Vertical niche partitioning by birds in forests of the Pacific Northwest
Vertical niche partitioning by birds in forests of the Pacific Northwest
Graduate Student Name:
Nina Ferrari
Email Address:
Faculty mentor/Supervisor:
Matt Betts
Email Address (Faculty mentor/Supervisor):
Department Affiliation:
Forest Ecosystems & Society
Job Location:
Betts Forest landscape Ecology Lab, Corvallis, Oregon (OSU)
Description of project or research opportunity:
My research goal is to quantify variation in temperature, vegetation structure, and bird occupancy at fine resolutions to better understand the dynamics of niche partitioning by songbirds during the breeding season. I will compare temperature, relative humidity, vegetation structure, and bird occupancy across vertical strata (understory, midstory, and canopy) in forests that vary with respect to age, species composition, and management (300 + year-old stands [old growth] and 45-60-year-old, even-aged, planted stands). Results of my research will advance understanding of how birds use these forests and how they may adapt to climate change. Moreover, it will contribute to knowledge of the plasticity of niche partitioning. This study will be conducted in the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest, but the data processing will take place in the Betts Forest landscape Ecology Lab at OSU.
Tasks student will perform:
The student will aid in data organization and processeing by filing and listening to audio recodrindings of birds and identifying the species present in the recording and and comparing that to the same recording in which the birds were autoidentified by a computer software. This process will help ground truth the computer software and ensure the quality of the data.
Special skills required:
identification of songbirds of the Pacific Northwest by sound is highly preferred
Proposed dates of employment (must be between June 19 and September 4):
Monday, July 25, 2022 to Friday, September 16, 2022
Anticipated hours worked per week:
10