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RESEARCH INTERESTS
Ecology and systematics of mammals
Historical biogeography
Community ecology
Comparitive cytogenetics
Conservation Biology
Tropical ecology
PUBLICATIONS
Mammalian diversity in island systems
My research involves biogeography, ecology, and evolutionary relationships of
mammals. In the
broadest sense, I'm interested in the origin and maintenance of patterns of
biological diversity.
These are topics that are most easily studied on island systems where the
processes of colonization,
speciation, and extinction, the historical factors that shape biological
diversity, are much more
"transparent". To this end, I've been involved in parallel research programs on
two very different
island systems: the oceanic islands of the Philippines and the isolated mountain
ranges of Utah and
Nevada. Work in both regions has involved collaboration with many colleagues
from several
institutions.
During the past decade, field surveys in the Philippines have been conducted to
1) document and
explain distribution patterns of mammals among different islands, 2) determine
patterns of species
richness and relative abundance along elevation gradients, and 3) examine
effects of disturbance on
the structure of mammal communities. These surveys also have helped
collaborating Filipino
students and biologists gain experience in basic field inventory techniques.
Work in the Utah and
Nevada focuses on historical biogeography and community structure of mammals on
relatively young
(post-Pleistocene) montane habitat ÒislandsÓ. This has involved detailed field
surveys and reanalysis
of historical data from museum collection records. Patterns of mammalian
diversity seen on mountain
ranges that differ in size and degree of isolation have helped determine the
relative roles of selective
colonization and local extinction in shaping existing communities.
Parallel work in the Philippines and Utah has revealed common patterns that help
identify some of
the general factors determining the composition and ecological dynamics of
insular communities.
This work also has important implications for conservation, since natural island
systems are the
perfect model for understanding how human fragmentation of habitat will affect
biological diversity on
local and regional scales.
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