Current Graduate Students
Anahit Amiri
Ellen Audia
Advisors: Dr. Clay Nielsen
Research Interest:
I study the spatial ecology of bobcats in north-central Illinois. Bobcats have been and are currently being studied in southern Illinois where there is more abundant habitat. However, little is known about bobcat space use, resource selection, and movement in the north-central part of the state where habitat is fragmented by urban and agricultural development. The goal of my project is to fill gaps in the knowledge of bobcat spatial ecology in this northern region to better inform their management across the state and broader Midwest.
Email: ellen.audia@siu.edu
Katherine Buckman
Email: katherine.buckman@siu.edu
Patrick Clark
Advisors: Dr. Mike Eichholz
Research Interest:
Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) are a grassland-nesting quail species that have experienced significant population declines across their range in recent decades. According to the North American Breeding Bird Survey, estimated bobwhite numbers decreased by approximately 81% between 1966 and 2019. The major factors contributing to these declines are thought to be habitat loss and habitat fragmentation.
The focus of my research is to evaluate bobwhite habitat use, nest success, and survival in southern Illinois. I am using radio-telemetry to track quail movements and find nests on grassland patches that are managed using prescribed fire. I am also using call count surveys to study quail occupancy and habitat use at broad spatial scales.
Email: james.clark@siu.edu
Emily Donovan
Advisors: Dr. Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau
Research Interest:
Despite being an icon of the Galapagos, little is known about the reproduction of the giant tortoises that inhabit the islands. In fact, the first 15 years of life for all chelonians are known as ‘the lost years’ because of how little is known about their early life stages. Emily's work aims to shed light on how tortoise migration affects the reproductive success and timing of nesting in female Galapagos giant tortoises. She also hopes to use the data from the GPS trackers to identify nesting events non-invasively throughout time. She and her collaborators anticipate that this work will fill gaps in our understanding of the tortoise life cycle. Before coming to SIU, Emily worked as a research scientist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Winona State University and a Master of Science in Geography from the University of Alabama. Her master's thesis examined what physical habitat variables influence cichlid nest site selection in the Bladen River, Belize.
Email: emily.donovan@siu.edu
Sofia Granados-Martinez
Email: sofia.granadosmartinez@siu.edu
Jacob Hutton
Advisor: Dr. Robin Warne
Research Interest:
Amphibians represent one of the most endangered groups of vertebrates, with conservative estimates suggesting 33% of all species are at risk of extinction. Researchers have shown that climate change will be extremely challenging for ectothermic animals, such as amphibians, because of increased environmental temperatures. As amphibian populations continue to decline globally, the need for greater understanding of conservative physiological research tools rapidly increases. Specifically, if or how amphibians can cope with novel or chronic temperature pressures is a critical question considering the magnitude and rapid pace of global climate change.
In addition to examining physiological responses of amphibians to climate, I will also be monitoring the influence of temporal water regimes and weather patterns on amphibian breeding phenology, distribution, abundance, and community structure in the Buttonland Swamp of the Lower Cache River Valley in Southern Illinois.
Email: jacob.hutton@siu.edu
Tadao Kishimoto
Email: tadao.kishimoto@siu.edu
Adrian Macedo
Advisor: Dr. Robin Warne
Research Interest:
Bottomland hardwood forests once comprised 21 million acres that stretched from southern Illinois to coastal Louisiana. However, today 80% has been cleared for agriculture. Land managers are left with the task of managing amphibian and reptile populations in the highly degraded and modified remnant bottomland swamps. The northernmost cypress-tupelo swamp in north America, the Cache River watershed in southern Illinois, has been heavily drained in the past, however the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has installed water control structures to manage water levels. Very little is known about the reptile and amphibian communities in the under studied, IDNR managed, Buttonland Swamp. My research involves an inventory of the reptile and amphibian communities of Buttonland Swamp and research evaluating how water level changes many influence the herpetofauna. Specifically, I am studying the anuran breeding phenology, and larval herpetofaunal community structure across habitats with varying hydrology, and specific studies on occupancy patterns of Lesser Siren (Siren intermedia) and Cope’s Gray Tree Frog (Hyla chrysoscelis).
Lastly, the swamps of southern Illinois are known for their large migrations of snakes from the swamps to the rock bluffs in the spring and fall seasons. The limestone and sandstone cliffs of southern Illinois support a diverse and abundant snake community that reliably use easily identifiable hibernacula in cracked rock faces and rock scree. The hibernation period likely has a strong influence on immune function, since animals do not feed, and go into physiological dormancy that includes reduced metabolism, low body temperatures, and likely lowered immunity. The hibernation period is thought to be when snakes are the most susceptible to disease such as snake fungal disease. Both skin and gut microbiomes are also likely affected by body temperatures, hibernaculum conditions, and hibernation physiology. There is very little research on snake microbiomes, but they are thought to play roles in immune function, resistance of fungal pathogens, and metabolism. Therefore, I also study the microbiome and immune function of snakes just prior, during, and after hibernation in Cache River of southern Illinois.
Email: adrian.macedo@siu.edu
Cullen Mackenzie
Advisors: Dr. Michael Eichholz
Research Interest:
Prescribed burns are an effective management strategy for grassland vegetation restoration. This controlled disturbance helps eliminate woody vegetation encroachment that degrade grassland habitat when left unattended. Additionally, prescribed burns have been documented to support the imperiled North American grassland birds. However, despite these successes, very little is known about the implications prescribed burns might have on grassland snakes.
To better understand this knowledge gap, Cullen will be studying grassland snake movement (American racer [ Coluber constrictor] radio telemetry), community assemblages (coverboards), habitat use (telemetry/coverboards/vegetation surveys) and predator/prey biodiversity (small mammal Sherman traps/meso-predator camera traps/grassland bird nesting videos) in non-burned and recently burned tall grass prairies in Southern Illinois. This data will be useful for both the ecological understanding and applied conservation for grassland snakes, birds, and other associated biota.
Email: cullen.mackenzie@siu.edu
Ashley McDonald
Advisors: Dr. Clayton Nielsen and Dr. F. Agustín Jiménez
Research Interest:
Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are ubiquitous throughout the US and Illinois as they are extremely versatile animals. The density of raccoon populations in urban areas has significantly increased due to the abundance of anthropogenic resources such as food (e.g., garbage, crops, backyard gardens) and shelter (e.g., crawlspaces, attics, decks). This close proximity to humans poses a potential health hazard as raccoons are known to carry various diseases and parasites that are transmissible to humans. My research will identify the prevalence of diseases and parasites in the raccoon population of northern Illinois with an emphasis on zoonoses such as Borrelia burgdorferi (the causative agent of Lyme disease), Rickettsia rickettsii (the causative agent of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever), the causative agents of Anaplasmosis and Ehrlichiosis, Baylisascaris procyonis, and Trypanosoma cruzi. This research will allow us to better understand the health risk that raccoons pose to humans and will help inform wildlife management decisions to better integrate the wellbeing of wildlife and humans.
Email: ashley.g.mcdonald@siu.edu
Maximilian Larreur
Advisors: Dr. Clayton Nielsen and Dr. Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau
Research Interest:
Carnivore species play a dynamic role throughout their associated ecosystems. They can be vectors of cascading trophic level changes, intraguild competition among other carnivores, and resource availability across complex food webs. Gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) are an elusive carnivore species that utilize forested areas for protection from predators, hunting small prey species, and den sites for raising young. They also serve as an ecologically and economically important furbearer across most of the United States. However, their populations across the Midwest have been declining for the last 30 years. Some potential influences to gray fox and other carnivore species are loss of forested habitat, interference competition from predators, or anthropogenic changes to the landscape.
My method for data collection will employ game cameras placed across southern Illinois to documented occupancy of gray fox, red fox (Vulpes vulpes), bobcat (Lynx rufus), coyote (Canis latrans), raccoon (Procyon lotor), and striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) as well as domesticated cats and dogs. I will be 1.) investigating how habitat components at different spatial scales and predator occupancy throughout forested areas of southern Illinois influence the spatial distribution of gray fox while testing and updating previously developed models for gray fox occupancy dynamics, 2.) analyzing colonization and extinction rates of native and domestic carnivores throughout southern Illinois, and 3.) assessing the influence domestic carnivores and urbanization have on native carnivore populations.
Email: maximillian.larreur@siu.edu
Nadine Pershyn
Email: nadine.pershyn@siu.edu
Jasmine Weber-Pierson
Email: jasmine.weberpierson@siu.edu
Holly Redmond
Email: holly.redmond@siu.edu
Jennifer Schultze
Advisors: Dr. Clay Nielsen
Research Interest:
Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are mesopredators distributed across the entire continental United States. They are opportunistic omnivores which forage on anthropogenic food sources in urban and suburban areas where they are considered chronic nuisance animals. Raccoons are also major predators of many ground-nesting species, contributing to the extirpation of some species in areas where raccoon predation goes unchecked.
For raccoons, predator removal has commonly been investigated as a predator control strategy to increase survival of vulnerable populations. The results of these studies suggest predator removal to be an effective approach, significantly reducing predation and increasing nest survival of Diamondback Terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin), American Oystercatchers (Haematopus palliates), and Blanding’s Turtles (Emydoidea blandingii).
While studies have shown success of predator control directly after removal, few have assessed the long-term effects and efficacy of removal. My study will provide camera trap data before, during, and after raccoon removal to obtain raccoon abundance, changes in occupancy, and assist in determining the efficacy and long-term feasibility of raccoon removal programs. My study will help wildlife management agencies effectively use predator removal methods to aid in the conservation of vulnerable prey species, disease control, and management of human-wildlife conflicts.
Email: jennifer.schultze@siu.edu
MJ Suriyamongkol
Advisors: Dr. Clayton Nielsen and Dr. John Groninger
Research Interest:
Giant cane (Arundinaria gigantea (WALT.) MUHL.) is one of the three bamboo species native to the United States. Historically, giant canes covered a large area throughout the southeastern states. Due to anthropogenic disturbances including land clearing for agriculture, alteration of periodic fire, and overgrazing by livestock, giant cane habitat has decreased drastically to <2% of its original extent and is considered a critically endangered ecosystem. Studies have shown that giant cane is a good candidate for a riparian buffer species. In addition, the cane habitat also supports diverse wildlife species both vertebrates and invertebrates. However, knowledge on utilization and occupancy of cane habitat by wildlife in southern Illinois has been limited to species of concern such as Swainson’s warbler.
The focus of my study is to expand our understanding of giant cane fauna including birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians in southern Illinois and the characteristics of canebrakes that contribute to habitat use by these faunas in comparison to the non-cane habitat, using multi-species, multi-season occupancy modeling. Overall, I anticipate that this study will aid in management of the giant canes and support the conservation of the cane habitat for wildlife.
Email: thanchira.suriyamongkol@siu.edu
Derek Whipkey
Advisor: Dr. Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau
Research Interest:
My research will assess the distribution of semi-aquatic mammals in southern Illinois. In addition to estimating the occupancy of native semi-aquatic mammals, my study will compare various methods of detecting nutria (Myocastor coypus) to better address their current population status in southern Illinois. The goal of this project is to inform management decisions and aid in reducing the spread of an invasive species.
Email: derek.whipkey1@siu.edu