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Department of Biology Faculty and Research |
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GIANTS OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY (me and chuck D, San Cristobal 2006)
Lab links
The Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) Department Links Biology Home
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Dr. David Marsh Associate Professor of Biology Howe Hall 415 Phone: (540) 458-8176 E-mail: marshd at wlu.edu
Undergraduate Degree: B.A., University of Virginia, 1993 Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS): Tropical Biology, 1996 Graduate Degree: Ph.D., University of California, Davis, 2000 Disease Ecology (BIOL 111) Statistics for Biology and Medicine (BIOL 301) Animal Behavior (BIOL 243) Tropical Ecology (Ecuador and the Galapagos, BIOL 216) Intro to Behavioral Ecology (BIOL 105)
Current Research Projects
Optimal Strategies for Monitoring Populations Monitoring populations of plants and animals is crucial for protecting endangered species, managing biological resources, and slowing the spread of invasive species. Yet, the design of population monitoring programs is often an afterthought, based more on tradition and expediency than on rational analysis. From Oct 2006 to July 2007, I'll be a sabbatical fellow at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis in Santa Barbara, where I'll be working on developing better approaches for the design of population monitoring programs.
Population Genetics and Dispersal of Terrestrial Salamanders What do salamanders do all day? Do they just sit on the forest floor waiting for the next bug to walk by, or do they have an active, secret life that field studies only hint of? We are using genetic and ecological methods to study the dispersal behavior of terrestrial salamanders in both continuous and fragmented habitats. We hope to understand how and why salamanders disperse and what kinds of land use promote or hinder salamander movement. This research is collaborative with Paul Cabe (W & L) and Robert Page (University of Kentucky) and is currently being supported by the National Science Foundation (abstract).
Gender and Observation Bias in Science Philosophers of all stripes have speculated about the kinds of biases that affect scientific knowledge and the ways that gender may interact with these biases. For example, can behavioral ecologists objectively record the behavior of male and female animals, or are one's observations always colored by human concepts of gender? If so, do men and women differ in their susceptibility to these kinds of biases? Are observers able to disregard their expectations when collecting behavioral data? We are using large groups of students to test hypotheses about the biases that influence different kinds of behavioral research. Recent Publications (*indicates undergraduate student co-author)
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