Research
Seabird population genomics
Range contractions and habitat fragmentation are known to inhibit dispersal of terrestrial animals, but how do they affect movement of highly-mobile animals like seabirds? How do such barriers to dispersal affect long-term population dynamics? Does use of higher resolution genomic markers change our understanding of seabird population structure?
Ecology and conservation of Caribbean Roseate Terns
Roseate Terns are declining across the Caribbean, but the causes for these declines are largely unknown. I investigated Roseate Tern nest survival in 10 offshore colonies over 2 breeding seasons in the British and Virgin Islands to determine potential factors limiting reproductive success. Because of the difficulty in working on remote nesting cays, we used camera trapping to monitor nests, and found that high nest predation and low prey availability may be limiting population recovery in the region
Effects of barrier island salt marsh restoration on marsh bird presence and occupancy in the Northern Gulf of Mexico
Louisiana's wetlands are disappearing at a rapid rate. Restoration is vital for replacing lost wetlands like salt marsh, but do restored habitats provide quality habitat for wildlife? We investigated breeding marsh bird presence and occupancy of restored salt marsh on 2 Louisiana barrier islands from 2016-19 using point counts and passive acoustic monitoring. We found that restoration success was unequal between islands, but that marsh bird presence was high in restored marsh on one island, Whiskey. We also conducted occupancy modeling for 6 species on Whiskey and found that specialist marsh birds Seaside Sparrows and Least Bitterns avoided sites with high Black Mangrove density. These results could indicate potential for extirpation of marsh specialist species with the predicted future conversion of salt marsh to Black Mangrove maritime forest in the Northern Gulf of Mexico.
