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WILLIAM A. HOPKINS III, Ph.D.
Assistant Research Scientist

Savannah River Ecology Laboratory
Drawer E, Aiken, South Carolina 29802
Lab Phone: (803) 725-2472    
Office Phone: (803) 952-7427
FAX: (803) 725-3309    
E-Mail:  hopkins@srel.edu

updated: January 2002

EDUCATION

Dissertation: “Effects of coal combustion wastes on survival, physiology, and performance of the benthic-feeding fish, Erimyzon sucetta

1994-97   M.S.    Auburn University, Zoology

Thesis: “Hormonal responses and trace element uptake in southern toads, Bufo terrestris, exposed to coal combustion wastes”

1989-93   B.S.     Mercer University, Biology

PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT

• 2001-02 Research Coordinator II. Savannah River Ecology Laboratory

• 1998-01 Research Coordinator I. Savannah River Ecology Laboratory

• 1997-98 Research Technician III. Savannah River Ecology Laboratory

• 1994-97 Graduate Teaching Assistant (Anatomy and Mammalian Physiology). Auburn Univ.

• 1992-93 Research Technician. Mercer University School of Medicine

RESEARCH INTERESTS

• Effects of teratogenic compounds on reproduction and development in ectotherms

• Trophic uptake of contaminants in predatory vertebrates

• Digestive physiology of reptiles and amphibians

• Effects of contaminants on resource allocation based life history traits

• Indirect effects of contaminants on ectotherms (e.g., effects on resource base, microhabitat)

MANUSCRIPTS IN PREPARATION/ REVIEW

Rowe, C.L., W.A. Hopkins, J.D. Congdon. In Review. Ecotoxicological implications of aquatic disposal of coal combustion residues. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment.

Rania, L.C., W.A. Hopkins, L. O’Neil, S. Hasse, J.H. Roe, D.M. Sever. In Review. Histopathology of the banded water snake, Nerodia fasciata, following chronic exposure to trace element-contaminated prey from a coal ash disposal site: Part 1. The liver. Journal of Herpetology.

Dorcas, M. W.A. Hopkins, and J.H.Roe. In Review. Thermal dependency of standard metabolic rate in the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, Crotalus adamanteus. Copeia.

Hopkins, W.A., J.H. Roe, T.E. Philippi, J.D. Congdon . In Review. Pre - and post-prandial metabolism in an actively foraging aquatic snake, Nerodia fasciata. Functional Ecology.

Hopkins, W.A.,  J. W. Snodgrass, B. P. Staub,  B. P. Jackson, J. D. Congdon. In Prep. Altered swimming performance of benthic fish (Erimyzon sucetta) exposed to contaminated sediments.

Hopkins, W.A., B.P. Staub, J. W. Snodgrass, A. DeBiase, B. Taylor, J.H. Roe, B. P. Jackson, and J.D. Congdon. In Prep. Responses of benthic fish exposed to contaminants in outdoor mesocosms: Examining the ecological relevance of previous laboratory toxicity tests.

Roe, J.H., W.A. Hopkins, and J.D. Congdon. In Prep. Digestive metabolism of juvenile African house snakes, Lamprophis fuliginosis.

Staub, B.S., W.A., Hopkins, J. Novak, and J.D. Congdon. In Prep. Population persistence of mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) in a coal ash contaminated site: A case of species tolerance or local adaptation?

Grayson, K.L., J.M. Todd, L. Cook, D. Pierce, W.A. Hopkins, R. Gatten, and M.E. Dorcas. In Prep. Effect of prey type on specific dynamic action and growth rate in the Choacan horned frog, Ceratophrys cranwelli.

PUBLICATIONS 
(IN PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS ONLY)

Hopkins, W.A., J. W. Snodgrass, J. H. Roe, D. E. Kling, B. P. Staub, B. P. Jackson and J. D. Congdon. In Press. Effects of food ration on survival and sublethal responses of lake chubsuckers (Erimyzon sucetta) exposed to coal combustion wastes. Aquatic Toxicology.

Hopkins, W.A., J. H. Roe, J. W. Snodgrass, B. P. Staub, B. P. Jackson and J. D. Congdon. In Press. Trace element accumulation and effects of chronic dietary exposure on banded water snakes (Nerodia fasciata). Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry. 21(5):xx-xx.

Rowe, C.L., W.A. Hopkins, J.D. Congdon. 2001. Integrating Individual-based Indices of Contaminant Effects:  How Multiple Sublethal Effects May Ultimately Reduce Amphibian Recruitment from a Contaminated Breeding Site. The Scientific World 1:703-712.

Rowe, C.L. W.A. Hopkins, C. Zehnder, J.D. Congdon. 2001. Metabolic Costs Incurred by Crayfish (Procambarus acutus) in a Trace Element-Polluted Habitat: Mounting Evidence of a General, Across-Taxa Response. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology C 129:275-283.

Hopkins, W.A.,  J.H. Roe,  J.W. Snodgrass, B.P. Jackson, D.E. Kling, C.L. Rowe, and J.D. Congdon. 2001. Nondestructive indices of trace element exposure in squamate reptiles. Environmental Pollution 115(1):1-7.

Congdon, J.D. A. Dunham, W.A. Hopkins, C.L. Rowe, T. Hinton. 2001 Resource allocation based life history trait values: a conceptual basis for studies of environmental toxicology. Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry 20(8):1698-1703.

Rowe, C.L., W.A. Hopkins, and V.R. Coffman. 2001. Failed recruitment of southern toads (Bufo terrestris) in a trace element-contaminated breeding habitat: direct and indirect effects that may lead to a local population sink. Archives of Environmental Contamination & Toxicology 40(3): 399-405.

Hopkins, W.A. 2000. Reptile toxicology: opportunities and challenges on the last frontier of vertebrate ecotoxicology. Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry 19(10):2391-2393.

Hopkins, W.A., J. Snodgrass, J. H. Roe, B. Jackson, J.C. Gariboldi, and J.D. Congdon. 2000. Detrimental effects associated with trace element uptake in lake chubsuckers, Erimyzon succetta exposed to polluted sediments. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 39:193-199.

Ryan, T. and W. A. Hopkins. 2000. Interaction of sex and size and the standard metabolic rate of paedomorphic Ambystoma talpoideum: Size does matter. Copeia 2000:808-812.

Hopkins, W.A., J.D. Congdon, and J.K Ray. 2000. Incidence and impact of axial malformations in bullfrog larvae (Rana catesbeiana) developing in sites polluted by a coal burning power plant. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 19(4): 862-868.

Hopkins, W.A., C.L. Rowe, and J.D. Congdon. 1999. Increased maintenance costs and trace element concentrations in banded water snakes, Nerodia fasciata, exposed to coal combustion wastes. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 18 (6):1258-1263.

Hopkins, W.A., M.T. Mendonça, and J.D. Congdon. 1999. Responsiveness of the hypothalamo-pituitary-interrenal axis in an amphibian (Bufo terrestris) exposed to coal combustion wastes. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 122 (2):191-196.

Hopkins, W.A., M.T. Mendonça, C.L. Rowe, and J.D. Congdon. 1998. Elevated trace element concentrations in southern toads, Bufo terrestris, exposed to coal combustion wastes. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 35:325-329.

Hopkins, W.A., M.T. Mendonça, and J.D. Congdon. 1997. Increased circulating levels of testosterone and corticosterone in southern toads, Bufo terrestris, exposed to coal combustion wastes. General and Comparative Endocrinology. 108:237-246.

Mendonça, M.T. and W.A. Hopkins. 1997. Effects of arousal from hibernation and plasma androgen levels on mating behavior in the male big brown bat, Eptesicus fuscus. Physiological Zoology. 70 (5):556-562.

Buttenhoff, P.A. and W.A. Hopkins. 1996. Predation on scorpions by Anolis carolinensis. Herpetological Review. 27:19.

BOOK CHAPTERS

Sparling, D., Linder, G., Rowe, C.L., Hopkins, W.A.  In Prep. Case studies on causal analysis In The global decline of amphibians: An integrated analysis of multiple stressor effects. Eds Linder, G., Crest, S., Sparling, D. SETAC Press, Pensacola.

B.P. Jackson, J. C. Seaman, and W. Hopkins. In Prep. Arsenic and selenium speciation in a fly ash basin system. In: Chemistry of Trace Elements in Fly Ash. Kluwer, Amsterdam.

Rowe, C.L., Hopkins, W.A., Bridges, C., Guttman, S. In Review. Physiological Ecology. In The global decline of amphibians: An integrated analysis of multiple stressor effects. Eds Linder, G., Crest, S., Sparling, D. SETAC Press, Pensacola.

Bridges, C., Guttman, S., Rowe, C.L., Hopkins, W.A., In Review. Population Genetics. In The global decline of amphibians: An integrated analysis of multiple stressor effects. Eds Linder, G., Crest, S., Sparling, D. SETAC Press, Pensacola.

ORAL PRESENTATIONS AT MEETINGS 
(AS SENIOR AUTHOR ONLY) 

• 2000   Snakes in the aquatic landscape: Useful models for addressing ecotoxicological problems. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Annual Meeting, Nashville, TN.

• 2000  Digestive metabolism in banded water snakes, Nerodia fasciata. The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA.

• 2000 Snakes in the aquatic landscape: Useful models for addressing ecotoxicological problems. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Annual Meeting, La Paz, Baja, Mexico.

• 1999 Invited Lecture. Sublethal effects of coal combustion byproducts on the biota of South Carolina. U.S. Department of Energy Environmental Advisory Committee. Westinghouse Savannah River Company. Aiken, SC.

• 1999  Invited Lecture. Sublethal impacts of coal fly ash on the morphology, behavior, and physiology of aquatic organisms. D-Area Workshop. Savannah River Ecology Laboratory and Westinghouse Savannah River Company Environmental Restoration Division. Aiken, SC.

• 1999  Incidence and impact of axial malformations in bullfrog larvae (Rana catesbeiana) developing in sites impacted by coal combustion byproducts. The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, Annual Meeting. Denver, CO.

• 1998  Contaminant concentrations and metabolism in water snakes exposed to coal combustion wastes. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Annual Meeting. Charlotte, NC.

• 1998  Increased maintenance costs and trace element concentrations in banded water snakes, Nerodia fasciata, exposed to coal combustion wastes. The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, Annual Meeting. Boston, MA.

• 1997  Androgen and corticosteroid production in the southern toad, Bufo terrestris, exposed to coal combustion wastes. The Alabama Academy of Science, Annual Meeting. Montgomery, Al.

• 1996  Hormonal responses of an anuran, Bufo terrestris, exposed to coal combustion wastes. The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, Annual Meeting. Albuquerque, NM.

POSTER PRESENTATIONS AT MEETINGS 
(AS SENIOR AUTHOR ONLY)

• 2001 Effects of chronic dietary exposure to contaminants in squamate reptiles.  Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Annual Meeting. Baltimore, MD.

• 2000  Sublethal effects of coal combustion wastes on South Carolina herpetofauna. The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, Annual Meeting. Atlanta, GA.

• 1999  Ecotoxicological impact of coal combustion byproducts on amphibians and reptiles. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Annual Meeting. Philadelphia, PA.

• 1999  Invited Poster. Coal Combustion wastes on the Savannah River Site: A review of ecotoxicological studies on amphibians and reptiles. The Wildlife Society, Annual Meeting. Austin, TX.

DEPARTMENTAL SEMINARS

• 2000 Coal combustion wastes: New concerns about an old environmental problem. Department of Biological Sciences. Towson St. University, Baltimore, MD.

• 1999 Coal combustion wastes: New concerns about an old environmental problem. Department of Biological Sciences. College of Charleston, Charleston, SC.

HONORS AND AWARDS

• 2001 Pellston Workshop Invitee. Global decline of Amphibians, Wingspread, WI.

• 2001 Graduate Research Assistantship. University of South Carolina.

• 1998  Sigma Xi. Best Graduate Student Research Paper Award.

• 1998  Kirby Hayes Award. Outstanding Graduate Student. Auburn Univ., Dept. of Zoology.

• 1997  Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. Auburn University Chapter.

• 1997 Graduate Research Fellowship. Savannah River Ecology Laboratory.

• 1996 Graduate Research Fellowship. Savannah River Ecology Laboratory.

• 1992 Governor’s Internship. Georgia Governor Zell Miller. GA Dept. of Natural Resources, Non-Game Division.

GRANTS AWARDED

2001  UGA/SREL. “The fine line between essentiality and toxicity: Investigating the selenium paradox". PIs: W.A. Hopkins, B.P. Jackson, L. Talent, G. Mills, D. Sever, and J.D. Congdon.  10/01-10/03. $246,410.

2001  USEPA.  EPA Science to Achieve Results Grant (STAR Grant) “Modeling the individual and interactive risks to an amphibian population resulting from breeding site contamination and terrestrial habitat loss”. PIs: C.L. Rowe and W.A. Hopkins. 1/02-1/04, $280,059.

2001  NFWF/USGA. “Sublethal Effects of Golf Course Maintenance on Amphibians: Implications for Conservation in Altered Landscapes”. PIs: T. Ryan and W.A. Hopkins. 8/01-8/03,  $87,000.

1999  USEPA.  EPA Science to Achieve Results Grant (STAR Grant) “Coal Combustion Wastes:  New Concerns About an Old Problem”. PIs: J.D. Congdon, C.L. Rowe, and W.A. Hopkins. 8/9/00, $67,698.

Total funds acquired to date: $594,254

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES

• 2001  Invited lecture. “Using bioenergetic endpoints to integrate conservation biology and ecotoxicology.”  Department of Biological Sciences. Davidson College, Davidson, NC.

• 2001  Scientific Advisory Board Member. South Carolina Center for Birds of Prey.

• 2001  Grant proposal reviewer for 2001-2002 Environmental Institute’s Water Research Grant Program, Oklahoma State University. Reviewed two submitted proposals.

• 2001 Outreach speaker for Aiken Academy High School

• 2001 Session Organizer & Chair, Reptile Toxicology (poster session), Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD.

• 2000 Organizer & Acting Editor, Reptile Toxicology, Special topic session to be published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 2002.

• 2000 Session Organizer & Chair, Reptile Toxicology (platform session), Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Annual Meeting, Nashville, TN (Christine Bishop, co-chair).

• 2000 Session Chair, Reptile and Amphibian Toxicology (poster session), Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Annual Meeting, Nashville, TN (Christine Bishop, co-chair).

• 2000 Invited lecture. “Environmental Toxicity of Selenium” University of South Carolina, Columbia. Department of Environmental Health Science, Advanced Aquatic Toxicology Course.

• 1999 Invited lecture.  “Hormonal Havoc: Environmental Challenges for the Vertebrate Endocrine System.” University of South Carolina, Aiken. Department of Biology, General Biology Course.

• 1999 Contributing environmental columnist for “ECOLINES”, The Savannah River Ecology Laboratory’s quarterly newsletter.

• 1998-present Board of Directors, Eddlyline Outfitters, Inc. Bozeman, Montana.

• 1998-99 Outreach speaker/ chaperon for South Carolina Environmental Studies for Minority students (2-3 trips annually)

• 1997  Human Anatomy tutor. Auburn University.

• 1997  Alabama State Science Fair. Judge.

• 1996  Guest Speaker on the Human Endocrine System (Five day lecture series). Auburn University.

• 1996  Howard Hughes Outreach Program. Biology Instructor.

• 1994-97 Rehabilitation Volunteer. Southeastern Raptor Rehabilitation Center. Auburn University School of Veterinary Medicine.

• 1992 Information specialist for the Life History and Conservation Pamphlet for the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, Crotalus adamanteus. Georgia Department of Natural Resources Information Pamphlet Series.

• 1992 Information coordinator for the Peregrine Falcon Restoration Project. Georgia Department of Natural Resources in cooperation with Georgia Power.

MANUSCRIPT REFEREE

• Neurotoxicology and Teratology

• Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology

• Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

• Chemosphere

• Herpetological Review

• Journal of Herpetology

• Biological Conservation

• Environmental Pollution

EDITORIAL DUTIES

• Editorial Board Member, Terrestrial Environmental Toxicology, The Scientific World

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

• Society for Integrative and Comparative Biologists

• Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles 

• Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

STUDENTS/STAFF SUPERVISED

• Undergraduates: Scott Horne, Chad Blystone, John Ray, Caralyn Zehnder, Michelle Davis, Tracy Green
• Master’s Students: Mark Komoroski (graduated), Brandon Staub (graduated)
• Ph.D. Students: Rebecca Yeomans (graduated), Christopher Beck (graduated), Mark Komoroski
• Technicians: John Roe, David Kling, Ruth Estes, Mallissa Minter, Brandon Staub, Jennifer Baionno, Kathryn Madden

REFERENCES

Additional references available upon request

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