RESEARCH

DOCTORAL RESEARCH: American martens, mesocarnivores of North America, exhibit a close association with mature forests throughout their distributional range. Habitat loss and fragmentation from industrial logging of mature forests, particularly the clear-cutting method, has caused declines in some marten populations. Due to their sensitivity to forest fragmentation, martens have been chosen as indicator species for many of our public lands. Two distinct lineages, “americana” and “caurina”, of American marten occur in North America. Because we lack information on the response of either marten group to fragmentation, particularly as it relates to dispersal, the effectiveness of reserve design systems are unclear. To better understand the effect of fragmentation on this species and to assess the extent to which evolutionary history influences their persistence, my advisors (Drs. Steven Buskirk and Merav Ben-David) and I are quantifying individual, population and genetic attributes of both marten groups on islands of the North Pacific that exhibit fragmented and unfragmented forests.

PAST AND ONGOING PROJECTS:

• Population dynamics, genetic structure, and dispersal of American martens in southeast Alaska (2005-present)

• Cost of locomotion in American marten using flow-through respirometry (2007)

• Attributes of exotic lagomorphs in the southern Neotropics (2003)

• Population effects of recreational shooting on black-tailed prairie dog populations (2002-2005)

• Putative dermatophyte infection of small mammals inhabiting northeastern Minnesota (2002-2003)           

• Effects of a large-scale blowdown on small mammal populations (2001-2003)

• Strongyloides robustus and sympatric populations of northern and southern flying squirrels (2000-2002)