Robert P. Anderson (zoologist)

Robert Paul Anderson
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Kansas State University
Known for	Species distribution modeling, taxonomy of Neotropical mammals
Scientific career
Fields	Zoology, Mammalogy, Biogeography, Ecology, Taxonomy
Institutions	City College of New York American Museum of Natural History
Thesis	Systematics and biogeographic modeling of spiny pocket mice (Rodentia: Heteromyidae: Heteromys) in South America  (2001)
Website	andersonlab.ccny.cuny.edu

Robert Paul Anderson is an American zoologist and mammalogist whose research focuses on biogeography, ecology, and taxonomy. He is a professor at the City College of New York and the City University of New York, and a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History.

Biography

Anderson studied biology at Kansas State University, where he earned his Ph.D. in 2001 with a dissertation on the systematics and biogeography of South American spiny pocket mice (Heteromys). ^[1] He subsequently worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the American Museum of Natural History, where he developed and applied methods for modeling species niches and geographic distributions. These approaches are now widely used in conservation biology, studies of invasive species, zoonotic diseases, and assessments of climate change impacts on biodiversity.

Anderson currently serves as a professor in the Department of Biology at the City College of New York and continues as a research associate in the Division of Vertebrate Zoology (Mammalogy) at the American Museum of Natural History.

Anderson co-described the pygmy three-toed sloth (Bradypus pygmaeus) in 2001 with Charles O. Handley Jr.

Taxonomically, Anderson’s work centers on Neotropical mammals, integrating fieldwork, morphology, climatology, physiology, and genetics. Alone or with colleagues and students, he has described several new mammal species, including the pygmy three-toed sloth (Bradypus pygmaeus) in 2001 with Charles O. Handley Jr. ^{[2] [3]} and four new species of spiny pocket mice (Heteromys): the Ecuador spiny pocket mouse (Heteromys teleus) in 2002, ^[4] the Paraguaná spiny pocket mouse (Heteromys oasicus) in 2003, ^[5] the cloud forest spiny pocket mouse (Heteromys nubicolens) in 2006, and the Aragua spiny pocket mouse (Heteromys catopterius) in 2009. ^[6]

Publications

In addition to numerous scientific papers, Anderson is co-author and editor of several monographs and contributed the chapter on spiny pocket mice to the 2015 volume Mammals of South America : ^[7]

• A.T. Peterson, J. Soberón, R. G. Pearson, R. P. Anderson, E. Martínez-Meyer, M. Nakamura, M. B. Araújo (2011). Ecological niches and geographic distributions. Monographs in Population Biology 49. Princeton University Press.
• R. P. Anderson (2015). "Family Heteromyidae." In: J. L. Patton, U. F. J. Pardiñas, G. D’Elía (eds.), Mammals of South America, Volume 2: Rodents. University of Chicago Press, pp. 51–58.

References

1. R. P. Anderson: Systematics and biogeographic modeling of spiny pocket mice (Rodentia: Heteromyidae: Heteromys) in South America. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Kansas, Lawrence, 2001.
2. R. P. Anderson, C. O. Handley Jr. (2001). "A new species of three-toed sloth (Mammalia: Xenarthra) from Panamá, with a review of the genus Bradypus." Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 114: 1–33.
3. R. P. Anderson, C. O. Handley Jr. (2002). "Dwarfism in insular sloths: biogeography, selection, and evolutionary rate." Evolution 56: 1045–1058.
4. R. P. Andersen, P. Jarrín-Valladares (2002). "A New Species of Spiny Pocket Mouse (Heteromyidae: Heteromys) Endemic to Western Ecuador." American Museum Novitates 3382: 1–26. Full text
5. R. P. Andersen (2003). "Taxonomy, distribution, and natural history of the genus Heteromys (Rodentia, Heteromyidae) in western Venezuela, with the description of a dwarf species from the Península de Paraguaná." American Museum Novitates 3396: 1–43. Full text
6. R. P. Andersen, E. E. Gutiérrez (2009). "Taxonomy, Distribution, and Natural History of the Genus Heteromys (Rodentia: Heteromyidae) in Central and Eastern Venezuela, with the Description of a New Species from the Cordillera de la Costa." Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 331 (1): 33–93. doi : 10.1206/582-2.1 Full text (archived)
7. Publication list of Robert P. Anderson – official Anderson Lab website at City College of New York. Accessed January 2, 2019.

External links

• Anderson Lab at City College of New York
• Robert P. Anderson at ResearchGate