Chuck Knapp, Ph.D.
Vice President, Conservation Research
Charles Knapp heads a rigorous conservation research program that includes his own groundbreaking fieldwork with endangered iguanas.
Education
Ph.D., Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida
M.Sc., Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida
B.Sc., Zoology, Southern Illinois University
“My favorite thing about Shedd is the enthusiasm and passion of the people who work at the organization. Their love for the animals is apparent every day. I also am excited about the increased enthusiasm and organizational support for our conservation and research programs.”
Chuck Knapp oversees Shedd's conservation research programs with the goal of saving wild animals and imperiled ecosystems. His programs support Shedd’s mission to protect the aquatic animal world and inspire the public to become environmental stewards who protect aquatic life for future generations. He also oversees the crew, scheduling and budgeting for Shedd’s research vessel, the R/V Coral Reef II.
For more than two decades, Knapp has advanced conservation initiatives in the United States and abroad. Using iguanas as model organisms, his research focuses on understanding the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on endangered taxa and designing conservation strategies to prevent further population declines and habitat degradation. His work with students, citizens, government officials and scientists led to the expansion of West Side National Park in the Bahamas, a considerable achievement in the region.
Knapp began working at Shedd as an 18-year-old volunteer, and three years later he was hired as the first tide pool aquarist in the Abbott Oceanarium. Later, as an aquarist in Shedd’s original galleries, he garnered extensive experience working with Caribbean and freshwater fish species while developing a lifelong passion for West Indian rock iguanas.
Knapp has authored more than 50 peer-reviewed journal publications and book chapters. He is co-chair of the IUCN Iguana Specialist Group, assessor of three species for the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species and a science advisor to the Bahamas National Trust. Knapp also teaches marine and island ecology of the Bahamas to college students enrolled in a Shedd-based program with the Associated Colleges of the Chicago Area (ACCA).
Knapp received his Ph.D. and M.S. in wildlife ecology and conservation at the University of Florida and was a conservation research postdoctoral fellow with the Institute for Conservation Research at the San Diego Zoo.
Knapp, C. R. (2000). Home range and intraspecific interactions of a translocated iguana population (Cyclura cychlura inornata Barbour and Noble). Caribbean Journal of Science, 36(3/4), 250-257.
van den Burg, M.P., Daltry, J.C., Angin, B., Boman, E., Brisbane, J.L.K., Collins, K., Haakonsson, J. E., Hill, A., Horrocks, J.A., Mukhida, F., Providence, F., Questel, K., Ramnanan, N., Steele, S., Vique Bosquet, I.M. & Knapp, C.R. (2021). Biosecurity for humanitarian aid. Science, 372(6542), 581-582. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abj0449
Knapp, C. R. (2001). Status of a translocated Cyclura iguana colony in the Bahamas. Journal of Herpetology, 35(2), 239-248. https://doi.org/10.2307/1566114
Knapp, C. R., Grant, T. D., Pasachnik, S. A., Angin, B., Boman, E., Brisbane, J., Buckner, S. D., Haakonsson, J. E., Harlow, P. S., Mukhida, F., Thomas-Moko, N., van den Burg, M. P., & Wasilewski, J. A. (In press). The global need to address threats from invasive alien iguanas. Animal Conservation. https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12660
Van den Burg, M. P., Brisbane, J. L., & Knapp, C. R. (2020). Post-hurricane relief facilitates invasion and establishment of two invasive alien vertebrate species in the Commonwealth of Dominica, West Indies. Biological Invasions, 22(2), 195–203. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-019-02107-5
Happel A., Murchie, K. J., Willink, P. W., & Knapp, C. R. (2020). Great Lakes Fish Finder App; a tool for biologists, managers and education practitioners. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 46(1), 230–236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2019.12.002
Holmes, N. D., Spatz, D. R., Oppel, S., Tershy, B., Croll, D. A., Keitt, B., Knapp, C. R., ... & Wegmann, A. (2019). Globally important islands where eradicating invasive mammals will benefit highly threatened vertebrates. PloS One, 14(3). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0212128.
Miller, A. H., C. Jackson, A., van den Burg, M. P., Knapp, C. R., Welch, M. E., & Reynolds, R. G. (2019). The complete mitochondrial genome of the critically endangered Lesser Antillean iguana (Iguana delicatissima; Squamata: Iguanidae). Mitochondrial DNA Part B, 4(2), 2479–2481. https://doi.org/10.1080/23802359.2019.1637789
Knapp, C. R., Perez‐Heydrich, C., Zachariah, T. T., Jollay, J., Schnelle, A. N., Buckner, S. D., ... & Romero, L. M. (2019). Host sex, size, and hemoparasite infection influence the effects of ectoparasitic burdens on free‐ranging iguanas. Ecology and Evolution, 9(4), 1946–1956. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.4887
Iverson, J. B., Francois, K., Jollay, J., Buckner, S. D., & Knapp, C. R. (2017). Cyclura cychlura figginsi (Exuma Rock Iguana). Allogrooming. Herpetological Review, 48(1), 188. https://ssarherps.org/herpetological-review-pdfs/
Iverson, J.B., Grant, T. D., Knapp, C. R. & Pasachnik, S. A. (Eds.). (2016). Iguanas: Biology, Systematics, and Conservation. Herpetological Conservation and Biology, 11 (Monograph 6). http://www.herpconbio.org/contents_vol11_Monograph6.html
Knapp, C. R., Prince, L., & James, A. (2016). Movements and nesting of the Lesser Antillean Iguana (Iguana delicatissima) from Dominica, West Indies: implications for conservation. Herpetological Conservation and Biology, 11(6),154–167. http://www.herpconbio.org/Volume_11/Monograph_6/11-Knapp_etal_2016.pdf
Knapp, C. R., & Alvarez-Clare, S. (2016). Influence of morphological, chemical and physical leaf traits on food selection of a herbivorous iguana from The Bahamas. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 32(1), 75-78. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266467415000590
Durden, L. A., Knapp, C. R., Beati, L., & Dold, S. (2015). Reptile-associated ticks from Dominica and The Bahamas with notes on hyperparasitic erythraeid mites. Journal of Parasitology, 101(1), 24-27. https://doi.org/10.1645/14-602.1
Knapp, C. R., & Perez-Heydrich, C. (2012). Using non-conspicuous metrics to examine selected impacts of disturbance on a long-lived reptile. Endangered Species Research, 17(3), 193-200. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00424
Knapp, C. R., & Owens, A. K. (2008). Nesting behavior and the use of termitaria by the Andros Iguana (Cyclura cychlura cychlura). Journal of Herpetology, 42(1), 46-53. https://doi.org/10.1670/07-098.1
Knapp C. R., and R. D. Hudson. 2004. Translocation strategies as a conservation tool for West Indian iguanas: Evaluations and recommendations. Pages 199-209 In Alberts, A. C., Carter, R. L., Hayes, W. K., & Martins, E. P. (Eds.). Iguanas: Biology and Conservation (pp. 199-209). University of California Press.
Colosimo, G., Knapp, C. R., Wallace, L. E., & Welch, M. E. (2014). Inferred vs realized patterns of gene flow: an analysis of population structure in the Andros Island Rock Iguana. PloS One, 9(9), e106963. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0106963
Knapp, C. R., Iverson, J. B., Buckner, S. D., & Cant, S. V. (2011). Conservation of amphibians and reptiles in The Bahamas. In A. Hailey, B. S. Wilson, and J. Horrocks, eds. Conservation of Caribbean island herpetofaunas: Regional accounts of the West Indies (Vol. 2) (pp. 53-87). Brill Academic Publishers.
Luther, B., Knapp, C. R., Greene, D. U., Buckner, S. D., & Iverson, J. B. (2012). Cyclura cychlura figginsi (Exuma Island Rock Iguana). Rodent kill. Herpetological Review, 43(3), 483. https://ssarherps.org/herpetological-review-pdfs/
Hayes, W. K., Iverson, J. B., Knapp, C. R., & Carter, R. L. (2012). Do invasive rodents impact endangered insular iguana populations?. Biodiversity and Conservation, 21(7), 1893-1899. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-012-0276-4
Knapp, C. R., Durden, L. A., & Klompen, H. (2012). Iguana delicatissima. Ectoparasitism. Herpetological Review, 48(1), 134. https://ssarherps.org/herpetological-review-pdfs/
Knapp, C. R. (2015). Staying high and dry: a unique nesting strategy for an insular iguana. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 13(2), 114–115. https://doi.org/10.1890/1540-9295-13.2.114
Durden, L. A., Knapp, C. R., Beati, L., & Dold, S. (2015). Reptile-associated ticks from Dominica and The Bahamas with notes on hyperparasitic erythraeid mites. Journal of Parasitology, 101(1), 24-27. https://doi.org/10.1645/14-602.1
Knapp, C., Breuil, M., Rodriques, C., & Iverson, J. (Eds.). (2014). Lesser Antillean Iguana, Iguana delicatissima: Conservation Action Plan, 2014–2016. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN SSC Iguana Specialist Group. https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/2014-057.pdf
Malone, C. L., Knapp, C. R., Taylor, J. F., & Davis, S. K. (2003). Genetic consequences of Pleistocene fragmentation: isolation, drift, and loss of diversity in rock iguanas (Cyclura). Conservation Genetics, 4(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021885323539
Knapp, C. R., and L. Pagni (Eds.). 2011. Andros iguana conservation action plan, 2005–2011. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN/SSC Iguana Specialist Group. https://portals.iucn.org/library/node/10022
Knapp, C. R., Alvarez-Clare, S., & Perez-Heydrich, C. (2010). The influence of landscape heterogeneity and dispersal on survival of neonate insular iguanas. Copeia, 2010(1), 62-70. https://doi.org/10.1643/CE-09-014
Knapp, C. R., & Abarca, J. G. (2009). Effects of radio transmitter burdening on locomotor ability and survival of iguana hatchlings. Herpetologica, 65(4), 363-372. https://doi.org/10.1655/09-003.1
Goodman, R. M., Knapp, C. R., Bradley, K.A., Gerber, G. P., & Alberts, A. C. (2009). Review of radio transmitter attachment methods for West Indian rock iguanas (genus Cyclura). Applied Herpetology, 6(2), 151-170. https://doi.org/10.1163/157075408X386169
Knapp, C. R. (2001). Status of a translocated Cyclura iguana colony in the Bahamas. Journal of Herpetology, 35(2), 239-248. https://doi.org/10.2307/1566114
Durden, L. A., & Knapp, C. R. (2005). Ticks parasitizing reptiles in the Bahamas. Medical and veterinary entomology, 19(3), 326-328. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2915.2005.00567.x
Knapp, C. R., & Owens, A. K. (2005). An effective new radio transmitter attachment technique for lizards. Herpetological Review, 36(3), 264-265. https://ssarherps.org/herpetological-review-pdfs/
Knapp, C. R. (2004). Ecotourism and its
potential impacts on iguana conservation in the Caribbean. In Alberts, A. C.,
Carter, R. L., Hayes, W. K., & Martins, E. P. (Eds.). Iguanas: Biology and
Conservation (pp. 290-301). University of California Press.
Knapp, C. R. (2000). Home range and intraspecific interactions of a translocated iguana population (Cyclura cychlura inornata Barbour and Noble). Caribbean Journal of Science, 36(3/4), 250-257.
Knapp, C. R., Iverson, J. B., & Owens, A. K. (2006). Geographic variation in nesting behavior and reproductive biology of an insular iguana (Cyclura cychlura). Canadian Journal of Zoology, 84(11), 1566-1575. https://doi.org/10.1139/z06-157
Knapp, C. R., and P. Gomez-Zlatar. 2006. Iguanidae or Iguaninae? A taxonomic summary and literature-use analysis. Herpetological Review, 37(1), 29-34. https://ssarherps.org/herpetological-review-pdfs/
Knapp, C. R., & Owens, A. K. (2005). Home range and habitat associations of a Bahamian iguana: implications for conservation. Animal Conservation, 8(3), 269-278. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1367943005002222
Knapp, C. R., & Owens, A. K. (2004). Diurnal refugia and novel ecological attributes of the Bahamian Boa, Epicrates striatus fowleri (Boidae). Caribbean Journal of Science, 40(2), 265-269.
Webb, A. C., Iverson, J. B., Knapp, C. R., DeNardo, D. F., & French, S. S. (2019). Energetic investment associated with vitellogenesis induces an oxidative cost of reproduction. Journal of Animal Ecology, 88(3), 461–472. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.12936
Lesniak, T. C., Schirmer, A. E., & Knapp, C. R. (2015). Evaluating the role of temperature in the reproduction of the yellow stingray (Urobatis jamaicensis). Zoo Biology, 34(1), 33-39. https://doi.org/10.1002/zoo.21188
Stump, K., Dahlgren, C. P., Sherman, K. D., & Knapp, C. R. (2017). Nassau grouper migration patterns during full moon suggest collapsed historic fish spawning aggregation and evidence of an undocumented aggregation. Bulletin of Marine Science, 93(2), 375-389. https://doi.org/10.5343/bms.2016.1042
Martin, J. L., Knapp, C. R., Gerber, G. P., Thorpe, R. S., & Welch, M. E. (2015). Phylogeography of the Endangered Lesser Antillean Iguana, Iguana delicatissima: A Recent Diaspora in an Archipelago Known for Ancient Herpetological Endemism. Journal of Heredity, 106(3), 315–321. https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esv004
Knapp, C. R., & Malone, C. L. (2003). Patterns of reproductive success and genetic variability in a translocated iguana population. Herpetologica, 59(2), 195-202. https://doi.org/10.1655/0018-0831(2003)059[0195:PORSAG]2.0.CO;2
French, S.S., Webb, A.C., Wilcoxen, T.E., Iverson, J.B., DeNardo, D.F., Lewis, E.L., & Knapp, C.R. (2022). Complex tourism and season interactions contribute to disparate physiologies in an endangered rock iguana. Conservation Physiology, 10(1), coac001. https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coac001
Maryon, D., Pasachnik, S.A., Knapp, C.R., Brown, T.W., & Grant, T.D. (eds.). (2021). Útila spiny-tailed iguana (Ctenosaura bakeri): Conservation Action Plan 2020–2025. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. ISBN: 978-2-8317-2144-6
Perry, G., Knapp, C.R., Grant, T.D., Pasachnik, S.A. & Coman, I. (2021). From pets to threats: Invasive iguanas and other species cause significant harm to native iguanas. Reptiles & Amphibians, 28, 213-217. https://doi.org/10.17161/randa.v28i2.15644
Knapp, C.R., Grant, T.D., Pasachnik, S.A., Angin, B., Boman, E., Brisbane, J., Buckner, S.D., Haakonsson, J.E., Harlow, P.S., Mukhida, F., Thomas-Moko, N., van den Burg, M.P., & Wasilewski, J.A. (2021). The global need to address threats from invasive alien iguanas. Animal Conservation, 24, 717-719. https://doi.org/10.1111/acv.12660
Colosimo, G., Jackson, A.C., Harper, A., Varela-Stokes, A., Iverson, J., Knapp, C.R. & Welch, M.W. (2021). Correlated population genetic structure in a three-tiered host-parasite system: the potential for coevolution and adaptive divergence. Journal of Heredity, 112, 590-601. https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esab058
Kessel, S.T., Hinojosa, N.A., Wilson, H., Clementi, G., & Knapp, C.R. (2018). Varied response of garden eels to potential predators and other large-bodied organisms. Matters, 4(7), e201806000024. https://doi.org/10.19185/matters.201806000024
Bock, B., Malone, CL, Knapp, C., Aparicio, J., Avila-Pires, T.C.S., Cacciali, P., Caicedo, J.R., Chaves, G., Cisneros-Heredia, D.F., Gutiérrez-Cárdenas, P., Lamar, W., Moravec, J., Perez, P., Porras, L.W., Rivas, G., Scott, N., Solórzano, A. & Sunyer, J. (2018). Iguana iguana. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018. IUCN. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T174481A1414646.en
van den Burg, M., Breuil, M. & Knapp, C. (2018). Iguana delicatissima. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T10800A122936983. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T10800A122936983.en
Knapp, C.R. (2018). Beyond the walls: Applied field research for the twenty-first-century public aquarium and zoo. In B. Minteer, J. Maienschein, & J. P. Collins (Eds.), The Ark and Beyond: The Evolution of Zoo and Aquarium Conservation (pp. 286-297). University of Chicago Press.
Knapp, C.R., Hines, K.N., Zachariah, T.T., Perez-Heydrich, C., Iverson, J.B., Buckner, S.D., ... & Romero, L.M. (2013). Physiological effects of tourism and associated food provisioning in an endangered iguana. Conservation Physiology, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/cot032
R. Graham Reynolds, Aryeh H. Miller, Stesha A. Pasachnik, Charles R. Knapp, et al. (2022). Phylogenomics and historical biogeography of West Indian Rock Iguanas (genus Cyclura), Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107548
French, S.S., Hudson, S.B., Webb, A.C., Knapp, C.R., Virgin, E.E., Smith, G.D., Lewis, E.L., Iverson, J.B., DeNardo, D.F. (2022). Glucose tolerance is affected by high-sugar diets in the lab and supplemental feeding by ecotourists in the wild. Journal of Experimental Biology, 225(8). https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.243932
Alvarez-Clare, S., Mileham, K., Rodríguez, J.P., & Knapp, C.R. (2023). Two Centers for Species Survival launch collaborative conservation programmes. Oryx, 57,553. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605323000960
Knapp, C.R. (2023). Book Review: Boas of the West Indies- Evolution, Natural History, and Conservation. Herpetological Review, 54, 516-517.
French, S.S., Lewis, E.L., Kwanho, K., Cullen, Z., Webb, A.C., Knapp, C.R., Iverson, J.B., & Butler, M. (2023). Blood chemistry and biliverdin differ according to reproduction and tourism in a free-living lizard. Journal of Comparative Physiology B, 193, 315-328. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-023-01483-8
Andrés, J., Czechowski, P., Grey, E…Knapp, C.R.,…Tamburri, M.N., Therriault, T.W., Yeo, D.C.J., & Lodge, D. (2023). Environment and shipping drive eDNA beta-diversity among commercial ports. Molecular Ecology, 32, 6696-6709. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16888