Dr. Rebecca McKee

Dr. Rebecca McKee joined the Department of Biology in 2024 after completing her doctoral studies at the University of Florida.

Education

• Ph.D., Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida
• M.S., Wildlife Management, University of Georgia
• Interdisciplinary Certificate in University Teaching, University of Georgia
• B.A., Environmental Studies, Davidson College

Specialty

Animal behavior, wildlife ecology and conservation.

Professional Interests

Dr. McKee’s research centers on wildlife ecology and conservation, with a lifelong passion for the natural world shaped by her upbringing in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Her interest in research began during her undergraduate studies at Davidson College, where she worked in a herpetology lab, led environmental education outreach efforts, and completed an honors thesis on diamondback terrapin behavior and their susceptibility to entrapment in blue crab pots. This early work with turtles inspired her M.S. research on gopher tortoises. For her doctoral studies, Dr. McKee investigated the impacts of invasive pythons on mammal populations in the Everglades. At Mercer, her research will continue to focus on Southeastern wildlife, particularly reptiles, amphibians, and mammals, further contributing to the understanding and conservation of these species.

Recent Publications

• McKee, R. K., Hart, K. M., Zeitoune, S., & McCleery, R. A. (2025). Navigating new threats: Prey naïveté in native mammals. Journal of Animal Ecology.
• McKee, R. K., Taillie, P. J., Hart, K. M., Lopez, C. L., Sanjar, A., & McCleery, R. A. (2024). Ecological function maintained despite mesomammal declines. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 19668.
• Claunch, N. M., Clancy, K. L., Harman, M. E., Hengstebeck, K. C., Juárez-Sánchez, D., Haro, D., … & Romagosa, C. M. (2023). Welcome to Paradise. Islands and Snakes: Diversity and Conservation, 2, 240.
• McKee, R. K., Buhlmann, K. A., Moore, C. T., Allender, M. C., Stacy, N. I., & Tuberville, T. D. (2022). Island of misfit tortoises: waif gopher tortoise health assessment following translocation. Conservation Physiology, 10(1), coac051.
• McKee, R. K., Buhlmann, K. A., Moore, C. T., Hepinstall‐Cymerman, J., & Tuberville, T. D. (2021). Waif gopher tortoise survival and site fidelity following translocation. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 85(4), 640-653.
• Tuberville, T. D., McKee, R. K., Gaya, H. E., & Norton, T. M. (2021). Survival of immature gopher tortoises recruited into a translocated population. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 85(4), 631-639.
• McKee, R. K., Cecala, K. K., & Dorcas, M. E. (2016). Behavioural interactions of diamondback terrapins with crab pots demonstrate that bycatch reduction devices reduce entrapment. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 26(6), 1081-1089.

Contact Dr. Rebecca McKee

(478) 301-2577
mckee_rk@mercer.edu
Office: Godsey Science Center, Room 330