Sam Wisely Homepage

SamantHa m. wisely
Asst. professor, wildlife biology

Visit the
Conservation Genetic and Molecular Ecology Lab

KSU Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society

                                                                            111 Bushnell Hall                       Office: 785.532.0978
                                                                            Division of Biology                     Lab: 785.532.6413
                                                                            Kansas State University            Fax: 785.532.6653
                                                                            Manhattan, KS 66506-4901       Email: wisely@ksu.edu

Research Interests

My research uses both ecological and molecular tools to investigate how alteration of the environment affects biological processes at multiple scales. In two core research areas, I investigate how human-induced habitat degradation alters 1) the connectivity of wild populations, 2) epidemiological processes. The third area focuses on how past habitat alterations, via climate change, have shaped the evolutionary history of species. I maintain two laboratories, the Conservation Genetic and Molecular Ecology Lab and the Ancient DNA Lab.

Host Ecology and Microevolution of Rabies
I collaborate with the KSU College of Veterinary Medicine Rabies Laboratory to study the role host ecology has on the transmission and microevolution of the rabies virus. Using striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) as the model host, we combine radio-telemetry and molecular genetic techniques to detail the microevolution of rabies during host to host transmission in situ.

Genomic Toxicology of a Small Mammal Community on the Tri-State Mining District
Over 100 years of lead and zinc mining have introduced high levels of these metals into the soil and groundwater in the tri-state area of Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. With more than 75,000 people living near the 2,500 mi² Tri-State Mining District site, it is essential to understand how these contaminants have influenced the biological landscape of this region. In collaboration with Drs. Sue Brown, Sanjeev Narayanan, and Kimberly With and the Ecological Genomics Institute, we study the effects of contamination on physiology, genome structure and function, and population ecology of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) by comparing individuals and populations from contaminated and non-contaminated (control) sites.

The Effect of Anthropogenic Disturbance on Connectivity of Populations
I investigate how human-induced habitat degradation alters the connectivity of wild populations. Using a spatially explicit approach to investigate genetic structure across the landscape, students in my lab have several projects underway.

The effect of wind power development on the demography and population genetics of the Greater Prairie-chicken. (in collaboration with Dr. Brett Sandercock )

The invasion of capybara into the Chaco Forest of Paraguay in response to increased ranching.

Population genetic structure of white-tailed deer in response to population density and hunting pressure.

Conservation genetics of bobwhite quail.

Phylogeography of North American Fauna
I use phylogeographic methods to investigate the role of past climatological events in evolutionary processes. In collaboration with Drs. Keith Aubry and Ben Sacks, I am investigating the phylogeography and conservation status of red fox in North America. In a collaborative project with Dr. Tony Joern, we are investigating the role of phylogeographic processes in host race formation in a grassland grasshopper species.

Recent Publications

Li, Z., Sun, X., Chen, J., Liu, X., Wisely, S.M., Zhou, Q., Renard, J.P., Leno, G.H., Engelhardt, J.F. 2006. Full-term development of ferret embryos cloned by cell nuclear transfer. Developmental Biology 293:439-448. (pdf file)

Wisely, S.M., Santymire, R.M., Marinari, P., Kreeger, J. Livieri, T., Wildt, D.E., Howard, J.G. 2005. Environment influences morphology and development of in situ and ex situ populations of the black-footed ferret. Animal Conservation. 8:321-328. (pdf file)

Buskirk, S.W. and Wisely, S.M. 2005. Bioappraisal. In: Species at risk: economic incentives to protect endangered species on private property. J. Shogren, ed., Austin TX: University of Texas Press.

Wisely, S.M. 2005. The genetic legacy of the black-footed ferret: past, present, and future. Pages 37-43 in Recovery of the Black-Footed Ferret: Progress and Continuing Challenges. U.S.G.S. Scientific Investigations Report 2005-5293. (pdf file)

Aubry, K.B., Wisely, S.M., Raley, C.M., and Buskirk, S.W. 2004. Zoogeography, spacing patterns and dispersal in fishers: insights gained from combining field and genetic data. Pages 211-230 in Martens and fishers (Martes) in human-altered environments: an international perspective. D.J. Harrison, A.K. Fuller and G. Proulx, eds. Kluwer Academic Publishers, New York. (pdf file)

Wisely, S.M., Buskirk, S.W., Russell, G., Aubry, K. and Zielinski, W. 2004. Genetic structure and diversity of the fisher (Martes pennanti) in a peninsular and peripheral metapopulation. Journal of Mammalogy 85:640-648.(pdf file)

Wisely, S.M., Maldonado, J.E., and Fleischer, R.C. 2004. Turbinal bones as a source of ancient DNA. Conservation Genetics 5:105-107.(pdf file)

Wisely, S.M. and Golightly, R.T. 2003. Behavioral and ecological adaptations to water economy in two species of plethodontid
salamander. Journal of Herpetology 37:659-665.(pdf file)

Wisely, S.M., McDonald, D.B., and Buskirk, S.W. 2003. Evaluation of the species survival plan and captive breeding program for the black-footed ferret. Zoo Biology 22:287-298.(pdf file)

Wisely, S.M., Fleming, M., McDonald, D.B., Buskirk, S.W., and Ostrander, E. 2002. Genetic diversity and fitness in black-footed ferrets before and during a bottleneck. Journal of Heredity 93:231-237.(pdf file)

Wisely, S.M., Ososky, J.J., and Buskirk, S.W. 2002. Morphological changes to black-footed ferrets resulting from captivity. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 80:1562-1568.(pdf file)

Education

Ph.D. Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, August 2001. Dissertation: Conservation genetics of the black-footed ferret.

M.S. Wildlife Ecology, Humboldt State University, August 1997. Thesis: Comparative physiology, ecology and behavior in two species of plethodontid salamander.

B.A. Ecology, Evolution and Animal Behavior, University of California, San Diego. June 1991.

Class Information

I coteach Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation with Dr. Keith Gido and Organismic Biology with Dr. Ari Jumpponnen in the spring.