EEB Associates: Chris Elphick

Chris Elphick, Assistant Professor (Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno)

Contact Information:

Dr. Chris S. Elphick

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

University of Connecticut

75 N. Eagleville Road, U-43

Storrs, CT 06269-3043

Tel: (860) 486-4547

Fax: (860) 486-6364

E-Mail: chris.elphick@uconn.edu

Current Areas of Research:

Avian conservation biology and ecology. In particular, conservation in wetlands and agricultural settings, large-scale conservation planning, and the behavior of dispersal.

INFORMATION FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS

Research Projects:

Conservation and management of birds in California rice fields
Global variation in the bird use of rice fields
Predicting species distributions from sparsely sampled data
Nevada Breeding Bird Atlas
Conservation of saltmarsh sparrows in Long Island Sound
Mute Swan demography, dispersal behavior, and impact on native species
Effects of "light pollution" on beach-nesting birds
Conservation, management, and population dynamics of endangered Hawaiian waterbirds

Books:

Floyd, T., C.S. Elphick, K. Mack, R. Elston, G. Chisholm. 2004. Nevada Breeding Bird Atlas. University of Nevada Press. Accepted for publication; in revision.

Elphick, C.S., J.B. Dunning, and D.S. Sibley (eds.). 2001. National Audubon Society. Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior. Knopf. 608 pp. (co-author on 5 chapters)

Selected Publications:

Elphick, C.S. 2004. Assessing conservation trade-offs: Identifying the effects of flooding rice fields for waterbirds on non-target bird species. Biological Conservation 117: 105-110.

Elphick, C.S., and L.W. Oring. 2003. Effects of rice field management on winter waterbird communities: conservation and agronomic implications. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 94:17-29.

Elphick, C.S. and J. Klima. 2002. Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica). The Birds of North America No. 629 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.

Elphick, C.S., J.M. Reed, and J.M. Bonta. 2001. Correlates of endangered species recovery goals. Conservation Biology 15:1285-1291.

Warnock, N., C.S. Elphick, and M.A. Rubega. 2001. Biology of marine birds: shorebirds. Pages 581-615 in Biology of Marine Birds (J. Burger and B.A. Schreiber, eds.). CRC Press.

Elphick, C.S. 2000. Functional equivalency between rice fields and seminatural wetland habitats. Conservation Biology 14:181-191.

Elphick, C.S. and L.W. Oring. 1998. Winter management of California rice fields for waterbirds. Journal of Applied Ecology 35:95-108.

Elphick, C.S. and T.L. Tibbitts. 1998. Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca). The Birds of North America No. 355 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.

Reed, J.M., C.S. Elphick, and L.W. Oring. 1998. Life-history and viability analysis of the endangered Hawaiian stilt. Biological Conservation 84:35-45.

Student collaborators:

Martha Ellis (mute swan population dynamics)

Selena Humphreys (saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrow nest building behavior)

Erin King (saltmarsh sparrow breeding biology)

Kira Sullivan-Wiley (saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrow nest provisioning behavior)

Research opportunities: If you are interested in getting research experience in our lab group click here.

Courses Taught: Introduction to Conservation Biology, Ornithology, Field Ecology, General Ecology, Current Topics in Conservation Biology.