Institute for Biodiversity Science and Sustainability

JEFFERY A. WILKINSON

EDUCATION:

Brigham Young University, M.S., Zoology, Jack W. Sites, Jr., major advisor

Texas Tech University, Ph.D., Zoology, Llewellyn D. Densmore, major advisor

WORK EXPERIENCE:

Research Biologist, Myanmar Herpetological Survey, California Academy of Sciences

Tilton Postdoctoral Fellow, California Academy of Sciences

Curatorial Assistant, Herpetology collection, Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science

Research Assistant, Utah Natural History Museum, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah

PAPERS PRESENTED AT MEETINGS:

• Geographic variation in a Japanese tree frog (Rhacophorus arboreus) revealed through restriction fragment length polymorphism of mtDNA.  Herpetological Society of Japan, Kyoto University, 1992.

• Phylogeny and historical biogeography of some East Asian tree frogs of the family Rhacophoridae.  Second World Congress of Herpetology, Adelaide Australia, 1993.

• Historical biogeography of rhacophorid frogs of Japan, the Ryukyu Archipelago, and Taiwan inferred from a phylogenetic perspective.  American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, 77^th Annual Meeting, Seattle Washington, 1997.

• Monophyly of the genus Buergeria deduced by a phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA.  American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, 80^th Annual Meeting, La Paz, Mexico, 2000.

• Dublin Ranch amphibian translocation experience: surprises, challenges and successes, Annual Conference of the Western Section of the Wildlife Society, Sacramento, California, 2005.

• Aquatic conservation priorities in the Gaoligongshan of western Yunnan, China, American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, 87^th Annual Meeting, St. Louis, Missouri, 2007.

• Research grant from the Associated Students of Brigham Young University (1986).

• Two year Graduate Research Scholarship from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Science and Culture (1990-1992).

• National Geographic Society Grant for Research and Exploration #4505-91:  To study the historical biogeography of the herpetofauna of the Japan Archipelago (1991). Grant amount $23,650.

• National Science Foundation Dissertation Improvement Grant #DEB-9520947, Title: Historical Biogeography of Rhacophorid frogs of the Japan and Ryukyu Archipelago Inferred from a Phylogenetic Perspective (1994). Grant amount $7,200.

• Summer research grant from the Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University (1995).

• One year Tilton Postdoctoral Fellowship, California Academy of Sciences:  To study the phylogenetic systematics of the genera within the family Rhacophoridae (1997-1998).

• National Geographic Society Grant for Research and Exploration #7340-02:  Biotic Survey of the Gaoligongshan, a Biodiversity Hotspot in China (2002). Grant amount $35,000.

• John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation #-5-82795-000-GSS: In support of undertaking biodiversity surveys of the Gaoligong Mountain Range (2005). Grant amount $225,000.

• Harry Hagey Venture Research Fund, California Academy of Sciences: Support of the Myanmar Herpetological Survey (2008). Grant amount $48,499.

• Lindsay Fund, California Academy of Sciences: Support of the biodiversity inventory of the Irrawaddy drainage, Myanmar (2009). Grant Amount $8,931.

PROPOSALS SUBMITTED

• National Science Foundation Grant for Biotic Surveys and Inventory:  Down the Elephant River: a biodiversity survey of the Irrawaddy, a mega-diverse but poorly known watershed (submitted July 2007). Grant amount $1,660,362

FIELD EXPERIENCE:

Own Research:

• Sonoran Desert, Arizona: Summers of 1986, 1987, to collect specimens of Crotalus s. scutulatus.

• Japan (Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku): Spring and Summers of 1989-1992, to collect reptile and amphibian specimens.

• Taiwan: Summer of 1990: To collect reptile and amphibian specimens.

• Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan: Winter of 1991, to collect reptile and amphibian specimens.

• Yunnan Province, China: Twice a year from 2002 to 2007, to survey the Gaoligongshan region for reptiles and amphibians.

• Myanmar: Spring of 2003, Winter and Summer of 2008, to survey for reptiles and amphibians.

OTHER:

• Field assistant for the National Parks Services.  Duties: to perform an assessment of the numbers and types of species of reptiles and amphibians within the Jean LaFitte National Historical Monument, LA (1989-1990).

• Field assistant for the Ministry of Construction, Mie Pref., Japan.  Duties: to perform mark and release and radiotelemetry research on the protected Japanese Giant Salamander in the Taki River system (1991-1992).

• Field assistant for Kansai Electric, Kyoto Pref., Japan.  Duties: to perform an environmental impact assessment of the Maizuru Power Station on the vertebrate fauna, especially the amphibian fauna of the area (1992-1993).

• Field assistant for the California Academy of Sciences.  Duties: to perform an assessment of the numbers and types of species of reptiles and amphibians within the San Francisco Water Shed, San Mateo Co., CA (1997).

• Field assistant for the California Academy of Sciences/National Forest Service.  Duties: to survey for reptiles and amphibians within the Plumas, Sierra, and Tahoe National Forests, CA (1998-1999).

• Staff Herpetologist for H. T. Harvey & Associates.  Duties: to survey for Federal and State listed threatened and endangered reptiles and amphibians in California (2000-2006).

LABORATORY EXPERIENCE:

• Starch gel electrophoresis of tissue from fishes of the Gila complex (1987).

• Starch gel electrophoresis of blood and tissue from rattlesnakes of the genus Crotalus (1987-1989).

• Isoelectric focusing, protease activity assay, and immuno-assay of venom from rattlesnakes of the genus Crotalus (1987-1989).

• Starch gel electrophoresis of tissue from ranid frogs (1990).

• Extraction, PCR amplification, restriction site analysis of rhacophorid frog DNA (1992-1994).

• Extraction, PCR amplification, cloning, and sequencing (manual and automated) of frog DNA (1994-present).

RESEARCH SKILLS

Starch gel protein electrophoresis, isoelectric focusing, protease activity assay, immuno-diffusion assay, DNA extraction, PCR amplification, restriction site analysis, DNA cloning, DNA sequencing (manual radioactive methods as well as automated fluorescent methods), reverse transcription, RT-PCR, analysis/alignment and annotation/editing of fluorescent sequence data, phylogenetic analyses, statistical analyses, electron microscopy (TEM and SEM).

PEER REVIEWER FOR

Amphibia-Reptilia, Copeia, Herpetologica, Herpetological Monographs, Herpetological Notes, Journal of Herpetology, Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society