Expert Source: A. John Gatz, Ph.D.

John Gatz teaches courses in human biology, evolution, vertebrates, and population and community ecology. His most well-known research used the morphology of different species of fishes to infer their ecological interactions and understand their community ecology. He currently is involved in a massive study of several species of fishes (more than 21,000 fishes individually tagged) in a local stream. The data already have shown that electrofishing, a standard fisheries technique currently under some criticism, does not harm these fish.

Education:

• A.B., Dickinson College
• Ph.D., Duke University

Areas of Expertise:

• Ecological health of Ohio streams
• Ecological interactions and community ecology of different species of fishes
• Behavioral ecology of beavers

Selected Publications:

• Gatz, A.J. Jr. 1979. Community organization in fishes as indicated by morphological features. Ecology 60(4): 711-718.
• Gatz, A.J. Jr. and A.L. Harig. 1993. Decline in the Index of Biotic Integrity of Delaware Run, Ohio, over 50 years. Ohio Journal of Science 93(4): 95-100.
• Raffel, T.R. and A.J. Gatz, Jr. 2003. The orientation of beavers (Castor canadensis) when cutting trees. Ohio Journal of Science 103(5): 143-146.