About Us

Ryan S. LUNA

Dr. Ryan S. Luna is the Department Chair of Natural Sciences at Sul Ross State University, the Kelly R. Thompson Professor in Quail Research with Borderlands Research Institute, and a Professor of Wildlife Management. He teaches curriculum associated with the Wildlife Management program, and is a faculty advisor to the Range and Wildlife Club. Ryan’s interests focus on habitat use and foraging ecology. His primary research pertains to upland game bird ecology and management, and control techniques for feral hogs.

Prior to joining BRI, Ryan obtained a PhD at Texas State University. While at Texas State, he was a Doctoral NSF Fellow working in a GK-12 program. When not in middle school classrooms getting students interested in science, Ryan was working on his dissertation which focused on body size, rumen-reticulum functions, and dietary nutrition of white-tailed deer. Prior to his doctoral work, he earned an MS from the University of Texas at San Antonio. During this period he worked for the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio performing behavioral assays on Rhesus Macaques. After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech University, Ryan worked as a Game Warden for New Mexico Department of Game and Fish until he returned to Texas to begin his master’s and doctoral work.

Courses Taught

1. NRM 2302 Wildlife Resources
2. NRM 2303 Principles of Conservation Biology
3. NRM 3302 Forest Ecology
4. NRM 4305 Wildlife Management Techniques
5. NRM 4309/5409 Wildlife Population Dynamics
6. NRM 5302 Wildlife Diet and Nutrition
7. NRM 5302 Field Ecology

Selected Publications

• Temple, R. A., L. A. Harveson, and R. S. Luna. 2017. Breeding season space use and habitat selection of adult female scaled and Gambel’s quail in West Texas. National Quail Symposium Proceedings. Vol. 8, Article 103:416-423.
• Gonzalez Gonzalez, C. E., L. A. Harveson, and R. S. Luna. 2017. Survival and nesting ecology of scaled quail in the Trans-Pecos, Texas. National Quail Symposium Proceedings. Vol. 8, Article 100:395-400.
• Luna, R.S., C. Gonzalez-Gonzalez, R. Temple, B. Gallegos, R. Jankowiak, E. Garcia, C. Greene, J. Turney, and L.A. Harveson. 2013. A research report on desert quail ecology and management. SRSU print shop, Alpine, Texas.
• Luna, R.S., A. Duarte, and F.W. Weckerly. 2013 Influence of body size on dietary nutrition of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 4(1):53-62.
• Luna, R.S. and F.W. Weckerly. 2013. Rumen-reticulum capacity and digesta load in white- tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in autumn. Southeastern Naturalist 12(2): 283-296.
• Luna, R.S. 2013. Body size, rumen-reticulum functions, and dietary nutrition of white-tailed deer. Dissertation, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.
• Luna, R.S., A. Duarte, and F.W. Weckerly. 2012. Rumen-reticulum characteristics and scaling relationships associated with ontogeny in white-tailed deer. Canadian Journal of Zoology 90 (11):1351-1358.