Photo of Ed Gates

Faculty

J. Edward Gates

Professor Emeritus
Faculty
J. Edward Gates
Professor Emeritus
Appalachian Laboratory

Bio

J. Edward Gates is Professor Emeritus at the Appalachian Laboratory of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science in Frostburg, Maryland. Gates has a Ph.D. in fisheries and wildlife from Michigan State University, a M.A. in biology from Bowling Green State University, and a B.S. in biology from Old Dominion College. His research centers on wildlife and conservation ecology, particularly human-wildlife-habitat relationships. He has studied a variety of wildlife species and their habitats throughout the mid-Atlantic and northeastern states, including several amphibians and reptiles, birds, and mammals. He has also worked collaboratively with researchers in Central Mexico on birds and mammals. Currently, his focus is on inventory and monitoring of bat populations on conservation lands and assessing the impacts of white-nose syndrome (WNS) and wind turbines on their populations. His research has been supported by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Maryland Department of Transportation, National Institutes of Health, and the National Park Service.  He is senior editor on a book, Peak Oil, Economic Growth, and Wildlife Conservation, and is an author on three of the chapters. The book was written for students and laypersons and explores the linkages between energy, economic growth, and the conservation of natural landscapes and native species.

Areas of Expertise

  • Wildlife and conservation ecology and management
  • Human-wildlife-habitat relationships, focusing on habitat fragmentation and alteration, connectivity (corridors), edge effects, and boundary dynamics
  • Habitat suitability for vertebrate species
  • Species inventory and monitoring for natural resource management
  • Natural resources and the human enterprise

Education

  • Michigan State University, 1976, Ph.D., Wildlife Ecology
  • Bowling Green State University, 1972, M.A., Plant Ecology
  • Old Dominion College, 1969, B.S., Biology

Regularly Offered Courses

Lab News

White-nose syndrome killing bats across Maryland

Populations of bat species are disappearing as a silent killer called white-nose syndrome emerges in caves and other winter refuges across the country.