Graduate Students
M. Todd Jackson
- B. S. Biology, University of North Texas, 2001
- M.S. Biology student, Advisor: Dr. James H. Kennedy
Like many other field biologists, my interest in the natural world began at an early age and I always had a particular interest in spiders and insects. I grew up playing in the creeks and fields near my house in north central Texas but extensive growth of housing and commercial developments in this region brought about rapid changes in the landscape during my lifetime. I didn’t have a word for it back then, but watching ecosystems fragment and disappear as a youngster later caused me to gravitate towards courses that focused on ecology and conservation biology during my undergraduate career.
While working on my master’s degree I have been involved in an arthropod bio-inventory for two Texas Army National Guard training sites. My thesis research involves the use of insects as biological indicators that may be used to evaluate land management practices over time. I am currently investigating changes in grasshopper (Orthoptera: Acrididae) species assemblages on grazed versus non-grazed grasslands at Camp Bowie in central Texas.
