Scientific Posters

Undergraduate poster presentation

URBAN BOX TURTLES ARE EXPOSED TO COLDER BRUMATION TEMPERATURES THAN RURAL BOX TURTLES

How does box turtle brumation (hibernation) differ in an urban park (Forest Park, FP) compared to a rural intact woodland (Tyson Research Center, TRC)? Turtles are ectotherms, so they are particularly sensitive to temperature variation and extremes.

Undergraduate poster presentation

“Hoo” Goes There? Great Horned Owls in Forest Park, Saint Louis

Great horned owls are apex – or top – predators. Just like lions and wolves, their actions have cascading effects on the rest of the food web. We are studying Astrid and Edward, two great horned owls living in Forest Park, to learn how their movement patterns and dietary habits differ from those of rural owls. As human development reaches deeper into wild spaces, the ecology of these areas is sure to change, but in what ways? With this research, we seek to answer questions about how the ecology of these avian predators could change with growing urbanization and what effects these changes could have on the rest of the ecosystem.

Undergraduate poster presentation

Urban raccoon (Procyon lotor) movement and behavior

We are studying the health, movement, and ecology of urban raccoons in Forest Park, aiming to study ecology where urban human activity intersects with nature, test capture methods and equipment, determine initial  movement patterns and habitat selection, and apply principles of movement ecology to conservation management.