ResearchMy primary research focuses on the ecological factors affecting habitat selection by red-naped sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus nuchalis) in aspen woodlands of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Sapsuckers excavate nest cavities almost exclusively in aspens infected with the fungus, Phellinus tremulae, which softens the heartwood. These woodpeckers are considered keystone species because their abandoned cavities provide nesting habitat for several other bird species and because they excavate sap wells in willows (Salix sp.), providing a rich food resource for many species of insects and some birds and other vertebrates. Previous work found that aspen groves > 800 m from willows lacked sapsuckers, presumably due to excessively long commute time/distance to and from sap sources. During the summers of 2005 and 2006, I worked with UWEC undergraduates Tom Anderson, Mitch Banach, and Ashley Nichols to study the influence of willow proximity on the rate at which sapsuckers provision their nestlings. In 2007 and 2008, I worked with UWEC undergrads Matt Troia, Matt Faust, and Leah Ullom on studying the ecological relationships among fungus, willow, and sapsucker distributions. Photo at right shows a male red-naped sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis) feeding its nestling. Other research:I am also involved in other ongoing projects studying the population
genetics and behavioral ecology of golden-mantled ground squirrels (Spermophilus
lateralis), fishing bats (Myotis vivesi), bushy-tailed woodrats
(Neotoma cinerea), and yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris).
My collaborators include Bernie May and Dirk Van Vuren (University of
California, Davis), Gerardo Herrera and José Juan Flores (Estación de Biología de Chamela,
Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), Ken
Armitage (University of Kansas), and Barbara Frase (Bradley University). |
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