Dr. Timothy Matson is an expert on the biology and distribution of amphibians, reptiles, and fish of Northeast Ohio. His research is investigating factors affecting amphibian populations regionally, some of which are also at work globally.
Matson began studying amphibians soon after being hired to work at the Museum in 1974. Because they must spend portions of their lives in the water and on land, amphibians are among the first group of species to respond to changes in climate, water quality or habitat.
Monitoring populations of salamanders, frogs, and toads is time and labor intensive. Further complicating the process is that some salamanders and frogs are polyploid, meaning they have more than two copies of each chromosome in their cells. In polyploid salamanders, individuals can only be definitively identified genetically.
Regardless of the rigors, Matson has done extensive amphibian surveys, inventories, and species monitoring studies in several eastern Ohio counties. He has pursued questions about changes in population numbers and species distribution. The population declines he’s documented have led him to examine the possible effects of heavy metal toxicity and pathogens in the water of the temporary pools that are essential to salamander and frog reproduction.
Among these pathogens are chytrid fungus and ranavirus. Both are ravaging amphibian species worldwide. Chytrid was previously thought to not be present in northern climates. However, new evidence indicates that the fungus likely has been in the region since the ‘70s and ‘80s. Certain species of pathogenic bacteria also contribute to local population declines.
In a related project, Matson continues to monitor populations of the mudpuppy, a large aquatic native salamander, in the Grand and Ashtabula Rivers and Conneaut Creek. He was prompted to start the project in 1987, after the state of Ohio and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service chemically treated the Conneaut Creek in 1986 to kill the invasive sea lamprey and wiped out large numbers of mudpuppies as well. He has continued to document the effects of repeated lampricide treatments and, more recently, excessive siltation in two of the rivers.
Matson has also been promoting population growth by creating new habitat for amphibians and reptiles. He has excavated numerous ephemeral and semi-permanent pools on the Museum’s natural areas, including Mentor Marsh and Geneva Swamp preserves, and then studied the animals that colonized them.
Contact:
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Curriculum Vitae and comprehensive list of publications