Current Students and Postdocs
Claire M. Curry - Ph.D.
My current research focuses on the behavioral and genetic dynamics of an avian hybrid zone, using the Tufted (Baeolophus bicolor) and Black-crested Titmouse (B. atricristatus) species complex in Oklahoma and Texas as a model system. Hybrid zones such as this one, where two closely related species' ranges overlap, provide insight into gene flow and speciation mechanisms. Specifically, I am looking at how song, phenotype (plumage and morphology), mate choice, and genetics differ between younger and older hybrid zones. Studying both regions will add to our knowledge of hybrid zone dynamics by comparing different stages of secondary contact in a single species complex. My undergraduate thesis (University of North Texas, B.S. Biology, 2007) focused on how interspecific behavior differences affect aggressive interactions in the dragonfly Plathemis lydia (Odonata: Libellulidae). Additional research interests include speciation, environmental effects on signaling, animal personality, competition, biogeography, and natural history of birds and insects, with a focus on prairie environments.
Daniel E. Dusang - Ph.D.
My research interests include Lesser Prairie-Chicken population and habitat management, population genetics, and ecological niche modeling. I recently finished a Master’s degree that was centered on the effects of climate change and energy development on Lesser Prairie-Chicken habitat. My dissertation work involves tracking temporal changes in population genetic structure as well as joining population genetics and niche modeling with management of the Lesser Prairie-Chicken.
Diane V. Landoll - Ph.D.
I am interested in life history strategies in birds, particularly as it relates to breeding biology and paternity, nest success, fitness, and the impact of habitat on success. I am currently working on life history/breeding strategies of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers (Tyrannus forficatus) and am working with several other ecologists on a genus-wide/across-continents comparison of life history and migration strategies in the genus Tyrannus as a whole. If you would like to see in more detail what I am doing, feel free to visit my website.
Lauren A. Wilkerson - M.Sc.
My research interests focus on the behavioral ecology of the cooperatively breeding Acorn Woodpecker. I am interested specifically in determining what function helpers serve in the social dynamics of a group. My focus has been on response to predators, a response I have examined through experimental presentation of mounted hawks to a suite of woodpeckers groups that ran the gamut from solo breeders to large groups with many helpers.
I am a general ecologist, conservationist, and environmentalist at heart with a penchant for neotropical ornithology. I plan on conducting population surveys of the 15 Psittacine (parrots, parakeets, and macaws) species of Nicaragua. The surveys will follow country-wide transects set by OU’s Sutton Avian Research Center in 1995 and 1999. My objective is to compare present day population changes from the ’95 and ’99 dataset in context with landscape cover changes. Relevant questions include: How has habitat loss and/or regeneration affected individual Psittacine species population sizes? Has the 2004 termination of the legal pet trade of these species affected the population sizes? An overarching goal of this work is to bring awareness to the conservation measures needed for parrots, parakeets, and macaws in Central America and to potentially propose strategic habitat corridors in Nicaragua that will work to promote healthy Psittacine populations. Parrots, parakeets, and macaws have the potential to be flagship species that can bring positive attention, both nationally and internationally, to the conservation movement within Nicaragua.
Dr. Lena C. Larsson - Postdoc
