College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Fisheries and Wildlife

Education:

• Ph.D., Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, 2021
• B.S., Biology, Georgia Gwinnett College, 2014

Background:

I am an assistant professor of wetland ecology and management. My research focuses broadly on the interactions between natural dynamic processes (e.g., fire, flooding, succession), human-driven disturbance, and natural resource conservation & management (e.g., herpetofauna) within wetlands and the terrestrial environments in which they function. As a wildlife ecologist, I use a multiple stressor lens to investigate the impact of environmental change and other stressors on wetlands and wetland associated wildlife. A critical part of my work is evaluating the effectiveness of restoration and management actions to support the resilience of herpetofauna and their wetland habitats. Working closely with stakeholders including state and federal agencies, non-profit organizations and local communities to develop, produce and share research findings is important to me. A critical part of my work is evaluating the effectiveness of restoration and management actions for the conservation of amphibians.

While my research is often steered by the needs of conservation and management, it is grounded in biological and ecological theory to generate knowledge that can be used to inform conservation and management decision making. To this end, while I pursue projects with relevance to conservation, I also seek to investigate the mechanisms driving the responses of individuals, populations, and communities to environmental change. By weaving together lines of inquiry from animal behavior and organismal biology to community interactions and ecosystem change, this method organically creates interdisciplinary work. These problems are inherently complex; therefore, I employ a variety of approaches including laboratory and field-based experiments, observation, and modeling.

I am also passionate about teaching, mentoring and working to build a more just, equitable, and inclusive science community. Please visit my website to learn more about me and my research.

Research Interests:

• Wetland and wetland biota responses to multiple stressors
• Amphibian ecology, conservation, and management
• Wildlife response to environmental change
• Evaluating and improving restoration & conservation outcomes
• Basic and applied organismal research

Selected Publications:

Burrow A.K., McEntire K., and Maerz J.C. 2023. Estimating the potential drivers of dispersal outcomes for juvenile gopher frogs (Rana capito) using agent-based models. Frontiers in Ecology & Evolution, 11 doi: 10.3389/fevo.2023.1026541

Burrow A.K., and Lance, S.L. 2022. Restoration of geographically isolated wetlands: An amphibian-centric review of methods and effectiveness. Diversity, 14(10): 879-898 doi: 10.3390/d14100879

Burrow A.K., and Maerz J.C. 2022. How plants affect amphibian populations. Biological Reviews, 97(5): 1749-1767 doi: 10.1111/brv.12861

Burrow A.K., and Maerz J.C. 2021. Experimental confirmation of effects of leaf litter type and light on tadpole performance for two priority amphibians. Ecosphere, 12(9): e03729 doi:10.1002/ecs2.3729