Lauretta Bushar, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Biology, co-authored “Population Isolation and Genetic Subdivision of Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) in the New Jersey Pine Barrens” in the September issue of Herpetologica.

Through DNA and statistical analysis, Dr. Bushar determined the primary factors and threats that contribute to genetic diversity in New Jersey’s timber rattlesnake population. For instance, she found that paved roads were a major factor in the geographic isolation of the four major populations of rattlesnakes across the state.