Jessica Esposito | Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory | SIU

Jessica Esposito

Email:  jessica.esposito@siu.edu

Advisor:  Drs. Clayton Nielsen and John Groninger

Research Interest

Title:  "Swamp rabbits as indicator species for wildlife in bottomland hardwood forests"

"The bottomland hardwood forests of southern Illinois provide critical habitat for the swamp rabbit (Sylvilagus aquaticus) and a diverse number of native, breeding, and migratory wildlife species. My research focuses on swamp rabbits as indicator species for other wildlife, including species of special concern in southern Illinois. I will be using occupancy modeling techniques to investigate stand structure, habitat composition and flooding occurrence to determine whether swamp rabbit habitat correlates with habitat quality for several bird and herptile species."