Research
Current Research
My current research in the Green Lab at McGill University focuses on the effect of tadpoles on their immediate environment. The Fowler's toad (Anaxyrus fowleri) is an endangered species in Long Point, Ontario. In the summer of 2017, for the first time in at least 30 years, there were no Fowler's toad tadpoles in Long Point. Although ephemeral, tadpoles make up a large amount of the biomass in ponds.
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I am interested in how this sudden lack of tadpoles could affect the fishless pond ecosystems that are accustomed to their presence. My research focuses on changes in zooplankton composition, phytoplankton biomass, and water chemistry with the presence or absence of tadpoles both in artificial mesocosms and comparable natural ponds.
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Both the tadpoles of the Fowler's toad and the more abundant American toad (Anaxyrus americanus) will be studied, and the effects of the two species on their immediate environment will be compared. I will also examine if the effect on the environment differs when the two species of tadpoles are together or apart.
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While many studies look at the effects of external factors on tadpoles, very few examine how tadpoles shape their environment. My research will hopefully help us to better understand the consequences of losing tadpoles in a pond ecosystem, an issue that is ever pressing with the global amphibian decline.
Past Research
During my undergrad at McGill University I published several research projects focusing on sea turtles. One study was done with archival museum specimens at the Redpath Museum and the Canadian museum of Nature. This study examined how skull size (as a proxy for body size) has changed in loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) and Green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) from prior to 1970 compared to the present. Another study was a meta-analysis compiling current research on the mechanisms of temperature dependent sex determination (TSD) in sea turtles. Finally, I completed another meta-analysis that examined how common pollutants such as plastics, PCBs and pesticides affected the embryonic development of pond turtles. As many of the compounds in question were known xenoestrogens, the study looked at gross abnormalities in the embryos as well as changes to components of the reproductive system and affects later in life, such as reduced testosterone levels in adult male turtles.
Publications
Journals
Ford J. D.M. Green. 2023. Interannual variation in amphibian larval interspecies interactions. Ecology and Evolution. 13:7 – e10221
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Barnett, J.B., J. Ford, E. Guerra-Grenier, N. Jreidini, J. Benbahtane, and D.M. Green. 2023. Ontogenetic change in the effectiveness of camouflage: growth versus pattern matching in Fowler’s toad. Animal Behaviour. 198: 33-46
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Ford J., D.M. Green. 2021. Captive Rearing Oligotrophic-Adapted Toad Tadpoles in Mesocosms. Herpetological Review. 54(4): 777 - 779
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Ford J., N. Jreidini, K.E. Crandall, S. Sanderson, C.C.Y. Xu. 2021. Promoting equity and inclusion with student-driven initiatives. Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 36(12):1063- 1066
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Ford, J., A.G.A. Hunt, G.E. Haines, M. Lewis, Y. Lewis, D.M. Green. 2020. Adrift on a Sea of Troubles: Can Amphibians Survive in a Human-Dominated World? Herpetologica 76(2):251-256.
Ford J. 2017. Dirty turtles: examining the effects of persistent pollutants on turtle embryonic development. McGill Science Undergraduate Research Journal (MSURJ). 12(1):29-32
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Ford J. 2016. Its Getting Hot in Here: an essay on temperature dependent sex determination and development in marine turtles. Branches, McGill School of Environment, McGill University. 6:12-18
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Ford J. and K. Kwong. 2016. Population sizes aren't the only thing that's shrinking: decreases in the size of the skulls of Caretta caretta and Chelonia mydas. Behind the Roddick Gates, Redpath Museum, McGill University. 4:40-47
Reports
Green D.M and Ford J. 2018. Recovery of endangered Fowler’s Toads in Ontario following habitat mitigation. Field report for 2018. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.
Green D.M and Ford J. 2017. Recovery of endangered Fowler’s Toads in Ontario following habitat mitigation. Field report for 2017. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.
Green D.M and Ford J. 2017. Habitat mitigation and monitoring for recovery of endangered Fowler’s toads. SARSFO final report for 2017. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.
Conference Talks
Ford, J. and D.M. Green. (2023, May). That changed a tad(pole): differing ecological effects of toad tadpoles with inter-annual variation. Presented at the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Norfolk, Virginia.
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Ford, J. and D.M. Green. (2023, May). Toad tadpoles have different ecological effects with inter-annual variation. Presented at the American Fisheries Society Quebec Student Subchapter Symposium, Montreal, Quebec.
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Ford, J. and D.M. Green. (2022, September). Evidence of habitat partitioning and competitive exclusion in an amphibian at its range edge. Presented at the Canadian Herpetological Society Conference, Fredericton, New Brunswick (presented virtually).
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Ford, J. and D.M. Green. (2022, August). Evidence of habitat partitioning and competitive exclusion in an amphibian at its range edge. Presented at the ESA/CSEE Joint Meeting, Montreal, Quebec.
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Ford, J. and D.M. Green. (2021, July). Perils, precipitation, and pollywogs: how extreme weather events impact the effect of tadpoles on their ecosystem. Presented at the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Phoenix, Arizona (presented virtually).
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Ford, J. (2019, December). The net effects of tadpoles on an ecosystem. Presented at the
Montreal Eco-Evo Symposium, Montreal, Quebec.
Ford J. 2019. The net effects of tadpoles on their environment. Presented at the Canadian Herpetological Society Annual Conference, Montreal, Quebec.
Ford J. 2019. The net effects of tadpoles on their environment. Presented at the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Snowbird, Utah.
Ford J. 2018. How to raise toad tadpoles in mesocosms. Presented at the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Rochester, New York.