Samantha Smith

PhD Student- Wildlife and Fisheries Biology
Forestry and Environmental Conservation Department

Office: Lehotsky G12E
Phone:

Email: sns4@clemson.edu

Educational Background

MSc Environmental Biology
Suranaree University of Technology 2020

BSc Animal Behavior
University of New England 2017

Profile

Samantha (Sam) is a PhD student in the Buchholtz lab and is affiliated with the USGS SC Cooperative Research Unit. At Clemson, her dissertation research will focus on how wildlife movement is influenced by landscape connectivity in the Southeastern US. Before joining the FEC department, Sam worked as a wildlife biologist, assisting in research activities on both native and invasive herpetofauna in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem. Prior to this, Sam conducted her master's research on the movement ecology of native Burmese pythons in a biosphere reserve in Northeast Thailand. Sam hopes to build on her previous skills and experience to apply current analytical techniques to a better understanding of wildlife movement.

Research Interests

Movement ecology, spatial ecology, resource selection, landscape connectivity, conservation

Publications

Kwak, M. L., Jones, M. D., Harman, M. E. A., Smith, S. N., Knierim, T., Barnes, C. H., Waengsothorn, S., Amarga, A. K. S., Kuo, C., Nakao, R. & D’Souza, A. (2023). The East Indies reptile tick Amblyomma helvolum Koch, 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae), taxonomy, biology and new host records, including the first record of human infestation. Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases, 14(6), 102224.

Jones, M. D., Marshall, B. M., Smith, S. N., Crane, M., Silva, I., Artchawakom, T., Suwanwaree, P., Waengsothorn, S., Wüster, W., Goode, M. & Strine, C. T. (2022). How do King Cobras move across a major highway? Unintentional wildlife crossing structures may facilitate movement. Ecology and evolution, 12(3), e8691.

Smith, S. N., Jones, M. D., Marshall, B. M., Waengsothorn, S., Gale, G. A. & Strine, C. T. (2021). Native Burmese pythons exhibit site fidelity and preference for aquatic habitats in an agricultural mosaic. Scientific Reports, 11(7014): 0.1038/s41598-021-86640-1

Jones, M. D., Marshall, B. M., Smith. S. N., Christie, J., Waengsothorn, S., Artchawakom, T., Suwanwaree, P. & Strine, C. T. (2020). Can post-capture photographic identification as a wildlife marking technique be undermined by observer error? A case study using king cobras in northeast Thailand. PLoS ONE. 15(2): e0242826.

Jones, M. D. & Smith, S. N. (2017). Predation and Feeding Behaviour of Varanus salvator macromaculatus on the Asian swamp eel (Fluta alba) in Lumpini Park, Bangkok, Thailand. Captive and Field Herpetology, 1(1): 1-5.