52
2003 'Atelopus varius (Harlequin Frog) fungal infection. Atelopus varius (Rana arlequín) infección fungosa' Herpetological Review. 34, 355-355
Letters