Timothy John Colston J. William Fulbright Scholar Education Department of Biology University of Mississippi P. O. Box 1848 University, MS 38677-1848 & Department of Zoology, Addis Ababa University Arat Kilo, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Email: tim@maddreptiles.com Web: www.maddreptiles.com In progress Ph. D., Biology (Major Professor: Dr. Brice Noonan) University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677 Dissertation: Patterns and Processes of Community Assembly: An Investigation of New and Old World Snake Communities and Their Gut Bacteria 2010 M.Sc., Zoology (Major Professor: Dr. Laurie Vitt) University of Oklahoma, Norman, Ok 71019 Thesis: Origins of Neotropical Diversity: Lineage Diversification in Tree Boas 2008 B.S., Zoology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Ok 71019 2007 A.S., Environmental Technology, Rose State College, Midwest City, OK 73110 2005 A.S., Biological Science, Rose State College, Midwest City, OK 73110 Research Interests Evolution and Ecology of Amphibians and Reptiles Community Assembly Phylogeography Speciation Biogeography of Neotropical Herpetofauna Biogeography of Northeast African Herpetofauna Conservation of Amphibians and Reptile Peer-Reviewed Publications 6. Colston, T. C., Shepard, D. B., Vitt, L. J., Coli, G. R., Henderson, R. W., Hedges, S. B., Noonan, B.P., Burbrink, F. T. Amazon and Cerrado Lineage Diversification: Ecological Niche Models coupled with molecular data provide insights to lineage history in a widespread snake, Corallus hortulanus. (in prep for Journal of Biogeography) 1
5. Colston, T. C., Grazziotin, F.G., Shepard, D. B., Vitt, L. J., Coli, G. R., Henderson, R. W., Hedges, S. B., Bonatto, S., Zaher, H., Noonan, B.P., Burbrink, F. T. Molecular Systematics and Historical Biogeography of Tree Boas (Genus Corallus) (in review with Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution) 4. Henderson, R.W., Pauers, M.J., Colston, T.C., On the congruence of morphology, trophic ecology, and phylogeny in Neotropical treeboas (Squamata: Boidae: Corallus) (in review with Biological Journal of the Linnean Society) 3. Schlupp, I., Colston, T.C., Joachim, B., Riesch, R., Translocation of cave fish (Poecilia mexicana) within and between natural habitats (accepted in Environmental Biology of Fishes) 2. Riesch, R., Colston, T. C., Joachim, B. L., Schlupp, I., 2011 Natural history and life history of the Grijalva gambusia Heterophallus milleri Radda, 1987 (Teleostei: Poeciliidae). Aqua, 17(2): 95-102 1. Colston, T. C., Costa, G. C., Vitt, L. J. 2010 Snake Diets and the Deep History Hypothesis. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 101: 476-486 2 Field Experience October 2012-present (Ethiopia) Community Assembly in Ethiopian Snakes and Their Gut Bacteria. Financial support J. William Fulbright Scholarship to TJC. Sample highland and lowland snake communities and their gut bacteria in Ethiopian highland (Bale) and lowland (Gambela) snake communities and use these data to infer historical assembly processes. June 2011-present (Mexico, Yucatán) Lead Herpetologist, Operation Wallacea Mexico Project. Supervisor: Dr. Kathy Slater - Leading annual volunteer based biodiversity surveys of the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve in the Yucatán Peninsula. Supervising all reptile and amphibian data collection and mentoring both undergraduate and graduate researchers. May 2011 (Brazil) Survey of Amphibians and Reptiles of Crato, Ceára, Brazil. Financial Support: CNPq. Coordinator: Daniel Mesquita. Survey and make collections of reptiles and amphibians in a Caatinga/Cerrado contact zone. January 2008-July 2010 (Oklahoma) Graduate Student & Research Assistant, Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK. Supervisors: Drs. Jan Caldwell and Laurie Vitt - Conduct field surveys and make collections of amphibians and reptiles on State Wildlife Management Areas. January 2009 & 2010 (Mexico) Graduate Research Assistant, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK. Supervisor: Dr. Ingo Schlupp - Conduct surveys, field experiments, make live and preserved collections of fish in Tabasco, Mexico. *See publications #2&3 October 2-10, 2009 (New Mexico) Research Assistant, New Mexico Fish and Game, Animas, New Mexico. Supervisor: Charles Painter -Field research assistant. Assist in conducting surveys for the federally protected rattlesnake species Crotalus w. obscurus. Part of a long term mark recapture survey. Conducted prey recruitment surveys via lizard transects and mammal traps in a recently burned canyon. September 7-11, 2009 (Arkansas) Research Assistant, Arkansas Fish and Game, Eleven Points River, Arkansas. Supervisor: Kelly Irwin - Field research assistant. Assist in conducting surveys for the federally protected salamander species Cryptobranchus alleganiensis. Stream habitats were surveyed using snorkeling equipments and a hookah diving system. Part of a long-term mark recapture survey.
December 2007-January 2008 (Mexico) Graduate Research Assistant, Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Ok. Supervisor: Dr. Gary Schnell - Conduct field surveys, make museum collections, conduct mark-recapture and radio telemetry studies of small mammals of Colima, Mexico. May 2006-August 2007 (Oklahoma) Undergraduate Research Assistant, Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK. Supervisors: Drs. Jan Caldwell and Laurie Vitt - Conduct field surveys and make collections of amphibians and reptiles on State Wildlife Management Areas. Other Experience August 2011- present Graduate Research Assistant, University of Mississippi, Biology Department. Supervisor: Dr. Brice Noonan - Research assistant on NSF funded project investigating patterns of diversification and biogeography of Malagasy ants (award # 1120867). Teaching Experience August 2011-May 2012 Human Anatomy & Physiology I & II, Instructor, Northwest Community College, Oxford, MS. August 2011-May 2012 Introductory Biology I & II, Instructor, Northwest Community College, Oxford, MS. Summer 2011 Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy, Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS. Spring 2011 Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy, Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS. Fall 2010 Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy, Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS. Summer 2010 Field Herpetology, Instructor, Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, Teaching Teachers Programs in Science in collaboration with Norman Public Schools. Summer 2009 Human Physiology, Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Zoology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK. Spring 2009 Human Anatomy (cadaver course), Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Zoology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK. Spring 2009 Parasitology, Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Zoology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK. Fall 2008 Human Anatomy (cadaver course), Graduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Zoology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK. Fall 2007 Herpetology, Undergraduate Teaching Assistant, Department of Zoology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK. Collections Experience October 2012-present Research Affiliate, Department of Zoology and Museum of Natural History, Addis Ababa University, Arat Kilo, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 3
August 1, 2009-July 31, 2010 Graduate Research Assistant, Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK. Supervisors: Drs. Jan Caldwell and Laurie Vitt - Herpetology collection research assistant. Assist in day to day activities Including specimen preparation, maintenance, identification and loan requests. Conduct collections-based research. January2008- May 2008 Graduate Curatorial Assistant, Division of Herpetology, Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK. Supervisor: Dr. Laurie Vitt. February 2006-December 2007 Undergraduate Collections Volunteer, Division of Herpetology, Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK. Supervisors: Drs. Jan Caldwell and Laurie Vitt. Special Training 2011 MOTHUR Workshop, Detroit, MI, USA 2011 Bodega Applied Phylogenetics Workshop, Bodega Bay, CA, USA SSI Certified Open Water Diver Professional Memberships (present) American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Brazilian Society of Herpetologists Herpetologist s League Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles Society for the Study of Evolution Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology Society of Systematic Biologists 4 Professional Service Journal Referee for Acta Ethologica & Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 2011 External Grant Reviewer for Conservation Leadership Programme: Partnership between Birdlife International, Conservation International, Fauna & Flora International and Wildlife Conservation Society 2010 Session Moderator (Biogeography) 2010 Joint Annual Meeting of the American Society of Naturalists, Society of the Study of Evolution, and the Society of Systematic Biologists. Portland, Oregon, USA. 2010 University of Oklahoma ZAGS student representative (faculty liaison) 2010 University of Oklahoma ZAGS student representative (graduate selections committee) Presentations at Professional Meetings 2010 Colston, T. C. Biogeography and Phylogeography of Corallus hortulanus with a review of the genus Corallus. Joint Annual Meeting of the American Society of Naturalists, Society of the Study of Evolution, and the Society of Systematic Biologists. Portland, Oregon, USA. 2010 Colston, T. C. 2010 Evolutionary Shifts in Dietary History of Snakes Impacts Present Day Community Structure. III Annual Biology of Vipers Conference (plenary lecuture). Pisa, Italy
Invited Seminars 2012 Colston, T. C. Surveying the Serpent Kingdom. University of Mississippi Honors College. 2010 Colston, T. C. Origins of Neotropical Diversity: Lineage Diversification in Tree Boas. University of Oklahoma, Undergraduate Zoology Association. 2010 Colston, T. C. Origins of Neotropical Diversity: Lineage Diversification in Tree Boas. University of Oklahoma, Zoology Department eco-munch series. 2010 Colston, T. C. Evolutionary Shifts in Dietary History of Snakes Impacts Present Day Community Structure. III Annual Biology of Vipers Conference (plenary lecuture). Pisa, Italy 2010 Colston, T. C. Evolutionary Shifts in Dietary History of Snakes Impacts Present Day Community Structure. University of Oklahoma Darwinathon. Norman, OK. 2009 Colston, T. C. Amphibians and Reptiles of Oklahoma. Oklahoma City Herpetological Society, Oklahoma City Zoo. 2008 Colston, T. C. Amphibians and Reptiles of Oklahoma. Oklahoma City Herpetological Society, Oklahoma City Zoo. Seminars 2012 Colston, T. C. Patterns and Processes of Community Assembly: An Investigation of New and Old World Snake Communities and Their Gut Bacteria. Biology Seminar, University of Mississippi. 2010 Colston, T. C. Origins of Neotropical Diversity: Lineage Diversification in Tree Boas. Museum Seminar, Sam Noble Museum & Zoology Department, University of Oklahoma. Poster Presentations 2011 Colston, T. C., Jackson, C.R. Regional Specificity in Snake Gut Microbial Communities: Ecological and Phylogenetic Implications. Joint Annual Meeting of the American Society of Naturalists, Society of the Study of Evolution, and the Society of Systematic Biologists. Norman, OK, USA 2010 Colston, T. C. Complex Origins of Neotropical Diversity: Dispersal and Vicariance in the Tree Boas (Corallus). 2010 University of Oklahoma Research and Performance Day 2009 Colston, T.C. Dietary Shifts in Evolutionary History of Snakes Affects Present Day Community Structure. IV Annual Brazilian Herpetology Congress. Pirenopolis, Brazil. 2008 Colston, T.C., and L.J. Vitt. Dietary Shifts in Snake Evolutionary History. Joint Annual Meeting of the American Society of Naturalists, Society of the Study of Evolution, and the Society of Systematic Biologists. Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA 5
6 Grants ($30, 944.93) 2012 J. William Fulbright Student Fellowship $21,500.00 2012 Graduate Student Summer Research Grant Graduate College, University of Mississippi. $3000.00 2012 T.H. Roosevelt Memorial Grant, American Museum of Natural History. $2000.00 2011 Graduate Student Summer Research Grant, Graduate College, University of Mississippi. $2600.00 2011 Orianne Society Student Travel Grant $100.00 2009 Graduate Student Senate Research Grant, University of Oklahoma $287.31 2009 Graduate Student Senate Conference and Creative Exhibition Grant, University of Oklahoma $250.01 2009 Robberson Research Grant, Graduate College, University of Oklahoma $500.00 2009 Graduate Student Senate Research and Activity Grant, University of Oklahoma $707.61 Awards and Scholarships ($5, 650.00) 2011 American Society of Naturalist s Student Travel Award $500.00 2010 Loren G. Hill Zoology Excellence Fund (Summer) $300.00 2010 T.H. Lee Williams International Travel Scholarship $1800.00 2010 College of Arts and Sciences Excellence in Research Travel Scholarship $750.00 2009 Loren G. Hill Zoology Excellence Fund (Fall) $300.00 2009 Loren G. Hill Zoology Excellence Fund (Summer) $300.00 2009 Robert E. and Mary B. Sturgis Scholarship, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Oklahoma $1200.00 2009 Zoology Department Graduate Teaching Assistant Award $500.00 Special Skills Adept at field identification of North American species of reptiles and amphibians including identifying frogs and toads by call. Adept at field identification of Neotropical species of amphibians and reptiles. Adept at identification of North African species of amphibians and reptiles. Broad knowledge of identification, natural history, and husbandry of world-wide venomous reptiles and extensive experience handling and maintaining venomous reptiles in captivity. Experience working and living in remote areas (e.g. temperate and tropical forest, Ethiopia, Brazil, Mexico). Skilled in surveying/capturing reptiles, amphibians, small mammals (including bats), and fish. Proficient with various computer software including Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, FileMaker Pro, Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom and Illustrator, ArcGIS, MaxEnt, PAUP, MrBayes, Mesquite, MacClade, BEAST, MrBayes, RAxML, DNAsp, DIVA, MOTHUR, Geneland, IMa2, R, Geneious. Basic knowledge of UNIX platforms and basic web page design. Proficient in basic molecular techniques including DNA extraction, PCR, gel electrophoresis, DNA sequencing and post sequencing data processing.