SCALE lab Projects
Late Pleistocene ecosystems of southeastern North America
Although the southeastern United States has an extensive record of fossil vertebrates, collections from Georgia have received comparatively little attention as those from surrounding states. The late Pleistocene deposits on the coast of Georgia provide an extensive record of the ecosystems in the region just prior to arrival of modern humans in the region. Our research focuses on better understanding ecosystem evolution during this important period.
Anthropogenic effects on African mammal ecology and behavior
Anthropogenic impacts on the environment are increasing globally and threatening many mammal species with extinction. Understanding the effects of human activities on mammals is necessary to increase conservation efforts, prevent trophic cascades, and preserve ecosystem health and biodiversity. This study aims to elucidate the effects of anthropogenic activities, predominately wildlife-based tourism and human-carnivore conflict, on wild mammal behavior, movement, and diet in Etosha National Park, Namibia.
The occurrence of Snake Fungal Disease in southern Appalachia
An emerging threat to free-ranging snake populations in the eastern United States is becoming increasingly more severe and fatal. Snake Fungal Disease (SFD) is caused by a naturally-occurring fungal pathogen, Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, that acts as an opportunistic invader and results in a high mortality rate. Our research focuses on the prevalence of SFD in the northeast Georgia and environmental variables that contribute to its spread.
The effects of Hemlock chemical treatments on amphibian growth and development
Neonicotinoids are water-soluble insecticides used for the treatment of the Eastern Hemlock tree in the Appalachian Mountains to combat the invasive Woolly Adelgid. While it is important to maintain the health of Hemlocks for our forest ecosystems, neonicotinoids are banned in Europe. We are working to determine the effects that neonicotinoids might be having on local amphibian populations, including their growth, development, and reproductive fitness.
White-tailed deer morphology, ecology and life history in the southeastern United States
White-tailed deer are a ubiquitous species in North America and as a result provide the perfect subject for investigating spatial heterogeneity in morphology and ecology. We use large datasets from across North America to better understand how whitetail body size varies with latitude potentially relates to established ecological / evolutionary "rules". We also use stable isotopes to elucidate seasonal and ontogenetic changes in diet as potential models for similar patterns in the fossil record of southeastern North America.
Anthropogenic effects on native salamander populations
Due to their physiology, amphibians are particularly sensitive to human-induced alterations to the ecosystems they inhabit. This project centers on better understanding the dynamics of human impacts on native salamander populations. This includes assessing salamander diversity and abundance in a variety of ecosystems. These measures of population health are then related to abiotic environmental factors like rainfall, ground-surface temperature and soil moisture. The overall objective of this project is to better predict the ecological factors that contribute to salamander population health as well as implement more effective conservation strategies.
Baboon dietary ecology and vegetation dynamics at Amboseli National Park, Kenya
The relationship between savanna ecosystem heterogeneity and mammal biology is an important question for both neo- and paleoecological analyses. This project focuses on the interplay of vegetation dynamics and savanna baboon dietary ecology in the ecosystem of Amboseli National Park, Kenya. By understanding how baboon diet changes in relation to the structure of the physical and social environment, we can better predict the impact of future landscape changes in the region. The stable isotope geochemistry and life history aspects of this project are also important for informing our interpretation similar patterns in the human fossil record of eastern Africa.
East Turkana Ecosystem Evolution
The fossil deposits of East Turkana in northern Kenya contain a spatially and temporally resolved record of mammalian evolution. This region is also host to one of the most extensive records of hominin morphology and behavior in the entire world. Our work focuses on understanding how alterations and heterogeneity in the physical environment relate to ecological dynamics in the mammal community. We use faunal abundance analyses, stable isotope geochemistry of fossil enamel and soil, as well as ecometrics to investigate ecosystem-level changes in this important region.
