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Dr. James P. Muir – Professor – Grassland Ecology

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James P. Muir, a Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy, is Regent’s Professor and Research Scientist with Tarleton and Texas A&M AgriLife Research.  He is a grassland ecologist focusing on the plant/animal interface.  He has research currently on-going in South Sudan, South Africa, Swaziland, Brazil, and throughout Texas.  His students have undertaken research or presented their data in many countries, including Argentina, South Africa and Malaysia.  His long-term focus has been legumes, both cultivated and natural, and their myriad roles in pastures, rangeland, prairies and savannahs.  Currently his multi-national team is looking at the many facets of legume condensed tannins as they affect plant survival, herbivory, carbon sequestration as well as animal and environment health.  He is also interested in domesticating native Texas legume ecotypes for many uses, including prairie restoration and roadside revegetation.  

COURSES OFFERED

Graduate

  • WSES 5309 Plant-Animal Interactions (Fall Semester)
  • WSES 5380 Research Writing for Natural Resources (Spring Semester)
  • WSES Study Abroad Natural Resource Management in Iberia (Summer Semester)

RESEARCH AND SCHOLARLY ACTIVITIES

Research Activities

  • Domesticating native Texas legumes
  • Legume agronomy
  • Cellulosic bioenergy feedstock
  • Condensed tannins in the ruminant ecosystem
  • Browser nutrition & health
  • Native prairie restoration

Scholarly Activities

  • 9th Symposium on Strategic Management of Pasture and 6th International Grazing Livestock Symposium Vicosa Brazil 2019. “Carbon sequestration in grazingland ecosystems.”
  • International Symposium on the Nutrition of Herbivores, Clairmont France 2018. “Nutritive value of Texas shrubs.”
  • Drought Management Forum, Pernambuco Brazil 2018. “Mitigating drought in semiarid rangeland.”
  • Animal Science Society of America, invited speaker, Vancouver Canada, 2018. “Livestock systems forage research: agronomy in and beyond the paddock.”
  • International Conference on Forages in Warm Climates, Lavras Brazil 2018. “New perspectives on forage legumes in mixed pastures.”

PUBLICATIONS

Refereed Publications

  • Recent research published with students:
  • White, J.A., J.P. Muir, and B.D. Lambert. 2018. Over-seeding cool season-annual legumes and grasses into dormant Tifton 85 Bermudagrass for forage and biomass. Crop Science 58:964-971.International Symposium on the Nutrition of Herbivores, Clairmont France 2018. “Nutritive value of Texas shrubs.”
  • Cooper, C.E., J.P. Muir, J.G. Vogel and G.W. Moore. 2018. Tortoise or hare: will resprouting oaks or reseed pines dominate following severe wildfire? Forest Ecology and Management 408:54-66.
  • Apolinário, V.X.O., J.C.B. Dubeux, Jr., M.A. Lira, A.C.L. Mello, M.V.F. Santos, J. P. Muir and S. Oliveira de Amorim. 2017. Nitrogen and grazing affect napier grass leaf litter biomass and decomposition. Agron. J. 109:2982-2987.
  • Garcia, E.M., N. Cherry, B.D. Lambert, J.P. Muir, M.A. Nazareno, and J.I. Arroquy. 2017. Exploring the biological activity of condensed tannins and nutritional value of native tree and shrub leaves of the Argentinean Dry Chaco. J. Sci. Food Agric. 97:5021-5027.
  • Oliveira, O.F., J.P. Muir, N.M. Cherry, B.D. Lambert, H. Ramirez, and M. Ferreira dos Santos. 2017. Does initial body condition affect wether kid feed intake and performance when fed alfalfa or Lespedeza cuneata L.? Small Ruminant Research 154:98-104.
  • Lingbeek, B., C. Higgins, J.P. Muir, D. Kattes, and T. Schwertner. 2017. Arthropod diversity and assemblage structure response to deforestation and desertification in the Sahel region of western Senegal. Global Ecology and Conservation 11:165-176.
  • Naumann, H.D., C. Cooper, J.R. Bow, and J.P. Muir. 2017. Condensed tannin characteristics of Limpopo, South Africa arboreal species retaining leaves in the dry season. African J. of Ecology 55:168-175.

Presentations

  • Vidal Torres, E. M.C. Velasco Yaselga1, E. Valencia and J.P. Muir. 2018. Nutritional value of forage soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr] at two locations in Puerto Rico. Southern Pastures (SPCFIC) Fayetteville, AR 14-16 May, 2018.
  • Leachman, J., L. Berman, Herzberger, D.H. Kattes and J. Muir. 2018. Change in soil-dwelling arthropod diversity resulting from the conversion of bermudagrass to native warm-season grasses: Insecta. Proc. Southwestern Branch, Entomological Society of America. 25-29 March, 2018 New Mexico.
  • Shipman, J.R., and Muir, J.P. 2018. Effects of Mob Grazing on Bermudagrass Removal and Native Grassland Restoration. Proc. Society for Range Management, 29 January-2 February, 2018 Sparks NV.
  • Herzberger, L. and J.P. Muir. 2018. Domesticating native shrubs. Proc. Society for Range Management, 29 January-2 February, 2018 Sparks NV.
  • Norris, A.B., W.L. Crossland, L.O. Tedeschi, J.L. Foster, J.P. Muir, and W.E. Pinchak. 2018. Effect of differing rates of Quebracho (Schinopsis blansae) extract fed in a limit fed high roughage TMR upon digestibility and nitrogen balance. American Society of Animal Science-Canadian Society of Animal Science Annual Meeting, Vancouver, Canada, Jul. 8-12. (Abstr.)
  • Norris, A.B., W.L. Crossland, J.L. Foster, J.P. Muir, and L.O. Tedeschi. 2017. Differences in digestive kinetics and methane production among rhizoma peanut (Arachis glabrata Benth.) cultivars. 2017 ASAS-CSAS Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD, Jul. 8-12. J. Anim. Sci. 95(4): 138.
  • Hilaire, S., B. Bellow, J. Brady, J.P. Muir, J. Speshock. 2017. Impact of Antibiotics and Manure on Uptake and Fate in Greenhouse grown Bermuda grass (Tifton85). Poster session presented at The National council for Science and the Environment’s 17th National Conference and Global Forum on Science, Policy, and the Environment: Integrating Environment and Health, Washington, D.C., 24-26 January 2017. Poster 13.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS & ACCREDITATIONS

  • American Society of Agronomy (since 1984)
  • Crop Science Society of America (since 2006)
  • Grassland Society of Southern Africa (since 1991)
  • Texas Forage Workers’ Group (1998 – Present)
  • American Forage and Grassland Council (1998 – Present)
  • Southern Pastures and Forage Improvement Conference (2010 – Present)

DEGREES

  • Ph.D. Agronomy Univ. of Florida 1989
  • M.S. University of Florida 1985
  • B.S. Wheaton College 1981

GRADUATE GROUP MEMBERSHIPS

  • Tarleton State University Graduate Faculty Status
  • Texas A&M University System Graduate Faculty Status