Romi Lynn Burks

Notable Achievements

Garey Chair and Professor of Biology Romi Burks gave an invited talk during the special symposium session, “The past, present, and future of freshwater invasion ecology and management: A career retrospective for David M. Lodge,” at the Society of Freshwater Science meeting. Dr. Lodge, an internationally well-known invasive species ecologist, just recently retired from Cornell University after 10 years of serving as the Director of the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability following a successful 28-year tenure at the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Lodge served as the Ph.D. advisor for both Dr. Burks and SU biology graduate Matthew Barnes ’06, who conducted his undergraduate research on apple snails. Dr. Barnes then went onto the University of Notre Dame to become an expert in environmental DNA, a research topic in which he and Dr. Burks continue to collaborate with Southwestern undergraduates using apple snails as a model organism. Accordingly, Dr. Burks titled her talk “Being a successful role model (organisms): Insights into diversity and distribution of apple snails (Pomacea) gained through field and molecular ecology,” highlighting how her time in the Lodge lab prepared her for the diversity of approaches needed to study invasive species. In her talk, she drew parallels between the effects of rusty crayfish that Dr. Lodge documented throughout his career and ways in which apple snails also impact aquatic systems. Dr. Barnes highlighted his last investigations in Texas with his remarks, titled “Back to the future with environmental DNA: repurposing previously collected samples to study the history of Texas freshwater jellyfish invasion.”

Professor of Biology

Expertise

Aquatic ecology, molecular ecology, wetland science, apple snails, invertebrate biology and CHOCOLATE

Biography

Research

Publications

Presentations

Hi! I’m @ProfRomi, an aquatic ecologist at Southwestern University. Visit my comprehensive webpage at www.profromi.com to learn more about my integration of research, teaching and a special interest in teaching with chocolate.

In my science life, I work as an aquatic ecologist interested in how ecological life histories influence behavior, diversity and distribution of freshwater invertebrates. My lab has adopted a number of applications of molecular ecology to study freshwater snails.

My research at Southwestern focuses primarily on a group of large freshwater snails - commonly called apple snails because they can reach the size of an apple. In Texas, one species, Pomacea maculata (formerly P. insularum), occurs as a non-native, invasive species but has native populations in South America.

My Teaching Philosophy rests on 4 main pillars:

1. Teach who you are

2. Make your classroom a lab (experiment!)

3. Make your lab a classroom (teach critical thinking!)

4. Connect anything and everything to chocolate!

I spent part of May in 2025 taking an amazing Cocoa Masterclass in Bahia, Brazil, from Cacao Latitudes. I also spent two full days at the Salon du Chocolat in Lima Peru in July and participated in a travel course in Cusco and Quillabamba and got my first encounter with the the ancestral variety of cacao - Chuncho. I didn’t walk away from that IICCT course with what I thought I would - but I did leave Peru with new chocolate friends, a new tattoo and a desire to continue my own chocolate education.

Overall, my undergraduates and I focus on:

Using freshwater snails to understand the ecology of eDNA
Uncovering patterns of genetic diversity among cryptic native apple snails in Belize
Investigating the interactions between environmental DNA and microplastics

My research now primarily investigate applications of environmental DNA (think crime scene DNA but for invasive species) with Dr. Matt Barnes at Texas Tech University. This work builds on genetic information gained from studying native apple snails in Uruguay/Argentina/Brazil through an international collaboration with South America colleagues (Mariana Meerhoff, Silvana Thiengo, Cristian Clavijo and Fabrizio Scarabino) and Dr. Ken Hayes (now at the Bishops Museum in Hawaii). In addition to focusing on eDNA, we now apply these species identification techniques and approaches to studying native apple snails found in Belize. In addition, I work with students in my research lab and the classroom to examine the impact of microplastics in local aquatic systems.

As a course undergraduate research experience, my Methods in Ecology and Evolution students get out in the field, collect water samples and process them to quantify the amount of microplastics, specifically microfibers (primarily coming from clothing as an effect of runoff) found in local waterways. We just started to connect this element to my research agenda to see how microplastics may affect eDNA detection.

I obtained by PhD from the University of Notre Dame in 2000 and my BS and BA from Loyola University Chicago in 1995. Find out more about undergraduate research, project descriptions and collaborators on my website.

2025

Rosas, E., C. Bashara, D. Christie, R. L. Burks, and M. A. Barnes. 2025. Winning the shell game: environmental DNA (eDNA) confirms local control of the invasive apple snail, Pomacea maculata. Management of Biological Invasions 16(2): 397-410. https://doi.org/10.3391/mbi.2025.16.2.05

2024

Burks, R. L., C. Reynolds, E. Rosas, C. Bashara, L. Dolopchiev, C. Jerde and M. A. Barnes. 2024. Snail slime in real time: Challenges in predicting the relationship between environmental DNA and apple snail biomass. Management of Biological Invasions 15(3): 415-435. doi.org/10.3391/mbi.2024.15.3.06

2020

Burks, R. L. 2020. Setting Up Nonparametric Tests. Make Teaching with R in Undergraduate Biology Less Excruciating 2020, QUBES Educational Resources. doi:10.25334/PFE8-D888
Glasheen, P. M.*, S. R. Campos*, R. L. Burks and K. A. Hayes. 2020. First evidence of introgressive hybridization of apple snails (Pomacea spp.) in a native range. Journal of Molluscan Studies 86(2): 96-103. doi:10.1093/mollus/eyz035.

2019

Emery, N., A. Hunt, R. Burks, M. Duffy, C. Scoffoni, and A. Swei. 2019. Students as ecologists: Strategies for successful mentorship of undergraduate researchers. Ecology and Evolution: https://rdcu.be/btaia.

2018

Sterling, E. J, L. Burks, J. Linder, T. Langen, D. S. Fernandez, D. Ruby, and N. Bynum. 2018A. Why is biodiversity important? An oral communication exercise. Lessons in Conservation 8:10–12. Available from http://www.amnh.org/our-research/center-for-biodiversity-conservation/resources-and-publications/lessons-in-conservation/lessons-in-conservation-volume-viii
Sterling, E. J, L. Burks, J. Linder, T. Langen, D. S. Fernandez, D. Ruby, and N. Bynum. 2018B. Selecting areas for conservation: an oral communication exercise. Lessons in Conservation 8:13–16. Available from http://www.amnh.org/our-research/center-for-biodiversity-conservation/resources-and-publications/lessons-in-conservation/lessons-in-conservation-volume-viii
Sterling, E. J, L. Burks, J. Linder, T. Langen, D. S. Fernandez, D. Ruby, N. Bynum, A. Bravo, and A.L. PorzecanskiC. 2018. Sharpen your oral communication skills! Lessons in Conservation 8:17–20. Available from http://www.amnh.org/our-research/center-for-biodiversity-conservation/resources-and-publications/lessons-in-conservation/lessons-in-conservation-volume-viii

2017

Perez, K. P., V. G. Gamboa, C. M. Schneider* and L. Burks. 2017. Resaca supports invasive apple snails (Pomacea maculata, Perry, 1810; Caenogastropoda: Ampullariidae) within the Rio Grande Valley, Texas. CheckList 13(3): https://doi.org/10.15560/13.3.2134
Glasheen, P. M.*, C. Clavo, M. Meerhoff, K. A. Hayes and L. Burks. 2017. Survival, recovery, and reproduction of apple snails (Pomacea spp.) following exposure to drought conditions. Freshwater Science 36(2): 316 - 324.
Burks, R. L., J. Bernatis, J. E. Byers, J. Carter, C. W. Martin, W. G. McDowell and J. van Dyke. 2017. Identity, reproductive potential, distribution, ecology and management of invasive Pomacea maculata in the southern United States. Pages 293-334. 2nd edition of Global Advances in Ecology and Management of Golden Apple Snails.

2016

Sterling, E., A. Bravo, A. Porzecanski, Burks, J. Linder, T. A. Langen, D. S. Fernandez, D. Ruby and N. Bynum. 2016. Think before (and after) you speak: Practice and self-reflection build student confidence and bolster performance in oral communication skills in ecology and conservation biology classes. Journal of College Science Teaching 45(6): 87-99.
Burks, R. L., Miller* and A. Hill*. 2016. CABI Compendium project on Pomacea maculata. (Not traditional peer-review): http://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/116486
Perez, B. J.*, A. H. Segrest*, S. R. Campos*, R. L. Minton and L. Burks. 2016. First record of Japanese Mystery Snail Cipangopaludina, CheckList 12(5): http://dx.doi.org/10.15560/12.5.1973.