todd amacker

Tennessee Cloud Forest: Roan Mountain

Roan Mountain in northeastern Tennessee boasts high elevation spruce-fir forests, grassy balds, and isolated rocky outcrops that botanists have frequented since the 1700’s. Famed naturalists including John Bartram, Andre Micheaux, and John Muir made trips to this ‘Tennessee Cloud Forest’ to collect alpine species rarely found outside of New England and Canadian latitudes.

Non-Game Freshwater Fish Survey: Big South Fork, Kentucky

In September of 2017 I joined fellow fish biologists as we did a freshwater fish survey in the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area that spans southern Kentucky and northern Tennessee. In 2007 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began lowering the lake created by Wolf Creek Dam in fear of a possible breach due to erosion of the dam. The lake was dropped 43 ft and remained there until 2014 when repairs were completed. The USACE then provided funding for post-draw-down monitoring of non-game freshwater fishes in the region.

Finding New Fauna in Katmai National Park, Alaska

In August of 2016 I was one of eight young photographers to receive the Art Wolfe Next-Generation Photographers Grant. The group departed for Katmai National Park & Preserve located on the Alaska Peninsula, across from Kodiak Island. It was a pleasure to see old friends while making new ones, including Art Wolfe himself. As a naturalist, I was most thrilled to observe fauna that were altogether new to me. It's no wonder that ecosystems are so poorly understood after experiencing the vastness of the Alaskan landscape. 

Collecting Fish for the Etnier Ichthyological Collection

In May 2016 I joined fellow biologists from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and Yale University to travel all over the state of Tennessee in search of certain species of darter (Percidae) as researchers at both institutions aim to answer questions about the distribution, evolution, hybridization, and conservation of freshwater fishes in Tennessee. No other state harbors as many species of fish as Tennessee, with Alabama being a close second. Unfortunately, freshwater ecosystems in the American Southeast are highly imperiled, and because extinction is irreversible, scientists are scrambling to describe the complex inner workings of these ecosystems before it's too late.

Freshwater Mussel Diversity in the American Southeast

The diversity of freshwater mussels reaches its peak in the American Southeast, particularly in Alabama (harboring ~180 species) and Tennessee (harboring ~130 species). Many threats face freshwater mussels including habitat loss and habitat fragmentation due to the prevalence of dams. More than 70% of freshwater mussels in the Southeast are threatened or endangered, with far too many of them in danger of extinction (18 species are already extinct in Tennessee).

As filter feeders, freshwater mussels clean our rivers by snagging impurities out of the water column. But there are also fascinating aspects of their life history. How do they reproduce? They extend a fleshy protrusion out of their shell that perfectly mimics a small fish. When an unassuming larger fish approaches to investigate, the mussel sprays its glochidia (larval mussels) onto the gills of the host fish, which then swims off and disperses the soon-to-develop larvae elsewhere in the river system.

These images were taken during a collecting trip as we surveyed the Buffalo and Duck Rivers in middle Tennessee.

To learn more about the diversity of freshwater mussels in Tennessee, visit the McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. 

Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Collection

In the winter of 2015, I joined Dr. Becky Nichols of the National Park Service to peruse the natural history collection housed at the Twin Creeks Science and Education Center in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It houses thousands of specimens comprised of mammals, birds, insects, fish, and amphibians. Scientific collections help scientists to study biological diversity, morphology, systematics, genetics, and many other issues that we don't even understand yet. 

For example, the ban on the use of DDT, an environmental pollutant, was implemented due to the discovery that birds' eggs were getting progressively thinner over time. How did they know? By studying ornithological collections in natural history museums. 

White Nose Syndrome in Southeastern Bats

Researchers from the University of Tennessee are interested in the prevalence of white nose syndrome (WNS) in southern Appalachia's cave-dwelling bats. The fungus that causes WNS, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, thrives in Southeastern caves. With the disease currently spreading across the United States, scientists are working to understand the biological, geographical, and physiological factors that contribute to bat population declines.

Brook Trout  (Salvelinus fontinalis) Reintroduction

In the Fall of 2015 I joined the U.S. Forest Service to document the reintroduction of Brook Trout to parts of their historic range in the southern Appalachians. Their population crashed in the early 20th century due to mass deforestation; the subsequent loss of tree cover degraded their small stream habitats that they depend on. Though this imperiled species still faces challenges, organizations like the U.S. Forest Service and the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute are helping Brook Trout to make a slow but sure recovery in Tennessee and North Carolina.

Bringing Back the Lake Sturgeon

One of North America's largest and most broadly distributed freshwater fish, the Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), endured a prolonged absence from the river systems in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and North Carolina that it once called home. Only in the past fifteen years have various wildlife agencies, universities, and non-profits made a significant effort to restock portions of their native range. Lake Sturgeon are special fish by any measure; long-lived and torpedo-shaped, they first appeared in the fossil record during the Upper Cretaceous, earning them the title ‘living dinosaur’. After being extirpated from the Southeast, Lake Sturgeon are once again roaming our rivers and reservoirs.

Aquatic Plants of Eastern Tennessee

In the summer of 2015, the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at the University of Tennessee offered an intensive, week-long course in aquatic botany that was heavily field-based. We scoured three different plant zones in eastern Tennessee to learn about the ecology and taxonomy of 70 common wetland and riverine aquatic plants. Dr. Mike Dennis has taught similar versions of the class since 1979.

Relocating Native Non-game Fishes in the French Broad River

In May of 2015, researchers from the Wildlife and Fisheries Department at the University of Tennessee scoured the French Broad River for Bluebreast darters (Etheostoma camurum) and madtoms (Ictaluridae) to relocate to the Pigeon River, where their numbers are less robust.

Salamander Research in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

In the early spring of 2015, University of Tennessee researchers from the Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries Department conducted a study to test wild salamanders for Ranavirus and Chytrid fungus in multiple locations within Great Smoky Mountains National Park in eastern Tennessee. Watch the short film.

*No salamanders were injured during the exercise, and all specimens were released unharmed.

Headwater Stream Survey, Tennessee

An Ecology and Management of Fishes course at the University of Tennessee, instructed by Dr. Brian Alford, emphasizes a hands on approach to managing, researching, and protecting aquatic resources. Here, students conduct a biodiversity assessment for managers of Cove Lake State Park in eastern Tennessee.

Mist Netting in Coastal Mississippi

In the early summer of 2013, I documented researchers from the University of Georgia and the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve as they conducted research on Seaside sparrows (Ammodramus maritimus) in the salt marshes of coastal Mississippi. 

Sport Fish Research in East Tennessee

Sport fishing is a multi-billion dollar industry. This not only facilitates continued enjoyment for recreational anglers all over the country, but it also supports wildlife and fisheries conservation, including restoration projects for non-game fishes like darters and threatened or endangered native minnows.

Outreach in Big Lagoon State Park, Florida

The Audubon Society of Florida provided a grant for the Milk & Honey program in Pensacola, Florida, to provide outdoors experiences for underserved youth in Florida State Parks.

Biodiversity of Southern Mozambique

Following decades of conflict in the East African nation of Mozambique, biologists are only now beginning to explore some of the remote corners of its incredibly varied habitats. These images were taken near Banhine National Park in rural Gaza Province.