Much of my research has been centered on the red fox. This widespread yet understudied species is a great model system for the study of large scale phylogeography and evolution. Phylogeographic work by my colleagues and I is the foundation for a host subsequent studies (some of which I have listed below).
Red fox biology, phylogeography, systematics, conservation
Conservation genetics of Sierra Nevada red fox
Investigating the origin of expanding red fox populations in the Arctic
Investigating hybridization between sympatric Arctic and red foxes
Conservation genetics of the Sacramento Valley red fox
Products (representative examples)
Kasprowicz A, Statham MJ, Sack BN. (2015) The fate of the other red coat: remnants of colonial British red foxes in the Eastern United States. Journal of Mammalogy.
Norén K, Statham MJ, Ågren E, Isomursu M, Flagstad Ø, Eide NE, et al. (2015) Tracking genetic footprints to reconstruct geographic patterns of expansion in Fennoscandian red foxes. Global Change Biology.
Berteaux D, Gallant D, Sacks BN, Statham MJ. (2015) Red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) at their expanding front in the Canadian Arctic have indigenous maternal ancestry. Polar Biology.
Statham MJ*, Murdoch J, Janecka J, Aubry KB, Edwards JE, Soulsbury CD, et al. (2014) Range-wide multilocus phylogeography of the red fox reveals ancient continental divergence, minimal genomic exchange, and distinct demographic histories. Molecular Ecology, 23: 4813–4830.
Statham MJ*, Sacks BN, Aubry KB, Perrine JD, Wisely SM (2012) The origin of recently established red fox populations in the contiguous United States: translocations or natural range expansions? Journal of Mammalogy, 93(1): 52-65.
Statham MJ*, Rich AR, Lisius SK, Sacks BN (2012) Discovery of a remnant population of Sierra Nevada red fox (Vulpes vulpes necator). Northwest Science, 86(2): 122-132.
Sacks BN, Statham MJ, Perrine JD, Wisely SM, Aubry KB (2010) North American montane red foxes: expansion, fragmentation, and the origin of the Sacramento Valley red fox. Conservation Genetics, 11: 1523-39.
Aubry KB, Statham MJ, Sacks BN, Perrine JP, Wisely SM (2009) Phylogeography of the North American red fox: vicariance in Pleistocene forest refugia. Molecular Ecology, 18: 2668-2686
Work on other Canid Species
Gulsby WD, Killmaster CH, Bowers JW, Kelly JD, Sacks BN, Statham MJ, et al. (2015) White-tailed deer fawn recruitment before and after experimental coyote removals in central Georgia. Wildlife Society Bulletin.
Past projects
The origin of domesticated silver foxes Anna Kukekova, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Products
Statham MJ*, Trut LN, Sacks BN, Kharlamova AV, Oskina IN, Gulevich RG, Johnson JL, Temnykh SV, Acland GM, Kukekova, AV (2011) On the origin of a domesticated species: identifying the parent population of Russian silver foxes (Vulpes vulpes). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 103: 168–175.
First photo of a Sierra Nevada red fox pup