Population Studies of Small Mammal Communites
Monte L. Thies, Associate Professor, Director of the Center for Biological Field Studies and Curator of Mammals - Sam Houston State Vertebrate Museum

My current research interests focus on community structure and population dynamics of small mammals (primarily rodents and bats). I have been studying species composition, sex and age ratios, and survivability in rodents in different habitats. Studies include microhabitat preferences, food resource usage, and parasite loads. Studies on bats include species distributions; exposure to environmental contaminants such as pesticides and heavy metals; and habitat preferences (primarily within roost sites). Most of my bat work involves a colony of Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) inhabiting a warehouse in east Texas. REU projects will focus on collecting data for quantifying species occurrence and abundance in various habitats, quantification of habitat variables associated with treatment regimes including prescribed fires, collection of food habit data, and ecto- and endoparasites.

For more information on this REU opportunity, please e-mail Dr. Thies at woodrat@shsu.edu.