LAB ALUMNI

Sean Sultaire M.S. Thesis (2014): Climate change and snowshoe hares

Jenna Carlson Senior Honors Thesis (2014): Potential role of prey in the recovery of American martens to Wisconsin Holstrom Environmental Scholarship Currently a student at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Sonia Petty Senior Thesis (2014): The effects of climate change and land cover type on the subnivium, a seasonal refuge beneath the snow. Reid Bryson Scholarship Currently a lab manager in the Pauli Lab

John Pokallus  M.S. Thesis (2014):  Population dynamics of a northern-adapted mammal in response to climate change and an altered predator community Currently a scientist with EcoAdapt in Seattle, WA

Jorge Mendoza  M.S. Thesis (2014): Resource use by two-and three-toed sloths differ in a shade-grown agro-ecosystem.

Katrina Brickner Senior Honors Thesis (2013):  Exploring black-footed ferret diet specialization in Shirley Basin, Wyoming. Currently DVM candidate at Colorado State University

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH

For their Senior Thesis or Honors in Research at UW-Madison, undergraduates in my lab are each spearheading their own research projects:

Carissa Freeh‘s senior thesis is exploring the diet of fisher (Pekania pennanti) in Wisconsin via stable isotope analysis. She is investigating the effects of geographic variables and diet on body condition in an effort to better understand this specie’s basic biology and regional population trends.

Rachel Larson is studying the genetic structure of black bears (Ursus americanus) in Colorado via the analysis of microsatellites to better understand population connectivity.

LAB STAFF

Nick Kryshak – Lab Manager
Nick graduated from UW-Madison with majors in Wildlife Ecology and Genetics. In addition to acting as lab manager, he also provides aid on various research projects throughout the Pauli Lab.

Matt Moore – Electrical Design Consultant & Systems Programmer
Matt is the designer, producer and programmer of our micro-greenhouse control boxes, as well as designer of our early prototypes. He has 15 years of experience programming micro-controllers and embedded systems for both commercial and research use. His hobbies include building and flying radio controlled plans, and making rocket motors.
Geovanny Herrera V. – Crew Boss
Since 2004, Geovanny has performed various tasks in wildlife projects in Costa Rica with the University of Wisconsin, often supporting researchers in field work. His main focus is monitoring, capturing, and taking samples from two species of sloth, which he has been collecting ecological data on for over eight years. In his spare time he helps create new forest areas and wildlife habitat by planting cacao trees.

MARIO FERNANDO GARCES RESTREPO

I completed my undergraduate degree in Biology with an emphasis in zoology, and obtained a master’s degree in biological science at the Universidad del Valle in Colombia. Overall, I consider myself to be a field ecologist and have led research on the ecology and natural history of a diversity of terrestrial vertebrates in Colombia. I have three areas of special interest: population ecology of terrestrial vertebrates, especially in threatened species; effects of human perturbation at level of the community and population; and urban ecology. For my dissertation, I will be studying the population and community ecology of two species of sloths in Costa Rica.

email: garcesrestre@wisc.edu

PAULA PERRIG

WYNNE MOSS

My research interests center on how anthropogenic activity impacts wildlife behavior and ecology, in particular the trophic relationships between predators and prey. In practice, I am also interested in the application of molecular and non-invasive techniques to answer questions in conservation and applied ecology.

For my master’s thesis, I am using stable isotope and spatial data to investigate how mountain lion foraging behavior changes over a gradient of human influence.

email: wmoss@wisc.edu

PHIL MANLICK

I am fascinated with population dynamics and community structure, with a particular emphasis on the ecology and management of mammals. I aim to integrate behavioral ecology, conservation genetics, and spatial modeling to acquire a greater understanding of community ecology and the responses of wildlife to anthropogenic disturbances in the landscape. My research is focusing on the use of noninvasive sampling and molecular techniques to assess the dynamics of an endangered American marten (Martes americana) population in northern Wisconsin. 

email: pmanlick@wisc.edu

JEN GRAUER

My interests in ecology range from individual behavior and physiological state to the dynamics of populations and communities. I am particularly interested in mammal population interactions and their implications for conservation. My master’s research at UW-Madison utilizes noninvasive genetic sampling to assess the reintroductions of American marten to the forests of northern Wisconsin. I am working to characterize relevant population vital rates and mechanisms of recovery to compare different reintroductions and determine the viability of marten populations across the state. email: jgrauer@wisc.edu

BECKY KIRBY

I am interested in how human-induced environmental changes affect wildlife habitat use and behavior. I aim to combine molecular, isotopic, and field techniques to investigate individual and population-level questions in applied ecology and conservation.

My PhD research is focusing on how humans (particularly human foods) influence black bear foraging ecology, as well as biological aging, in Wisconsin and Colorado.

email: rebeccakirby@wisc.edu