Mechanisms of Climate Induced Range Shifts in Animals.Over the past century of climate change, scientists and naturalists have observed shifts in species ranges as populations settle in habitat with more optimal local climates. However, the nature and magnitude of these range shifts can vary extensively across species and ecosystems. However, researchers still struggle to acurately describe and predict range shifts in animal species. Individual variation in behavior could provide an important dimension to better understanding the uncertainty in species' range dynamics, providing us with more comprehensive tools to manage and protect species as the climate continues to change To understand the effects of inter and intraspecific variation in behavior on climate induced range shift, my research combines data synthesis, surveys of wildlife habitat selection, behavioral assays, species distribution models, and agent-based movement models.
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Behavioral Responses to Climate Change in Alpine and Lodgepole ChipmunksMy dissertation research focused on the behavioral ecology of two chipmunk species in the Eastern Sierra Nevada of California, the lodgepole chipmunk (Tamias speciosus) and the alpine chipmunk (Tamias alpinus). These species co-occur in significant portions of their range, but over the past century, the alpine chipmunk has experienced significant upward contractions of its elevational range, while the lodgepole chipmunk's distribution has remained relatively unchanged. These ecologically similar species seem to differ in their capacity to cope with rapid environmental change, and individual behavioral variation could play any role in these differential population level responses. To address this, I employed in-situ behavioral trials and mark recapture studies of free living animals of each species to assess differences in boldness behavior and survival.
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Modeling Anti-Predator BehaviorEscape theory provides a critical conceptual framework for studying the effects of predation risk, including the effects of the costs of fleeing on flight initiation distance (FID), defined as the predator-prey distance at which escape is initiated. As part of an NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) appointment at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory under the mentorship of Dr. Daniel Blumstein, I conducted field experiments with a population of yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer) that has been continuously studies since the 1960's. These FID trials simulated the conditions of escape, and therefore assess and model the effects of quantitative variables, as well as degree of human disturbance on a marmot's decision to flee an approaching predator.
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