A Sampling of Active Research projects
Below are some of the projects I'm currently working on. Partners include The Lake County Forest Preserve District, The Nature Conservancy, and Hofstra University.
The relationship between urban habitat restoration and wildlife diversity
Habitat loss is one of the greatest threats to wildlife, particularly in urban ecosystems, where most wildlife populations are relegated to preserves embedded within the urban matrix. These preserves tend to be small, isolated, and lack natural disturbance regimes, characteristics which facilitate the spread of invasive species. Often, the assumption is that restoration of degraded areas will benefit wildlife communities. However, this assumption is rarely tested. To better understand the relationship between urban habitat restoration and wildlife, we analyzed data from a long-term, multi-taxa wildlife monitoring program (232 permanent monitoring locations across 55 preserves) and a concurrent habitat management and restoration program within suburban Lake County, Illinois. From 2009-2017, we recorded > 200,000 wildlife observations representing more than 1,000,000 individual birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. We also created an index of management based on >1,400 prescribed fires, >1,500 chemical and mechanical treatments to remove invasive species, and >3,000 ha that was planted or reseeded with native species. Preliminary results show that while wildlife species richness (all taxa pooled and standardized) and increased with preserve size (r2 = 0.59, p < 0.001), there was no relationship between richness the index of habitat management. When each taxonomic group was analyzed separately, we found that richness increased with habitat management for birds (r2 = 0.42, p < 0.001), the most mobile taxon, but not for less mobile groups (mammals, reptiles, and amphibians). Due to the fragmented nature of urban ecosystems, agencies should focus on maximizing the size and connectivity of urban preserves. In addition, for all but the most mobile species, translocations and reintroductions should be considered. Finally, managers should be cognizant of the influence of imperfect detectability on estimates of species richness, particularly on monitoring projects with low sampling intensity.
This work is the focus on my postdoctoral research, and we are continuing to conduct field work - including wildlife sampling and habitat restoration, as well as looking at new ways to analyze this incredible dataset.
See my talk at 2020 Virtual Wildlife Society Conference on preliminary data: youtu.be/lZFAFJOr5uM
Habitat loss is one of the greatest threats to wildlife, particularly in urban ecosystems, where most wildlife populations are relegated to preserves embedded within the urban matrix. These preserves tend to be small, isolated, and lack natural disturbance regimes, characteristics which facilitate the spread of invasive species. Often, the assumption is that restoration of degraded areas will benefit wildlife communities. However, this assumption is rarely tested. To better understand the relationship between urban habitat restoration and wildlife, we analyzed data from a long-term, multi-taxa wildlife monitoring program (232 permanent monitoring locations across 55 preserves) and a concurrent habitat management and restoration program within suburban Lake County, Illinois. From 2009-2017, we recorded > 200,000 wildlife observations representing more than 1,000,000 individual birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. We also created an index of management based on >1,400 prescribed fires, >1,500 chemical and mechanical treatments to remove invasive species, and >3,000 ha that was planted or reseeded with native species. Preliminary results show that while wildlife species richness (all taxa pooled and standardized) and increased with preserve size (r2 = 0.59, p < 0.001), there was no relationship between richness the index of habitat management. When each taxonomic group was analyzed separately, we found that richness increased with habitat management for birds (r2 = 0.42, p < 0.001), the most mobile taxon, but not for less mobile groups (mammals, reptiles, and amphibians). Due to the fragmented nature of urban ecosystems, agencies should focus on maximizing the size and connectivity of urban preserves. In addition, for all but the most mobile species, translocations and reintroductions should be considered. Finally, managers should be cognizant of the influence of imperfect detectability on estimates of species richness, particularly on monitoring projects with low sampling intensity.
This work is the focus on my postdoctoral research, and we are continuing to conduct field work - including wildlife sampling and habitat restoration, as well as looking at new ways to analyze this incredible dataset.
See my talk at 2020 Virtual Wildlife Society Conference on preliminary data: youtu.be/lZFAFJOr5uM
Status and Activity Periods of a Fractured Suburban Mesocarnivore Community
Mesocarnivores are ecologically, economically and culturally important, but little is known of their ecology in urban areas. For example, despite their ubiquity, the urban ecology of raccoons (Procyon lotor) has been intensely studied in less than 10 cities. To better understand the natural history, ecology, and conservation implications of urban mesocarnviores, we are investigating their distribution and activity periods in a suburb of Chicago, IL. From 2009-2018, we detected seven species of native mesopredator. Notably, we did not detect grey fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), despite > 9000 trap nights over 10 years, suggesting local extirpation in accordance with state and regional trends. This mesocarnivore community is is missing several key components, and is likely typical of suburban environments across the midwest.
"Spatial and temporal patterns of mesocarnivore occupancy in a suburban preserve system."
In prep. Target: Journal of Mammalogy. Expected Submission: December 2020
Mesocarnivores are ecologically, economically and culturally important, but little is known of their ecology in urban areas. For example, despite their ubiquity, the urban ecology of raccoons (Procyon lotor) has been intensely studied in less than 10 cities. To better understand the natural history, ecology, and conservation implications of urban mesocarnviores, we are investigating their distribution and activity periods in a suburb of Chicago, IL. From 2009-2018, we detected seven species of native mesopredator. Notably, we did not detect grey fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), despite > 9000 trap nights over 10 years, suggesting local extirpation in accordance with state and regional trends. This mesocarnivore community is is missing several key components, and is likely typical of suburban environments across the midwest.
"Spatial and temporal patterns of mesocarnivore occupancy in a suburban preserve system."
In prep. Target: Journal of Mammalogy. Expected Submission: December 2020
Ecology and Conservation of Eastern Hog-nosed Snakes
I continue to be interested in the subject of my MS work. I'm currently in the process of formatting the data I collected on the natural history, spatial ecology, and demography of Eastern Hog-nosed Snakes on a barrier island into a publication, aiming at the Journal of Herpetology. See my Google Scholar or ResearchGate profiles for the other papers and notes I've authored on this amazing species.
I continue to be interested in the subject of my MS work. I'm currently in the process of formatting the data I collected on the natural history, spatial ecology, and demography of Eastern Hog-nosed Snakes on a barrier island into a publication, aiming at the Journal of Herpetology. See my Google Scholar or ResearchGate profiles for the other papers and notes I've authored on this amazing species.