Peacock Bass

Dr. Kirk O. Winemiller is a University Distinguished Professor and Regents Professor at Texas A&M University. His research interests include community ecology, aquatic ecosystems, tropical ecology, and fish biology. Much of his research is aimed at understanding the causes and ecological consequences of biological diversity, particularly with respect to fishes and their life history strategies and interactions within food webs. Spanning more than four decades, his research has addressed the influence of watershed features and hydrology on ecological patterns and processes of fluvial ecosystems and applications of this knowledge for managing aquatic biodiversity and freshwater resources in the United States and other regions of the world. He has conducted field studies on freshwater and estuarine fishes throughout Texas and tropical regions of the world, and some of the projects were collaborations with the two coauthors of this book, both of whom share his passion for peacock bass. Dr. Leslie C. Kelso Winemiller is an Instructional Associate Professor at Texas A&M University where she has taught courses in general biology, biodiversity, zoology, and tropical biology for more than 25 years. She has produced multiple editions of instructional zoology laboratory manuals. For many years she has organized and led study abroad field trips to the Amazon for university students. She has conducted lab research on translational regulation during early development in marine invertebrates as well as fish ecology, the latter including field studies in Africa, Brazil, Venezuela, and Alaska. Dr. Carmen G. Montana is an Assistant Professor at Stephen F. Austin State University where she teaches courses in ecology, ichthyology, and limnology. Her research is centered on fish community ecology, with a focus on spatial and temporal variation in species coexistence, evolutionary patterns, feeding behavior, and aquatic food webs. Some of her projects have investigated human impacts on fish diversity, including urban development in the United States and gold mining in South America. She has conducted field research in Texas, Cambodia, Mexico, Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela, including several projects investigating the ecology of peacock bass.