Marty Crump

Last updated
Martha L. "Marty" Crump
Born
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater University of Kansas
Scientific career
Fields Behavioral ecology
Institutions Utah State University

Martha L. "Marty" Crump is a behavioral ecologist in the Department of Biology and the Ecology Center at Utah State University who studies amphibians and reptiles. Crump was the first individual to perform a long-term ecological study on a community of tropical amphibians, and did pioneering work in the classification of variability in amphibian egg size as a function of habitat predictability. She has co-authoried one of the most popular modern herpetology textbooks, Herpetology (1997–2015) as well as the memoir In Search of the Golden Frog (2000) and a number of other books for both adults and children. In 1997, she received the Distinguished Herpetologist Award from The Herpetologists’ League.

Contents

Childhood

Martha L. "Marty" Crump was born in Madison, Wisconsin, and her interest in ecology and the environment were spurred by her childhood spent in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. [1]

Education and Research

While an undergraduate at the University of Kansas, she worked in the herpetology division of the Museum of Natural History, and after graduation, she participated in a faunal survey of amphibians and reptiles in a remote area of the upper Amazon Basin, Ecuador. She received her Masters at the University of Kansas for her research in Brazil concerning amphibians and reptiles, and did her doctorate research in Ecuador on frogs’ reproductive behavior. After receiving her Ph.D. from the University of Kansas, she became a professor of zoology at the University of Florida, where she continued her research in Ecuador, and also performed research in Costa Rica and Argentina, focusing on amphibian parental care, cannibalism, and reproduction. [1]

Crump was the first individual to perform a long-term ecological study on a community of tropical amphibians. She studied reproductive strategies in the neotropical anuran community at Santa Cecilia, Ecuador and recognized ten different modes of reproduction. [2] These categories were later modified and adapted for all anuran reproductive patterns that scientists are currently aware of. [3]

Crump was also a pioneer in classifying variability in amphibian egg size as a function of habitat predictability. Her research, focusing on tropical tree frogs, shows that in species that breed in temporary ponds, individual females produce clutches that have a greater range of egg sizes while those breeding in permanent ponds have a very concentrated distribution, rarely deviating from the mean. [3]

She has also been involved in several conservation activities, including acting as a board member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as part of the DAPTF (Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force) from 2000 to 2010. She has held several editorial positions including Associate Editor of Herpetological Natural History from 2000 to 2006 and has served as an officer in several professional organizations including the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, and The Herpetologists’ League. She is currently the Program Officer for the annual scientific conference Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (JMIH). [4]

Crump co-authored all four editions of one of the two most popular modern herpetology textbooks, Herpetology (1997-2015). Her other books include a memoir, In Search of the Golden Frog (2000). [5] In addition to books for adults, she has written several books for children, including Amphibians and Reptiles: An Introduction to Their Natural History and Conservation (2011) and The Mystery of Darwin's Frog (2013). [6] [7]

In 1997, Crump received the Distinguished Herpetologist Award from The Herpetologists’ League. [8]

List of works

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herpetology</span> Study of amphibians and reptiles

Herpetology is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians and reptiles. Birds, which are cladistically included within Reptilia, are traditionally excluded here; the scientific study of birds is the subject of ornithology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corytophanidae</span> Family of lizards

Corytophanidae is a family of iguanian lizards, also called casquehead lizards or helmeted lizards, endemic to the New World. Nine species of casquehead lizards from three genera are recognized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James R. Dixon</span> American herpetologist

James Ray Dixon was professor emeritus and curator emeritus of amphibians and reptiles at the Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection at Texas A&M University. He lived in El Campo, Texas, throughout most of his childhood. He published prolifically on the subject of herpetology in his distinguished career, authoring and co-authoring several books, book chapters, and numerous peer reviewed notes and articles, describing two new genera, and many new species, earning him a reputation as one of the most prominent herpetologists of his generation. His main research focus was morphology based systematics of amphibians and reptiles worldwide with emphasis on Texas, US, Mexico, Central America, and South America, although bibliographies, conservation, ecology, life history and zoogeography have all been the subjects of his extensive publications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pelvic spur</span>

Pelvic spurs are the externally visible portion of the vestigial remnants of legs found on each side of the cloaca in primitive snakes, such as boas and pythons. The remnants of a pelvis and femur, which have no connection with the spine, simply "float" in the muscle mass. The femur protrudes from the snake's body and is covered by a horny structure, which resembles a spur or claw. Males' spurs are generally longer and more pointed than females', and are used for clasping and tickling during courtship and mating, as well as combat with other males in some species.

Hobart Muir Smith, born Frederick William Stouffer, was an American herpetologist. He is credited with describing more than 100 new species of American reptiles and amphibians. In addition, he has been honored by having at least six species named after him, including the southwestern blackhead snake, Smith's earth snake, Smith's arboreal alligator lizard, Hobart's anadia, Hobart Smith's anole, and Smith's rose-bellied lizard. At 100 years of age, Smith continued to be an active and productive herpetologist. Although he published on a wide range of herpetological subjects, his main focus throughout his career was on the amphibians and reptiles of Mexico, including taxonomy, bibliographies, and history. Having published more than 1,600 manuscripts, he surpassed all contemporaries and remains the most published herpetologist of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Thompson Gaige</span> American zoologist

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herping</span> Act of searching for amphibians or reptiles

Herping is the act of searching for amphibians or reptiles. The term, often used by professional and amateur herpetologists, comes from the word "herp", which comes from the same Greek root as herpetology, herpet-, meaning "creeping". The term herp is a shorthand used to refer to the two classes of ectothermic tetrapods.

The Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR) is an international herpetological society. It is a non-profit organization supporting education, conservation, and research related to reptiles and amphibians. Regular publications include the Journal of Herpetology and Herpetological Review. It is the largest international herpetological society, and is recognized worldwide for having the most diverse program of publications, meetings, and other activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doris Mable Cochran</span> American herpetologist

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Herpetological society is a commonly used term for a club or organized group of reptile and amphibian enthusiasts. The term is derived from herpetology - the branch of zoology dealing with the study of those organisms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James A. Peters</span> American herpetologist and zoogeographer

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuptial pad</span> Secondary sex characteristic on some mature male frogs and salamanders

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden toad</span> Extinct species of toad that was endemic to Costa Rica

The golden toad is an extinct species of true toad that was once abundant in a small, high-altitude region of about 4 square kilometres (1.5 sq mi) in an area north of the city of Monteverde, Costa Rica. It was endemic to elfin cloud forest. Also called the Monte Verde toad, Alajuela toad and orange toad, it is commonly considered the "poster child" for the amphibian decline crisis. This toad was first described in 1966 by herpetologist Jay Savage. The last sighting of a single male golden toad was on 15 May 1989, and it has since been classified as extinct by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Richard George Zweifel was an American herpetologist, who classified several species in the American Southwest and in Australia, including the rattling frog. Zweifel contributed immensely to the documentation of the nowadays Aspidoscelis costatus species. Out of the eight costata subspecies, Dr. Zweifel reported and named five of them. Zweifel worked at the American Museum of Natural History from 1954 to 1989, and was Herpetology Department Chairman from 1968 to 1980.

Robert ″Bob″ Powell is an American herpetologist. His main research interest is in the herpetofauna of the Caribbean.

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Joseph Thomas Collins, Jr. was an American herpetologist. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati, Collins authored 27 books and over 300 articles on wildlife, of which about 250 were on amphibians and reptiles. He was the founder of the Center for North American Herpetology (CNAH). He died while studying amphibians and reptiles on St. George Island, Florida on 14 January 2012. "For 60 years I was obsessed with herpetology," Joe Collins claimed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Cynthia Dickerson</span> American herpetologist and magazine editor

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Margaret "Meg" McBride Stewart was an American herpetologist, known for her research on the amphibians of Malawi, the Caribbean, and the United States. She was a professor at the State University of New York at Albany. She served as president of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists and the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. The puddle frog Phrynobatrachus stewartae was named in her honour.

References

  1. 1 2 Gold, Donna. "Popular Biologist Marty Crump Comes to COA" . Retrieved 8 September 2013.[ dead link ]
  2. Hodl, Walter (1990). "Reproductive diversity in Amazonian lowland frogs" (PDF). Fortschritte der Zoologie. 38: 41. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  3. 1 2 Kaplan, Robert; William S. Cooper (March 1984). "The Evolution of Developmental Plasticity in Reproductive Characteristics: An Application of The "Adaptive Coin-Flipping" Principle". American Naturalist. 123 (3): 393. doi:10.1086/284211. JSTOR   2461103. S2CID   84632326.
  4. Crump, Martha (2017). "JMIH Abstract Submission and Aftermath: The Process Demystified" (PDF). Herpetological Review. 48 (4): 801–804.
  5. 1 2 Donnelly, Maureen A. (2001). "The Search for the Golden Frog: Truth and Beauty in Nature". Ecology. 82 (1): 299–300. doi:10.1890/0012-9658(2001)082[0299:TSFTGF]2.0.CO;2 . Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  6. 1 2 Bush, Elizabeth (2013). "The Mystery of Darwin's Frog by Marty Crump (review)". Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 66 (10): 459–460. doi:10.1353/bcc.2013.0358. S2CID   83846031 . Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  7. 1 2 "THE MYSTERY OF DARWIN'S FROG by Marty Crump ; illustrated by Steve Jenkins ; Edel Rodriguez ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2013". Kirkus Reviews.
  8. "Curriculum Vitae: Martha L. Crump" . Retrieved 8 September 2013.[ dead link ]
  9. Kent, Steve (Aug 3, 2018). "Year with Nature': Logan biologist's almanac tells readers one wild story a day". HJ News. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  10. Gamin, Mark (November 20, 2018). "A Year with Nature: An Almanac By Marty Crump University of Chicago Press 384 pp". Washington Independent Review of Books. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  11. Blaustein, Andrew R.; Belden, Lisa K. (September 2001). "In Search of the Golden Frog . Marty Crump". The Quarterly Review of Biology. 76 (3): 343–344. doi:10.1086/394006.
  12. Etheridge, Kay (2017). "Review of "Eye of Newt and Toe of Frog, Adder's Fork and Lizards' Leg, the Lore and Mythology of Amphibians and Reptiles"". Herpetological Review. 47 (3): 491–492. Retrieved 12 October 2020.