Research
My research interests blend multiple disciplines to examine broad evolutionary and ecological questions in relation to changing conditions (weather, climate, land use, etc.). I enjoy examining wildlife and rangeland ecology through varied lenses such as behavior, physiology, population dynamics, and spatial and temporal dynamics. I have worked with black-tailed prairie dogs, grassland songbirds, and a variety of other species, but my true passion is for birds, and especially galliforms. I hope to continue examining the interactions of hormones and behavior in the future. I have a keen interest in carry-over and sub-lethal effects on reproduction and survival. I am familiar with the use of both frequentist and Bayesian frameworks to analyze complex datasets.
Northern bobwhite winter roost selection and implications for survival and physical condition
In a highly variable landscape, what factors determine where a covey of quail roost for the night? On average the coldest temperatures occur overnight during winters in the Great Plains. Appropriate thermal cover and protection from predators are both crucial for overnight safety and energy budgets. We were interested in microhabitat and microclimate variables at winter quail roosts along the northern periphery of their range in Nebraska, and whether any significant differences between coveys could be linked to differences in covey survival or physical condition.
A roosting covey of bobwhite with one radio-collared bird.
A heavy coating of ice is evident on fencing and vegetation after a significant ice storm in south-central Nebraska during the winter of 2015-2016. Thick ice accumulations can be detrimental to bobwhite access to food.
Cover boards are photographed to quantify visual obstruction of bird nesting or roosting habitat. The less of the cover board visible, the higher the visual obstruction value.
Winter wheat in south-central Nebraska was already green and actively growing in February of 2017, a suggestion of the potential effects of climate change in the Great Plains.
Impacts of variation in land use on immediate behavioral and physiological responses to winter weather events
Agriculture dominates much of the Great Plains landscape, and land use within this context can present both challenges for wild species, and conditions that may buffer against a dynamic climate. Beginning in the winter of 2015-2016, we began capturing quail, assessing covey physical condition, and releasing birds equipped with radio-collars and identifying leg bands. Marked birds allow us to see where coveys are spending the night, and what habitat they are using in a diverse landscape under normal and severe weather conditions. By examining physical condition over the course of the winter, particularly during and after severe winter weather, we can examine how quail are using agricultural and natural landscapes, and the immediate consequences associated with that use. We are examining body condition, stress hormone levels, immune function, survival, and behavior.
A cluster of thrombocytes (center) in a quail blood smear.
Examining immune status through responsiveness of antibodies is one way to investigate physiological differences in quail across the landscape.
Indirect long-term effects of variation in land use context on behavioral and physiological responses to severe winter weather
In addition to studying the more immediate effects of winter weather and microclimate, I am also interested in how conditions during the winter may carry-over and influence physiology and behavior during critical stages of the annual breeding cycle. We are tracking radio-collared quail through the winter, evaluating body condition and movement patterns, and finding nests in the spring and summer. We aim to determine if winter weather, behavior, and habitat are creating differences in physical condition thus potentially altering reproductive decisions and timing. Coveys with higher average stress hormone levels, lower immune function, and poorer body condition may begin nesting later or lay smaller eggs than coveys with a higher average body condition or with lower baseline stress levels. If occurring on a broad scale, these differences could translate to significant influences on population dynamics.
Horned lark chicks share their nest with a brown-headed cowbird chick (center).
Nest parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds was extremely common in the Standing Rock Reservation study area.
Grassland bird, rangeland vegetation and prairie dogs on grazed mixed-grass prairie
My M.Sc. thesis examined the dynamics of prairie communities under the presence of black-tailed prairie dogs and cattle on the Standing Rock Reservation. This project was founded in cooperation with Sitting Bull College, South Dakota State University, USDA, and North Dakota State University with the goal of assisting the local Standing Rock people in establishing sustainable cattle production while still supporting black-tailed prairie dogs and grassland diversity. Distinct communities of plants and grassland songbirds emerged in relation to the presence of prairie dogs and cattle, both in terms of nesting habitat and habitat use.
Publications:
Geaumont, B. A., Hovick, T. J., Limb, R. F., Mack, W. M., Lipinski, A. R., & Sedivec, K. K. (2019). Plant and Bird Community Dynamics in Mixed-Grass Prairie Grazed by Native and Domestic Herbivores. Rangeland Ecology & Management, 72(2), 374-384.
