Megan Roe
Pronouns: She and Her(s)
Research Mentor(s): Rumaan Malhotra, PhD Candidate
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
Presentation Date: Thursday, April 22, 2021
Session: Session 3 (1pm-1:50pm)
Breakout Room: Room 8
Presenter: 6
Abstract
Despite the extensive research around the world on the effects of anthropogenic-fueled fragmentation and habitat loss on many aspects of ecological systems, including occupancy, Southern Latin America is often overlooked, excluding vital information of the global issues of biodiversity and population loss. Our study examines the impacts of fragmentation and habitat loss on the occupancy of three species of ground-foraging birds of Los Lagos, Chile, two of which are in a group endemic to the country. Camera traps were set in Los Lagos Region in 2019, and the resulting presence-absence data was used in an occupancy modeling framework. We tested the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on bird occupancy by digitizing satellite imagery of the site, and using covariates calculated within 1 km of each camera. We found that habitat loss resulted in lower occupancy for one of the species, but that effects were not ubiquitous for native birds. Future work will examine the role of scale in how habitat destruction impacts bird occupancy. These results will offer insight into future conservation efforts, forest management, and understanding what species are better adapted to surviving through mass habitat loss and fragmentation.
Authors: Megan Roe, Rumaan Malhotra
Research Method: Library/Archival/Internet Research
