Research Title

Influence of forest structure and resource abundance on community composition & patterns of microhabitat use in rodents

Research Locations

Ecuador

Study Species

Several small rodents including Handleyomys alfaroi and Melanomys caliginosus

My main question of interest is whether it is possible to use information about individual behavior to predict and/or explain community-level responses to anthropogenic habitat alteration. To answer this question, I am examining the influence of forest structure and food abundance on rodents in the Chocó region of northwestern Ecuador. I plan to use a combination of live trapping, tracking of individuals, and dietary analyses to explore microhabitat use in my focal species, and subsequently relate my findings to larger-scale differences in species abundances and community composition. A second major area of interest is conservation biology, and I hope to use my work to provide information on the poorly known rodent fauna of the Chocó biodiversity hotspot

Contact Information