Research

The research listed here is broadly based first on Herpetology and then more specifically on areas with the field. My research has focussed primarily at first on the ecology of New England ephemeral pond breeding amphibians. More recently, on the wetlands ecology of the amphibian communities within Everglades National Park. Most recently, on the neuroethology and morphology of Bufo quercicus, the oak toad. (The following was taken from Scientific-Illustration.org)

"Mark’s herpetological research began on the ecology and conservation of ephemeral wetland breeding amphibians. His undergraduate thesis at the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) focussed on comparing survey techniques for the vernal pond obligates Ambystoma maculatum, the spotted salamander and the wood frog, Rana sylvatica. He also volunteered in the herpetology and ichthyology collections of the Massachusetts Museum of Natural History under Drs. Willy Bemis and Al Richmond.

After graduation, he lead a meta-population study of an endangered Massachusetts amphibian, the marbled salamander, Ambystoma opacum, before taking a short break from amphibian work to conduct a radio-telemetry study of spotted turtles (Clemmys guttata) for Vermont Fish and Wildlife. About this time, Mark discovered the northern-most documented sighting of Scaphiopus holbrooki (Eastern Spadefoot) one of Mark’s favorite critters and the subject of Mark’s first publication (Herpetological Review. 2000)

Scientific Illustration

In 1998, I began illustrating, for fun and for my own research of pipid feeding and the associated musculature in Hymenochirus. That was the beginning of Mandica Illustration and Design, Inc. which can be found at mandica.com or view my portfolio at PenAndInk.org

Ambystoma opacum

"Mark Mandica has been a professional scientific illustrator since 1998. He specializes in biological illustrations and figures for scientific publications.
Being a biologist and an artist, Mark has an understanding of what is happening beneath the surface, and this is exemplified in his line art illustration and digital renderings.
Mark’s line drawings have been featured in the journals Science, Nature, Journal of Experimental Biology, Zoology, American Zoologist and many others. His scientific figures and illustrations have been used on the covers and in the text books: Evolution of Animal Communication, Reliability and Deception in Signaling Systems (2005), by Searcy and Nowicki; The Rise of Placental Mammals: Origins and Relationships of the Major Extant Clades (2005. Rose, KD and JD Archibald) and most recently his work has been featured throughout the third edition of The Everglades Handbook, by Thomas Lodge, due out April this year.

Mark Mandica’s scientific illustration portfolio contains many pen and ink drawings, as well as computer generated illustrations using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Many of the animals published there are organisms he has worked on over the years. An overview of Mark’s artistic and academic interests is available here at tetrapod.org. Mark’s most recent research in the Comparative Physiology Laboratory at the University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL) can be viewed here."