Matthew Acre

About Me

I was born in Austin, Texas, but my father was in the military so we moved around during my childhood, though I lived mostly in England and Texas.

I achieved my B.S. from Texas A&M University in Wildlife Ecology Conservation in 2009. During my undergraduate years I worked in Dr. Kirk Winemiller's lab. I assisted with a PhD student's comparative study of freshwater fish community structure along varying trophic levels in North and South American water systems. Upon graduation I worked for Dr. Daniel Leavitt, looking at the effects of oil and gas development on an endemic lizard in the Mescalero Sands of New Mexico. In July of 2010, I left this project to join the Peace Corps. I served in the West African country of Cape Verde as an ecologist for the Protected Areas of the country. My responsibilities were to advise local and national authorities on wildlife regulations and help implement a new section of protected areas under the supervision of the United Nations. I also contributed to the first biodiversity report of Boa Vista, Cape Verde. To collect the data for the biodiversity report, our team conducted and/or assisted investigations such as; Humpback Whale movements, lizard populations, endemic and vagrant bird populations; including the continuation of a seven-year study on the Cape Verde Shearwater, and projects on a variety of other organisms on Boa Vista and the surrounding coastal waters.

Research Interests

My current research interests are how phenotypic characteristics shape community structure at varying spatial and temporal scales. While assisting Dr. Daniel Leavitt in the Mescalero Sands I discovered my interests in life histories. Specifically, I examined energy expenditure among various species of lizard in the Mescalero Sands to gain a better understanding of life histories. My goal is to combine my interests of community assemblage and life history for a better understanding of how they influence one another.

Dissertation title: Influence of stream flow on the habitat use, spawning migrations, and recruitment of Blue Sucker in the lower Colorado River, below Austin, Texas

Career Plans

My career objective is ultimately to earn my PhD in the practice of ecology where I could apply my skills working at the global/international level. During my time with the Peace Corps I worked closely with many members of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), World Wildlife Fund, and the international sector of the USFWS. I had the great privilege of implementing projects that were drafted by members of these diverse groups and collecting data beside them to sustain or disprove project objectives and would like to pursue a similar career path as those I worked with while serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer.