Amy Milo, M.S. in progress
Tami
S. Ransom, Ph.D. in progress, Direct, indirect, and ecosystem
engineering effects in a forest
floor food web
I am especially interested in the interactions of ecosystem engineers with other species in their communities. In addition to their modification of the habitat, ecosystem engineers can be competitors, prey, and predators. I am currently examining the effects of an ecosystem engineer through direct (as prey), indirect (through competition), and ecosystem engineering pathways.
Katie L. Burke, Ph.D. in progress
Katie's research is focused on the effects of land use and increased deer browsing on American chestnut loss and chestnut blight disease dynamics in the southern Appalachians. Broadly, she is interested in historical ecology and disturbance ecology.
Kristine L. Grayson, Ph.D. in progress, Partial migration in a pond-breeding amphibian
I study the variable migration tactics of red-spotted newts (Notophthalmus viridescens). I am measuring migration dynamics in two natural populations using capture-recapture methods. I am also testing mechanisms that influence the tendency to migrate in large pond enclosure experiments.
Virginia A. Seamster, Ph.D. in progress with Hank Shugart, Department of Environmental Sciences, Implications of woody plant encroachment for mammalian predators
My research addresses two main questions: 1) What impact does woody plant encroachment have on the ecology of mammalian predators? and 2) Are predators adjusting to environmental changes associated with woody plant encroachment? The two focal species for my project are the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) in sub-Saharan Africa and the coyote (Canis latrans) in the southwestern United States.