Research Focus
My research focuses on behavioral ecology, evolution, and conservation biology. Students in my lab investigate how species respond to their surrounding environment and alterations to those environments. We use a combination of field and laboratory techniques to address research topics and work in a wide range of ecosystems. Much of our research on animal communication focuses on the ecology and evolution of acoustic signals, such as bird songs. Currently, this work centers on the problem of communicating in the presence of background noise, both natural and human generated. Components of this research range from acoustic partitioning of sound space in species-rich environments, such as the Amazon basin, to the production and perception of signals in the presence of human-generated sounds, such as rush hour traffic. Current and recent study sites include Virginia, California, Puerto Rico, and Brazil. Our conservation management research aims to maximize the efficacy of conservation management strategies for threatened and endangered species. The research uses large data sets from the IUCN to understand how each class of conservation actions is most effective at improving the status of threatened species.
