Gordon Burghardt

Research Interests

Chemoreception in snakes; predatory behavior; heritability of learned behavior; evolution of playfulness.

Research statement

Our research focuses on the relationship between genetics and early environments in the development of behavior patterns and sensory processes. We concentrate on natricine snakes and constricting snakes as models, and feeding, defensive, and social behavior as the target systems. Comparing molecular genetics, behavior, and morphology across populations, especially island systems, is frequently employed. Vomeronasal chemoreception, highly elaborated in snakes, is the sensory system typically studied. We have found that neonatal snakes are highly precocious in both the sensory and behavioral sophistication of their responses prior to functional experience. However, we can manipulate experience to uncover details of ecological and comparative adaptation, including geographic variation. We are also studying multiple paternity, heritability of learning, and brain imaging in snakes. The role of environmental enrichment on brain and behavior in reptiles is being studied. Finally, play is a key characteristic of endothermic vertebrates that may underlie the success of our species. We have developed and are testing a theoretical and comparative approach to play behavior throughout the vertebrates.

Honors

Fellow, American Psychological Association
Fellow, American Psychological Society
Fellow, Animal Behavior Society
Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
Editor, Journal of Comparative Psychology
Editorial Board, Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science
Editorial Board, Ethology
Editorial Board, Society and Animals
Editorial Board, Evolutionary Psychology
Scientific Advisory Board, International Iguana Society
UTK Macebearer
UTK James R. Cox Professor
UTK Science Alliance Faculty
UTK Distinguished Service Professor

Grants

National Science Foundation Research Grant (1993-95)
Professional Development Award, University of Tennessee (2000)

Selected Publications

Hutchinson, D. A., Mori, A., Savitsky, A. H., Burghardt, G. M., Wu, X., Meinwald, J., & Schroeder, F. C. Dietary sequestration of defensive steroids in nuchal glands of the Asian snake Rhabdophis tigrinus. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2007, 104, 2265-2270.

Placyk, J. S., Burghardt, G. M. Small, R. L. King, R. B., Casper, G. S., Robinson, J. W. Post-glacial recolonization of the Great Lakes region by the common gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis) inferred from mtDNA sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 2007, 43, 452-467.

Krause, M. A. & Burghardt, G. M. Sexual dimorphism of body and relative head sizes in neonatal common garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis). Journal of Zoology, 2007, 272, 156-164.

Davis, K. & Burghardt, G. M. Training and long-term memory of a novel food acquisition task in a turtle Pseudemys nelsoni). Behavioural Processes, 2007, 75, 225-230.

Burghardt, G. M. Critical anthropomorphism, uncritical anthropocentrism, and naïve nominalism. Comparative Cognition and Behavior Reviews, 2007, 2, 136-138.

Rivas, J. A., Muñoz, M. C., Thorbjarnarson, J. B., Burghardt, G. M., Holmstrom, W., & Calle, P. Natural history of the green anaconda in the Venezuelan llanos. In Biology of the Boas and Pythons. (R. W. Henderson & R. Powell, eds.), Eagle Mountain Publishing Company, Eagle Mountain, CO, 2007, 128-138.

Rivas, J. A. Muñoz, M. C., Burghardt, G. M. & Thorbjarnarson, J. B. Sexual size dimorphism and the mating system of the Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus). In Biology of the Boas and Pythons. (R. W. Henderson & R. Powell, eds.), Eagle Mountain Publishing Company, Eagle Mountain, CO, 2007, 312-325.

Burghardt, G. M. (2006). Money, play, and instincts. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 29,182-183.

Burghardt, G. M. (2006). Editorial. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 120, 77-78.

Aubret, F., Burghardt, G. M., Maumelet, S., Bonnet, X., & Bradshaw, D. (2006). Feeding preferences in two disjunct populations of tiger snakes, Notechis scutatus (Elapidae). Behavioral Ecology, 17, 716-725.

Almli, L. & Burghardt, G. M. (2006). Environmental enrichment alters the behavioral profile of ratsnakes (Elaphe) Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 9, 85-109.

Burghardt, G. M., Placyk, J. S., Casper, G. S., Small, R. L., & Taylor, K. (2006). Genetic Structure of Great Lakes Region Thamnophis butleri and Thamnophis radix based on mtDNA Sequence Data: Conservation Implications for Wisconsin Butler’s Gartersnake. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison WI (2006).

Burghardt, G. M. (2006). A rebellious revolution. Review of The Robot's Rebellion: Finding Meaning in the Age of Darwin (K. E. Stanovich, 2004) in Trends in Ecology and Evolution (TREE), 21, 537-538.

Burghardt, G. M. (2006). A pleasurable feast. Review of Pleasurable Kingdom (J. Balcombe, 2006) in Journal of Animal Welfare Science, 9, 257-258.

Burghardt, G. M. (2005) The Genesis of Animal Play: Testing the Limits. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.

Waters, R. M. & Burghardt, G. M. (2005) The interaction of food motivation and experience in the ontogeny of chemoreception in crayfish snakes. Animal Behaviour, 2005, 69, 363-374.

Placyk, J. S. & Burghardt, G. M. (2005) Geographic variation in the frequency of scarring and tail stubs in eastern garter snakes (Thamnophis s. sirtalis) from Michigan, USA. Amphibia-Reptilia, 26, 353-358 .

Andreadis, P. A. & Burghardt, G. M. (2005) Unlearned appetite controls: Snakes take smaller meals when they have the choice. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 119, 304-310.

Herzog, H. A. & Burghardt, G. M. (2005) The next frontier: Moral Heuristics and the treatment of animals. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 28, 554-555.

Rivas, J. A. & Burghardt, G. M. (2005) Snake mating systems: The revisionary implications of recent findings. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 119, 447-454.

Burghardt, G. M. (2005) Review of “Love at Goon Park: Harry Harlow and the Science of Affection” (D. Blum, 2002) in Ethology, 111, 878-879.

Burghardt, G.M. (2004) Anthropomorphism. In M. Bekoff (Ed.). Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior (Vol. 1). (pp 40-45). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

Burghardt, G.M. (2004). Iguana research: Looking back and looking forward. In A,C, Alberts, R.L. Carter, W.K. Hayes, & E.P. Martins (Eds). Iguanas: Biology and Conservation (pp 1-12). Berkeley, CA.: University of California Press.

Burghardt, G.M. (2004). Play and the brain in comparative perspective. In R. Clements & L. Fiorentino, (Eds.). The Child’s Right to Play: A Global Approach (pp 293-308). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

Burghardt, G.M. (2004). Play: How evolution can explain the most mysterious behavior of all. In A. Moya and E. Font (Eds), Evolution: From Molecules to Ecosystems (pp 231-246). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Burghardt, G.M. & Zippel, K. (2004). Amphibian Behavior. In A. Odum & K. Zippel (Eds). Amphibian Biology and Management. (pp 1-20). Silver Spring, MD: American Zoo and Aquarium Association.

Mori, A., & Burghardt, G.M. (2004). Thermal effects on antipredator behaviour of snakes: A review and proposed terminology. Herpetological Journal, 2004, 79-87.

Burghardt, G.M. (2003). Review of The Cane Toad: The History and Ecology of a Successful Colonist. Ethology 109, 366-367.

Krause, M. A., Burghardt, G. M., Gillingham, J. C. (2003). Body size plasticity and local variation of relative sexual size dimorphism in garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis). Journal of Zoology 261, 399-407.

Bekoff, M., Allen, C., Burghardt, G.M. (2002) The Cognitive Animal: Empirical and theoretical perspectives on animal cognition. MIT Press: Cambridge, MA.

Burghardt, G.M. (2002) Genetics, plasticity and the evolution of cognitive processes. In M. Bekoff, C. Allen, C., and G.M. Burghardt (Eds), The Cognitive Animal: Empirical and theoretical perspectives on animal cognition. MIT Press: Cambridge, MA.

Burghardt, G.M. (2002) Play in reptiles. In T.R. Halliday, K. Adler (Eds), New Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. Oxford, UK: Oxford Press.

Rivas, J., Burghardt, G.M. (2002) Crotalomorphism: a metaphor for understanding anthropomorphism by omission. In M. Bekoff, C. Allen and G.M. Burghardt (Eds), The Cognitive Animal: Empirical and theoretical perspectives on animal cognition. MIT Press: Cambridge, MA.

Garner, T.W.J., Gregory, P.T., McCracken, G. F., Burghardt, G.M., Koop, B.F., McLain, S.E., Nelson, R.J. (2002) Geographic variation of multiple paternity in the common garger snake (Thamnophis sirtalis). Copeia 2002, 15-23.