Dale DeNardo

Dale DeNardo is a Professor in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University (ASU) and the Attending Veterinarian and Director of the Department of Animal Care & Technologies. He holds affiliations with the Center for Biodiversity Outcomes, Water Institute, Global Drylands Center, and Global Education Office. His research focuses on environmental physiology, particularly organism-environment interactions, water limitation effects, and climate change impacts. He studies how physiological, behavioral, and environmental factors enable survival in extreme environments like deserts.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Integrative Biology, University of California-Berkeley (1994)
• D.V.M. in Zoological Medicine, University of California-Davis (1988)
• B.S. in Zoology, University of California-Davis (1984)

Research Interests:

DeNardo investigates physiological adaptations to water scarcity, ecotourism impacts on wildlife, genomic analysis of desert tortoises, and trade-offs in parental care. He uses field and lab experiments to explore how organisms manage limited resources and cope with environmental challenges.

Publications:

His work spans over 100 publications, including studies on dehydration effects in reptiles, maternal-offspring conflicts, and genomic conservation of desert tortoises. Recent focus areas include immune responses to environmental stressors and urban heat mitigation strategies for lizard populations.

Awards/Grants:

While specific awards are not listed, his extensive research and outreach activities highlight recognition in reptilian physiology and conservation. He collaborates on NSF-funded projects studying microbiome impacts and desert tortoise genomics.

Labs/Teams:

He leads a lab with undergraduate researchers and collaborates on global initiatives like the Desert Tortoise Genome Project. His team integrates fieldwork, genomics, and behavioral ecology to address ecological and conservation challenges.