Published July 5, 2023
MONROE, LA – ULM 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 “Biology and Conservation of Alligator
Snapping Turtles (Macrochelys).”
According to Carr, the issue is now the “single 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.”
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.
In addition to Carr, ULM Professor Emeritus of Biology Dr. Neil Douglas, and ULM Visiting
Assistant Professor Dr. Ross Couvillon contributed to the issue. Seven former ULM
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.
Carr began studying alligator snapping turtles in 1996, shortly after joining the
faculty at ULM. “Back 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,” said Carr.
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’s editorial
board, Carr connected with Kessler and Johnston to help spread out the workload and
provide additional expertise. “My team has been a tremendous asset in accomplishing
the original mission, in fact, in making it much more than I initially conceived,”
said Carr.
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’s 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.
Keith Goldfarb, the Editor-In-Chief of the journals Northeastern Naturalist and Southeastern Naturalist, said of the issue, “It 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.”
Carr says he hopes the special issue will provide a launching point for biologists
who want to work on the species going forward. “It'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,” said Carr. “This, I think, reflects well on ULM’s 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,”
he added.
ULM students, faculty, and staff can access the special issue of Southeastern Naturalist through BioOne, a service provided by the ULM Library. The issue can be viewed here.
For more information about Southeastern Naturalist, click here.
