Directory

Mark J. Mackey, S.J., MS

About

Br. Mackey is a Jesuit brother and an ecologist. Entering college he decided to follow his passion for nature and animals and to major in zoology and environmental science. His love for reptiles and amphibians led him to take a herpetology course as an undergraduate, and this launched him into the world of research and field work. As an undergraduate he studied the impacts of pesticides on frog metamorphosis and then furthered these interests into graduate school where he investigated the impacts of golf courses on headwater stream ecosystems in the southern Appalachian Mountains. Now, as a Jesuit, Br. Mackey is interested in how natural history knowledge can enhance one’s relationship with the natural world. He is also interested in how an ecological lens can be brought to Ignatian Spirituality, and how Ignatian Spirituality can be practiced to help ground people against increasing experiences of eco-anxiety.

Degrees

• MA in Christian Spirituality with a concentration in eco-spirituality, Institute of Pastoral Studies, Loyola University Chicago.
• MS Biological Sciences with a concentration in ecology and conservation biology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia MO.
• BAs in Zoology and Environmental Science, Miami University, OH.

Courses Taught

• ENVS 101: The Scientific Basis of Environmental Issues
• ENVS 298: Ecospirituality for Action
• ENVS 398: Field Herpetology
• ENVS 490: Integral Ecology

Selected Publications

Mackey M.J., Connette G.M., Peterman W.E. & Semlitsch R.D. 2014. Do golf courses reduce the ecological value of headwater streams for salamanders in the southern Appalachian Mountains? Landscape and Urban Planning, 125 17-27 PDF

Mackey, M.J., Connette, G.W. and R.D. Semlitsch. 2010. Monitoring of Stream Salamanders: The Utility of Two Techniques and the Influence of Stream Substrate Complexity. Herpetological Review 41:163-166 PDF

Mackey, M.J., M.D. Boone. 2009. Single and Interactive Effects of Overwintered Green Frog Tadpoles, an Insecticide, and Cyanobacteria on Gray Treefrog Tadpoles.  Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 28: 637-643 PDF

Gerald G.W., M.J. Mackey, and D.L. Claussen. 2007. Effects of temperature and perch diameter on arboreal locomotor performance in the snake Elaphe guttata. Journal of Experimental Zoology 309: 147-156 PDF