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Stephen Blake, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Biology

Courses Taught

Principles of Biology I and II (BIOL 1240 and 1260); Evolution - BIOL 3010

Education

B.S., Zoology, University of London (Royal Holloway College)

M.S., Resource Management, University of Edinburgh

Ph.D., Ecology, University of Edinburgh

Research Interests

Dr. Blake’s research has focused on the movement ecology and conservation of megavertebrates, concentrating especially on forest elephants in the Congo Basin and giant tortoises in the Galapagos Islands. He began his forest elephant work by asking core ecological questions about their abundance, distribution, home range size, long-distance movements, and the environmental factors that shape their behavior. His goal was to support landscape-scale conservation around national parks. He then expanded the research to include habitat characterization, feeding ecology, migration patterns, and the ecological feedbacks that define the elephants’ role as ecosystem engineers. Throughout, he aimed to strengthen conservation efforts by improving ecological understanding of this iconic and threatened species.

In the Galapagos Islands, Blake investigated whether tortoises migrate and, if so, why. GPS telemetry and field surveys showed that tortoises on Santa Cruz Island follow a size-based partial migration system, driven mainly by seasonal forage availability. He also explored their feeding ecology and ecological impact, eventually developing a conceptual model linking tortoise movement to environmental conditions, life history traits, and physiological factors. His team fitted over 100 telemetry tags to tortoises across four species on three islands to uncover the mechanisms behind their movement patterns. He carries out this work in close collaboration with the Galapagos National Park, the Charles Darwin Foundation, the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, the Institute for Conservation Medicine at the Saint Louis Zoo, and other partners, all sharing a strong conservation focus.

In partnership with The Nature Conservancy and researchers from Kansas State, Oklahoma State, and Southern Illinois University, Blake investigates how grazers (bison and cattle), climate, fire, and plant communities interact in U.S. grasslands. The team aims to develop sustainable, nature-based solutions that support biodiversity and meat production. They hypothesize that managing for high native plant diversity will enhance ecosystem function and resilience to environmental change.

Dr. Blake also leads a collaborative project with six Saint Louis regional institutions to study the intersection of movement ecology, disease ecology, and urban ecology. The team tracks 14 species—including reptiles, birds, mammals, and humans (via anonymous cell phone data)—to analyze the spatial and temporal dynamics of an urban food web. The project also aims to engage urban youth, encouraging positive attitudes toward wildlife and conservation in both local and broader contexts.

Publications and Media Placements

Uiterwaal, S. F., J. L. Palmer, S. Farook, S. L. Deem, C. Taylor, and S. Blake. 2025. Reduced thermoregulatory ability contributes to increased mortality in urban box turtles (Terrapene spp.). Journal of Thermal Biology 130:104135.

Bessone, Mattia, Hjalmar S. Kühl, Ilka Herbinger, Gottfried Hohmann, Kouamé Paul N’Goran, Papy Asanzi, Stephen Blake et al. Bonobo (Pan paniscus) Density and Distribution in Central Africa's Largest Rainforest Reserve: Long-term Survey Data Show Pitfalls in Methodological Approaches and Call for Vigilance. International Journal of Primatology 46, no. 2 (2025): 436-474.

Donovan, E. B., S. Blake, S. L. Deem, P. D. Moldowan, A. Nieto-Claudín, F. Cabrera, C. Peñafiel, and G. Bastille-Rousseau. 2024. Using non-continuous accelerometry to identify cryptic nesting events of Galapagos giant tortoises. Animal Biotelemetry 12:32.

Pike, K. N., S. Blake, I. J. Gordon, and L. Schwarzkopf. 2024. Habitat quality in farmland influences the activity patterns of giant Galapagos tortoises. Biodiversity and Conservation:1-16.
Stiegler, J., C. et al. 2024. Mammals show faster recovery from capture and tagging in human-disturbed landscapes. Nature Communications 15:8079.

Wise, A., Rosener, A., Martin, A., Cote, M., Hopwood, C.D., Schwartz, E., Tharp, R., Blake, S. 2024. A deep dive into the waterbird community of an urban oasis: implications for park management. Urban Ecosystems. DOI: 10.1007/s11252-024-01576-4.

Blake, S., F. Cabrera, G. Rivas‐Torres, S. L. Deem, A. Nieto‐Claudin, R. A. Zahawi, and G. Bastille‐Rousseau. 2024. Invasion by Cedrela odorata threatens long distance migration of Galapagos tortoises. Ecology and Evolution 14: e10994

Blake, S., F. Cabrera, S. Cruz, D. Ellis‐Soto, C. B. Yackulic, G. Bastille‐Rousseau, M. Wikelski, F. Kuemmeth, J. P. Gibbs, and S. L. Deem. 2024. Environmental variation structures reproduction and recruitment in long‐lived mega‐herbivores: Galapagos giant tortoises. Ecological Monographs: e1599.

Deem, S. L., S. Rivera, A. Nieto‐Claudin, E. Emmel, F. Cabrera, and S. Blake. 2023. Temperature along an elevation gradient determines Galapagos tortoise sex ratios. Ecology and Evolution 13: e10008.

Bastille‐Rousseau, G., Crews, S.A., Donovan, E.B., Egan, M.E., Gorman, N.T., Pitman, J.B., Weber, A.M., Audia, E.M., Larreur, M.R., Manninen, H., Blake, S., Eichholz, M. W., Bergman, E., Rayl, N. D. 2024. A multi‐property assessment of intensity of use provides a functional understanding of animal movement. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 15(2), pp.345-357.

Blake, S., J. Palmer, M. Brenn-White, and S. L. Deem. 2023. Home ranges of box turtles in a rural woodland and an urban park in Saint Louis, MO; implications for turtle conservation. Urban Ecosystems:1-9.

Pike, K., S. Blake, I. Gordon, F. Cabrera, G. Rivas-Torres, F. Laso, and L. Schwarzkopf. 2023. Navigating agricultural landscapes: responses of critically endangered giant tortoises to farmland vegetation and infrastructure. Landscape Ecology 38:501-516.

F. Berzaghi, F. Bretagnolle, C. Durand-Bessart and S. Blake. 2023. Megaherbivores modify forest structure and increase carbon stocks through multiple pathways. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(5): p. e2201832120.

Jetz, W., Tertitski, G., Kays, R., Mueller, U., Wikelski, M., Åkesson, S., et al. (>25 authors). 2022. Biological Earth observation with animal sensors. Trends in Ecology & Evolution. 37(4): p. 293-298.

Lamczyk, B. A., Palmer, J. L., Kozlowski, C. P., Blake, S., Deem, S. L. 2022. No difference in corticosterone concentrations between Missouri three-toed box turtles living in an urban and a rural site. Human-Wildlife Interactions, 16(1).

K. N. Pike, S. Blake, I. J. Gordon, F. Cabrera, A. Nieto-Claudin, S. L. Deem, A. Guezou, L. Schwartzkopf. 2022. Sharing land with giants: Habitat preferences of Galapagos tortoises on farms. Global Ecology and Conservation. 37: p. e02171.

Charney, N. D., G. Bastille‐Rousseau, C. B. Yackulic, S. Blake, and J. P. Gibbs. 2021. A greener future for the Galapagos: forecasting ecosystem productivity by finding climate analogs in time. Ecosphere 12 (10): p e03753.

Wall, J., G. Wittemyer, B. Klinkenberg, V. LeMay, S. Blake, S. Strindberg, M. Henley, F. Vollrath, F. Maisels, J. Ferwerda, and I. Douglas-Hamilton. 2021. Human footprint and protected areas shape elephant range across Africa. Current Biology 31: 2437-2445.e2434.

Pike, K., Blake, S., Cabrera, F., Gordon, I., & Schwarzkopf, L. (2021). Body size, sex and high philopatry influence the use of agricultural land by Galapagos giant tortoises. Oryx, 56 (1): 1-10. doi: 10.1017/S0030605320001167

Blake, S., Deem. S.L., Nieto-Claudin, A., Cabrera, F. 2021. The Galapagos Tortoise Movement Ecology Programme: what have we learned about tortoise movement and what does it mean for conservation? Testudo. 9 (3): 1-19.

E. S. Emmel, S. Rivera, F. Cabrera, S. Blake, and S. L. Deem 2021. "Field anesthesia and gonadal morphology of immature western Santa Cruz tortoises (Chelonoidis porteri)." Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 51(4): 848-855, 848.

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