Dr. Richard F. Modlin
Emeritus Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
Research Areas
Ecology, Physiological Ecology and Systematics of tropical and subtropical marine and freshwater invertebrates.
Research Description
Dr. Modlin’s research continues to focuses primarily on Crustaceans in the class Malacostraca: orders Leptostraca, Mysidacea, Cumacea, Tanaidacea and Isopoda. As a Smithsonian Institution Research Fellow Dr. Modlin has been examining the biodiversity and ecology of mysids and leptostracans inhabiting the coral reefs and mangrove swamps in the waters off Belize, Central America. The Caribbean Coral Reef Ecology program of the U.S. National Museum of Natural History has supported this research. His work on the ecology, physiology and systematics of mysids, cumaceans, tanaidaceans and isopods inhabiting the coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico has received support from the Alabama Marine Environmental Sciences Consortium, while his investigations in the waters of North Alabama has been supported by the Tennessee Valley Association and the UAH Mini-grant program. A Fulbright Senior Research Award allowed Dr. Modlin the opportunity to investigate the sensory perception of mysid shrimp at the University of Lund in Sweden. To date Dr. Modlin has described and named fourteen species new to science. At UAH he has taught Invertebrate Zoology, Medical Parasitology, Ichthyology, Physiological Ecology and Limnology.
Selected Publications
Modlin, R. F. Observations on the aggregative behavior of Mysidium columbiae the mangrove mysid.P.S.Z.N.I. Marine Ecology, (1990) 11:263-275.
Modlin, R.F. Paranebalia belizensis a new species from the shallow waters off Belize, Central America (Crustacea: Malacostraca: Leptostraca). Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 104: 603-612. 1991
Dardeau, M., R.F. Modlin, W. Schroeder, J. Stout. Estuaries. In, C.T. Hackney, S.M. Adams & W.A. Martin (eds.), Biodiversity of Southeastern United States/Aquatic Communities, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. pp. 615-744. 1992.
Modlin, R. F. Population parameters, life cycle and feeding of Mysidium columbiae (Zimmer) in the water surrounding a Belizian mangrove cay (Crustacea: Mysidacea). P.S.Z.N.I. Marine Ecology,(1993) 14:23-34.
Nilsson, Dan-E. and R. F. Modlin. A mysid shrimp carrying a pair of binoculars. Journal of Experimental Biology, (1994) 189:213-236.
Modlin, R. F. Contributions to the ecology of Paranebalia belizensis Modlin from the waters off central Belize, Central America. Journal of Crustacean Biology, (1996) 16:529-534.
Modlin, R. F. and A. J. Froelich. Influence of temperature, salinity and weight on the oxygen consumption of a laboratory population of Americamysis bahia (Crustacea:-Mysidacea). Journal of Crustacean Biology, (1997) 17:21-26.
Garner, J. T., T. M. Haggerty and R. F. Modlin. Reproductive cycle of Quadrula metanevra (Bivalvia: Unionidae) in the Pickwick Dam Tailwaters of the Tennessee River. American Midland Naturalist, (1999) 141:277-283.
