Ongoing Research in Texas work 2021-2022
We have been busy surveying streams across different river basins in Central - East Texas.
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1) Erin Shepta (M.S. student) is investigating the status of two invasive species (Cyprinodontiformes: Sheepshead minnow and Gulf Killifish) into native communities and pathways of introduction of these invasive species in The Brazos and Red River basins, Texas. 

2) Jake Swanson (M.S. student) is examining fish communities across riverine landscape across Central-East Texas streams. 

3) Zachary Hutchens (Biology Undergrad) is investigating the movements, habitat association, and ecological aspects of the Sabine Shiner ( a species of greatest conservation need) in La Nana Creek Watershed.
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4) We are surveying and running excretion experiments in amphibian species in pond at DCNF to examine energy and nutrient exports from ponds to forest ecosystems.

​5) We are examining  microplastics in stomach content analysis of fishes in urban streams in East Texas 

Erin and Dr. Montana mearing water quality @ Brazos River, Somervell County, Texas. 10/2/2020.

Jake, Zachary and Jordan posting with a Bowfin Collected at Gran Saline Creek, Sabine River Basin. 6/28/2020

Red River pupfish (Cyprinodon rubrofluviatilis) collected from Pease River, Upper Red River Basin. 6/29/2020

Position available 
​M.S. Graduate Research Assistantship 
 Ecology and conservation of two endangered shiners in Brazos River, Texas.

Photos of Field Research  Activities

Zachary Hutchens, Siena Stassi and Britt Reese (Undergraduates). Erin Shepta (Graduate Student) and me @ the middle reaches of Brazos River below the Whitney Reservoir TX. February 2021.

Montana & Schalk Lab members during the alligator snapping turtle survey @ East Texas. 22 July 2020.

Experimental setting for nutrient excretion in amphibians @ ponds in Davy Crockett National Forest, TX. June 2020.

​Internships & volunteering opportunities
​at Montana Lab
​Are you interested  in aquatic ecosystems: ponds, streams, rivers?  in aquatic organisms such as fish, aquatic invertebrates, tadpoles?  The Montana Lab welcome  motivate undergraduates  with great interest in getting hands on research experience working on the field or lab settings. 
​Please, contact Dr. Montana via email if you are interested in volunteering or doing an internship in her lab. ​

Graduate Research Assistantship (M.S.)
Position available.

Position
The Montaña Aquatic Ecology Lab (https://www.carmengmontana.com/) at the Department of Biology at Stephen F. Austin State University is recruiting a Master’s student to begin in Spring 2022 or Summer 2022. The position is funded for 2.5 years, and will be based in the research group of Dr. Montaña. Student will receive a stipend of $1,800/month and a tuition waver.
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Research Focus
This project will study the ecology of two endangered shiners: the Sharpnose and Smalleye shiners, their habitat use, and habitat quality, and their associated fish assemblages. The goal of the research project is to improve our understanding of the environmental factors (abiotic and biotic) affecting these distributions and dynamics of these populations in the Brazos River, Texas.
 

More news:
October  2021
Our article entitled: Trophic ecology and resource partitioning of Common Snook and Mexican Snook in the Usumacinta River Delta  accepted for publication in Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. Congratulations to everyone, in special to Edgar Abraham Aragón Flores as this was one of the topics of his PhD dissertation!

Dr. Montana and Collaborators from University of North Texas received award from Texas  Comptroller Office  study populations of Endangered fish species. We will be busy for 4-year!!!

TPWD Inland Fisheries State Wildlife Grant pre-proposal submitted. Finger crossed!!

September  2021
Our article entitled: The cost of gold: Mercury contamination of fishes in a Neotropical river food-web was published in Neotropical Ichthyology. 

Collaborative Research proposal with Texas A&M University was submitted to National Science Foundation (NSF). Fingers crossed!

Our article entitled: Community assembly within ponds: the roles of space, time, and environmental gradients was published in Aquatic Ecology!

Research Grant proposal in collaboration with the University of North Texas was submitted to the the Texas Office of Comptroller. Fingers crossed!

August 2021
National Science Foundation (NSF) founded our collaborative research project for MRI: Acquisition of Tekran mercury speciation system. This is in collaboration with University of Texas at Tyler. Congrats to everyone!!

Siena Stassi (SFA, Env. Science undergraduate) joined the lab. Welcome Sienna.

Brittney Reese graduated from SFASU, Biology! Congratulation  Britt.

July 2021
Dr. Montana was awarded with the SFASU Distinguish Grant Award: Faculty research First Award"  for her research achievements since she arrived at SFA in Fall 2019. 

Zachary Hutchens presented his summer research work on Impacts of urbanization in the populations of Sabine Shiner at the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) 2021 at SFASU.  Way to go Zachary!

April 2021
Congratulations to Zachary Hutchens for being awarded with the Student Field Natural History Award  at the 2021 The Southwestern Association of Naturalists (SWAN) meeting 22-24 April 2021. Zachary presented his research on Movements, Habitat use and Ecological aspects of the Sabine Shiner in East Texas streams. Way to go Zach!!

Our new book entitled: Peacock Bass: Diversity, Ecology and Conservation"  by Kirk Winemiller, Leslie Kelso Winemiller & Carmen Montana) has been published by Elsevier.  

March 2021
Dr. Montana was awarded with the SFA Research Grant Development for Summer 2021.
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Congratulations to Zachary Hutchens for being one of the recipients of the 2021 Undergraduate Research Summer Award. Way to go Zach!

Congratulations to Jake Swanson (M.S. Student) recipient of the STMicroelectronics scholarship and the McCullough Family Scholarship from the ATCOFA. 

Lucas Kahn (Undergraduate) 
received Top Scholar winner at the 2021 SFA Undergraduate Research Symposium. Congratulations- Way to go Lucas!

February 2021
Undergraduates (Zachary Hutchens, Brittney Reese Valerie Castillo, Courtney Plummer and Lucas Kahn) and Graduate (Erin Shepta and Jake Swanson) at Montana Lab presented their research projects at the 2021 Virtual Texas Chapter American Fisheries Society. Good job everyone!

January 2021
Dr. Reuber Antoniazzi from Brazil joined the Montana Lab as a Research Associate. He will be describing historical patterns of communities and and spatial distribution of streams network. Welcome Reuber!!