Joel W Snodgrass
· Professor and Department HeadVerifiedVirginia Tech · Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries
Active 1988–2021
About
Professor Joel W. Snodgrass is a faculty member and Department Head in the Fish and Wildlife Conservation department at Virginia Tech. His research interests focus on aquatic ecology, specifically examining the effects of human-induced landscape change on the physical and biotic environment of aquatic systems. He is particularly interested in the biology and evolution of aquatic organisms, with a special emphasis on fish and amphibians inhabiting streams and freshwater wetlands. His work involves understanding how urbanization, salinization, and other environmental stressors impact aquatic ecosystems and their inhabitants. Professor Snodgrass has contributed to the scientific understanding of pollutant distribution in stormwater management ponds, the effects of road salt stress on aquatic food webs, and the toxicity of salts to amphibian embryos. He holds a B.S. from Guilford College, an M.S. from the University of Central Florida, and a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia. His research has been published in various scientific journals, and he actively engages in extension and outreach activities related to aquatic ecology and conservation.
Research topics
- Biology
- Environmental science
- Ecology
- Geography
Selected publications
Stream Salamanders are Relatively Tolerant of Salty Streams
Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology · 2021 · 4 citations
Senior authorCorresponding- Environmental science
- Ecology
- Biology
Relationships among Amphibian Assemblage Structure, Wetland pH, and Forest Cover
Journal of Wildlife Management · 2021 · 5 citations
- Ecology
- Environmental science
- Geography
ABSTRACT A common mesofilter approach to conservation of biological diversity and ecosystem function used in agricultural and urban landscapes is maintenance of wetlands and an undisturbed terrestrial buffer surrounding wetlands. Although it is generally accepted that forest buffers protect wetland‐associated biological diversity and ecosystem function, the effectiveness and optimal spatial extent of buffers is still an area of debate. During 2007 and 2008 we surveyed amphibians and environmental conditions associated with 54 depression wetlands on the Delmarva Peninsula of Maryland, USA, to examine the role of forest buffers and wetland characteristics in structuring amphibian communities. Forest cover within a 50‐m buffer surrounding wetlands was correlated ( r = −0.81) with wetland pH but no other wetland characteristics. Wetland pH, canopy cover, hydroperiod, and adjacent forest cover were important predictors of wetland use by individual amphibian species, with many species more likely to occur at wetlands that dried late in the hydrological year and with open canopies. At least one common species preferred circumneutral pH and several restricted‐distribution species preferred lower pH (<5). Contrary to expectations, relationships between species occurrence and adjacent forest cover were negative. Our results suggest that current regulations that provide buffers of 30 m or less do not provide adequate protection of wetland water chemistry but that forest encroachment into wetlands may be a threat to the integrity of amphibian communities and should be the target of monitoring, future research, and management efforts. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.
Variation in age, body size, and reproductive traits among urban and rural amphibian populations
Urban Ecosystems · 2018-09-07 · 27 citations
articleVTechWorks (Virginia Tech) · 2017-05-15
articleOpen accessVirginia Tech is poised to become a global leader in the pursuit and application of new knowledge to inform management and restoration of waterbodies and their watersheds. Despite our notable strengths in specific disciplines, we have not yet facilitated nor nurtured an interdisciplinary program whereby a holistic perspective of freshwater systems can permeate into VT-shaped students and bridge the gaps among water-relevant biophysical, social sciences, and the arts. We know of no other major research university with a signature-strength in integrated freshwater systems science...
Long-Term Trends In Avian Migration Timing For the State of New York
The Wilson Journal of Ornithology · 2017-06-01 · 7 citations
articleSenior authorCorrespondingThroughout North America, organized groups of citizens and scientists have collected climate and bird phenology records since the 1880s. Most studies utilizing these data sets have compared mean first arrival dates but have not compared trends between historical and more contemporary data sets. We analyzed spring first arrival dates and fall last departure dates for 39 migrant bird species across three different data sets spanning a historical period when there was little climate change (1888–1939) and a contemporary period during which significant climate warming occurred (1967–2012). During the historical period, there was little change in first arrival dates through time. In contrast during the contemporary period, there was a significant advance in first arrival date from early years to later years. During both the historical and contemporary periods, short-distance migrants reached the breeding grounds earlier than long-distance migrants, and the magnitude of this difference was consistent between periods. During the contemporary period, we found evidence for an increase in breeding season length among 4 of the 39 species studied. Our results suggest that changes in the phenology of migratory bird species in New York are a recent phenomenon associated with a period of climate warming beginning in the mid 1970s and extending through today, but earlier arrival does not appear to be leading to an increase in breeding season length for the majority of species.
Influence of Modern Stormwater Management Practices on Transport of Road Salt to Surface Waters
Environmental Science & Technology · 2017-03-24 · 101 citations
article1st authorCorrespondingApplication of road salts in regions with colder climates is leading to ground and surface water contamination. However, we know little about how modern stormwater management practices affect the movement of road salt through urban watersheds. We investigated groundwater contamination and transport of road salts at two stormwater ponds in Baltimore County, Maryland. In association with the ponds, we documented a plume of contaminated groundwater that resulted in Cl– loadings to the adjacent stream of 6574 to 40 008 kg Cl– per winter, depending on winter snowfall. We also monitored Na+ and Cl– ion concentrations and the temporal dynamics of conductivity at a range of stream sites in watersheds with and without stormwater management ponds. Streams draining watersheds with stormwater ponds had consistently higher conductivities and Cl– concentrations during base flow conditions and often exhibited greater peaks in Cl– and conductivity associated with winter storms and subsequent melting events, despite the degree of watershed development. Our results indicate that modern stormwater management practices are not protecting surface waters from road salt contamination and suggest they create contaminated plumes of groundwater that deliver Cl– and Na+ to streams throughout the year.
Figshare · 2016-01-01
datasetOpen accessGenetic and geographic distance and their relationships for 16 populations of Desmognathus fuscus sampled in the Washington D.C.–Baltimore metropolitan region.
Figshare · 2016-01-01
articleDescriptive statistics for microsatellite analysis of 16 populations of Desmognathus fuscus sampled throughout the Washington D.C.–Baltimore Metropolitan Area.
Appendix D. Pairwise effective migration rate matrices.
Figshare · 2016-01-01
datasetOpen accessPairwise effective migration rate matrices.
Figshare · 2016-01-01
datasetOpen accessDescriptive statistics for microsatellite analysis of 16 populations of Desmognathus fuscus sampled throughout the Washington D.C.–Baltimore Metropolitan Area.
Recent grants
Frequent coauthors
- 62 shared
Joanna Burger
- 37 shared
A. Lawrence Bryan
Savannah River National Laboratory
- 26 shared
John H. Roe
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
- 25 shared
William A. Hopkins
Virginia Tech
- 20 shared
R. Casey
Towson University
- 18 shared
Brian P. Jackson
Dartmouth College
- 17 shared
Justin D. Congdon
- 16 shared
William A. Hopkins
Virginia Tech
Labs
Education
- 1996
PhD Ecology, Institute of Ecology
University of Georgia
- 1990
MS Zoology, Biological Sciences
University of Central Florida
- 1985
BS Biology, Biology
Guilford College
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