Breadcrumb
Matthew Johnson
Professor
Areas of Interest
Habitat Ecology...a unifying theme
I am fascinated by all aspects of wildlife Habitat Ecology - from the theoretical to the practical. Habitat ecology is the study of how animals interact with their habitats, which my lab investigates by identifying animals' critical resources and the factors that constrain their use. Such studies advance our ecological understanding and refine our conservation and management efforts. I purposefully work with a variety of taxa to better understand emergent relationships between animals and their habitats. Therefore, students in my lab work on a diversity of study systems, yet share a unified focus on habitat.
View current & former graduation students in the lab below
Top-cited Publications
- 2007 Johnson, M.D. Measuring habitat quality: a review. Condor 109:489-504 PDF
- 2011 Wenny, D., T.L. DeVault, M.D. Johnson, D. Kelly, C.H. Sekercioglu, D.F. Tomback, and C.J. Whelan. The need to quantify ecosystem services provided by birds. Auk 128: 1-14. PDF
- 2001 Johnson, M.D. and T.W. Sherry. Effects of food availability on the distribution of migratory warblers among habitats in Jamaica, West Indies. Journal of Animal Ecology 70:546-560 PDF
- 2008 Kellermann, J.L., M.D. Johnson, A.M. Stercho, and S. Hackett. Ecological and economic services provided by birds on Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee farms. Conservation Biology 22:1177-1185 PDF
- 2006 Johnson, M.D., T.W. Sherry, R.T. Holmes, and P.P Marra. Assessing habitat quality for a migratory songbird wintering in natural and agricultural habitats. Conservation Biology 20:1433-1444. PDF
Inclusive Excellence
In recent years, my professional work at Cal Poly Humboldt has increasingly emphasized inclusive excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education.
Read about my work for inclusive excellence
Interested in joining the lab?
If you share some of my research interests (see research below) and would like to inquire about being a part of my graduate lab, there are a few steps you can take to let me know of your interest. Understand that space is limited and competition can be strong; I typically only accept 1-3 new students per year from among top candidates (see my current students). Successful applicants send me a sample of their writing in a 1-2 page thesis project idea proposal via email along with a CV and references (matt.johnson@humboldt.edu). Be sure to also mention possible funding sources if you have them. If I have space and we share interests, you may also want to arrange for a visit to the Humboldt campus. If requested, you will send a formal application to the Graduate School
View current & former graduation students in the lab below
- Ph.D. Ecology, Tulane University, 1999
- B.S. Wildlife Biology, UC Davis, 1992
- SCI 100 - Becoming a STEM professional in the 21st century
- WLDF 309 - Case Studies in Environmental Ethics
- WLDF 311 - Wildlife Techniques & Scientific Method
- WLDF 365 - Ornithology
- WLDF 431 - Upland Habitat Ecology
- WLDF 531 - Advanced Habitat Ecology
- WLDF 585 - Graduate Seminar
Awards & Recognition
- California State University, Faculty Innovation and Leadership Award, with Dr. Amy Sprowles. 2020.
- Fulbright Scholarship to India. 2013.
- Humboldt Scholar of the Year. 2010.
- Alistair McCrone Promising Young Scholar Award. 2004.
- Cooper Ornithological Society A. Brazier Howell Award for outstanding presentation. 1999.
- Southern Graduate Student Biological Symposium Award for Outstanding Presentation. 1998.
- Louisiana Educational Quality Support Fund Graduate Fellowship. 1993-1997.
- U.S. Forest Service Award for work on Neotropical Migrant Habitat Summaries. 1992.
- U.S. Forest Service Award firefighting. 1992.
- President’s Award for Outstanding Freshmen, UC Davis. 1988.
Professional Service, Memberships & Activities
- The Wildlife Society, Society for Conservation Biology, American Ornithologists' Union, Cooper Ornithological Society.
- Regular reviewer of papers submitted to Auk, Condor, Conservation Biology, Journal of Wildlife Management, Journal of Animal Ecology.
- Reviewer for National Science Foundation
- Board member, Friends of the Dunes
- Science Chair, Cooper Ornithological Society annual meeting, June 2005.
Grants
- Since 2000, I have been the Principle Investigator or co-Principle Investigator on grants and contracts totaling over $9 million.
- We’ve received grants from a variety of funders, including the National Science Foundation, US Dept of Agriculture, US Dept of Education, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Agricultural Research Initiative, and the National Geographic Society.
Current Students
| Name | Thesis | Graduation Year |
|---|---|---|
| Christian Cortez | Physiological conditions of barn owl (Tyto furcata) nestlings as indicators of habitat quality within the wine-growing region of Napa Valley | |
| Dabid Garcia | Testing Vegetation Composition as a Predictor of Soil Organic Carbon on Working lands in California Using a Voluntary Monitoring Network | |
| Ximena Gil | Do rangeland management practices incentivized by California's Healthy Soils Program confer co-benefits for both birds and ranchers? | |
| Lauren Jackson | How does personality influence the hunting behavior and potential for ecosystem services provided by barn owls in an agroecosystem? | |
| Fatime Jomaa | The use of social information for prospecting and nest site selection by Western Bluebirds (Sialia mexicana) | |
| Eleanor MacDonald | Examining the effects of songbird nest boxes on ecosystem services and avian community composition in Napa Valley vineyards | |
| Elizabeth Meisman | Testing Adaptive Flexibility in Breeding Swainson’s Hawk Territory Habitat Selection | |
| Jadzia Rodriguez | Effects of vegetation on the behavior of hunting barn owls (Tyto furcata) and their prey | |
| Tiana Williams-Claussen | A Case Study in Integrating Federal, Tribal, and State Legislation to Support Northern California Condor Restoration | |
| D. Mac Wilson | Bird, bee, and bat community composition on licensed cannabis farms in Humboldt County, California and responses to hedgerow habitat enhancements |