Peter J. Unmack, PhD

Brigham Young University

Postdoctorate work in

Advisor: Dr. Jerald Johnson

Taxonomic Focus: Fishes

Address: 401 WIDB, Integrative Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, 84602, USA
Phone: 1 (801) 422-3120

Research:

My researched is centered on various aspects of freshwater fishes, their biogeography, ecology, systematics and conservation. Most of my current research is focused on better understanding biogeographic patterns and the factors that influence fish distributions.

Related Publications:

Hammer, M., Unmack, P. J., Adams, M. & Walker, K. F. in press. Retropinna in retrospect: additional taxa and significant genetic sub-structure redefine conservation approaches for Australian smelts (Pisces: Retropinnidae). Marine and Freshwater Research.

Sheller, F. J., Fagan, W. F. & Unmack, P. J. in press. Analyzing translocation success from sporadic monitoring data using survival analysis: lessons from Gila topminnow (Poeciliopsis occidentalis). Ecological Applications.

Unmack, P. J. & Minckley, W. L. in press. The demise of desert springs. In Every Last Drop: Ecology and Conservation of Springs in Arid North America. Eds. Stevens, L. & Meretsky, V. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, Arizona.

Kingsford, R. T., Georges, A. & Unmack, P. J. 2006. Vertebrates of desert rivers - meeting the challenges of spatial and temporal unpredictability. Pp: 154-2000. In Ecology of Desert Rivers. Ed. Kingsford, R. T. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Fagan, W. F., Kennedy, C. & Unmack, P. J. 2005. Quantifying rarity, losses, and risks for lower Colorado River Basin fishes: implications for conservation listing. Conservation Biology. 19: 1872-1882.

Fagan, W. F., Kennedy, C., Aumann, C. & Unmack, P. J. 2005. Rarity, fragmentation and the scale-dependence of extinction risk in desert fishes. Ecology. 86: 34-41.

Thacker, C. & Unmack, P. J. 2005. Phylogeny and biogeography of the eleotrid genus Hypseleotris (Teleostei: Gobioidei: Eleotridae). Records of the Australian Museum. 57: 1-13.

Unmack, P. J. & Fagan, W. F. 2004. Convergence of differentially-invaded systems toward invader-dominance: time-lagged invasions as a predictor in desert fish communities. Biological Invasions. 6: 233-243.

Academic Background:

BS (’95) Latrobe University, Melbourne, Austrailia
MS (’99), Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
PhD (’05), Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona

Biography:

I am originally from Melbourne, Australia. I became interested in fishes at a young age via the aquarium hobby and angling. By 1985 my interests in Australian native fishes grew stronger, especially the smaller non-game species which are typically poorly known. I have travelled extensively across Australia sampling fishes. In 1994 I switched hemispheres to finish my undergraduate degree at the University of California, Davis as an exchange student. This provided the oportunity to travel extensively in North America and I have collected fishes in a number of regions, especially the southwest.

Website:

Personal: http://www.peter.unmack.net
Desertfishes: http://www.desertfishes.org
Desertsprings: http://www.pupfish.net/dsac/
Gambusia: http://www.gambusia.org