Wes Boone

Lecturer
Forestry and Environmental Conservation Department

Office: 281 Lehotsky
Phone: 864-656-0179

Email: wwboone@clemson.edu

Educational Background

Ph.D. Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
University of Florida 2020

M.S. Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
University of Florida 2015

B.S. Wildlife and Fisheries Biology
Clemson University 2012

Courses Taught

Wildlife Management
Forest Wildlife Management
Wildlife Conservation Policy
Natural Resource Measurements
Professional Development in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Con Bio (N.C. State University)
Wildlife Techniques (University of Florida)

Profile

Dr. Boone is a Lecturer at Clemson University in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation. A Carolinian from birth (Rock Hill, SC), he has always appreciated and enjoyed the natural beauty of this state. While attending Clemson as an undergraduate in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology Dr. Boone spent his summers working for the U.S. Forest Service (Truckee, CA) sampling small mammal communities in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the National Park Service (Zion National Park) monitoring threatened and endangered species. Following graduation from Clemson, he started a Masters at the University of Florida with Dr. Robert (Bob) McCleery studying how longleaf pine restoration via prescribed fire vs. herbicide influenced mammalian community structure, with special emphasis on fox squirrels. He stayed in the McCleery Lab at the University of Florida for a Ph.D. where he investigated how insularization influenced the ecology and genetic structure of small mammals on barrier islands. Dr. Boone first postdocced at North Carolina State University with Dr. Krishna Pacifici and Dr. Chris Moorman, where he investigated the influence of weather on wild turkey reproductive phenology and success and projected potential implications of future climate change. He then postdocced at Clemson University with Dr. David Jachowski investigating carnivore community dynamics using datasets from across the globe and meta-analytical approaches.

Dr. Boone serves as an advisor for Clemson’s student chapter of The Wildlife Society.

Research Interests

As a researcher, Dr. Boone’s primary goal is to provide insights that better enable the conservation of natural resources while accounting and caring for the interests of all affected parties. He strives to reach this goal by conducting applied research with an interdisciplinary approach. He believes it is important that research adds to our understanding of ecological processes and theory, thereby increasing the impact of each study. Research is an exceptional tool for teaching and training aspiring young professionals and research participation aids in student retention, personal fulfillment, and, when paired with proper mentorship, helps mitigate the effects of imposter syndrome. Dr. Boone’s primary research interests revolve around disturbance and restoration ecology. This has obvious connections to anthropogenic disturbances including climate change, but also ties to natural disturbances like floods, fires, and hurricanes. In recent years Dr. Boone has branched out to conduct research throughout the breadth of ecology – if the question is interesting, the data are high quality, and/or the analyses are fascinating, he’s in! As a final takeaway, he fundamentally believes research should be inclusive, fun, and rewarding!

Publications

Recent works:

Boone, W., C. Moorman, D. Moscicki, B. Collier, M. Chamberlain, A. Terando, & K. Pacifici. 2024. Robust assessment of associations between weather and eastern wild turkey nest success. The Journal of Wildlife Management. e22524.

Boone, W., B. Bankovich, B. Reichert, M. Watson, & R. McCleery. 2024. Frequent prescribed burns reduce mammalian species richness and occurrence in longleaf pine sandhills. Forest Ecology & Management. 553:121596.

Muthersbaugh, M., W. Boone, E. Saldo, A. Jensen, J. Cantrell, C. Ruth, J. Kilgo, & D. Jachowski. 2024. Maternal behaviors influence survival of ungulate neonates under heavy predation risk. Ecology & Evolution. 14:e70151.

Taillie, P., W. Boone, A. *Wilson-Seelig, & R. McCleery. 2024. Diet comparison suggests limited competition between invasive black rats (Rattus rattus) and sympatric endangered rodents. NeoBiota. 94:145-158.

*Evers, T., A. Currylow, M. Sandfoss, L. McBride, C. Romagosa, W. Boone, G. Anderson, J. Guzy, K. Hart, M. McCollister, & A. Adams. 2024. Double take: ingestion of two rats by a juvenile Burmese python in Big Cypress National Preserve, FL, USA. Reptiles & Amphibians. 31:e21283.

Boone, W., C. Moorman, A. Terando, D. Moscicki, B. Collier, M. Chamberlain, & K. Pacifici. 2023. Minimal shift of eastern wild turkey nesting phenology associated with projected climate change. Climate Change Ecology. 6:100075.

Boone, W., & R. McCleery. 2023. Climate change likely to increase co-occurrence of island endemic and invasive wildlife. Climate Change Ecology. 4:100061.

Thomas, T., W. Boone, M. Allen, C. Martin, & S. Johnson. 2022. Occupancy of the diamondbacked terrapin on coastal islands in Florida, USA. Herpetological Conservation & Biology. 17:560-566.

Boone, W., A. Albrecht, J. Conrad, C. Lechowicz, E. Hellgren, & R. McCleery. 2022. Shrub encroachment threatens persistence of an endemic insular wetland rodent. Journal of Mammalogy. 103:1182-1193.

Taillie, P., E. Braun de Torrez, A. Potash, W. Boone, M. Jones, M. Wallrichs, F. Schellenberg, K. Hooker, H. Ober, & R. McCleery. 2021. Bat activity response to fire regime depends on species, vegetation conditions, and behavior. Forest Ecology & Management. 502:119722.

*indicates undergraduate coauthor

Links