Biography
Dr. Sattler’s graduate training was primarily using molecular techniques, protein electrophoresis, as a means of investigating hybridization in amphibians. Since moving to Virginia, one of the sites of the greatest salamander diversity in the world, his research has shifted more from frogs to salamanders. With an undergraduate student , they investigated the distribution of the northern and southern two-lined salamanders with several electrophoretic markers, adjusting the distribution to reflect reality, and analyzed the level of hybridization. More recently, Dr. Sattler has used DNA sequences to identify species hard to distinguish using morphology, to better understand their distributions. His most recent project is the production of a book on the Amphibians of Virginia.
Courses Taught
- BIOL 224 General Biology I
- BIOL 400 Biology Seminar
- BIOL 418 Vertebrate Natural History
Research Interests
Dr. Sattler’s current research involves the determination of the distribution of amphibians in Virginia, particularly those species for which morphology is inadequate to identify the species, necessitating the use of molecular markers. He is also interested in the extent to which amphibian species will hybridize in the wild.
Professional Memberships
- Virginia Herpetological Society
- Virginia Natural History Society
Publications