Profile

• US Fulbright Scholar, University of Ghana, 2006-2007
• PhD in Evolutionary Biology, Ohio University, 2006
• MS in Biology, University of Maryland – Baltimore County, 1999
• BS in Marine Biology, University of North Carolina – Wilmington, 1996

• Sea Turtle Biology
• Marine Biology
• Herpetology
• Wildlife Conservation
• Endangered Species

Phil Allman is an Associate Professor of Vertebrate Zoology with primary teaching responsibilities that include marine biology, sea turtle biology, conservation biology and General Biology II. He also offers research- focused study away courses to places such as Yellowstone National Park, Costa Rica, Ghana, and South Africa where students engage in conservation-based research on topics such as fisheries by-catch, international wildlife trade/poaching, population genetics, and reproductive ecology.
He conducts research on the reproductive ecology of gopher tortoises in southwest Florida where he recently demonstrated tortoises in this area are active year-round and has possibly shifted their mating/nesting season earlier in the year. Most recently he has been assisting with the sea turtle nest monitoring program on Cayo Costa Island, where he hires student interns each year to conduct sea turtle nesting surveys. He directs an active sea turtle research program in Ghana where him and his colleagues conduct nightly sea turtle nest surveys in three communities along the shoreline. He recently concluded a study that demonstrated a simple modification to gill nets can reduce sea turtle by-catch by 80% without impacting the amount of target catch. He is currently exploring nest temperatures to examine how increased beach temperatures may impact embryonic development and success of sea turtle nests laid in Ghana and in Florida.

• General Biology II
• Honors General Biology II
• Conservation Biology
• Sea Turtle Biology
• Marine Biology
• Herpetology
• Scientific Process

• Ferrera, A, A Formia, C Ciofi, C Natali, A Agyekumhene, and P Allman. 2021. Genetic structure of olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) in Ghana, West Africa. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 544:151614.
• Agyekumhene, A, P Yankson, L Stemle, and P Allman. 2021. Sea turtle nesting activity in Ghana, West Africa. Chelonian Conservation and Biology.
• Allman, P, A Agyekumhene, and L Stemle. 2020. Gillnet illumination as an effective measure to reduce sea turtle by-catch. Conservation Biology.
• Stemle, L., A Agyekumhene, and P Allman. 2019. Occurrence of fibropapillomatosis in Chelonia mydas (green sea turtle) in Ghana. Herpetological Review 50(4): 767.
• Allman, P, RM Bowden, J Donini, and I Lezcano. 2019. Year-round plasma steroid hormone profiles and the reproductive ecology of gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) at the southernmost edge of their range. General and Comparative Endocrinology. 282.
• Allman, P and J Donini. 2019. The Blue-headed Anole, Anolis allisoni. In Amphibians and Reptiles of Florida, Eds. K Krysko, K Enge and P Moler. University of Florida Press. 728 Pp.
• Alexander, L, A Agyekumhene and P Allman. 2017. The role of taboos and other social customs in the protection and recovery of sea turtles. Frontiers in Marine Science. 4:237. doi:10.3389/fmars.2017.00237.
• Naccarato, A, J DeJarnette and P Allman. 2015. The successful establishment of a non-native species after a single introduction event: An investigation of ND4 variability in introduced black spiny-tailed iguanas (Ctenosaura similis). Journal of Herpetology. 49(2):230-236.
• Dutton, P, S Roden, KR Stewart, E LaCasella, P Rivalan, M Tiwari, A Formia, J Thomé, SR Livingstone, S Eckert, D Chacon-Chaverri and P Allman. 2013. Population stock structure of leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) in the Atlantic revealed using mtDNA and microsatellite markers. Conservation Genetics. 14(3):625-636.
• Alllman, P, AR Place and WM Roosenburg. 2012. Geographic variation in egg size and lipid provisioning in the wide-ranging diamondback terrapin, Malaclemys terrapin. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology. 85:442- 449.

Phil Allman is a regular participant at the Annual Symposium for Sea Turtle Biology, IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group Meeting, Turtle Survival Alliance meeting, and the IUCN Freshwater Turtle & Tortoise Meeting. He also routinely takes students to the Florida Herpetology Conference. He has also served as a delegate at the World Congress of Herpetology and the International Congress for Conservation Biology.

• Florida Park Service: Cayo Costa sea turtle program
• United States Fish & Wildlife Service: Ghana sea turtle research program
• Marine Turtle Conservation Fund: Ghana sea turtle research program
• National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Association: Ghana sea turtle research program
• Disney World Conservation Fund: Ghana sea turtle research program
• National Save the Sea Turtles Foundation: student scholarships
• Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Award: hingeback tortoise population assessments