My research focuses primarily on the ecology, conservation, and life history of amphibians and reptiles, predominantly turtles and pit-vipers.  My research spans a multidisciplinary approach to understanding these foci ranging from population ecology, demographics, spatial ecology, behavior, thermal biology, physiology, population genetics, and wildlife disease. For my larger long-term projects, I integrate this multidisciplinary approach to achieve conservation goals oriented at recovery and maintaining viable populations of imperiled species.

Key Words - Conservation, Population, Spatial, Behavioral, and Community Biology of Reptiles and Amphibians.

Illinois Experts Profile

Professional Home Page - http://michaeljdreslik.info/

Research Gate - https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michael_Dreslik

Goggle Scholar - https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=99ypczcAAAAJ

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-dreslik-2b8ba226

Professional Societies

• Turtle Survival Alliance
• Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles
• Herpetologists League
• American Society of Icthyologists and Herpetologists

Conservation Related

• Illinois Eastern Massasauga Recovery Team
• Illinois Alligator Snapping Turtle Recovery Team
• Illinois Blanding's Turtle Recovery Team

Feng, C. Y. ^†, D. Mauger, J. P. Ross, and M. J. Dreslik. 2019. Size and Structure of two populations of Spotted Turtle (Clemmys gutatta) at its western range limit. Herpetological Conservation and Biology. 14(3):648–658.

Feng, C. Y^†., J. P. Ross, D. Mauger, and M. J. Dreslik. 2019. A long-term demographic analysis of Spotted Turtles (Clemmys gutatta) in Illinois using matrix models. Diversity. 11(12):1–23. doi:10.3390/d11120226.

dePersio, S., M. C. Allender, M. J. Dreslik, L. Adamovicz, C. A. Philips, B. Willeford, L. Kane, S. Joslyn, and R. T. O’Brien. 2019. Body condition of Eastern Box Turtles (Terrapene Carolina Carolina) evaluated by computed tomography. Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine. 50(2):295–­302.

Petersen, C. E., A. M. Goetz, M. J. Dreslik, J. D. Kleopfer, and A. H. Savitsky. 2019. Sex, mass, and monitoring effort: Keys to understanding spatial ecology of Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus). Herpetologica. 75:162–174.

Ross, J. P.^†, R. B. Bluett, and M. J. Dreslik. 2019. Movement and home range of the Smooth Softshell Turtle (Apalone mutica): Spatial ecology of a river specialist. Diversity. 11(8):124. doi:10.3390/d11080124.

2005 - PhD., Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois
1996 - MS, Biology, Eastern Illinois University
1994 - BS, Zoology, Eastern Illinois University
1992 - AS, Biology/ Education, Lake Land College