Chris Elphick
Department
of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut
75
N. Eagleville Road, U-43, Storrs, CT 06269-3043
Email:
chris.elphick @ uconn.edu
RESEARCH
SUMMARY
Research in our lab
group can be subdivided in various ways, none of which is very satisfactory
because there is much cross-over among studies and approaches. Most projects
involve asking basic ecological questions in order to address applied
questions. As such, our work spans behavioral, population, community, and
landscape levels of organization. For a summary of the broad areas where
I expect to focus in the near future, see the information for prospective
graduate students (click here). Ongoing studies can also
be organized in terms of the biological systems under study, and most fall into
the following three groups:
1. Studies of saltmarsh birds. Saltmarsh birds have become a major
focus of research in our lab group in recent years. To date, these
studies have focused on saltmarsh and seaside sparrows but we are also
interested in other species (rails, shorebirds, waders, etc.). Our
saltmarsh sparrow work includes studies that focus on demography, movement,
habitat selection, monitoring methods, distribution and abundance, nesting
behavior, and paternity patterns. More broadly, we are conducting studies
on area-sensitivity in saltmarsh birds, and on the impacts of marsh restoration
on bird species of conservation concern. Finally, working with a large
array of partners throughout the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states, we are studying
regional distributions, population change, and variation in demographic
parameters in tidal marsh obligate birds. For more information, click here.
2. Studies of birds in agricultural settings. Bird use of
agricultural lands has been an interest of mine since I was a teenager, helping
my Dad to survey shorebird use of farm fields in the north of England.
Subsequently, my PhD work focused on bird use of rice fields in California (click here), and I remain especially
interested in the conservation value of rice agriculture, both in the US and
elsewhere in the world. Current research in this area involves
literature-based studies of the use of rice fields by birds at a global scale,
and the use of other grain fields by waterbirds, but I'm very interested in
initiation new field studies on this topic.
3. Studies of endangered and introduced waterbirds. Most of the
remaining studies we are conducting involve waterbirds of conservation
interest. Typically these studies focus on endangered species; for
example I have been working with Michael Reed (of Tufts University) on various
issues relating to the population biology and management of endangered Hawaiian
waterbirds. We have also conducted research on the population dynamics,
movement behavior and foraging ecology of mute swans, which are introduced in
North America. Other waterbird studies that we have conducted recently
included a study of the effects of human lighting on beach nesting shorebirds,
and a demographic study of the likely impact of wind farm development on
Caribbean brown pelicans.