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Herp
Research
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My
current
research primarily focuses on wetland
restoration and the ecology of two rare
amphibians of the Gulf Coastal Plain,
reticulated flatwoods salamanders and Florida
bog frogs. We
are interested in understanding the role of fire
in wetland systems embedded in the longleaf pine
ecosystem and methods to restore this habitat
for rare amphibians using fire and/or
surrogates. Wetland habitat restoration In
collaboration
with Dr.
Carola
Haas and Dr. John Himes (Florida FWC)
we have started a long-term project to
investigate methods to restore fire-suppressed
flatwoods wetlands that have potential to be
used as breeding wetlands by Reticulated
Flatwoods Salamanders and other rare amphibians. The
primary goals of this research are to examine
the: 1.
Effects
of a suite of wetland restoration techniques to
improve the management of breeding habitat for Reticulated Flatwoods
Salamanders. Reticulated flatwoods salamander
1.
Population
status at breeding wetlands 2.
Movements
of adult and metamorph salamanders to and from
the breeding wetlands 3.
Relationship
between adult visitation and larval occupancy 4.
Long-term
monitoring of larval occupancy and hydroperiod.
Florida bog frog Projects
still
underway: 1.
Role
of fire on the riparian breeding habitat used by
Florida bog frogs. 2.
Macrohabitat
characteristics at breeding sites used by
Florida bog frogs. Completed
projects: 1. Microhabitat relationships
between Florida bog Frogs and bronze Frogs. Gopher tortoise research In
collaboration with colleagues at Virginia Tech
(primarily Steve Goodman, Carola Haas, Lori
Blanc and Kelly Jones) and Jackson Guard, in
2010 we initiated a long-term monitoring program
for Gopher Tortoises on Eglin Air Force Base.
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River Otter
Research
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The
objectives
of this research were to document survival and
cause-specific mortality of river otters in
order to assess the plausibility of a legal
trapping season. Also, we documented the
habitat characteristics of river otter natal den
sites, and examined the effects of sex and age
on size, fidelity, and overlap of river otter
home ranges. Currently, I am collaborating
with Danny Martin, Dr.
Brock McMillan, and Dr. John Erb on aerial
snow-tracking methods and habitat selection of
river otters. |
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Publications
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Austin, J.D.,
T. A. Gorman, D. Bishop, and
P. Moler. 2011.
Genetic evidence of contemporary hybridization
in one of North America's rarest anurans, the
Florida bog frog. Animal Conservation
14:553-561. PDF Gorman, T.
A. and C. A. Haas. 2011. Seasonal
microhabitat use and selection of syntopic
populations of Lithobates okaloosae and
L. c. clamitans. Journal of Herpetology
45:313-318. PDF, Gorman, T. A., B. R. McMillan, J. D. Erb, C. S. DePerno, and D. J. Martin. 2008. Survival and cause-specific mortality of a protected population of river otters (Lontra canadensis) in Minnesota. American Midland Naturalist 159:98-109. PDF Gorman, T. A., and J. A. Homyack. 2007. Graduate students and the building of professional communities. The Wildlife Professional 1(3):28-29. PDF Gorman, T. A., J. D. Erb, B. R. McMillan, and D. J. Martin. 2006. Space use and sociality of river otters (Lontra canadensis) in Minnesota. Journal of Mammalogy 87:740-747. PDF Gorman,
T. A., J. D. Erb, B. R. McMillan, D.
J. Martin, and J. A. Homyack. 2006.
Site characteristics of river otter natal dens (Lontra
canadensis) in Minnesota. American
Midland Naturalist 156:109-117. PDF |