Biodiversity Research Program Director; Endangered and Threatened Species Lead

Mael Glon, Director of the Biodiversity Research Program and Endangered and Threatened Species Lead

Mael Glon, Ph.D.

Biodiversity Research Program Director; Endangered and Threatened Species Lead
mael.glon@briwildlife.org

Mael is a conservation biologist with a deep passion for birds and biodiversity. He is the director of BRI’s Biodiversity Research Program and serves as BRI’s lead for endangered and threatened species research, currently focusing on two IUCN-listed birds in sub-Saharan Africa: the Southern Ground-Hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri, VU) and Bateleur (Terathopius ecaudatus, EN). This work is based in Western Province, Zambia, where he coordinates and conducts biodiversity surveys for the Mafisa Lweti soil carbon project, contributing to fieldwork including bird point counts and raptor surveys, developing data collection protocols, managing and analyzing large ecological datasets, and authoring technical reports and scientific publications.

Before joining BRI, Mael worked as a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, where he contributed to species listing, recovery planning, and conservation for listed species including the Piping Plover, Red Knot, Roseate Tern, Canada lynx, and rusty patched bumblebee. His broader research background spans taxonomy and systematics, invasion biology, and environmental policy. Birds are his greatest passion, and he is an avid birder with field experience across multiple countries.

Originally from France, Mael now calls Midcoast Maine home, where he serves as a board member and field trip coordinator for Mid-Coast Audubon.

Education & Certifications

  • Ohio State University, 2021 – Ph.D., Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology
  • Central Michigan University, 2016 – M.S., Biology
  • University of Utah, 2014 – B.S., Parks, Recreation, and Tourism

Research Interests

  • Conservation of endangered and threatened species
  • Avian ecology and bird surveys
  • Ecological survey design and digital field methods
  • Community-based and international conservation
  • Taxonomy and systematics
  • Conservation policy and regulation

Journal Articles

Glon, M.G., Glon, H.E. Influx of Pine Warblers in Lincoln County, Maine, During the 2024–2025 Winter. Maine Natural History Observer 2025 Issue 2.

Veselý, L., Balzani, P., Haubrock, P.J., Buřič, M., Glon, M.G., Ercoli, F. Ruokonen, T.J., Kainz, M.J., Hämäläinen, H., Kouba, A. (2024) Species-specific trophic discrimination factors can reduce the uncertainty of stable isotope analyses. Hydrobiologia, 851: 3471–3487.

DiStefano, R.J., Glon, M.G., O’Brian, B.M. (2023) Managing Pathways for Introduction of Alien Crayfish: Evaluation of a Midwestern State’s Regulations on the Pet Industry. Fisheries, 48(5): 190–196.

Palillo, M., Williams, N., Palillo, J., White, M.E., Glon, M.G., Pintor, L., Bidot, W., Tram, N., Stacy, M., Kendall, G., Coble, D., Malbrue, R. (2022) Anesthesia with Tricaine Methanesulfonate (MS222) and Propofol and Its Use for Computed Tomography of Red Swamp Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii). Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science, 61(3): 275–282.

Glon, M.G., Broe, M.B., Crandall, K.A., Daly, M., Kong, S., Thoma, R.F., Freudenstein J.V. (2022) Anchored hybrid enrichment resolves the phylogeny of Lacunicambarus Hobbs, 1969 (Decapoda: Astacidea: Cambaridae). Journal of Crustacean Biology, 42(1): ruab073.

Lado, P., Glon, M.G., Klompen, H. (2021) Integrative taxonomy of Dermacentor variabilis (Ixodida: Ixodidae) with description of a new species, D. similis n. sp. Journal of Medical Entomology, 58(6): 2216–2227.

Galinat, G., Glon, M.G., Dickerson, M. (2021) First report of Golden Crayfish (Faxonius luteus) in South Dakota. Bioinvasions Records, 10(1): 149–157.

Loughman, Z.J., Myers, G.A., Glon, M.G., Adams, S.B. (2020) Regina rigida sinicola (=Liodytes rigida sinicola) (Gulf Glossy Crayfish Snake) Diet and Habitat. Herpetological Review, 51(4): 877–878.

Adams, S.B., Bland, M.R., Glon, M.G. & Myers, G.A. (2020) Ophisaurus ventralis (Eastern Glass Lizard) Habitat Use. Herpetological Review, 51(3): 602.

Glon, M.G., Hughes, L.S., Glon, H.E., Capuzzi, K.M., Loughman, Z.J. & Thoma, R.F. (2020) First Record of the Blue Crawfish, Cambarus monongalensis Ortmann 1905 (Decapoda: Cambaridae), from Ohio, USA. The Ohio Journal of Science, 120(2): 57–60.

Glon, M.G., Adams, S.B., Loughman, Z.J., Myers, G.A., Taylor, C.A. & Schuster, G.A. (2020). Two new species of burrowing crayfish in the genus Lacunicambarus (Decapoda: Cambaridae) from Alabama and Mississippi. Zootaxa, 4802(3): 401–439.

Reisinger, L.S., Glon, M.G. & Pintor, L.M. (2019) Divergence in foraging and predator avoidance behavior across the geographic range of native and non-native species of crayfish. Hydrobiologia, 847(3): 803–816.

Jones, C.D., Glon, M.G., Cedar, K., Paiero, S.M., Pratt, P.D. & Preney, T.J. (2019) First record of Paintedhand Mudbug (Lacunicambarus polychromatus) in Ontario and Canada and the significance of iNaturalist in making new discoveries. The Canadian Field-Naturalist, 133(2): 160–166.

Glon, M.G., Williams, B.W. & Loughman, Z.J. (2019) Lacunicambarus dalyae: a new species of burrowing crayfish (Decapoda: Cambaridae) from the southeastern United States. Zootaxa, 4683(3): 361–380.

Glon, M.G., Thoma, R.F., Daly, M. & Freudenstein, J.V. (2019) Lacunicambarus chimera: a new species of burrowing crayfish (Decapoda: Cambaridae) from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Zootaxa, 4544(4): 451–478.

Foltz II, D.A., Sadecky, N.M., Myers, G., Fetzner Jr., J.W., Welsh, S.A., Stocker, G.W., Glon, M.G. & Thoma, R.F. (2018) Cambarus loughmani, a new species of crayfish (Decapoda: Cambaridae) endemic to the pre-glacial Teays River Valley in West Virginia, USA. Journal of Natural History, 45-46: 2875–2897.

Glon, M.G., Thoma, R.F., Taylor, C.A., Daly, M. & Freudenstein, J.V. (2018) Molecular phylogenetic analysis of the Devil Crayfish Group, with elevation of Lacunicambarus Hobbs, 1969 to generic rank and a redescription of the devil crayfish, Lacunicambarus diogenes comb. nov. (Decapoda: Astacoidea). Journal of Crustacean Biology, 38(5): 600–613.

Glon, M.G., Reisinger, L.S. & Pintor, L.M. (2018) Biogeographic differences between native and non-native populations of crayfish alter coexistence and trophic interactions in mesocosms. Biological Invasions, 20(12): 3475–3490.

Glon, M.G., Mularo, A.J., Loughman, Z.J. & Lieb, D.A. (2018) Rediscovery of Cambarus diogenes (Devil Crayfish) in Pennsylvania, USA. Northeastern Naturalist, 25(3): 355–361.

Glon, M.G. & Thoma, R.F. (2017) An observation of the use of devil crayfish (Cambarus cf. diogenes) burrows as brooding habitat by eastern cicada killer wasps (Sphecius speciosus). Freshwater Crayfish, 23(1): 55–57.

Glon, M.G., Larson, E.R., Reisinger, L.S. & Pangle, K.L. (2017). Invasive dreissenid mussels benefit invasive crayfish but not native crayfish in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 43(2): 289–297.

Glon, M.G., Larson, E.R. & Pangle, K.L. (2016). Comparison of 13C and 15N discrimination factors and turnover rates between congeneric crayfish Orconectes rusticus and O. virilis (Decapoda, Cambaridae). Hydrobiologia, 768: 51–61.

Glon, M.G., Larson, E.R. & Pangle, K.L. (2016). Connecting laboratory behavior to field function through stable isotope analysis. PeerJ, 4: e1918.

Research Reports

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2024. Recovery plan for the contiguous United States distinct population segment of Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis). November 2024. Denver, Colorado. 51 pp.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2024. Recovery implementation strategy (RIS) for the contiguous United States Distinct Population Segment of Canada lynx. November 2024. Denver, Colorado. 10 pp.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2023. Species Status Assessment Addendum for the Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) Contiguous United States Distinct Population Segment. December Denver, Colorado. 122 pp.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2022. Recovery Implementation Strategy (RIS) for the Rusty Patched Bumblebee (Bombus affinis) Version 1.0. October 2022. Bloomington, Minnesota. 14 pp.

Grants, Awards, Fellowships 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Strategic Conservation Award – 2024

Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund Grant – 2022

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Grant – 2022