Match tier Confirmed
Presence Current · Arkansas
Last published 2026
Sources OpenAlex · ORCID
Refreshed 2026-08-15

Donald B. Shepard

Affiliation confirmed via AI analysis of OpenAlex, ORCID, and web sources.

Teaching Associate Professor

Also affiliated: University of Minnesota (2012–2016); Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (2011); Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (2011–2012); American Museum of Natural History (2007); College of Staten Island (2009–2011); University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (2002–2025); City University of New York (2009–2011); University of Arkansas System (2024); University of Minnesota System (2011); Oklahoma Biological Survey (2007–2009); Conway School of Landscape Design (2014–2016); Illinois Archaeological Survey (2004–2012); Illinois State University (2002); Saint Louis University (2007); University of Oklahoma (2005–2011); Louisiana Tech University (2016–2023); Colorado State University (2011)

Faculty Researcher

20 h-index 72 pubs 1,925 cited

  • Phylogeny
  • Animals
  • Evolution, Molecular
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Species Specificity
  • Environment
  • Models, Genetic
  • Caudata
  • Female
  • Genetics, Population
  • Male
  • Bayes Theorem
  • Geography
  • Likelihood Functions
  • Genetic Speciation

Biography and Research Information

OverviewAI-generated summary

Donald B. Shepard's research focuses on evolutionary biology and genetics, with a particular emphasis on amphibian and reptile populations. His work investigates lineage diversification, phylogeography, and historical biogeography, often employing molecular techniques such as DNA barcoding. Recent publications include studies on the diversification of the Sky Island treefrog in Brazil, the identification of a new species of *Proceratophrys* frog in Southern Amazonia, and a comprehensive analysis of slimy salamander phylogeography west of the Mississippi River. Shepard also explores genetic diversity and historical demography in other species, such as a threatened Atlantic Forest frog and an imperiled moth.

Beyond amphibians and reptiles, Shepard's research extends to other areas of ecological and evolutionary interest. He has contributed to studies on the limitations of sodium in ants and termites in a Neotropical savanna and has compiled updated checklists of herpetofauna in Brazilian protected areas. His scholarship metrics include an h-index of 20, with over 72 total publications and 1,913 total citations. He collaborates with other researchers, including Natalie A. Clay at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, with whom he shares two publications.

Metrics

  • h-index: 20
  • Publications: 72
  • Citations: 1,925

Selected Publications

  • Lizards at the Crossroads: How Microclimate and Habitat Structure Drive Species Turnover in a Neotropical Ecotone (2026)
    Austral Ecology DOI OpenAlex
  • A new species of Dendropsophus (Anura, Hylidae) of the D. ruschii group from the Atlantic Forest in Serra da Mantiqueira, Minas Gerais, Brazil (2026)
    PLoS ONE DOI OpenAlex
  • Genetic diversity and historical demography of the imperiled rattlesnake-master borer moth (Papaipema eryngii) (2025)
    Journal of Insect Conservation DOI OpenAlex
  • Sexual dimorphism and reproductive ecology of the South American rattlesnake <i>Crotalus durissus</i> (Squamata: Viperidae) in the Brazilian Cerrado (2025)
    Journal of Natural History 1 citation DOI OpenAlex
  • A new species of parrot snake, <i>Leptophis</i> (Serpentes: Colubridae) from the Brazilian Cerrado (2025)
    PeerJ DOI OpenAlex
  • Comprehensive Sampling Clarifies Phylogeography and Historical Biogeography of Slimy Salamanders West of the Mississippi River (2024)
    Herpetologica 3 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • DNA barcoding reveals a new population of the threatened Atlantic Forest frog Sphaenorhynchus canga (2024)
    Journal of Threatened Taxa 2 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Herpetofauna of protected areas in the Caatinga VIII: An updated checklist for the Serra das Confusões region with new data from Serra Vermelha, Piauí, Brazil (2023)
    Biota Neotropica 4 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Life-History Patterns of Lizards of the World (2016)
    The American Naturalist 86 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Determinants of Range Limits in Montane Woodland Salamanders (Genus<i>Plethodon</i>) (2016)
    Copeia 20 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Juxtaposition and Disturbance: Disentangling the Determinants of Lizard Community Structure (2015)
    Biotropica 16 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Life history data of lizards of the world (2015)
    Ecology 11 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Biogeography and colonization history of plethodontid salamanders from the Interior Highlands of eastern North America (2015)
    Journal of Biogeography 18 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Pleistocene climatic fluctuations explain the disjunct distribution and complex phylogeographic structure of the Southern Red-backed Salamander, Plethodon serratus (2015)
    Evolutionary Ecology 21 citations DOI OpenAlex
  • Morphology predicting ecology: incorporating new methodological and analytical approaches (2014)
    Environmental Biology of Fishes 15 citations DOI OpenAlex

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Collaboration Network

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