Research Theme for Branch Lab
Animal-Landscape Interactions
Examples of Current Research
Ecology and conservation of South American mammals:
El gaucho with plains vizcacha (Note the welding gloves!)
Vizcachas are exploited for meat and fur.
Burrowing owl, one of the species dependent upon the open habitat and burrows created by vizcachas
Ecology, conservation, and sustainable management of a keystone species: long-term studies of the plains vizcacha (Lagostomus maximus) in a semi-arid landscape (La Pampa, Argentina)
Landscape structure, habitat fragmentation, and the behavior and dynamics of animal populations:
Assessment of the effects of habitat fragmentation on the demography, distribution, and genetics of the Florida scrub lizard
Behavioral responses of beach mice to hurricane-fragmented landscapes: landscape connectivity, predation risk, and the introduction of artificial light (Photo credit: USFWS)
Functional roles of animals in ecosystems: keystone species, ecosystem engineers, and heterospecific facilitation
Pocket gophers: ecosystem engineers in the long-leaf pine ecosystem.
Pocket gophers -- landscape of gopher mounds
Role of native herbivores in structuring plant and animal communities and controlling ecosystem processes
