Project 1: Pollinator Community Response to Changing Floral Resources
Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of two climate factors in particular: heat and drought. These will influence floral community abundance, especially when the changes outpace species’ ability to adapt. The consequences of heat and drought in conjunction with one another are anticipated to be additive. BACD experiment data from Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve will be used to establish the relationship between climate factors (heat and drought) and community responses. The community responses quantified by this experiment are floral abundance and pollinator species diversity. We expected pollinator species diversity to be impacted by climate change-induced declines in floral abundance in a manner that was statistically significant. The results indicated, however, that under certain climate conditions, floral abundance was increased. From the data analyzed in this study, pollinator species diversity under experimental climate conditions did not differ significantly from the control conditions. These findings will influence our greater ecological understanding. Additionally, they will guide best practices for land management and future species protection.
Project 2: Camera trap analysis of Thomson’s gazelle spatial response to forage variables
Significant forage preference is exhibited across herbivore species. Many small to medium-sized herbivorous species, like the Thomson’s gazelle (Eudorcas thomsonii) [TG], have been shown to favor shorter grasses. Seasonal variability also plays a role in the migratory patterns and forage availability for Serengeti herbivores. Camera traps are an efficient tool for quantifying and visualizing the spatial distribution of species present in an ecosystem. Forage data was sourced from a 225-camera grid in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. The cameras respond to heat and movement by capturing a succession of three photos at 30-second intervals. The images were filtered for independence and were sampled at approximate two-week intervals for each site present each month for the years 2011-2013. The results indicate that TG are positively associated with recent burns and greener available forage and are negatively associated with taller grasses. The camera trap images also effectively captured the TG seasonal migration from the SE to NW corners of the park between seasons in pursuit of suitable forage, indicating that this is an accessible, less technical avenue for exploring spatial relationships between ecological variables. Camera trap data allow for relatively low-cost method for conducting both quantitative and qualitative analyses. The findings from this study have implications for the future of spatial ecology analyses, which has applications in land management, policy, and conservation efforts.