I am trained as a behavioral ecologist and population biologist. I am generally interested in research questions that explore the interface between behavioral ecology and conservation biology and that examine the biology of small populations, from both a genetic and demographic standpoint. While my current work is exclusively with mammals, I have also worked with reptiles and plants. Read below to find out more about the three main projects we are working on in my lab at the moment.
To learn more about the people in my lab group, CLICK HERE . If you are interested in joining my lab group, E-MAIL ME and also click HERE .
Barthelmess Lab Research Projects
Monica Phillips, SLU '05, processes a mouse.
How does habitat fragmentation impact small mammal populations?
With funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, students in my lab have been helping me research the impact of habitat fragmentation on behavioral, demographic, and genetic properties of deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) and red-backed vole (Clethrionomys gapperi) populations here in northern New York.
We have made use of a "naturalized" landscape - that of a local golf course - to conduct our research. Conducting research on the golf course provides us with not only a "model" fragmented landscape, but also helps us to make recommendations for how to better design golf courses to sustain wildlife.
Several students have presented research results from this project at national biological conferences.
Rosebud, a juvenile porcupine, checks out our BIA equipment.
The Ecology of the North American Porcupine, Erethizon dorsatum, in northern New York
For the last several years, we have been investigating the basic biology of porcupines, a common but poorly understood animal here in the north country. We have examined space use and winter food preference and are currently examining seasonal changes in body condition in an attempt to better understand how porcupines manage to successfully overwinter here.
Unlike sympatric rodents of similar body size like woodchucks, porcupines do not hibernate in the winter. We are initiating use of a technique called bioelectrical impedence analysis to monitor changes in body fat across seasons.
We use radiotelemetry techniques to study space use and to measure how porcupine home ranges change on a seasonal basis.
Several students have presented research results from this project at national biological conferences.
Multispectral satellite image of the Shompole group ranch, southern Kenya
The effects of wildlife grazing on landscape features in southern Kenya
Understanding human - wildlife interactions is becoming ever more important in conservation, especially in areas with rapidly growing human populations.
We are working with a Maasai community in southern Kenya and with conservation biologists at the African Conservation Centre in Nairobi, Kenya to study the effects of livestock grazing inside and outside of a conservation area.
Assisted by satellite images, we can examine landscape features in areas that are grazed by livestock and compare them with landscape features in areas from which livestock are excluded to help determine whether setting aside an area for wildlife is an effective strategy for the local community.
Students who participate in the St. Lawrence University Kenya semester program may have the opportunity to help collect field data associated with this project.
