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Milanovich Lab @ LUC
Our research focuses on understanding the effect of land-use and climate change on, and the ecological role of, communities – in both natural and urban ecosystems.  Our primary goal is to help understand the importance of biotic communities to ecosystem function and service, but the majority of our research endeavors focus on amphibians and reptiles in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.  Research in the Milanovich Lab is primarily field based; however, we utilize a number of computer-based and laboratory techniques, such as mark-recapture, species distribution models, ecological stoichiometry, and stable isotope analysis to study community and landscape-level interactions. 
Examples of current research projects include:
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  Heavy Metal Accumulation, Physiological and Spatial Ecology of Spotted Turtles 

   With funding from the Northern Indiana Public Service Company and Loyola University
   Chicago, Jess Lindberg (graduate student), Marlen Terrazas (technician) and Dr. Leigh Anne
   Harden (Benedictine University) are leading the way to conduct radio-telemetry and blood
​   physiology measures on two spotted turtle populations in northern Indiana.
 

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   Survey for the Endangered Copperbelly Water Snake in Indiana

   With funding from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, we are pleased to conduct
    an extensive survey for CWS in northern Indiana using a robust repeated-measure design to
    locate these elusive snakes.

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   Golf Course Biodiversity Project

   With the Berg Lab at LUC and the Urban Wildlife Institute at the Lincoln Park Zoo, we are     
   surveying a number of Midwestern golf courses to the effectiveness of pollinator gardens,
​   bat boxes, and additions of coarse woody debris on biodiversity of golf course ecosystems.

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   Saline salamanders in Canada

   With the Phillips Lab at the Water Security Agency in Saskatchewan, Canada and the 
   Bystrainsky Lab at DePaul University, we are examining the physiological acclimation of
​   larval Tiger Salamanders in the pothole region of Saskatchewan, Canada.

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   Impacts of wildfire and global climate change on lungless salamanders of Great Smoky
​  Mountains National Park


   With colleagues from the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center, Ohio State
   University and Frostburg State University we are investigating the impacts and influence of
​   wildfire and climate change on lungless salamanders populations.

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    Assessing the influence of captive-rearing on Blanding's Turtle survival, health and physiology

     Graduate student, Armand Cann (along with Drs. Harden and Milanovich) are currently
    investigating the influence of captive-rearing methodologies on the health and physiology of
    Blanding's Turtles post-release using aquatic trapping, radio-telemetry and blood chemistry
    analysis.  This project is currently in coordination with several programs across Illinois.
 


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 Examining the nutrient cycling and storage roles of a terrestrial salamander, Plethodon 
 cinereus


 We have officially joined the SPARCnet survey crew and will be examining the population
 sizes and role of terrestrial salamanders to ecosystems in northern Indiana.  This project is in
 coordination with SPARCnet collaborators and is funded by the National Great Rivers 
 Research and Education Center.
 

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The synergistic impacts of invasive plants and climate change on larval and post-metamorphic amphibian fitness and stoichiometry

Using a set of replicated mesocosm experiments, we are investigating whether plant quatlity has measurable legacy effects on the ecology of anurans.  The experimental set up at LUC (left) is located on the biology building roof-top patio adjacent to our Aquatic Simulation Laboratory.  This work involves several undergraduates and is in collaboration with researchers from
Clemson University, National Great Rivers Research and Education Center and DePaul University.

Examples of previous research projects include:
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Examining the hibernaculum, home ranges, diet, stress and physiology of Ornate Box Turtles in northerm Illinois

With funding from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, we examining the characteristics of hibernaculum, ecology, stress and physiology (blood chemistry) of Terrapene ornata at three sites in northern Illinois.  This work involved several undergraudates at LUC.


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Quantifying the factors that shape food webs and alter suitable habitat of taxa in Midwestern wetland ecosystems

Led by Brock Struecker, our lab investigated the food web structure and impact of urbanization and invasive species on wetland ecosystems in Lake County, Illinois.  Brock also predicted the impact of global climate change on the suitable climatic habitat of the top predators in Midwestern wetlands......pond-breeding salamanders!

  


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 Plethodontids importance, or not, to nutrient dynamics in forested ecosystems

 In collaboration with Dr. Bill Peterman from the Illinois Natural History Survey, we
 quantified the standing stock of nutrients within terrestrial salamanders at a conservation 
 area in Missouri.  We hope this work can be used to compare previous estimates of standing
 stock within other vertebrates and basal nutrient sources.

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Investigating nutrient recycling and storage of stream salamanders in headwater streams.

In collaboration with Dr. John Maerz (Univ. Georgia), Dr. Amy Rosemond (Univ. Georgia) and Dr. Matt Hopton (U.S. EPA) we examined the role larval stream salamanders play in the storage and recycling of N and P in headwater streams in the Midwest and southeastern United States.

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Using species distribution models to predict the impact of global change on amphibians.

With collaborators from several universities and government agencies, we have modeled the predicted effects of global climate change and landscape-change on amphibian distributions.  This work has showed global climate change could significantly alter the distributions of plethodontid salamanders in the southeastern United States and that these models can be used to predict areas of higher amphibian species richness in heterogeneous landscapes.

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Examining the influence of urbanization on amphibians and macroinvertebrates in wetlands.

Dr. Milanovich, along with collaborators from U.S. EPA and Xavier University, quantified the amphibian and macroinvertebrate communities in urban and less-urban areas in southwest Ohio.  This work involved several undergraduate students from Xavier University.

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Investigating the use of stable isotopes in herpetological research.

This work along side Dr. John Maerz (Univ. Georgia) showed non-lethal tail clips can be used to measure stable isotope values of salamanders.  We also found fasting in terrestrial salamanders does not have a measurable impact on stable isotope compositions.

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