Congrats Meg!

Congrats to EBL intern Meg Kargul for getting the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, which she will be taking with her as she starts a PhD at the University of California at Riverside!

EBL in New Scientist!

EBL's chili pepper paper was featured in New Scientist!

EBL in Nature Communications!

EBL's paper "Effects of an invasive predator cascade to plants via mutualism disruption" was featured in a Nature Communications collection on "Forests in the Anthropocene."

Congratulations to EBL Graduate Student Ann Marie Gawel

Congratulations to EBL graduate student Ann Marie Gawel for being selected by ESA as one of the Katherine S. McCarter Graduate Student Policy Award recipients.

https://www.esa.org/esablog/ecology-in-the-news/2018-graduate-student-policy-award-recipients/

2 Internship Positions starting in May!

DUTIES: Interns will be responsible primarily for resurveying tagged forest plots, along with other tasks such as monitoring phenology, surveying tagged seedlings, and entering data. Interns will rotate between Saipan, Guam, and Rota, as needed for research. Each intern will have an opportunity to develop an independent side project. Note that this position does not involve research with birds; rather, it is a plant-focused position. 

REQUIREMENTS: The successful applicants must be responsible, pay attention to 
detail, work well individually and as part of a group, and be flexible. They must have experience in plant identification. Applicants must be able to work in high heat and humidity, walk over rough terrain, and tolerate the tedious, and at times monotonous, work necessary for all scientific endeavors. They must have some experience working with people that have different backgrounds than their own. A good sense of humor is always appreciated. They must be available for 9 months, starting in April or May 2018.

POSITION DETAILS: Each intern will receive a round-trip ticket from any major airport in the US to the Mariana Islands, housing on all islands, transportation, and a monthly stipend of $700. In addition, interns will receive valuable research experience in the fields of conservation biology and field ecology, and training that will help them to pursue a career in ecology (e.g. feedback on cover letters, CV's, and graduate fellowships; advice on applying to graduate school; experience reading scientific papers, etc.). 

TO APPLY: Email a single pdf document including a cover letter, resume, and contact information for 3 references to McKayla Spencer (ecologyofbirdloss@gmail.com). The subject line should read “EBL Intern Position”. The cover letter should describe your previous research experience, career goals, and why you are interested in this position. Applications must be submitted by Sunday, March 18, 2018.

Island Forest Ecology Field Course

Dates: May 21- June 8, 2018
Sponsored by the US Forest Service, University of Guam, Iowa State University, and the Ecology of Bird Loss Project.
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Do you work in the conservation and natural resource management field in the Mariana Islands, Palau, or the Federated States of Micronesia? Or are you a student at Northern Marianas College, Guam Community College, or University of Guam? Are you interested in learning more about the unique ecology, conservation challenges, and natural resources of the Mariana Islands? If so, apply to participate in the Island Forest Ecology Field Course! Instructors include Dr. Ross Miller, Dr. Haldre Rogers, Dr. Evan Fricke, and more.

Overview: Participants will learn about the terrestrial ecology of forest of Saipan and Guam through a combination of lectures, field trips, and small group field research projects. 

******Flights, housing, and a small per diem are provided to participants. Academic credit may be granted with prior arrangement with UOG or NMC.******

For more information, email Dr. Ross Miller, UOG, lotsofbugs@gmail.com

To apply: Email a cover letter, resume, and your unofficial transcript (if applicable) in a single pdf document to McKayla Spencer (spencer9@iastate.edu). Write "Island Forest Ecology Application" in the subject line. Your cover letter should describe why you are interested in the course, and how it fits into your career goals.

Application Deadline: March 22, 2018

The EBL lab has added two new people to its crew!

1) Hugo Thierry is a new Postdoc. He finished his PhD in France which focused on modelling spatially explicit pest dynamics in agricultural landscapes. As an ecologist/computer scientist, he is excited to bring his set of skills to the EBL lab.

2) McKayla Spencer is the new Lab Manager. She finished her masters in herpetology this past spring concerning viper physiology and behavior. Before that she was a Brown Treesnake biologist in Guam. As an ecologist she is excited to further her knowledge in community ecology with the EBL lab.

New EBL Paper!

Check out the latest EBL publication concerning seed dispersal as both a cultural and supporting ecosystem service.

Figure 1. Conceptual diagram demonstrating the links between the bird-chili mutualism, its disruption, and the loss of ecosystem services. On the Mariana Islands, forest birds have been functionally extirpated from Guam, but not Rota, Tinian or Saipan. Relative to islands with seed dispersers, the loss of animal-mediated seed dispersal may reduce germination by affecting the spatial distribution of seeds and their condition. The resulting reduction of recruitment could reduce chili populations that are economically and culturally important for people. Photos courtesy M Egerer.

Marianas Terrestrial Conservation Conference

The Ecology of Bird Loss project is helping to organize the first annual Marianas Terrestrial Conservation Conference & Workshop at Guam Community College on November 17 & 18th, 2017. Check out the website for more details!

Fruit Bat postdoc position

We are hiring a postdoc to study fruit bat ecology! Check out the "Jobs" page to learn more.