Curriculum Vitae, J. M. Romansic
Curriculum Vitae
John Matthew Romansic
1203 E. Curtis St.
Tampa, FL 33603
(813) 974-4694
Research Interests:• Disease ecology, evolution of virulence, virulence management, ecotoxicology, conservation biology
Research Abilities:• Proficient in the design, execution, and analysis of laboratory and field experiments, field surveys, and monitoring programs
• Skilled in using quantitative PCR techniques to measure pathogen presence and load
• Experienced in the isolation and culturing of pathogens from field samples
Goal:• Conduct research and teach as a faculty member at a research university
Education:
2001-2007 Ph.D., OregonStateUniversity (Zoology)
Advisor: Professor Andrew R. Blaustein
Title of thesis: Effects of multiple pathogens on amphibians in the Pacific Northwest
1994-1999 B.A. University of California, Berkeley (Integrative Biology and English double major)
Relevant Positions Held:
12/2007-Postdoctoral Research Associate
• Investigatingthe interactive effects of climate change, pond drying, and chytridiomycosis on amphibians, the influence of parasites on treefrog populations, and the effects of pesticides on aquatic communities
Advisor: Dr. Jason R. Rohr, , Department of Biology, SCA110, University of SouthFlorida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., CPR107, Tampa, FL , 33620, (813) 974-3250
9/2004-9/2007US Environmental Protection Agency Science to Achieve Results Fellow
• Explored interactions between multiple pathogens and environmental stress, using amphibians as model hosts
Advisor: Dr. Andrew R. Blaustein, , Department of Zoology, 3029 Cordley Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, (541) 737-5356
1/2001-6/2004Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Taught laboratory classes in introductory biology
Course Coordinator: Dr. Deborah Clark, , Biology Program, 2042 Cordley Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, (541) 737-2993
3/2001-9/2004Research Assistant
• Coauthored studies on theeffects of ultraviolet-B radiation and the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis on amphibians
Dr. Andrew R. Blaustein,, Department of Zoology, 3029 Cordley Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, (541) 737-5356
5/1998-6/2000Field Technician
• Assisted ecological field research on the effects of introduced trout on threatened mountain yellow legged frogs (Rana muscosa) in the Sierra Nevada backcountry of California
Supervisor: Dr. Vance T. Vredenburg,,Department of Biology, Hensill 534, 1600 Holloway Ave., San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132 (415) 565-3341
8/2000-10/2000Scientific Aid (Volunteer)
• Removed human-introduced trout from high elevation lakes in the Sierra Nevada to aid a population of mountain yellow-legged frogs, a threatened native species
• Assisted a survey of Lahontan cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki henshawi)
Supervisor: Curtis Milliron,, California Department of Fish and Game, 407 West Line St., Bishop, CA 93514, (760) 872-1125
3/2000-8/2000Field Technician
• Collected salamanders in the Sierra Nevada for studies of salamander evolution
• Extracted tissue samples for cryo-archiving and preserved specimens
Supervisor: Dr. David Wake, , Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California Berkeley, 3101 Valley Life Sciences Bldg., Berkeley, CA 94720-3160, (510) 643-7705
11/1999-3/2000 Field Technician
• Helped observe, census, catch and band birds for long-term research of the social system of acorn woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus)
• Monitored California tiger salamanders (Ambystoma californiense) and California newts (Taricha torosa) using a drift fence/pitfall trap system
• Assisted in the capture and handling of wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo)
Supervisor: Dr. Walt Koenig,,University of California, Berkeley, Hastings Natural History Reservation, 38601 E. Carmel Valley Rd., Carmel Valley, CA 93924, (831) 659-5981
1/1998-5/1999 Undergraduate Student Instructor
• Helped teach undergraduates in a special field laboratory section of Introductory Biology.
• Taught students how to capture, handle, identify, and mark California voles (Microtus californicus), house mice (Mus musculus), and various lizard species
•Mentored students in group research projects
Supervisor: Dr. Steve Takata,, (510) 502-2086; Course Coordinator: Mike Moser, , Department of Integrative Biology, 3060 Valley Life Sciences Bldg. #3140, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, (510) 642-8123
Grants and Scholarships:
2008 ($7,500)Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) supplementary funding
Authored the proposal for this supplement of anNSF project entitled “Collaborative Research: Community Ecology as a Framework for Understanding Disease Dynamics” in which I am a Co-Investigator. Principal Investigator: Dr. Jason Rohr; Grant No.: 0516227
2004 ($111,000)US Environmental Protection Agency Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Fellowship
• Project title: Exploration of complex interactions between multiple pathogens and environmental stress, using amphibians as model hosts
2002 ($2,000)Declining Amphibian Population Task Force SEED Grant
• Proposal title: The effects of a pesticide and ultraviolet-B radiation on susceptibility of amphibian larvae to the pathogen Saprolegnia ferax
1999 ($2,000)UC Berkeley Department of Integrative Biology Gompertz Award
• Project title: A field experiment testing the effect of UV-B radiation on the hatching success of mountain yellow-legged frog (Rana muscosa) and Pacific tree frog (Pseudacris regilla) embryos at a high elevation site in California
2002-2003($3,250)Oregon Sports Lottery Scholarship
2001-2003($2,500)Oregon State University Department of Zoology Research Funds
Awards:
2008Third place, postercompetition at the Netherlands-Flemish Ecological Society (Netherlands-Vlaamse Vereniging voor Ecologie; NecoV) Wintersymposium
2005Best Graduate Student Poster, Oregon Chapter of the WildlifeSociety poster competition
Publications:
Romansic, J. M., Waggener, A. A. & Blaustein, A. R. Influence of ultraviolet-B radiation on growth, prevalence of deformities, and susceptibility to predation in Cascades frog (Rana cascadae) larvae.Hydrobiologia (in press).
Romansic, J. M., Diez, K. A., Higashi, E. M. & Blaustein, A. R. Effects of the pathogenic water mold Saprolegnia ferax on survival of amphibian larvae. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms (in press).
Rohr, J. R., Raffel, T. R., Romansic, J. M. McCallum, H. & Hudson, P. J. 2008. Evaluating the links between climate, disease spread,and amphibian declines. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 105: 17436–17441.
Romansic, J. M., Higashi, E. M., Diez, K. A. & Blaustein, A. R. 2007. Susceptibility of newly-
metamorphosed frogs to a pathogenic water mold (Saprolegnia sp.). Herpetological Journal 17: 161–166.
Garcia, T. S., Romansic, J. M & Blaustein, A. R. 2006. Survival of three species of anuran metamorphs exposed to UV-B radiation and the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatadis. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 72:163–169.
Romansic, J. M., Diez, K. A., Higashi, E. M. & Blaustein, A. R. 2006. Effects of nitrate and the pathogenic water mold Saprolegnia on survival of amphibian larvae. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 68:235–243.
Johnson, P. T. J., Preu, E. R., Sutherland, D. R., Romansic, J. M., Han, B. & Blaustein, A. R. 2006. Adding infection to injury: synergistic effects of predation and parasitism on amphibian malformations. Ecology 87:2227–2235.
Blaustein, A. R., Romansic, J. M. & Scheessele, E. A. 2005. Ambient levels of UV-B cause mortality in juvenile western toads, Bufo boreas. American Midland Naturalist 154:375–382.
Blaustein, A. R., Romansic, J. M., Scheesele, E. A., Han, B. A., Pessier, A. P. & Longcore, J. E. 2005. Interspecific variation in susceptibility of frog tadpoles to the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. Conservation Biology 19:1460–1468.
Blaustein, A. R., Han, B., Fasy, B., Romansic, J., Scheesele, E., Anthony, R. G., Marco, A., Chivers, D. P., Belden, L. K., Kiesecker, J. M., Garcia, T. S., Lizana, M. & Kats, L. B. 2004. Variable breeding phenology affects the exposure of amphibian embryos to ultraviolet radiation and Optical characteristics of natural waters protect amphibians from UV-B in the U.S. Pacific Northwest: a comment. Ecology 85:1747–1754.
Blaustein, A. R., Romansic, J. M., Kiesecker, J. M. & Hatch, A. C. 2003. Ultraviolet radiation, toxic chemicals, and amphibian population declines. Diversity and Distributions 9:123–140.
Vredenburg, V., Tunstall, T., Nguyen, H., Romansic, J. & Schoville, S. 2001. Hydromantes platycephalus (Mt. Lyell Salamander). Behavior. Herpetological Review 32:178.
Romansic, J. 2001. Adventures in Log-Rolling and Rock-Flipping: Searching for Slender Salamanders. Sierra Nature Notes, an online journal of natural history news in the Sierra Nevada. Available online at
Manuscripts in Submission or Preparation:
Vredenburg, V. T., Romansic, J. M., Chan, L. M., Tunstall, T. A field test of the effects of UV-B radiation on three high elevation amphibians in California. Submitted to Copeia.
Romansic, J. M., Johnson, P. T. J., Searle, C. L. & Blaustein, A. R. Low doses of the parasitic trematode Ribeiroia speed development in Psuedacris regilla (Pacific treefrog) larvae. In preparation.
Romansic, J. M., Chan, L. M., Vredenburg, V. T. & Waldman. Behavioral response to UV-B radiation in larvae of two declining toad species: implications for UVB exposure and conservation.
Oral Presentations:
2008Genomics Summer Workshop for Science Educators, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida; Workshop organizer: Dr. KT Scott, Department of Biology
• Romansic, J. M.Measurement of Batrachochytrium dendrobatis infection in amphibians by quantitative PCR.
2006Amphibian Disease Diagnostics Workshop and Lab at the 2006 Joint Annual Meeting of the Society for Northwestern Vertebrate Biology and the Washington Chapter of the Wildlife Society, Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington
• Romansic, J. M., Blaustein, A. R., Diez,, K. A. & Higashi, E. M. Saprolegnia and amphibians.
2006Meeting of the California/Nevada Working Group of the Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force, HumboldtStateUniversity, Arcata, California
• Romansic, J. M., Diez, K. A., Higashi, E. M. & Blaustein, A. R. Separate and combined effects of nitrate and the pathogenic water mold Saprolegnia on survival of amphibian larvae.
2005Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America, Montreal, Canada
• Romansic, J. M., Diez, K. A., Higashi, E. M. & Blaustein, A. R. Separate and combined effects of nitrate and a pathogenic water mold on survival of amphibian larvae.
2003Herpetological Seminar, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley
• Romansic, J. M., Diez, K. A., Higashi, E. M. & Blaustein, A. R. Effects of Saprolengnia ferax on amphibians.
2000Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force Symposium, Fourth Asian Herpetological Conference, Chengdu, China
• Vredenburg, V., Hansen, L, Romansic, J., Chan, L., Tunstall, T. & Knapp, R. Testing the effects of ambient UV-B radiation on high elevation amphibians. July 18, 2000.
Poster Presentations:
2008Netherlands-Flemish Ecological Society (Netherlands-Vlaamse Vereniging voor Ecologie; NecoV) Wintersymposium, Groenenborg campus, University of Antwerp, Belgium
• Romansic, J. M., Johnson, P. T. J., Searle, C. L., Johnson, J. E., Tunstall, T.,Han, B. A. & Blaustein, A. R. Individual and combined effects of multiple pathogens on Pacific treefrogs(Pseudacris regilla).
2006EPA STAR Fellows Conference, Washington, DC
• Romansic, J. M. Testing for between-pathogen interactions using amphibian hosts.
2005Joint meeting of the Society for Northwestern Vertebrate Biology and the Oregon Chapter of the Wildlife Society, Oregon State University
• Romansic, J. M., Scheesele, E. A., Han, B. A., Pessier, A. P., and Longcore, J. E. & Blaustein, A. R. Exposure of amphibians to the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and ultraviolet-B radiation.
2004EPA STAR Fellows Conference and EPA STAR Fellows Capitol Hill Poster Session, Washington, DC
• Romansic, J. M. Exploration of complex interactions between multiple pathogens and environmental stress, using amphibians as model hosts.
2004Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, Portland, Oregon
• Romansic, J. M., Scheesele, E. A., Han, B. A., Pessier, A. P., Longcore, J. E & Blaustein, A. R. Effects of the pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis on larvae of four frog species.
2003Society for Northwestern Vertebrate Biology Annual Meeting, Humbold State University, California
• Romansic, J. M., Diez, K. A., Higashi, E. M., and Blaustein, A. R. Susceptibility of amphibians to the pathogenic water mold Saprolegnia ferax.
Guest Lectures:
11/2008 Parasitology, Department of Biology, Univ. of South Florida, Instructors: Drs. Jason Rohr and Tom Raffel
• A two-lecture section entitled “Community and Ecosystem Ecology of Parasites”
Advising:
10/2008- Thesis committee member for Andrea D. Schlunk, undergraduate honors student, Univ. of SouthFlorida
• Thesis project: The effect of immune response of second intermediate hosts on choice-selective behavior of trematode cercariae (genus: Plagiorchis).
Additional Service:
10/2003-11/2003Volunteer science teacher
• Led sixth grade students in an aquatic ecology activity in which they used aquatic invertebrates as bioindicators of water quality
Supervisor: Staci Stein, , Corvallis Outdoor School, 1555 SW 35th St., Corvallis, OR 97333, (510) 745-5193
3/2002-2/2006Volunteer presenter at youth outreach sessions
• Introduced junior high and high school students to amphibians, amphibian population declines, and careers in ecological research and led discussions on amphibian biodiversity
Supervisors: Lois Sullivan, , OSU/Marion County Extension Service, 3180 Center St. NE, Room 1361, Salem, OR 97301, (503) 373-3764; Dr. Stevan J. Arnold, , Department of Zoology, 3029 Cordley Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, (541)737-3705
1/1999-5/1999Volunteer,Amphibiaweb ( University of California, Berkeley
• Authored species accounts foran online resource for researchers, conservationists, and members of the general public concerned about amphibian population declines
• Authored accounts for Ambystoma gracile (northwestern salamander), Plethodon stormi (SiskiyouMountains salamander), and Rana cascadae (Cascades frog)
• Co-authored accounts for Batrachoseps attenuatus (California slender salamander), Bufo californicus (arroyo toad), and B. canorus (Yosemite toad)
Supervisor: Dr. David B. Wake, Email: , Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California Berkeley, 3101 Valley Life Sciences Bldg., Berkeley, CA94720-3160, (510) 643-7705
1/2001-Reviewer(Number of reviews in parentheses)
Conservation Biology(13), Ecohealth(1), Journal of Herpetology (1),Western North American Naturalist (2),Herpetological Review(4)
10/2004Invited Panelist, Graduate School Panel Discussion: “Is Graduate School for Me?” Department of Biology, OregonStateUniversity
Contact Information for Four References:
Dr. Andrew R. Blaustein
Professor
Department of Zoology
3029 Cordley Hall
OregonStateUniversity
Corvallis, OR97331
Phone: (541) 737-5356
Email:
Fax: (541)737-0501
Dr. Jason R. Rohr
Assistant Professor
University of SouthFlorida
Tampa, FL
Phone: (813) 974-0156
Email:
Fax: (510) 643-8238
Dr. Vance T. Vredenburg
Assistant Professor
Department of Biology
1600 Holloway Ave
San Francisco State
San Francisco, CA94132
Phone: (510)207-7827
Email:
Fax: (510) 643-8238
Dr. David B. Wake
Emeritus Professor/Curator of Amphibians and Reptiles
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology
3101 ValleyLifeSciencesBuilding
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA94720
Phone: (510) 643-7705
Email:
Fax: (510) 643-8238
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