C. Richard (Dick) Tracy is an American biologist, a professor of biology at the University of Nevada, Reno.[1]

C. Richard Tracy
C. Richard Tracy
Born
Clarence Richard Tracy

(1943-05-24) May 24, 1943 (age 80)
Glendale, California, United States
NationalityAmerican
Alma materCalifornia State University, Northridge (B.A.), (M.S.) University of Wisconsin-Madison (Ph.D.)
Scientific career
FieldsConservation Biology, Biological Ecology, Ecology, Endangered Species Recovery Planning, Great Basin Ecology, Habitat Conservation Planning, Herpetology, Physiological Ecology, Population Biology

Tracy earned bachelor's and master's degrees in biology at California State University, Northridge in 1966 and 1968, and then moved to the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he earned a Ph.D. in zoology in 1972.[2] After postdoctoral studies in Madison, he held a faculty position at Colorado State University from 1974 to 1995, when he moved to the University of Nevada, Reno.[citation needed] In 1980, Tracy visited the University of Washington in Seattle as a Guggenheim Fellow.[3]

Tracy's research includes physiological ecology and biophysical ecology, as well as population biology and conservation biology, largely of reptiles and amphibians.[4] His modeling research on the biophysical ecology of amphibians is considered foundational to our understanding of the ways in which amphibians interact with their physical environments. He has also conducted research on reptilian herbivores including Galapagos Land Iguana, Chuckwallas, and the federally listed desert tortoise. He has served on the desert tortoise recovery team, and chaired the assessment committee for the U.S. government's desert tortoise recovery plan.[5]

Education edit

He received a B.A. in 1966 in biology from the California State University, Northridge. He received an M.S. in 1968 in biology from California State University, Northridge. He received a Ph.D. in 1972 in zoology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison

From 1974 to 1995 Tracy was a member of the faculty at Colorado State University. He has taught at the University of Wisconsin, the University of Washington, the University of Puerto Rico, and Pepperdine University. Tracy has also taught at the biological stations administered by the University of Nebraska, Colorado State University, and the University of Michigan.[6] He has served as major professor for 45 graduate students and 13 postdocs. Twenty-four of his Ph.D. students and postdocs have become professors at colleges and universities all over the world, and seven are scientists in the U.S. Geological Service.[7] He maintains a diverse research program including pure and applied projects in physiology, ecology, and conservation biology that has resulted in more than 170 publications. Several projects incorporate principles, data, and analyses into strategies for preserving sensitive biological resources and for conservation planning.[8]

The lizard species Liolaemus dicktracyi is named after him.[9][10]

Honors edit

Professional society memberships edit

References edit

  1. ^ UNR Biology faculty listing Archived December 30, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 2012-01-14.
  2. ^ Faculty profile Archived July 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, UNR, retrieved 2012-01-14.
  3. ^ C. Richard Tracy Archived January 4, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, retrieved 2012-01-14.
  4. ^ http://www.crtracy.com/Tracy/Tracy_Lab_Research.html. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ^ Desert Tortoise Recovery Plan Assessment, accessed 2012-01-12.
  6. ^ CURRICULUM VITAE[permanent dead link], retrieved 2012-09-14.
  7. ^ CURRICULUM VITAE[permanent dead link], retrieved 2012-10-05.
  8. ^ CURRICULUM VITAE[permanent dead link], retrieved 2012-10-08.
  9. ^ Espinoza, Robert E.; Lobo, Fernando (2003). "Two new species of liolaemus lizards from northwestern Argentina: speciation within the northern subclade of the elongatus group (Iguania: Liolaemidae)" (PDF). Herpetologica. 59 (1): 89–105. doi:10.1655/0018-0831(2003)059[0089:tnsoll]2.0.co;2. S2CID 14818076..
  10. ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. ("Tracy, C.R.", p. 267).

External links edit