Dr. Jeffrey A. Stratford

Office Information

Cohen Science Center 210 (Lab: CSC 222)

Office Phone 570-408-4761

jeffrey dot stratford at wilkes dot edu

Research Philosophy and Interests

The goal of my research is to inform decision makers on best practices for biodiversity conservation. I involve students as much as I can from every step of a study - from formulation to publication.

Fire in forested ecosystems. Prescribed burning is a relatively new forest management scheme for Pennsylvania and the northeastern U.S. We are studying the effects of fire on ecological communities.

Urban Ecology. Urbanization represents a pervasive and growing form of habitat transformation. My research focuses on describing the effect on urbanization on diversity as well as determining the ecological and social processes that create differences in diversity.

Teaching Interests

BIO 225: Population and Evolutionary Biology

BIO 344:Ecology

BIO 340: Conservation Biology

BIO 347: Biostatistics and Experimental Design

Social Media

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCixxJOVPSN9-N1QUim6Mcxg

Publications (Google Scholar page)

Fetcher, N., J.A. Stratford, M.A. Steele, K. Klemow. 2023. Species Diversity, Primary Productivity, and Photosynthetic Pathway in Grasslands of Eastern Pennsylvania. Ecosphere. https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ecs2.4532
Steele, M.A., H.J. Dalgleish, S. Marino, A.W. Bartlow, R. Curtis, J.A. Stratford. 2021. Oak (Acorn)-Weevil Interactions across an extensive latitudinal gradient in eastern North America. Diversity 2021, 13(7), 303; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13070303.
Robinson, W.D., B. Rourke, J.A. Stratford. 2021. Put some muscle behind it: Understanding movement capacity of tropical birds. Ornithology, ukaa068, https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithology/ukaa068.
VA Ellis, MCI Medeiros, MD Collins, EHR Sari, ED Coffey, RC Dickerson, et al. 2017. Prevalence of avian haemosporidian parasites is positively related to the abundance of host species at multiple sites within a region. Parasitology Research, 1-8.
Yi, X., M.A. Steele, J.A. Stratford, Z. Wang, Y. Yang. 2016. The use of spatial memory for cache management by a scatter-hoarding rodent. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 70 (9), 1527-1534.
Ellis, V. A., M. D. Collins, M. C. I. Medeiros, E. H. R. Sari, E. D. Coffey, R. C. Dickerson, C. Lugarini, J. A. Stratford, D. R. Henry, L. Merrill, A. E. Matthews, A. A. Hanson, J. R. Roberts, M. Joyce, M. R. Kunkel and R. E. Ricklefs, 2015. Local host specialization, host-switching, and dispersal shape the regional distributions of avian haemosporidian parasites. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Fetcher, N., S.J. Agosta, J.C. Moore, J.A. Stratford, and M.A. Steele. 2015. The food web of a severely contaminated site following reclamation with warm season grasses. Restoration Ecology.
Power, L.L., N. Cordeiro, and J.A. Stratford. 2015. Ecology and conservation of avian insectivores of the rainforest understory: a pan-tropical perspective. Biological Conservation.
Stratford, J.A. and P.C. Stouffer. 2015. Forest fragmentation alters microhabitat availability for Neotropical terrestrial insectivorous birds. Biological Conservation. (link)
Stratford, J.A. and Ç. H. Şekercioğlu, 2015. Birds in Forest Ecosystems. In Peh, Corlett, and Bergeron (Eds.) Handbook of Forest Ecology. Routledge Press.
Stratford, J.A. and P.C. Stouffer. 2013. Microhabitat associations of terrestrial insectivorous birds in Amazonian rainforest and second growth. Journal of Field Ornithology
Luo, Y., Z. Yang, M. A. Steele, Z. B. Zhang, J.A. Stratford and H. M. Zhang, 2014. Hoarding without reward: Rodent responses to repeated episodes of complete cache loss. Behavioural Processes 106, 36-43.
Curtis, R. A.W. Bartlow, S. Agosta, J. Clemmons, J. A. Stratford. 2013. Clay caterpillar whodunit: a customizable method for studying predator-prey interactions in the field. American Biology Teacher.
Paul, E., J. Alexander, S. Finnegan, A.L. Bond. J.A. Stratford, S. Weidensaul. Call for Retraction, Bird Banding Opinion Piece Raises Objections. Wildlife Professional Spring 2012:68-69.
Bartlow, A.W., M. Kachmar, N. Lichti, R.K. Swihart, J.A. Stratford, M.A. Steele. 2011. Does multiple seed loading in Blue Jays result in selective dispersal of smaller acorns? Integrative Zoology 6:235-243.
Stratford, J.A. and M. Steele. 2011. Conservation Biology: An Overview In. Terrestrial Vertebrates of Pennsylvania: A Case Study in Conservation. John Hopkins University Press.
Stratford, J.A. 2010. The effect of environmental contaminants on avian populations. In, S.K. Majumdar, T.L. Masters, M. Brittingham, R.M. Ross, R. Mulvihill, and J. Huffman (eds.) Avian Ecology and Conservation: A Pennsylvania Focus with National Implications. Pennsylvania Academy of Sciences.
Stratford, J.A. and W.D. Robinson. 2005. Distribution of Neotropical migratory bird species across an urbanizing landscape. Urban Ecosystems, 8: 59-77. Link.
Stratford, J. A. and W. D. Robinson. 2005 Gulliver travels to the fragmented tropics: Geographic variation in mechanisms of avian extinction. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 3: 91-98. Link.
Stratford, J.A. 2005. Notes on nests of Ruddy Quail-Doves (Geotrygon montana), Lesser Swallow-tailed Swifts (Panyptila cayennensis), Mouse-colored Antshrikes (Thamnophilus murinus), and Scale-backed Antbirds (Hylophylax poecilonotus) from central Amazonas, Brazil. Ornithologia Neotropical 15:265-267.
Stratford, J. A. 2004. Rise of Islamic creationism [book review]. Cladistics 20: 215-217.
Stratford, J. A. and J. W. Tucker. 2002. Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) nest in the east Gulf Coastal Plain of Alabama. Alabama Birdlife 48:10-12.
Stratford, J. A. and P. C. Stouffer. 2001. Reduced feather growth rates of two common birds in a fragmented landscape near Manaus, Brazil. Conservation Biology 15: 721-728. Link.
Stratford, J. A. 2000. First report of a Myrmeciza ferruginea nest from Brazil. Ararajuba 8:43-44.
Stratford, J. A. and P. C. Stouffer. 1999. Local extinctions of terrestrial insectivorous birds in a fragmented landscape near Manaus, Brazil. Conservation Biology 13: 1316-1326. Link

Teaching

BIO 225 Population and Evolutionary Biology (yearly fall semester)
BIO/PS 298 Sustainable Ecotourism in Costa Rica or Economy and Ecology of Coffee
BIO 342 Archosaurs (alternate years)
BIO 3xx Biostatistics (yearly spring semester)
BIO 3xx Conservation Biology (TBA)
BIO 3xx Ecology (alternate years)