Published July 5, 2023
MONROE, LA 鈥� 网曝门 Professor Emeritus of Biology Dr. John Carr recently served as a co-editor and
contributor to a special issue of Southeastern Naturalist, a peer-reviewed interdisciplinary scientific journal with a focus on the southeastern
United States. The special issue is titled 鈥淏iology and Conservation of Alligator
Snapping Turtles (Macrochelys).鈥澨�听
According to Carr, the issue is now the 鈥渟ingle largest source of information on this
uniquely southeastern USA group of turtles, which are the largest in North America
and currently under consideration for listing as Threatened under the Endangered Species
Act.鈥澨�听
Carr served as co-editor of the issue alongside Ethan J. Kessler of the University
of Illinois, and Gerald R. Johnston of Santa Fe College in Gainesville, Fla. The issue
includes 28 articles grouped under seven topics, comprising over 450 pages, including
introductory material written by the three editors. Ninety-eight different authors
contributed to the 28 articles.听
In addition to Carr, 网曝门 Professor Emeritus of Biology Dr. Neil Douglas, and 网曝门 Visiting
Assistant Professor Dr. Ross Couvillon contributed to the issue. Seven former 网曝门
graduate students mentored by Dr. Carr are authors of one or more articles, with three
articles based on materials from their master's theses. Two articles in the issue
are focused on studies conducted at Black Bayou National Wildlife Refuge.听听
Carr began studying alligator snapping turtles in 1996, shortly after joining the
faculty at 网曝门. 鈥淏ack then, it was certainly true that much less was known about all aspects of the
biology of the species than is known now, so it was a poorly known, understudied species,
and I had just moved here, where it seemed we were surrounded by these secretive animals
in their natural habitat. They can even be found on campus in Bayou DeSiard,鈥� said Carr.听听
Carr first contacted the editor-in-chief of Southeastern Naturalist in early 2021 with the idea to publish more of his work about alligator snapping
turtles after having recently finished several projects funded by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries at the end
of 2020. After submitting a proposal and receiving feedback from the journal鈥檚 editorial
board, Carr connected with Kessler and Johnston to help spread out the workload and
provide additional expertise. 鈥淢y team has been a tremendous asset in accomplishing
the original mission, in fact, in making it much more than I initially conceived,鈥�
said Carr. 听
The team solicited manuscript proposals from the scientific community, receiving over
40 in the process. They then asked authors to submit manuscripts, which were passed
along to individual manuscript editors for the journal鈥檚 customary peer-review process.
The lengthy process was completed in early 2023 and the special issue was finalized
and readied for publication. It was officially published on June 7, 2023.听听
Keith Goldfarb, the Editor-In-Chief of the journals Northeastern Naturalist and Southeastern Naturalist, said of the issue, 鈥淚t is truly an impressive volume that should prove to be a valuable
resource for all those interested in the natural history and conservation of these
iconic turtles.鈥�听
Carr says he hopes the special issue will provide a launching point for biologists
who want to work on the species going forward. 鈥淚t's satisfying to have it completed
and I was happy that we were able to have several articles published in it that represent
work in conjunction with former graduate students, including several specifically
associated with their theses,鈥� said Carr. 鈥淭his, I think, reflects well on 网曝门鈥檚 graduate
program in Biology and on the University as a place to come, be a part of research
projects, and accomplish significant things such as publishing in the scientific literature,鈥�
he added.听
网曝门 students, faculty, and staff can access the special issue of Southeastern Naturalist through BioOne, a service provided by the 网曝门 Library. The issue can be viewed here.听听
For more information about Southeastern Naturalist, click here.听听
