Michael L. McKinney

I have been at UT for over 20 years, having received my Ph.D. from Yale University in 1985. I am currently the Director of the Environmental Studies Program. This is a rapidly growing field of study and enrolls many students.

I also teach environmental geology and an introductory course in environmental science, and serve as the faculty advisor to the student environmental club at UT (SPEAK). I have published several books including Environmental Science (4th edition) and Biotic Homogenization (with Julie Lockwood).

My research interests have generally focused on biological issues. I started out in paleobiology, in which I still have an active interest. In this area, I have published several papers on extinction and evolution as seen in the fossil record. However, in recent years I have published increasing numbers of articles on topics relating to modern biodiversity issues, such as the effects of urbanization on biodiversity, and especially how human activities are homogenizing the biosphere. I have served on the editorial boards of Evolutionary Ecology Research and Animal Conservation.

Recent Publications

McKinney, M.L. 2010. Urban futures. In: Urban Ecology, Kevin J. Gaston, ed. Pp. 287-308. Cambridge University Press.

McKinney, M.L. 2010. Shedding some light on people and biodiversity. Animal Conservation 13: 444-445.

Sumrall, C.D., Brett, C.E., McKinney, M.L. 2009. A new agelacrinitid edrioasteroid attached to a large hardground clast from the Mckenzie member of the Mifflintown member (Silurian) of Pennsylvania. Journal of Paleontology 83: 794-803

Dexter, T., Sumrall, C.D. & McKinney, M.L. 2009. Allometric strategies for increasing respiratory surface area in the Mississippian blastoid Pentremites. Lethaia 32: 127-137

McKinney, ML. 2008. Effects of urbanization on species richness: A review of plants and animals. Urban Ecosystems 11: 161-176. 

Qian H, McKinney ML, Kuhn I. 2008. Effects of introduced species on floristic similarity: Comparing two US states. Basic and Applied Ecology 9: 617-625

La Sorte FA, McKinney ML, Pysek P, et al. 2008. Distance decay of similarity among European urban floras: the impact of anthropogenic activities on beta diversity. Global Ecology and Biogeography 17: 363-371

La Sorte FA, McKinney ML. 2007. Compositional changes over space and time along an occurrence-abundance continuum: anthropogenic homogenization of the North American avifauna. Journal of Biogeography 34: 2159-2167  

Pautasso, M, McKinney, ML. 2007. The botanist effect revisited: Plant species richness, county area, and human population size in the United States. Conservation Biology 21: 1333-1340

La Sorte FA, McKinney ML, Pysek P. 2007.  Compositional similarity among urban floras within and across continents: biogeographical consequences of human-mediated biotic interchange. Global Change Biology 13: 913-921

McKinney ML, La Sorte FA 2007. Invasiveness and homogenization: synergism of wide dispersal and high local abundance. Global Ecology and Biogeography 16: 394-400.

 

Contact Information

Mike McKinney
Professor
Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Science

Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
1412 Circle Drive
Knoxville, TN 37996-1410

Phone: (865) 974-6359
Email: mmckinne@utk.edu