Landscape Ecology
Ecuadorian Andes
I am currently investigating several sites to initiate new studies in landscape ecology. In collaboration with Steven Latta (PRBO), Gustavo Chacón and Boris Tinoco (University of Azuay), I have initiated a project in the southern Ecuadorean Andes in and around Cajas National Park. Cajas, a RAMSAR site and an IBA (Important Bird Area), is co-managed by ETAPA, the city of Cuenca's municipal company for water supply. Working with ETAPA and the local University of Azuay, we will: (1) quantify how avian community structure, demographics, and fitness correlates (i.e. parasite loads, muscle mass, plumage condition, and site fidelity) vary among (a) Polylepis forest, (b) relatively undisturbed Andean broadleaf cloud forest, (c) disturbed Andean broadleaf cloud forest, and (c) exotic forest plantations; and (2) provide estimates of survival and reproductive success in each habitat type. We will use these data to assess how useful disturbed habitats are for bird populations and how community composition will change under scenarios of continued deforestation and reforestation. We also plan to conduct detailed studies on how characters such as reproductive success, foraging guild and movement behaviors influence patterns of habitat use by birds along the disturbance continuum in Andean rainforest environments. Particular attention will be given to a threatened endemics of the region, Metallura baroni. For this species we will also study habitat use, survival, and nesting success in a landscape context.
Los Tuxlas, Mexico
This interest follows from my dissertation research where I investigated the influence of patch quality and landscape position on bird assemblages in three types of habitats (edges of continuous forest, forest patches and strips of riparian vegetation) in southern Mexico. By combining landscape and local variables which reflect two different spatial scales, I determined the important factors in influencing bird abundance patterns and used the results to generate management recommendations. A second component focused on the influence of the spatial configuration of habitats on habitat selection by the Keel-billed toucan, Ramphastos sulfuratus. I developed a cost-distance geographic information model to examine movement patterns of these toucans in a spatially explicit context. This approach allowed me to determine factors that influence landscape connectivity and animal movement in landscapes.
How does a toucan move in this fragmented landscape?