Faculty - Dr. Ronald E. Barry - Biography

Research Interests

Our research has focused on the behavioral ecology of mammals. Much early work centered on two- and three-dimensional spatial relationships and temporal activity of the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus), deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus), and redback vole (Clethrionomys gapperi) in eastern deciduous forests. We have studied the population biology and interspecific association of the rock (Procavia capensis) and yellow-spotted rock (Heterohyrax brucei) hyraxes in the Matobo National Park in Zimbabwe for more than a decade now. Recently we began a baseline study of the ecology of the Appalachian cottontail (Sylvilagus obscurus) in western Maryland and nearby West Virginia as a precursor to an investigation of the metapopulation dynamics of this rabbit. Our latest venture is an inventory of the mammals of five national parks in Maryland and Virginia. This project, funded by the National Park Service, will involve 6 graduate students conducting research in such areas of investigation as mammal species diversity and [GIS] habitat modeling.

Recent Publications

Barry, R. E., and H. N. Hoeck. In press. Heterohyrax brucei. In Mammals of Africa (J. Kingdon, D. Happold, and T. Butynski, eds.), Academic Press/Elsevier.

Boyce, K.A., and R.E. Barry. In press. Seasonal home range and daily movements of the Appalachian cottontail (Sylvilagus obscurus) at Dolly Sods, West Virginia. Northeastern Naturalist.

Stevens, M. A., and R. E. Barry. 2002. Sizes, site selection and use of home ranges of the Appalachian cottontail (Sylvilagus obscurus) in Maryland. Canadian Field-Naturalist 116:529-535.

Barry, R. E., and P. J. Mundy. 2002. Seasonal variation in the degree of heterospecific association of two syntopic hyraxes (Heterohyrax brucei and Procavia capensis) exhibiting synchronous parturition. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 52:177-181.

Fecske, D. M., R. E. Barry, F. L. Precht, H. B. Quigley, S. L. Bittner, and T. Webster. 2002. Habitat use by female black bears in western Maryland. Southeastern Naturalist 1:77-92.

Olcott, S. A., and R. E. Barry. 2000. Environmental correlates of geographical variation in body size of the eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus). Journal of Mammalogy 81:986-998.

Barry, R. E., and J. Shoshani. 2000. Heterohyrax brucei. Mammalian Species No. 645:1-7.

(Last updated on 8/24/2006).