Tyson Research Center

Director: Dr. Jonathan Chase

Home Page: http://www.biology.wustl.edu/tyson/

Tyson Research Center is owned and managed by Washington University, and is available for research, environmental studies, education, and other activities by researchers and approved outreach groups. It is part of the Organization of Biological Field Stations (OBFS) network. Tyson is located in western St. Louis County, 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Washington University's Hilltop Campus just off of Interstate 44 (View map). Oak-hickory forest covers about 85% of the hilly, karst-dominated landscape, and is home to many varieties of trees, ferns, mushrooms, wildflowers, and other plants which are listed on the flora page.

News Stories & Tip Sheets:

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Saving the lemur New satellite imaging research could save the lemur in Madagascar March 3, 2008 -- Lemur population has declined sharply since the 1950s. Through education and conservation, a WUSTL expert hopes the trend will be reversed. Using satellite imagery, GIS and ecological and demographic data from the field, Robert W. Sussman, Ph.D., professor of anthropology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, has studied the effects of deforestation on the ringtailed lemur population in Madagascar during the last forty years. He has determined that while causes of deforestation vary in different parts of the African island nation, the total lemur population has dropped by more than half since the 1950s.

Ponds made of ticky tacky After drought, ponds "keep up with the Joneses" Oct. 16, 2007 -- WUSTL senior Ruth Poland and Jonathan Chase, Ph.D., associate professor of biology and director of WUSTL's Tyson Research Center, check species out in one of Tyson's ponds. Download An ecologist at Washington University in St. Louis has discovered that after ponds dry up through drought in a region, when they revive, the community of species in each pond tends to be very similar to one another in species composition.

Islands in the Stream Ecologist reports dire devastation of snake species following major floods of '93, '95 Sept. 12, 2007 -- Sexton observes a flooded Marais Temps Clair. Download In science, it's best to be good, but sometimes it's better to be lucky. Ecologist Owen Sexton, professor emeritus of biology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, had just completed a census of snakes at a conservation preserve northwest of St. Louis, when the great flood of 1993 deluged the area, putting the preserve at least 15 feet under water. The flood provided Sexton with a rare opportunity: his collected data and the flood would combine to make "the perfect study" of how an area rebounds from natural disaster.

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Faculty Experts:

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Jonathan Chase Assistant Professor of Biology Chase Jonathan M. Chase, assistant professor of biology, focuses his research on the rules (or lack thereof) underlying the diversity, distribution, and abundance of animal and plant species from the population/community/ecosystem perspective. His research combines observational, theoretical, and experimental ... Expertise: biology, ecology, ecosystem, natural history, evolution, biodiversity, food webs, … Direct contact: (314) 935-4105 / jchase@wustl.edu

Ralph Quatrano Ralph S. Quatrano, Ph.D., is the Spencer T. Olin Professor in Arts and Sciences and chair of the Department of Biology at Washington University in St. Louis. He is internationally known for his plant science work on patterns of embryo formation, and how the patterns lead cells to acquire traits or ... Expertise: Plants, plant biology, botany, moss, genome, algae, genes, … Direct contact: (314) 935-6850 / rsq@wustl.edu

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Related News Clips:

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Invasive Mosquito Species Found in Midwest Washington Post, St. Louis Post-Dispatch and 32 others Sept. 27, 2005 -- A species of mosquito common in the eastern U.S. and capable of carrying the West Nile virus has made its way to the Midwest for the first time, a finding made by WUSTL junior chemistry major Stephanie Gallitano. Gallitano, WUSTL biology professor Jonathan Chase and Gallitano's mentor and postdoctoral fellow James Vonesh comment.

Snake-chasing doesn't rattle these researchers Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service and 46 others June 13, 2005 -- It may not matter to people who hate snakes, but researchers at WUSTL have discovered that rattlers are adaptable and have some interesting habits. Article mentions the work of WUSTL researchers Wayne Drda, Corey Anderson and Ryan Turnquist.