My research focuses on how behavior influences reproductive success and survival in wild animal populations. I am most interested in how human modifications to the environment influence selective pressures. For example, my research examines the following types of questions: What factors played a likely role in the evolution of intraspecific nest parasitism and how are these factors influenced by changes in nest site availability and distribution? How does resource availability and distribution affect mating systems, site colonization, and site fidelity and what predictions can we make about these behaviors in changing landscapes? How do changes in hydrology influence the movements of nest predators and nest success of birds nesting in bottomland hardwood forests? Most of my research to date has been in avian systems, but I am interested in many taxa, especially those that lend themselves to answering questions that combine behavioral ecology, evolution, and conservation.
Phone: (618) 453-3658
Fax: (618) 453-6944