Thomas J. McGreevy Jr.

Natural Resources Science faculty member, TJ McGreevy
  • Research Associate Professor, Director, Wildlife Genetics & Ecology Laboratory
  • Department of Natural Resources Science
  • Phone: 401.874.4040
  • Email: tjmcg@uri.edu
  • Office Location: Coastal Institute, Office #113
  • Website

Research

My research uses molecular genetic and ecological tools to inform applied management decisions for endangered and rare species. I study both wild and captive bred populations and work with academics, state biologists, federal biologists, and zoo personnel. My main fields of research are conservation genetics, population genomics, landscape genomics, and applied ecology. I have primarily studied mammals (e.g., bats, bobcats, pangolin, rabbits, tree kangaroos, and white-tailed deer), but I also have worked with other animals, such as anole lizards, brook trout, and mysid shrimp. I am particularly interested in how organisms adapt to their environment, the spatial movement of adaptive and neutral genetic variation, and characterizing an animal’s habitat. One of our main projects is using genetic and ecological tools to inform management decisions for the New England cottontail. We strive to communicate our research results to managers and stakeholders to inform conservation decisions for rare species.

Education

Ph.D. in Environmental Science, University of Rhode Island, 2009
M.Sc. in Environmental Science, University of Rhode Island, 2003
B.Sc. in Zoology, University of Rhode Island, 1998

Selected Publications

  1. McGreevy Jr TJ, Michaelides S, Djan M, Sullivan M, Beltran D, Buffum B, Husband TP. (accepted). Location and species matters: variable influence of the environment on the gene flow of imperiled, native and invasive cottontails. Frontiers in Genetics.
  2. Mayer AE, McGreevy Jr TJ, Sullivan M, Brown C, Husband TP, Gerber BD. (accepted). Population genetics and spatial ecology of bobcat (Lynx rufus) in a high human density landscape of New England. Northeastern Naturalist.
  3. Shrestha S, Bashyal A, Rijal R, Shrestha J, Shrestha P, Shrestha N, McGreevy Jr TJ, Buffum B, Khanal SN. An ecological assessment of critically endangered Chinese pangolin Manis pentadactyla (Mammalia:Pholidota:Manidae) in the midhills region of Nepal. (2021). Open Journal of Ecology, 11:344-356 (DOI: 10.4236/oje.2021.114024).
  4. Richardson JR, Michaelides S, Combs M, Djan M, Bisch L, Barrett K, Silveira G, Butler J, Aye TT, Munshi-South J, DiMatteo M, Brown C, McGreevy Jr TJ. (2021). Dispersal ability predicts spatial genetic structure in native mammals persisting across an urbanization gradient. Evolutionary Applications, 14:163-177 (DOI: 10.1111/eva.13133).
  5. Heise-Pavlov S, McGreevy Jr TJ, Burchill S. (2021). “Using non-invasive techniques to study tree kangaroos,” In, Tree Kangaroos: Science and Conservation. Editors L. Dabek, P. Valentine, J. Blessington, K.R. and Schwartz (Academic Press: Elsevier), 407-429. (DOI:10.1016/B978-0-12-814675-0.00003-8).
  6. Shrestha S, Bashyal A, Dhakal A, McGreevy Jr TJ, Buffum B, Joshi J (2020). Mitochondrial DNA analysis of critically endangered Chinese Pangolins (Manis pentadactyla) from Nepal. Mitochondrial DNA Part B, 5:3275-3279. (DOI: 10.1080/23802359.2020.1811174).
  7. Fontanesi L, et al. (37 co-authors including myself). (2016). LaGomiCs-Lagomorph Genomics Consortium: An international collaborative effort for sequencing the genomes of an entire mammalian order. Journal of Heredity, 107:295-308.
  8. Buffum W, McGreevy Jr TJ, Gottfried AE, Sullivan ME, Husband TP. (2015). An analysis of overstory tree canopy cover in sites occupied by native and introduced cottontails in the Northeastern United States with recommendations for habitat management. PlosONe. 10(8): e0135067. (DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0135067).
  9. McGreevy Jr TJ, Dabek L, Husband TP. (2015). Comparative phylogeography of three sympatric macropodid from Huon Peninsula, Papua New Guinea: Implications for conservation and management. Mitochondrial DNA. (DOI:10.3109/19401736.2015.1022761).
  10. Muñoz M, Crawford N, McGreevy Jr TJ, Messana N, Tarvin R, Revell L, Zandvliet R, Hopwood J, Mock E, Schneider A, Schneider C. (2013). Divergence in coloration and the evolution of reproductive isolation in the Anolis marmoratus species complex. Molecular Ecology, 22:2668-2682.
  11. Markert JA, Champlin D, Gobell R, Grear J, Kuhn A, McGreevy Jr TJ, Roth A, Bagley M, Nacci D. (2010). Population genetic diversity and fitness in multiple environments. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 10:205.