• BSc, Wildlife Biology, University of Guelph 1993
• MSc, Ecology, University of Guelph 1996
• PhD, Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, University of South Carolina 2003

My research program combines field and lab-based approaches, and basic and applied science. Projects in my lab address questions in the areas of evolutionary ecology and conservation biology of reptiles, including examination of the adaptive significance of life history variation at geographic extremes (e.g., at northern range limits), and the application of these data to the design of conservation plans. Recent and current research examined/examines variation in the life history and ecology of federally-listed turtle species, including Spotted Turtles (Clemmys guttata), Wood Turtles (Glyptemys insculpta), Blanding's Turtles (Emydoidea blandingii), and Stinkpots (Sternotherus odoratus), with emphasis on maternal investment, spatial ecology, and habitat selection. The physiological research examines questions about the adaptive bioenergetic, fitness, and thermoregulatory consequences of certain behaviours, particularly summer and winter dormancy, in reptiles.

• Paterson, J.E., B. Steinberg, and J.D. Litzgus. 2012. Generally specialized or especially general? Habitat selection by Snapping Turtles (Chelydra serpentina) in central Ontario. Canadian Journal of Zoology 90: 139-149.
• Bennett, A.M., M. Keevil, and J.D. Litzgus. 2010. Spatial ecology and population genetics of Northern Map Turtles (Graptemys geographica) in fragmented and continuous habitats in Canada. Chelonian Conservation and Biology 9(2): 185-195.
• Edge, C.B., B.D. Steinberg, R.J. Brooks, and J.D. Litzgus. 2010. Habitat selection by Blanding's Turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) in a relatively pristine landscape. Écoscience 17(1): 90-99.
• Litzgus, J.D. and S.E. Smith. 2010. Geographic variation in sexual size dimorphism in Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta). Journal of Herpetology 44(2): 321-327.
• Rasmussen, M.L. and J.D. Litzgus. 2010. Patterns of maternal investment in spotted turtles (Clemmys guttata): Implications of trade-offs, scales of analyses, and incubation substrates. Écoscience 17(1): 47-58.