Current Research

Current research efforts are directed toward the study of the spatial distribution of avifauna in geographically isolated wetlands. From spring 2005 through spring 2006, I monitored bird populations at 50 sites in the Three Lakes Wildlife Management Area and Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park in central Florida. Both conservation areas contain large tracts of dry prairie ecosystem endemic to Florida. This upland system is primarily composed of saw palmetto and wiregrass and is largely devoid of vertical structure due to a short fire return interval of 2-3 years. Isolated freshwater marshes are dispersed throughout here, covering this flat, expansive landscape. Data analysis is still ongoing, but I hope to answer some important questions concerning avian species and foraging guild behavior like: What are the drivers of habitat utilization in these isolated wetlands? Is it merely a case of selection for largest patch area, or do other community and landscape scale factors like vegetation, hydroperiod, water depth, and vertical structure come into play?

Another area of interest is the interdisciplinary study of economic valuation of ecosystem services. In an EPA funded project, a joint effort between members of both the Economics and Biology departments at UCF are developing the methodology to accurately assess the economic value of wetland ecosystems. The project, titled ‘A Consistent Framework for Valuation of Wetland Ecosystem Services Using Discrete Choice Methods’, has been ongoing for two years and is led by Dr. J Walter Milon. This project has involved countless hours of GIS work, data collection, and field assessments of reference wetlands, but promises to provide invaluable information for the formation of future wetland policy decisions.