Global Change Biology
Habitat Loss and Wetland Restoration
I am passionate about wetland ecosystems and wetland conservation. Wetlands are some of the most endangered habitats on earth. Loss of wetlands has been most severe in North America, with over 50% disappearing in the last two centuries. I have worked on wetland restoration projects in Florida, invasive species management in Wisconsin lakes, and used historical maps to document land-use change in Virginia. Wetlands support a disproportionate amount of aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity, and thus their loss is of considerable conservation concern. I have a particular affinity for amphibians and reptiles that inhabit wetlands. Past projects include employing drift fences to investigate mechanisms of coexistence in amphibian communities, using call survey data to characterize the phenology and occupancy dynamics of the Florida Bog Frog, and building hydrology models to characterize the prefered habitat of the Bog Turtle.
Relevant Publications
Brooks, G. C., A. K. Martin, C. A. Haas, and H. C. Chandler. Prioritizing habitat restoration efforts for amphibian metapopulations. in review
Hilt, M. E., G. C. Brooks, M. K. Hamed, and E. L. Faison. 2025. Factors affecting the growth of a moss species necessary for nesting habitat restoration of the four-toed salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum, Temminck and Schlegel 1838). Amphibian and Reptile Conservation 19:e347. link
Martin, A. K., G. C. Brooks, H. C. Chandler, K. C. Jones, B. K. Rincon, and C. A. Haas. 2025. Tracking Reticulated Flatwoods Salamander (Ambystoma bishopi) recovery in response to habitat restoration and assisted translocations. Conservation Science and Practice e70144. link
Brooks, G. C., T. A. Gorman, C. Proctor, B. K. Rincon, and C.A. Haas. 2025. Prescribed fire promotes colonization by the Florida Bog Frog. Fire Ecology 21:1-14. link
Feaga, J. B., J. Barron, G. C. Brooks, E. A. Frimpong, C. A. Haas, M. Holden, and E. Hultin. 2024. A hydrologic and land cover-based habitat model for use in bog turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii) conservation. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 34:e4215. link
Brooks, G. C., T. A. Gorman, K. C. Jones, H. C. Chandler, B. K. Rincon, M. A. Sission, J. Himes, and C. A. Haas. 2023. Removing duff layers in fire-suppressed wetlands can aid habitat restoration efforts. Wetlands 43:95. link
Climate Change in Aquatic Systems
Global biodiversity loss has been driven, in part, by climate change. Climate change has a variety of effects on aquatic species, altering both demographic processes and underlying environmental conditions. These changes can threaten the long‐term viability of populations and limit the effectiveness of ongoing management programs. To accurately predict the effects of warming on wildlife, and thereby design climate-smart mitigation strategies, we need a better understanding of how temperature shapes organisms’ vital rates and species’ ecologies in natural systems. Previous projects include testing predictions of the temperature-size rule in freshwater fish of the Midwest, forecasting phenological mismatches in pond-breeding amphibians, and developing theoretical models of socioecological dynamics to inform fisheries management under climate change.
Relevant Publications
Brooks, G. C., Z. S. Feiner, A. Trudeau, and O. P. Jensen. in review. Gradually, then suddenly: transient dynamics of collapsing fisheries in a warming climate.
Brooks, G. C., P. N. Frater, , O. P. Jensen, G. J. A. Hansen, C. Paukert, M. Verhoeven, L. Wszola, L. Xu, and Z. S. Feiner. 2026. Mixed support for the temperature-size rule in wild freshwater fishes. Ecology Letters
Chandler, H. C., G. C. Brooks, Y. Jiao, and C. A. Haas. 2025. Predicting long-term population viability for an imperiled salamander under future climate changes. Journal of Wildlife Management e70158. link
Chandler, H. C., N. M. Caruso, G. C. Brooks, and C. A. Haas. 2024. Wetland hydrology, not altered phenology, challenges Reticulated Flatwoods Salamander (Ambystoma bishopi) management under future climate change. Ichthyology and Herpetology 112:531-543. link
Chandler, H. C., N. M. Caruso, D. L. McLaughlin, Y. Jiao, G. C. Brooks, and C. A. Haas. 2023. Forecasting the flooding dynamics of flatwoods salamander breeding wetlands under future climate change scenarios. PeerJ 11:e16050. link
Longleaf Pine Recovery
The coastal plain of the southeastern United States was historically dominated by longleaf (Pinus palustris) and slash (P. elliottii) forests and maintained by frequent fire. By the early 1930s, however, 97% of old growth forests had been cleared and fire suppression by land managers had become widespread. Following the removal of fire-related drivers, the vegetation shifts to communities that consist of dense canopies, a shrubby midstory, and a notable lack of herbaceous groundcover. As a result, intact, fire-maintained longleaf pine is one of the rarest ecosystems on earth. Restoration has primarily involved the reintroduction of natural fire regimes through prescribed fire, however there is evidence that current practices may not be sufficient for the re-establishment of natural floral and faunal assemblages. In one of the largest remaining tracts of longleaf pine, we have documented how habitat alterations impact Gopher Tortoise’s role as a keystone species, investigated the link between fire frequency and occupancy dynamics of the Florida Bog Frog, and developed management techniques to improve restoration outcomes.
Relevant Publications
Brooks, G. C., T. A. Gorman, C. Proctor, B. K. Rincon, and C.A. Haas. 2025. Prescribed fire promotes colonization by the Florida Bog Frog. Fire Ecology 21:1-14. link
Brooks, G. C., S. Goodman, W. Moore, H. C. Chandler, N. M. Caruso, J. A. Smith, T. A. Gorman, and C. A. Haas. 2025. Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) burrow associate communities are depauperate in modified landscapes. Community Ecology. link
Brooks, G. C., T. A. Gorman, K. C. Jones, H. C. Chandler, B. K. Rincon, M. A. Sission, J. Himes, and C. A. Haas. 2023. Removing duff layers in fire-suppressed wetlands can aid habitat restoration efforts. Wetlands 43:95. link