People

Principal Investigator

Jason R. Bohenek, PhD

I am Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of North Texas. I earned my PhD in the Resetarits Lab at the University of Mississippi and completed a postdoc in the STRIVE Lab at the Ohio State University. My research is primarily interested in two related topics: colonization and post-colonization dynamics. I study active habitat selection of aquatic organisms with complex multi-stage life cycles in order to understand how aspects of patch quality affect site choice. Once an organisms selects a patch, they then must tolerate the consequences of that choice. In this respect, I study how natural and anthropogenic stressors affect phenotypic plasticity. Our group primarily utilizes aquatic insects, amphibians, and fishes as our model organisms.

I also teach a two semester sequence of graduate-level Biostatistics here at the University of North Texas.

Thesis Master's students

Kristina Fite

I’m Kristina! I am a graduate student in Dr. Bohenek’s lab at UNT. Broadly, I am interested in aquatic ecology, aquatic-terrestrial relationships, and anthropogenic impacts on aquatic ecosystems. Specifically, I am interested in how man-made environmental pollutants impact aquatic organisms' physiology and behavior. Currently, I am researching how a human-induced pollutant, 6PPD, impacts the development and predatory-prey interactions of tree frogs and salamander species. In the future, I hope to work with threatened and endangered amphibian species as well as other aquatic vertebrates.

Ashwin Narayanan

Hi, I'm Ashwin! I'm a masters student in Dr. Bohenek's lab starting in Fall 2025. My main interests are in community ecology and herpetology, particularly snakes. I'm using aquatic snakes in the genus Nerodia as a model system to study how the risk of predation impacts the fitness of their prey using experimental mesocosms. My goal is to develop a model to predict the consumptive effects and predation-risk effects as well as potentially determine what specific compounds in snakes are being detected by their prey.

Julia Renfrow

I am interested in the field of entomology, particularly focusing on the roles and relationships of insects in aquatic environments. My specific focus lies on beetles (Coleoptera) and true bugs (Hemiptera). Aquatic insects, including beetles and true bugs, significantly influence the health and functionality of aquatic ecosystems. My research plan revolves around investigating how the habitat preferences of beetles and true bugs are influenced by their body mass, aiming to contribute valuable insights into their ecological dynamics.

Non-thesis Master's students

Christopher Graffam

Greetings, my name is Christopher Graffam, and am primarily interested in entomology, herpetology, and community ecology. My current research focus is on the effects of reward contagion on habitat selection by aquatic insects.

Nick Greenburg

Undergraduates

Minah Buderus

Fern Gill

Alex Kent

Josh Morales

Celeste Sylvana

Isabelle Sweatt

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