Courses taught at GVSU:

BIO 105 Environmental Science
BIO 120 General Biology I
BIO 215 General Ecology
BIO 329 Evolution of Social Behavior
BIO 338 Environmental Ethics
BIO 442 Fish Ecology
BIO 352 Animal Behavior

Research Interests:

I pursue basic and applied questions about the reproductive ecology of centrarchid fishes, especially largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Recent projects addressed the interactive effects of microhabitat features and parental behavior on reproductive success. This work was featured at the Black Bass 2000 Symposium during the American Fisheries Society annual meeting. Future research will use DNA fingerprinting to determine paternity and maternity of individual fry, enabling us to assess the actual (vs. presumed) mating system of our study population and to determine the relative reproductive success of individual parents. Analysis of tissue samples collected during recent nesting seasons indicate that polygamy may be more common than generally thought. "Sneaker" cuckolds are not known to exist in largemouth bass and spatial and behavioral aspects of their reproduction should minimize cuckoldry of parental males. More extensive sampling of fry and adults will help us address this apparent conundrum. Numerous GVSU undergraduate students have contributed to my research since 1996, and I have successfully submitted both internal and external grant proposals to support our efforts. Six of these students presented papers at recent regional scientific meetings.

Recent Publications:
*GVSU undergraduate student

Lane, P., J. Hunt and J. Farris. Submitted. Innovative teaching to engage and challenge twenty-first century entrepreneurship students: an interdisciplinary approach.  Journal of Entrepreneurship Education.

Hunt, J. Critical review of prospectus, TOC and four chapters of Teaching & Learning Ecology-One Ecosystem at a Time, a new ecology text proposed by J. Stamps. Benjamin Cummings/Pearson Education, San Francisco, CA. June, 2008.

Hunt, J., N. Bacheler*, E. Videan*, D. Wilson* and C. Annett. 2002. Enhancing largemouth bass spawning: behavioral and habitat considerations. Black Bass 2000: Conservation, Ecology and Management of Black Basses. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, MD.

Hunt, J. and C. Annett.  2002. Effects of habitat manipulation on individual nesting largemouth bass in an Ozark reservoir. North American Journal of Fisheries Management.

Recent Posters and Presentations:

J. Hunt and S. Bridwell. Effects of urban riparian restoration on the behavior and abundance of passerine birds. Annual meeting of Animal Behavior Society. Snowbird, UT, August 19, 2008.

J. Hunt, J. Zeman, D. Simon and S. Bridwell.  Restoration of an urban wetland: experiments through a cooperative municipal-university partnership. Invited speaker and panelist, The Science, Practice and Art of Restoring Native Ecosystems, 1^st Annual Conference of the Michigan Stewardship Network. Kellogg Center, MSU, East Lansing, MI, Jan. 25, 2008.

Lane, P., J. Farris, J. Hunt and J. Corr, 2008.  Innovation goes green.  MBAA International

Conference Proceedings, Operations Management &  Entrepreneurship Association.

Lane, P., J. Farris and J. Hunt. 2008. Challenging entrepreneurial students with concrete,

interdisciplinary problems. 2008 Conference and Proceedings, Allied Academies International Conference, Reno, NV. 

Hunt, J. and I. Gomez. 2007. Restoration of an urban lake ecosystem: water quality, point-source pollution, and non-point source pollution.  Ecological Society of America annual meeting, San Jose, CA.

Hunt, J. 2006.  Do male largemouth bass distinguish between brood predators & benign intruders? A test with models. Ecological and Evolutionary Ethology of Fishes international meeting, Aliso Viejo, CA.

Hunt, J. 2006.  Parental investment in largemouth bass: effects of parental size and brood maturity. Ecological and Evolutionary Ethology of Fishes bi-annual, international meeting, Aliso Viejo, CA.

Hunt, J., 2005. Can they write it? Yes, they can! Teaching scientific writing in a major’s introductory ecology course. Ecological Society of America annual meeting, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Hunt, J. 2004. Parental investment in largemouth bass: effects of parental size and brood maturity. Animal Behavior Society annual meeting, Oaxaca, Mexico.

Hunt, J., N. Cadena and J. Gleffe. 2003. Behavior of captive chimpanzees at John Ball Zoo. Michigan Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters. Hope College, Holland, MI.

Hunt, J. 2002. Effectiveness of supplemental coarse woody debris: what works, and what doesn’t.  Invited Presentation. Annual Meeting, Michigan Chapter, American Fisheries Society, Muskegon, MI.

Scientific & Professional Societies:

American Fisheries Society: Education Section; Equal Opportunity Section; Centrarchid Technical Committee; Michigan Chapter; North-Central Division; Campus Representative, AFS Campus Network
Animal Behavior Society
Ecological Society of America