M. Worth PughUniversity of Alabama | UA · Department of Biological Sciences
M. Worth Pugh
MS Biology, Appalachian State University
About
14
Publications
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Introduction
I manage and curate the Ichthyological, Herpetological, and Decapod collections at The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa AL. I am an ecologist, evolutionary biologist, and conservation biologist particularly interested in all things stream biology. Currently, I work on a variety of projects mostly centered around the conservation of sensitive aquatic taxa (i.e., amphibians, fish, mussels, crayfish) and the preservation of natural history collections.
Additional affiliations
August 2014 - February 2017
Position
- Collections Manager
Description
- Responsible for curating preserved zoological material at Appalachian State. Conducted public outreach and citizen science programs. Trained new undergraduate/graduate technicians in proper survey and collection techniques.
August 2015 - December 2015
Position
- Instructor
Description
- Planned, coordinated and implemented lab course material (i.e., handouts, powerpoint slides). Planned and led field trips with Dr. Michael Osbourn. Created and organized lab practicals.
August 2014 - May 2016
Position
- Instructor
Description
- Assisted Drs. Lynn Siefferman and Robert Creed with lab preparation and lectures. Instructed students in scientific design, natural history, aquatic survey techniques, statistical analysis, and manuscript preparation.
Education
August 2011 - August 2013
August 2006 - December 2010
Publications
Publications (14)
![Fig. 3. Relationships between body condition (standardized for sex [z])...](profile/M-Pugh-2/publication/266384750/figure/fig2/AS:613992452091948@1523398616835/Relationships-between-body-condition-standardized-for-sex-z-and-A-chroma-and-B_Q320.jpg)
Brilliant and conspicuous coloration in animals is often thought to signal quality to conspecifics (sexual selection) or to signal unpalatability to predators (aposematic selection). Ambystoma maculatum (spotted salamanders) have bilateral rows of conspicuous bright yellow dorsal spots against dark skin. Although this coloration has been long thoug...
Anthropogenic landscapes negatively impact stream habitats by altering hydrologic, sediment, and nutrient cycling regimes, thereby reducing or displacing populations of sensitive biota. The hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) is an imperiled salamander endemic to eastern and central North American streams. Although once widespread, hellbender...
Effective habitat and species monitoring programs require robust and repeatable estimates derived from standardized protocols. Hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) are large, long-lived salamanders endemic to highland streams in central and eastern North America. Based on historical data, it is apparent that Hellbender populations are undergo...
Ancient, species-poor lineages persistently occur across the Tree of life. These lineages are likely to contain unrecognized species diversity masked by the low rates of morphological evolution that characterize living fossils. Halecomorphi is a lineage of ray-finned fishes that diverged from its closest relatives before 200 Ma and is represented b...
Understanding diets of aquatic fauna is crucial to interpretation of their ecological roles and contributions to ecosystem function. The Kanawha darter (Etheostoma kanawhae) is a vibrantly colored, endemic fish found only in the New River (Kanawha Basin, USA) and its tributaries. In this study, the diet of the Kanawha darter was determined by analy...
Amphibians are renowned for the variation in the colour and patterns of their integument, both within and between species. Some amphibian taxa are well known for using conspicuous coloration to signal their unpalatability to potential predators. Amphibian integument secretions contain biologically active compounds that are the source of unpalatabil...
Ancient, species-poor lineages persistently occur across the Tree of Life. These evolutionarily unique lineages are likely to contain unrecognized species diversity masked by the low rates of morphological evolution that characterize living fossils. Halecomorphi is a major clade of ray-finned fishes that diverged from its closest relatives over 200...
New county record for Randolph Co. Alabama, USA. Fills a significant distributional gap of an otherwise widely distributed salamander species in the lower Mobile Basin of Alabama.
Novel records of stream fishes continue to shape our understanding of species distributions and are often representative of geological and evolutionary histories. We report the discovery of Chrosomus tennesseensis (Tennessee Dace) and confirm previous collections of Etheostoma nigripinne (Blackfin Darter) in the Mobile River Basin. Additionally, we...
1. Freshwater communities are threatened by the conversion of natural landscapes for urban and agricultural purposes. Changes to land use may disrupt stream nutrient and geomorphological processes and reduce water quality, increase sedimentation, and decrease habitat heterogeneity eventually leading to species loss and decreases in ecosystem produc...
Conspicuous coloration coupled with secondary defensive mechanisms is known as aposematic coloration and is used in predator avoidance and defense. Classic theory argues that aposematic signals tend to be more effective in larger organisms as they are intrinsically more easily detected by predators and are also more profitable prey items. Thus, it...
Global population and species-level amphibian declines are attributable to multiple environmental and biological factors including the disease chytridiomycosis caused by the chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). In North America, chytridiomycosis-mediated declines may be severe, but the occurrence of Bd is also patchy. The Southern A...
Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis (Eastern Hellbender) is a large, imperiled aquatic salamander found in rocky upland streams from New York to Alabama. Although widespread, many Hellbender populations are now highly fragmented by im-poundments and degraded habitats. Hellbenders likely require specific stream habitats with relatively low an...
