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Brooks A. Kohli, PhD
I have broad interests in the community ecology, biogeography, and conservation biology of mammals. For much of my research, I combine data generated from field work, museum specimens, and trait databases to describe and document small mammal diversity and distribution. I use these data to test ecological theories about the drivers of diversity at various scales and to address contemporary conservation issues. I'm especially interested in applying new approaches that quantify multiple dimensions of biodiversity (e.g. functional and phylogenetic diversity) to better understand community dynamics and diversity gradients. In simpler terms, being an ecologist and mammalogist means I get to do what I love: work in stunning ecosystems, study fascinating animals, and contribute to our understanding and preservation of the natural world.
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Recent News:
~August 2022: Starting a new teaching position at Ohio University! Back to my alma mater to teach in the OHIO Honors Program!
~Summer 2022: Research is fully underway in the lab at MSU! MS student Daniel Fleenor and undergrad Robert Gibson are both hard at work this summer measuring relative medullary thickness of the kidney from a variety of Eastern North American small mammal species. Projects include assessing intraspecific and interspecific variation in this key environmental tolerance trait. Lots to look forward to with these data!
~Two new papers out in the first half of 2022! A fun collaboration about which mammals can be reliably identified from photographs (Kays et al, Journal of Mammalogy) and a first-of-its kind comparative analysis of rodent functional and phylogenetic diversity gradients from as many mountains as we could find comparable data for from around the world (Kohli et al, Global Ecology and Biogeography)!
~As of Fall 2021, I started as Assistant Professor of Biology in the Department of Biology & Chemistry at Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky! I can't wait to get to know the mammals of Appalachia better!
~Our new paper in Global Ecology and Biogeography - the first from my postdoc in the Jarzyna Lab - is now published here! We used simulated trait data to show the potential biases that come with using coarse categorical traits to interpret community assembly processes.
~New BioScience opinion piece out online, in which we (a fantastic group of collaborators, led by Dr. Jocelyn Colella) argue for the extension of Open Science principles to physical specimens: the Open-Specimen Movement!
~Our work providing the first documentation of the small mammal communities that inhabit the rare and imperiled "Swamp Cedars" of White Pine County, Nevada is out in The Southwestern Naturalist (and featured on the issue cover!). Find it here. There is a promising movement underway, led by local Shoshone and Goshute leaders to protect these special places through legislation.
~Our paper urging the use of continuous traits when quantifying mammalian functional diversity (and demonstrating the usefulness of several key traits) was recently an Editor's Choice in the Journal of Mammalogy! Find it here and see my Research page for more details.
~August 2022: Starting a new teaching position at Ohio University! Back to my alma mater to teach in the OHIO Honors Program!
~Summer 2022: Research is fully underway in the lab at MSU! MS student Daniel Fleenor and undergrad Robert Gibson are both hard at work this summer measuring relative medullary thickness of the kidney from a variety of Eastern North American small mammal species. Projects include assessing intraspecific and interspecific variation in this key environmental tolerance trait. Lots to look forward to with these data!
~Two new papers out in the first half of 2022! A fun collaboration about which mammals can be reliably identified from photographs (Kays et al, Journal of Mammalogy) and a first-of-its kind comparative analysis of rodent functional and phylogenetic diversity gradients from as many mountains as we could find comparable data for from around the world (Kohli et al, Global Ecology and Biogeography)!
~As of Fall 2021, I started as Assistant Professor of Biology in the Department of Biology & Chemistry at Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky! I can't wait to get to know the mammals of Appalachia better!
~Our new paper in Global Ecology and Biogeography - the first from my postdoc in the Jarzyna Lab - is now published here! We used simulated trait data to show the potential biases that come with using coarse categorical traits to interpret community assembly processes.
~New BioScience opinion piece out online, in which we (a fantastic group of collaborators, led by Dr. Jocelyn Colella) argue for the extension of Open Science principles to physical specimens: the Open-Specimen Movement!
~Our work providing the first documentation of the small mammal communities that inhabit the rare and imperiled "Swamp Cedars" of White Pine County, Nevada is out in The Southwestern Naturalist (and featured on the issue cover!). Find it here. There is a promising movement underway, led by local Shoshone and Goshute leaders to protect these special places through legislation.
~Our paper urging the use of continuous traits when quantifying mammalian functional diversity (and demonstrating the usefulness of several key traits) was recently an Editor's Choice in the Journal of Mammalogy! Find it here and see my Research page for more details.
Check out my full CV here:
| Kohli CV - Sept. 2022 |
