The Rota Quantitative Ecology Lab
Understanding how species are distributed in space is fundamental to many conservation and management problems. We are interested in understanding how environmental variables and ecological processes shape spatial distribution of species. In turn, we seek to understand how space use influences demographic rates. Along the way, we develop novel statistical techniques to address these questions.
Lab News
9/4/2022: "Restored and Natural Wetland Small Mammal Communities in West Virginia, USA", by Krista Noe et al, has been published in Land.
7/17/2022: "Factors influencing rate of decline in a Merriam’s wild turkey population", by Chad Lehman et al. has been published in Journal of Wildlife Management.
6/2/2022: "Changes in nesting habitat availability for piping plovers at the John E Williams Preserve, ND 1992 - 2021", by Mark Ryan et al. has been accepted for publication in Natural Areas Journal.
6/1/2022: Welcome undergraduate researcher Audrey Longenecker to the lab! Audrey received a WVU SURE award to assist MS Student Sarah Pesi estimate deer density with game cameras.
6/1/2022: "A two-species occupancy model with a continuous-time detection process reveals spatial and temporal interactions " by Kenneth Kellner et al. has been published in the Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and Environmental Statistics .
See Old News for previous lab accomplishments.
Rota lab fall 2021. From left: Chris, Brett, Hannah, Stephanie, Erin, Sarah, Jacob, and Daniel.