Faculty

I have been at UT for over 30 years, having received my Ph.D. from Yale University in 1985. I am currently the Director of the Environmental Studies Program.

I have many research interests, 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. However, in recent years I have published increasing numbers of articles on topics relating to modern biodiversity problems and solutions, such as the effects of urbanization on biodiversity, and especially how human activities are homogenizing the biosphere. My field work is focused on land snails and mussels with a special interest in their conservation. I have served on the editorial boards of Evolutionary Ecology Research, Urban Naturalist, Frontiers in Ecology and Society, and Animal Conservation.

• Irwin, Kristin L., McKinney, M.L. and Womble, S.G. 2016. First reported occurrence of the invasive land snail Euglandia rosea in Tennessee: implications for global warming. Journal of the Tennessee Academy of Science. In press.
• McKinney, M.L. 2016. Hierarchy theory in the Anthropocene: Biocultural homogenization, urban ecosystems, and other emerging dynamics. In: Evolutionary Theory: A Hierarchical Approach, University of Chicago Press. N. Eldredge et al., eds. In press
• LeDoux, St. Thomas, Szynkiewicz, Anna; Faiia, Anthony; Mayes, Melanie; McKinney, Michael L. and Dean, William. 2016. Chemical and isotope compositions of shallow groundwater in areas impacted by hydraulic fracturing and surface mining in the Central Appalachian Basin, Eastern United States. Applied Geochemistry. In press
• McKinney, M.L. 2014. Impacts of global warming, habitat loss and homogenization on global biodiversity. Evolutionary Ecology Research 16: 285-189.
• McKinney, M.L., Oyen, C.W., Carter, B.D., and Fuellhart, K.G. 2014. Geographic shape variation in an Oligocene cassiduloid echinoid (Rhycholampas gouldii) of the Southeastern U.S. Southeastern Geology 50: 215-219.
• Shroat-Lewis, Rene A.; Sumrall, Colin D.; McKinney, Michael.L. and others. 2014. A paleoecologic comparison of two edrioasteroid (Echinodermata) encrusted pavements from the Upper Ordovician Corryville Formation of Florence, Kentucky and the Miamitown Shale of Sharonville, Ohio, USA. Palaios 29: 154-169.
• Baiser, Benjamin, Olden, Julian D.; Record, Sydne, and McKinney, M.L. 2012. Pattern and process of biotic homogenization in the New Pangaea. Proceedings of the Royal Society Biological Sciences 279: 4772-4777.
• Shroat-Lewis, R., McKinney, M.L. Brett, C.E., Meyer, D., and Sumrall, C. 2011. Paleoecologic assessment of an edrioasteroid-encrusted hardground from the Upper Ordovician Bellevue Member, Maysville, Kentucky. Palaios 26: 470-483.
• McKinney, M.L., and Sumrall, C.D. 2011. Ambulacral growth allometry in edrioasteroids: functional surface-volume change in ontogeny and phylogeny. Lethaia. 44: 102-108   
• Pautasso, M., Boehning-Gaese K., Clergeau, P., Cueto, V., Dinetti, M., Jokimaki, J., McKinney, M.L. and 12 others. 2011. Global macroecology of bird assemblages in urbanized and semi-natural ecosystems  Global Ecology and Biogeography 20: 426-436.
• 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.