Carl Anthony, Ph.D.
Lecturer
Background
Dr. Anthony joined the Biology Department in 1996 where he taught courses in ecology, evolution, and animal behavior for 25 years. He retired as an Emeritus Faculty Member in 2022, but he still has an active research laboratory where he and Dr. Cari Hickerson co-advise undergraduate and graduate students in their studies of the Eastern Red-backed Salamander. This species is a model organism used in the study of behavior, ecology, food-web dynamics, evolution, disease ecology, and conservation genetics. Dr. Anthony currently teaches Advanced Ecology and the associated Laboratory most fall semesters.
Areas of Expertise
- Animal Behavior
- Ecology
- Evolution
Research Interests
Students in the Anthony/Hickerson lab use the Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) as a model species to test hypotheses in diverse areas of the biological sciences. From an ecological perspective, we are interested in the functional roles that this species plays in food-webs and how these roles are mediated by behavioral interactions within and among species. As such, much of our work focuses on predator-prey and competitive interactions (specifically territoriality). From an evolutionary perspective red-backed salamanders provide unique opportunities to understand the role that color might play in ecological divergence, and ultimately, the formation of new species. As a result, the striped and unstriped color “morphs” of this species has been a focus of our work for the last decade. Most recently we have been interested in exploring how biofluorecence in salamanders functions in an ecological context. Specifically we are focused on its role in mate choice and male-male competition.
Education
B.A. Biology, North Central College
M.S. Biology, University of Texas at Arlington
Ph.D. Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, University of Louisiana, Lafayette
Courses Taught
Advanced Ecology BL 4440 and Laboratory BL 4445Publications
Recent publications:Ganzfried, M.C., C.D. Anthony, C.M. Hickerson, and J. Deitloff. Accepted. Variation in head morphology in color polymorphic populations of the Eastern Red-backed Salamander, Plethodon cinereus. Journal of Herpetology.
Watterson, K.J., C.M. Hickerson, and C.D. Anthony. In press. A field test of the role of biofluorescence in territorial salamanders. Journal of Herpetology.
Valderrama-Robles, S.C., M. Russell, C.D. Anthony, and J.I. Watling. 2026. Effect of temperature acclimation period on upper thermal tolerance in a terrestrial salamander. PeerJ 14:20775.
Hantak, M.M., O.L. Brooks, K.M. Brooks, C.D. Anthony, C.M. Hickerson, K.A. Williams, and S.R. Kuchta. 2025. Spatial variation in sexual size dimorphism and mating associations in the polymorphic Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus). Oecologia 207:184.
Garner, K.L., J.S. Ryan, J. Tingle, C.M. Hickerson, and C.D. Anthony. 2024. Covariation and repeatability of aggressive and risk-taking behaviours in a terrestrial salamander (Plethodon cinereus). Animal Behaviour 213: 1-10.
Ryan, J.S., S.R. Kuchta, J.I. Watling, C.M. Hickerson, and C.D. Anthony. 2024. Color polymorphism and phylogeographic variation of agonistic behavior in the Eastern Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus). Herpetologica 57:262-269.
Anthony, C.D., C.M. Hickerson, T. M. Evers, K. L. Garner, and R.D. Mayer. 2023. Sexually dimorphic biofluorescence of the postcloacal gland in the terrestrial salamander, Plethodon cinereus. Journal of Herpetology 57:262-267.
Kuchta, S.R., M.M. Hantak, B.P. Waldron, C.D. Anthony, C.M. Hickerson, and R.M. Lehtinen. 2022. Hybridization in the woodland salamanders Plethodon cinereus and P. electromorphus is not widespread: Revisiting Lehtinen et al. Ichthyology and Herpetology 110:430-438.
Venesky, M.D., J. DeMarchi, C.M. Hickerson, and C.D. Anthony. 2022. Does the thermal mismatch hypothesis predict disease outcomes in different morphs of a terrestrial salamander? Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological and Integrative Physiology 1–10.
Waldron, B.P., M.C. Ganzfried, C.M. Hickerson, and C.D. Anthony. 2022. Repeatability of foraging behavior following a simulated predation attempt depends on color morph, sex, and foraging metric in red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus). Ethology, Ecology, and Evolution 34:471-484.
Hantak, M.M., K.A. Brooks, C.M. Hickerson, C.D. Anthony, and S.R. Kuchta. 2020. A spatiotemporal assessment of dietary partitioning between color morphs of a terrestrial salamander. Copeia 108:727-736.
Venesky, M, J. DeMarchi, R. Marbach, K. Pariyar, C.M. Hickerson, and C.D Anthony. 2020. Female salamanders experience higher parasitism compared to males: a cost of female reproduction? Journal of Herpetology 54:293-298.
