Nichole Cudworth
I am particularly interested in wildlife conservation and management,
especially as they relate to mammalian species, and am currently studying the
ecology of the Arizona gray squirrel, a sky-island endemic. Despite their description 140 years ago and
somewhat imperiled status throughout a portion of their range, we are still
lacking knowledge of even basic life history traits of Arizona gray
squirrels. Therefore, I am studying a
population in the Huachuca Mountains in southeastern Arizona in attempt to fill
in some of the gaps in our knowledge of the species. Specifically, I am surveying range-wide
transects in order to acquire density estimates among different vegetation
communities and recording vegetation information around nest sites to determine
characteristics important to nest-site selection. Additionally, I am looking at annual
fluctuations in body mass and reproductive condition as well as acquiring
litter size counts of reproducing females.
Finally, I am fitting individuals within my study site with radiocollars
in order to determine home range sizes and answer questions pertaining to male
mating strategies. In mammals, female
reproductive success is typically limited by access to food, whereas male
reproductive success is typically limited by access to mates. Therefore, we would expect male home range
dynamics to vary depending upon the season (breeding vs. non-breeding), while
female home range dynamics should remain relatively constant. Specifically, males should show an increase
in home range size and overlap of female home ranges during the breeding
season. An understanding of the
differences in home range dynamics between the sexes will help elucidate the
importance of mating strategy in determining space use of the Arizona gray
squirrel. Analyses thus far show large
home ranges relative to other tree squirrel species, suggesting that the
scale of conservation efforts may need to be extensive and an important
consideration in conservation planning for this uncommon species.
