| Research | |
| My 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 nest-to- willow distance on the rate at which sapsuckers provision their nestlings. Future work will focus on ecological relationships among fungus, willow, and cavity-nesting bird distributions. Photo at right shows a male red-naped sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis) feeding nestling. |
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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). |
photo by Chris Floyd |
