Animal As Ecosystem ContributorsExploring how animals interact with, and contribute to, the ecosystem they inhabit.
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As an ecosystem ecologist, I seek insight into the complex relationships between living organisms and their environment. Understanding these connections is essential for predicting how environmental changes or disturbances might impact the health and functioning of an ecosystem. Animals, in particular, can play a critical role in maintaining the balance of an ecosystem.
Ungulate Nutrition Across Ecosystems and Scales
Forage is the primary source of nutrition for many animals, and as such, it plays a critical role in their overall health and wellbeing. By understanding what types of forage animals need to eat and how much of it they require, we can help ensure that they are getting the nutrients they need to thrive.
I have collaborated on several projects that sought to identify ungulate diets and nutritional demand. This includes identifying exactly what animals are eating (Webber et al., 2022), estimating deposition nutrient content (Barbero-Palacios et al., 2023), and understanding how forage stoichometry varies at different scales (Albrecht et al., in prep), I aim to advance our understanding of wild animal nutrition.
I have collaborated on several projects that sought to identify ungulate diets and nutritional demand. This includes identifying exactly what animals are eating (Webber et al., 2022), estimating deposition nutrient content (Barbero-Palacios et al., 2023), and understanding how forage stoichometry varies at different scales (Albrecht et al., in prep), I aim to advance our understanding of wild animal nutrition.
Collaborators and Support:
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Yale School of Forests
Yale Institute of Biospheric Studies The National Science Foundation |
Ecosystem Context Dependency of Animal Subsidies
Animal effects vary by ecosystem context, where context is determined by variables such as animal density, dominant plant species, underlying soil biophysical properties, and soil biota. I seek to understand how zoogeochemical inputs may be mediated by such contexts. Most recently, I've been interested in how plant mycorrhizal associations can mediate the impact of zoogeochemical inputs - calling for closer attention to the depositional environmental of animal subsidies (Ferraro et al., 2023).
Collaborators and Support:
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Yale School of Forests
Yale Institute of Biospheric Studies The National Science Foundation |
Predator as Drivers of Prey Behavior
Predator-prey interactions are a fundamental part of community and ecosystem ecology, shaping the way animals move and interact with the environment they inhabit. Using agent-based models, I work closely with collaborators to simulate predator-prey interactions and how such dynamics cause prey individuals to shift in time and space (Orrick et al., in review; Gasden et al., in prep).
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