Betsy Roznik, M.S. (December 2007)
Betsy Roznik graduated from the University of
Wisconsin—Stevens Point (UWSP) in 2005 with a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology
and Management and a minor in Scientific and Technical Writing. Before
entering graduate school, Betsy spent two summers assisting the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service with biological inventory work on federally
owned islands in Lake Michigan. She also worked as a naturalist for
the U.S. Forest Service in Alaska for a summer, and as an outdoor trip
leader for UWSP students throughout her college years, coordinating
and leading paddling and backpacking trips to exciting destinations in
the Midwest. Betsy’s research and travel opportunities have taken her
around the U.S. and to Central and South America. Her research
interests include the natural history and conservation of amphibians
and reptiles, and she seeks to promote a greater understanding and
appreciation of ecology and conservation through research, scientific
and popular writing, and artwork.
Betsy received a Master of Science degree in December 2007 from the
Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of
Florida. Betsy's graduate research focused on the movements and habitat use of Florida
Gopher Frogs (Rana capito aesopus), a species of special
concern in Florida, in the Ocala National Forest. Gopher Frogs spend
the vast majority of their lives in terrestrial habitats and only
return to isolated, ephemeral ponds to breed. Gopher Frogs are adapted
to semi-arid conditions and are dependent on underground refuges,
especially burrows dug by Gopher Tortoises. Betsy used of radio
telemetry to evaluate the extent of upland habitat use by juvenile and
adult Gopher Frogs, identify important underground features in the
uplands, compare use of fire-suppressed versus fire-maintained
habitats and determine survivorship of juvenile Gopher Frogs. This
research will contribute valuable information for use in designing
effective conservation strategies for Florida Gopher frogs.
Terrestrial Ecology of Juvenile
and Adult Gopher Frogs (Rana capito) - MS Thesis (883KB pdf)
