Professor and Director of the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory
University of Georgia
P.O. Drawer E, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory
Aiken, SC 29802
Office: (803) 725-8191
Fax: (803) 725-3309
My research interests focus on wildlife ecology and genetics, including studies of the genetic consequences of species reintroduction programs, the application of genetic tools for addressing issues in wildlife management, conservation, and disease ecology, the use of genetic markers to elucidate mating systems, movement behavior, and population structure of wildlife species, and sustainability of wildlife species in human-dominated landscapes with an emphasis on the resolution of human-wildlife conflicts.
Beasley, J.C., G. Dharmarajan and O.E. Rhodes, Jr. 2015. Microgeographic variation in demographic parameters of a generalist mesopredator: Melding genetics and demography to evaluate population stability in heterogeneous landscapes. Ecosphere (In Press).
Dharmarajan, G., J. C. Beasley, W. S. Beatty, Z. H. Olson, J. A. Fike, and O. E. Rhodes, Jr. 2015. Genetic co-structuring in host-parasite systems: empirical data from raccoons (Procyon lotor) and raccoon ticks (Ixodes texanus). Ecoshpere (In Press).
Beasley, J.C., S.C. Webster, O.E. Rhodes, Jr. and F.L. Cunningham. 2015. Evaluation of Rhodamine B as a biomarker for assessing bait acceptance in feral pigs. Wildlife Society Bulletin 39:188-192.
Beasley, J.C., T.C. Atwood, M.E. Byrne, K.C. Vercauteren, S.R. Johnson, and O.E. Rhodes, Jr. 2015. A behaviorally-explicit approach for delivering vaccine baits to mesopredators to control epizootics in fragmented landscapes. Plos One 10(1)e0113206.DOI:10.1371.
Hennessy, C.A., T. Chia-Chun, J.C. Beasley, B.W. Beatty, P. Zollner, and O.E. Rhodes, Jr. 2015. Elucidation of population connectivity in synanthropic mesopredators: Using genetics to define relevant spatial scales for management of raccoons and Virginia opossums. Journal of Wildlife Management 79:112-121.
Anderson, S.J., E.M. Kierepka, R.K. Swihart, E.K. Latch and O.E. Rhodes, Jr. 2015. Assessing the permeability of landscape features to animal movement: the value of using genetic legacies. Plos One 10(2) e0117500.DOI:10.1371.
Beatty, W.S., J.C. Beasley and O.E. Rhodes, Jr. 2014. Habitat Selection by a generalist mesopredator near its historical range boundry. Canadian Journal of Zoology 92:41-48.
Tan, C.G., G. Dharmarajan, J.C. Beasley, O.E. Rhodes, Jr., G. Moore, C.C. Wu, and T.L. Lin. 2014. Neglected leptospirosis in raccoons (Procyon lotor) in Indiana, USA. Veterinary Quarterly. 34: 1-10.
Kimble, S.J.A., O.E. Rhodes, Jr. and R.N. Williams. 2014. Unexpectedly low rangewide population genetic structure of the imperiled eastern box turtle Terrapene c. carolina (Linn.). PLoS ONE 9(3): e92274. doi:10.1371
Latch, E.K., D.M. Reding, J.R. Heffelfinger, C.H. Alcalá-Galván and O.E. Rhodes, Jr. 2014. Range-wide analysis of genetic structure in mule deer: The importance of historical biogeography. Molecular Ecology. 23:3171-3190.
Dharmarajan, G., J. C. Beasley, J. A. Fike, and O. E. Rhodes, Jr. 2014. The effects of behavior, demography, and the landscape on kin-structure: Testing ecological predictions in a mesopredator with high dispersal capability. Animal Conservation 17:225-234.
Kimble, S.J.A., O.E. Rhodes, Jr. and R.N. Williams. 2014. Relatedness and other finescale population genetics in the threatened eastern box turtle (Testudines: Terrapene Carolina) suggest unexpectedly high vagility with important conservation implications. Conservation Genetics 15:967-979.
Hapeman, P., E.K. Latch, O.E. Rhodes, Jr. and C.W. Kilpatrick. 2014. When recent and evolutionary histories meet: Deciphering temporal events from contemporary patterns of mtDNA from fishers (Martes pennanti) in northeastern North America. Journal of Zoology, Systematics and Evolutionary Research 52:331-337.
Dharmarajan, G., W.S. Beatty and O.E. Rhodes, Jr. 2013. Heterozygote deficiencies caused by a Wahlund effect: dispelling unfounded expectations. Journal of Wildlife Management 77:226-234.
Beasley, J. C., Z. H. Olson, W. S. Beatty, G. Dharmarajan, and O. E. Rhodes, Jr. 2013. Effects of culling on mesopredator population dynamics. PLos One 8:1-9.
Smyser, T.J., S.A. Johnson, L.K. Page, C.M. Hudson, and O.E. Rhodes, Jr. 2013. Experimental translocation of an imperiled rodent: Response of Allegheny woodrats to Baylisascaris procyonis mitigation and genetic rescue. Conservation Biology 27:752-762.
Smyser, T.J., L.K. Page, S.A. Johnson, , C.M. Hudson, K. Kellner, R.K. Swihart and O.E. Rhodes, Jr. 2013. Management of raccoon roundworm in free-ranging raccoon populations via anthelmintic baiting. Journal of Wildlife Management 77:1372-1379.
Beasley, J.C., Eagan, T.S., II, K. Page, C.A. Hennessy and O.E. Rhodes, Jr. 2013. Baylisascaris procyonis infection in white-footed mice: Predicting patterns of infection from landscape attributes. Journal of Parasitology 99:743-747.
Unger, S.D., O. E. Rhodes, Jr., T. Sutton, and R.N. Williams. 2013. Population genetics of the eastern hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis), across multiple spatial scales. PLos One 8(10): e74180. doi:10.1371.
Olson, Z. H., D. G. Whittaker, and O. E. Rhodes, Jr. 2013. Translocation history and genetic diversity in reintroduced bighorn sheep. Journal of Wildlife Management 77:1553-1563.
Kie, J., B.K. Johnson, J.H. Noyes, C.L. Williams, B.L. Dicks, O.E. Rhodes, Jr., R.J. Stussy, and R.T. Bowyer. 2013. Reproduction in North American elk Cervus elaphus: Paternity of calves sired by males of mixed-age classes. Wildlife Biology 19:302:310.