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Thomas E. Lankford, Associate Professor

Ph.D., Marine Biology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 2003
M.S., Marine Biology, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 1997
Myrtle Grove 1339 | (910) 962-2381 | Center for Marine Science, 5600 Marvin K. Moss Lane, Wilmington, NC 28409 | lankfordt@uncw.edu | http://people.uncw.edu/lankfordt

I am an ichthyologist with research interests in the ecology, physiology, behavior and life history strategies of marine and estuarine fishes.  A unifying theme of my research is the identification of patterns and key processes that influence the foraging success, growth and survival of fishes during their early life history stages.  Particular emphasis is placed on the mechanisms that govern recruitment and population size.  I am interested in sources of recruitment variability, particularly how body size, growth rate and size-based performance influence recruitment potential.  I am also interested in the behavioral and physiological responses of fishes to abiotic and biotic factors, and how environmental heterogeneity affects distribution, growth and survival.  My interests also include the application of physiological, life history and molecular markers to stock identification and other applied problems in fisheries management.

Schultz, E.T., T.E. Lankford and D.O. Conover. 2002. The covariance of routine and compensatory juvenile growth rates over a seasonality gradient in a coastal fish. Oecologia 133:501-509.

Lankford, T.E., J.M. Billerbeck and D.O. Conover. 2001. Evolution of intrinsic growth and energy acquisition rates: II. Tradeoffs with vulnerability to predation in Menidia menidia. Evolution 55:1873-1881.

Billerbeck, J.M., T.E. Lankford and D.O. Conover. 2001. Evolution of intrinsic growth and energy acquisition rates: I. Tradeoffs with swimming performance in Menidia menidia. Evolution 55:1863-1872.

Lankford, T.E. and T.E. Targett. 2001. Low-temperature tolerance of age-0 Atlantic croakers: recruitment implications for U.S. mid-Atlantic estuaries. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 130:236-249.

Lankford, T.E. and T.E. Targett. 2001. Physiological performance of young-of-the-year Atlantic croakers from different Atlantic coast estuaries: implications for stock structure. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 130(3):367-375.

Lankford, T.E., T.E. Targett and P.M. Gaffney. 1999. Mitochondrial DNA analysis of population structure in the Atlantic croaker, Micropogonias undulatus (Perciformes: Sciaenidae). Fishery Bulletin 97:884-890.

Lankford, T.E. and T.E. Targett.  1997.  Selective predation by juvenile weakfish: post-consumptive constraints on energy maximization and growth.  Ecology 78:1049-1061.

Lankford, T.E. and T.E. Targett.  1994.  Suitability of estuarine nursery zones for juvenile weakfish (Cynoscion regalis): effects of temperature and salinity on feeding, growth and survival.  Marine Biology 119:611-620.