I’m interested in the biology, ecology and conservation of invertebrates and vertebrates, especially in sensitive habitats. I’ve worked most extensively with life histories, taxonomy, ecology and conservation of insects and other invertebrates. Much of my recent research has involved studies on bats, caves, groundwater, and their intersection with human activities.

Colorado College students: I deeply enjoyed working with you, I’ve moved on from Colorado but, if you’d like to reach out to me for advice or help with a project, you can still reach me as long as CC maintains my email address.

Primary Research

At the moment, my primary research falls into two areas: 1) cave & groundwater amphipods (Crustacea) and hyporheic ecosystems; and 2) ecoacoustics including both audible sounds and bat ultrasound.

Other Research Interests

I’m occasionally involved in various various cave biology projects which include cave bioinventories and collection of cave microclimate data. Additionally, scorpion biology is something I’ve been dabbling in, and there is definitely an opportunity, in the warmer months, to do some interesting work with these animals just a bit south of Colorado Springs.  Other projects that might be interesting and feasible for undergraduate projects include studies of stream macroinvertebrates, ground beetle communities (restricted to warmer months), and quantification of human trash along waterways.  If any one of these, or some idea that you have for other research, seems like something you’d like to explore, we can meet and chat.

More about me

Curriculum Vitae (PDF)
Google Scholar profile
Orcid
ResearchGate
LinkedIn
Twitter

Zoology Department, Denver Museum of Nature & Science
former lab page at University of Illinois
Stygobromus Working Group

Select Recent Publications

Niemiller M.L., S.J. Taylor, M.E. Slay, and H.H. Hobbs III. 2019. Chapter 19. Biodiversity in the United States and Canada. Pages 163–176 in: Encyclopedia of Caves, 3rd Ed. (W.B. White, D.C. Culver, and T. Pipan, eds.). Elsevier. eBook ISBN: 9780128141250 Paperback ISBN: 9780128141243

Niemiller M.L., S.J. Taylor, and M.E. Bichuette. 2018. Conservation of cave fauna, with an emphasis on Europe and the Americas. Pages 451-478 in: Cave Ecology, (Moldovan, O.T., Kováč, L., & Halse, S., eds.). Ecological Studies (Analysis and Synthesis), vol 235. vii + 545 p. Springer Nature Switzerland. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98852-8_22

Katz, A.D., S.J. Taylor and M. Davis. 2018. At the confluence of vicariance and dispersal: Phylogeography of cavernicolous springtails (Collembola: Arrhopalitidae, Tomoceridae) codistributed across a geologically complex karst landscape in Illinois and Missouri. Ecology & Evolution 8(18):1–20. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.4507 (open access)

Sidorov, D., S.J. Taylor, S. Sharina, and A. Gontcharo. 2018. Zenkevitchiidae fam. nov. (Crustacea: Gammaroidea), with description of new subterranean amphipods from extremely deep cave habitats. Journal of Natural History 52(23–24): 1509–1535.   DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2018.1482017

Elliott, W.R., J.R. Reddell, D.C. Rudolph, G.O. Graening, T.S. Briggs, D. Ubick, R.L. Aalbu, J.K. Krejca and S.J. Taylor. 2017. The Cave Fauna of California. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Series 4. Volume 64(Supplement 1): 1-311. pdf (25 mb)

Niemiller M.L., M.L. Porter, J. Keany, H. Gilbert, D.W. Fong, D.C. Culver, C. Hobson, K.D. Kendall, M.A. Davis, and S.J. Taylor. 2017. Evaluation of eDNA for groundwater invertebrate detection and monitoring: a case study with endangered Stygobromus (Amphipoda: Crangonyctidae). Conservation Genetics Resources 11 p. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12686-017-0785-2 pdf

Katz, A.D., S.J. Taylor, F.N. Soto-Adames, A. Addison, G.B. Hoese, M.R. Sutton and T. Toulkeridis. 2016. New records and new species of springtails (Collembola: Entomobryidae, Paronellidae) from lava tubes of the Galápagos Islands (Ecuador). Subterranean Biology 17: 77–120. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.17.7660

Taylor, S.J. and M.L. Niemiller. 2016. Biogeography and conservation assessment of Bactrurus groundwater amphipods (Crangonyctidae) in the central and eastern United States. Subterranean Biology 17: 1–29. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.17.7298

Taylor, S.J., J.K. Krejca, M.L. Niemiller, M.J. Dreslik, and C.A. Phillips. 2015. Life history and demographic differences between cave and surface populations of the Western Slimy Salamander Plethodon albagula (Caudata: Plethodontidae), in central Texas. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 10(2): 740–752. pdf (1 MB)