Brett Sandercock - US grants

A grant has been awarded to Dr. Sandercock at Kansas State University to make
improvements to the Kansas State University Ornithology Collection. The Ornithology
Collection currently contains 1172 round skins, 188 mounts, 30-40 spread wings, and 20-30
nests that are a representative sample of the avifauna of the Great Plains ecoregion. The
collection holdings are valuable because they include many bird specimens that were collected in
Kansas during the late 1800s and early 1900s, including two specimens of the now extinct
Eskimo Curlew. The goal of this project is to conserve and improve the resources of the
Ornithology Collection for use in undergraduate teaching and public education.
The objectives of the project are threefold. First, an urgent need of the Ornithology
Collection is improved storage facilities. The study skins are currently stored in wood frame
cabinets that are at least 30 years old and not airtight. Mounts are currently housed in wooden
display cabinets that were salvaged when the collection was moved to Ackert Hall in 1969. A
majority of the direct costs of this grant (56%) are for new museum storage cabinets that will
ensure that the collection will be protected from insect damage. Second, another major need of
the collection is cataloguing of the existing specimens. The long-term goal for this collection is
to transfer or exchange older specimens of potential research value to major natural history
museums, such as the nearby Museum of Natural History at the University of Kansas. To
facilitate transfers, the contents of the Ornithology Collection will be inventoried into an
electronic database that will be made available on the Internet. A portion of the direct costs
(35%) will be used to hire and train three undergraduate curatorial assistants to complete this
task. Last, a final need for the collection is acquisition of new materials to replace older
specimens of research value. The remaining direct costs (9%) are for curatorial supplies to
prepare and store new materials.
This project is scientifically important because it will make the museum holdings of the
Kansas State University Ornithology Collection available to the scientific community for the
first time. Access to study skins will be of greatest value to researchers conducting retrospective
analyses of museum specimens, but the collection also contains valuable specimens that will fill
gaps in historical sampling efforts. The project will have broader impacts by offering
comprehensive training in the techniques of museum curation to three undergraduate students.
The resources of the Ornithology Collection also serve an important role in undergraduate
education and outreach programs for the public. Museum specimens are regularly used as
teaching materials in three core undergraduate courses in the Division of Biology: Principles of
Biology (Biol 198), Organismic Biology (Biol 201) and Ornithology (Biol 543). Avian
specimens are also an important resource for public outreach programs coordinated by the
Division of Biology. Mounts and study skins will be used in permanent exhibits in Ackert Hall,
in displays for annual open house events at Kansas State University, in displays for field trips of
grade school students from the Riley Town school district, and in environmental education
programs for K-12 students and teachers at nearby Konza Prairie Biological Station. Long-term
conservation of the museum holdings will benefit local communities in northeast Kansas.

The Kansas State University's (KSU) REU Site on 'Conservation of the Tallgrass Prairie Ecosystem' provides 8 undergraduate students each summer an exciting opportunity to conduct independent, field-based research projects on topics in conservation biology and ecology. The 10-week program offers a stipend of $3500 and has four components that contribute to the professional development of undergraduate participants: i) a weekly research seminar that educates students about the conservation issues related to grassland ecosystems, ii) an independent research project that trains students in field methods and experimental design, iii) a research symposium that develops student presentation skills, and iv) a trip to a national scientific meeting where students have the opportunity to interact with professional research scientists. Research activities of this REU Site are centered on the Konza Prairie Biological Station, a 3487 ha tallgrass prairie preserve. Konza Prairie is a key research site in the Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) Program of the National Science Foundation, and is internationally recognized for preserving unique biological resources, including species of conservation concern. The site is subdivided into 60 experimental units with different grazing (native bison or domestic cattle) and fire treatments (annual to 20 years). Additional resources for this REU site includes access to university facilities, a range of laboratory and field equipment for specialized ecological research, and mentors selected from a pool of experienced research scientists who are leaders in the fields of conservation and grassland ecology. Integration of the REU Site with the LTER program allows students to participate in new and ongoing field experiments and to utilize long-term data sets that provide context for summer projects. The conservation theme of the program emphasizes applications of ecological knowledge to the preservation of the biota of the tallgrass prairie, and efforts that predict the effects of changing land-use patterns, invasive species and global change on economically valuable grasslands.

The deadline for applications is March 1 and participants are selected based on their research interest. This REU site welcomes applications from students of underrepresented groups (minority, first-generation or non-traditional), and students at smaller colleges where research opportunities may be limited. Prospective applicants are invited to obtain further information and application forms from the Program Coordinator (Gail Wilson, PH: 785-532-2892, EM: gwtw@ksu.edu) or by visiting the program website (http://www.ksu.edu/bsanderc/reu).

Steroid hormones could be a proximate explanation for variation in male mating success in many species of birds. High levels of testosterone may enhance mating success but then reduce the ability of individual males to cope with pathogens which may, in turn, decrease long-term survival. In one unusual mating system, males form groups and court visiting females at traditional display sites (or 'leks'). In lek-mating birds, males typically defend territories that contain no resources for females, only a limited subset of males mate successfully, and females care for all offspring. The effects of natural and experimental testosterone levels in a wild population of greater prairie-chickens (Tympanuchus cupido), a lek-mating species of prairie grouse will be measured. The study design will use three approaches to determine the links among testosterone levels and the behavior, mating success and survival of males. First, path analysis, a statistical method, will be used to distinguish between direct benefits of naturally high levels of testosterone on mating success and indirect benefits through testosterone-enhanced traits (comb size, behavior, and territory attributes). Second, experimental manipulations of testosterone will verify causal relationships among testosterone, male attributes, and mating success. Last, the costs of naturally high and experimentally increased testosterone levels will be tested by examination of yearly return rates. This funding will support field work on testosterone implants and behavioral observations, and laboratory analyses of fecal samples to measure testosterone levels.

The intellectual merit of this study accrues from the fact that this is one of the first experimental manipulations of testosterone in a lek-mating bird. This study combines robust statistical methods with experimental manipulations of testosterone to elucidate causal relationships among hormones, hormone-mediated traits, and reproductive performance. The costs of naturally high or experimentally increased testosterone levels will be examined by impacts on male survival. The physiological role of testosterone is of great interest because it could explain well known life history trade-offs between current and future reproduction. Multiple testosterone samples are needed from individual males, and fecal samples are a noninvasive approach that reduces unnecessary stress to the birds but still allows measurement of individual and seasonal variation in testosterone. Intensive focal observations will contribute to a better understanding of the behavioral ecology of lek-mating birds. The broader impacts of this work include demographic data on an economically important game bird of conservation concern. Greater prairie-chicken populations are declining range-wide, and this study will aid management actions by providing baseline survival and fecundity data from healthy populations in Kansas. Research training will be provided for one female graduate student and two undergraduates. This project will foster research collaboration between Kansas State University and the University of Missouri at Columbia. Results will be shared with the public through guided tours and outreach programs at Konza Prairie Biological Station.

The Kansas State University's (KSU) REU Site on Ecology and Evolutionary Biology of a Temperate Grassland provides 8 undergraduate students each summer an exciting opportunity to conduct independent, field-based research projects on topics in conservation biology and ecology. The 10-week program has three components that contribute to the professional development of undergraduate participants: i) a weekly research seminar that educates students about the conservation issues related to grassland ecosystems, ii) an independent research project that trains students in field methods and experimental design, and iii) a research symposium that develops student presentation skills. Research activities of this REU Site are centered on the Konza Prairie Biological Station, a 3487 ha tallgrass prairie preserve. Konza Prairie is a key research site in the Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) Program and is internationally recognized for preserving unique biological resources, including species of conservation concern. The site is subdivided into 60 experimental units with different grazing (native bison or domestic cattle) and fire treatments (annual to 20 years). Additional resources for this REU site includes access to university facilities, a range of laboratory and field equipment for specialized ecological research, and mentors selected from a pool of experienced research scientists who are leaders in the fields of conservation and grassland ecology. Integration of the REU Site with the LTER program allows students to participate in new and ongoing field experiments and to utilize long-term data sets that provide context for summer projects. The theme of the program emphasizes applications of ecological knowledge to the preservation of the biota of the tallgrass prairie, and efforts that predict the effects of changing land-use patterns, invasive species and global change on economically valuable grasslands. This REU site welcomes applications from students of underrepresented groups (minority, first-generation or non-traditional), and students at smaller colleges where research opportunities may be limited. Prospective applicants are invited to obtain further information and application forms from the Program Coordinator (Gail Wilson, PH: 785-532-2892, EM: gwtw@ksu.edu) or by visiting the program website (http://www.ksu.edu/bsanderc/reu).

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). Kansas State University will host an REU Site program in the Ecology, Evolution, and Genomics of Grassland Organisms during the summers of 2009-2011. Eight undergraduate students will be selected each year to participate in a 10-week summer program, and will have the opportunity to conduct independent research projects that tackle questions in evolutionary ecology with the tools of molecular biology. The summer program has three components that will contribute to the professional development of undergraduate participants: i) independent research projects that train students in field methods, lab techniques, and experimental design, ii) a weekly 3-credit research seminar that introduces students to emerging questions in the biology of grassland ecosystems, and iii) a research symposium that will develop student presentation skills. Major research resources for this REU Site program include the Ecological Genomics Institute and Konza Prairie Biological Station. The Ecological Genomics Institute includes state of the art scientific facilities for genotyping and DNA sequencing, gene expression and workshops in microarray technology. Konza Prairie is a tallgrass prairie preserve and a key research site in the Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) Program. Additional resources at K State include facilities for analyses of stable isotopes, a range of laboratory and field equipment for specialized ecological research, and mentors who are research leaders in ecological genomics and grassland ecology. The research theme of this REU Site emphasizes applications of molecular techniques to investigations of ecological and evolutionary processes in the biota of the tallgrass prairie, where research results will have conservation implications for predicting and mitigating the consequences of global change. This program provides unique opportunities for interdisciplinary research that can take advantage of long-term field experiments that have been running for over 30 years! The program welcomes applications from students of underrepresented groups (minority, first-generation or non-traditional), and students at smaller colleges where research opportunities may be limited. Prospective applicants are invited to obtain further information and application forms from the Program Coordinator (Dr. Brett K. Sandercock, PH: 785-532-0120, EM: bsanderc@ksu.edu) or by visiting the program website (http://www.ksu.edu/bsanderc/reu).

Arctic environments have been profoundly affected by global climate change, and changes in tundra habitats, including changes in snow conditions, climatic variability and habitat types are predicted to have major impacts on the biodiversity and distribution of arctic biota. One likely impact of climatic change will be a decoupling of biological interactions among organisms at different trophic levels, leading to a 'phenological mismatch' in the seasonal timing of life-history events for plants, insects, birds and higher-level predators. Arctic breeding shorebirds are expected to be 'integrative sentinels' for the effects of global climate change because high energetic requirements, long-distance migratory movements, and synchronized timing of seasonal activities increase their vulnerability to changing environments.

This project will examine the effects of environmental conditions in the Arctic on the ecology and trophic relationships of two species of migratory shorebirds: Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) and Western Sandpipers (C. mauri). One challenge for assessing the ecological consequences of climate change is a lack of baseline data for most organisms. A unique feature of this project is that the researcher collected detailed data on the seasonal timing, demography and movements of sandpipers in a 4-year period (1993-1996) at an undisturbed 4 square km coastal tundra study site near Nome, Alaska. In this 3-year field project (2011-2013) the research team will monitor shorebird populations and four key environmental factors: climatic conditions, arthropod emergence, abundance of small mammals and predators. They will also deploy geolocator tags to determine migration routes and nonbreeding sites for the study populations. Data on shorebird ecology will be collected using standardized field protocols at the same site, under the direction of the lead investigator who collected the original data, and will span a 15-20 year interval of environmental change. The broader context of our research will be the comprehensive knowledge of the annual cycle of migratory sandpipers that has been developed under the 16-year research program of the 'Western Sandpiper Research Network'.

This is one of the first field studies to test predictions of the 'phenological mismatch' hypothesis for arctic-breeding shorebirds and to examine long-term changes in trophic interactions among food resources, migratory sandpipers, and their predators. The hypothesis will be rejected if long-term changes are lacking but standardized sampling will provide a framework for future studies of ecological resilience. The hypothesis will be supported if warming climatic conditions have changed the timing of insect emergence without changes in phenology of shorebird nesting, potentially leading to declines in densities of nesting birds. Strong inferences about the effects of arctic conditions can be made because the study species breed sympatrically but have different migration routes and nonbreeding areas.

This project will provide insights for conservation of migratory birds that breed at high latitudes in the Arctic. Traditional methods for surveying arctic birds are based on nest monitoring and this project will evaluate the extent to which more intensive demographic approaches are a useful alternative. The project will offer training opportunities for one PhD student and up to six undergraduate students. Outreach in the community of Nome, Alaska will include annual meetings with native stakeholders, interviews with journalists, and preparation of public display media for the Nome visitor center.

Landscape heterogeneity promotes higher biodiversity in natural ecosystems. In North America, tallgrass prairie was historically maintained as a mosaic of different habitats by the interaction between fire and selective grazing by large herbivores, including bison, elk and pronghorn. In recent decades, agricultural intensification has led to more homogeneous landscapes in managed grasslands, which has been linked to widespread declines in songbird populations in North America and Europe. A loss of heterogeneity in grasslands could have major consequences for birds by changing food availability, predation risk, or rates of brood parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater). The proposed field study will estimate the effects of habitat heterogeneity on movements and survival of juvenile Dickcissels (Spiza americana), a songbird of conservation concern. The project will provide a better understanding of the reproductive ecology of grassland songbirds in managed grasslands, and will aid in understanding the relationships among grassland management and ecology, bird populations, and conservation.

This field study will be conducted in the Flint Hills ecoregion of eastern Kansas and Oklahoma, where large tracts of native tallgrass prairie still remain, however habitat quality has been impacted by ongoing changes in rangeland management. Konza Prairie is an NSF-funded Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) site in the northern Flint Hills, and provides a unique experimental landscape with different levels of habitat heterogeneity created by long-term grazing and fire treatments. Patch-burn grazing management increases heterogeneity in vegetative structure because only a third of the pasture is burned each year in a three-year rotational scheme, and movements of grazing cattle are unrestricted. A fourth pasture with annual burns and season-long stocking of cattle will be a negative control, and a fifth pasture with annual burns but no grazing will be a positive control. The researchers will attach small radio-transmitters to a total of 60 fledglings, across the five experimental treatments. Fledglings will be re-located daily during the first 30 days after leaving the nest to determine movements and survival. The research will estimate fledgling movements, arthropod prey availability, and fledgling survival using field methods and statistical analyses. Understanding how biotic factors interact with demographic parameters like nest and fledgling survival will help to understand the role of landscape heterogeneity on the life-history strategies of birds.

Gut microbiota plays a vital role in organism health through facilitating nutrient uptake, detoxification and interactions with the immune system. Whereas the mammalian microbiota is predominantly shaped by underlying genetics, factors affecting the avian gut microbiota remain largely unknown. Migratory shorebirds are sensitive to environmental change as a result of their use of geographically wide-spread habitats throughout their annual cycle. The local environment thus has the potential to alter avian gut microbiota. This research will investigate environmental factors influencing gut microbiota of migratory shorebirds as their long-distance movement and intercontinental migration annually expose them to a wide range of microorganisms and potential pathogens. The overarching objective of this study is to evaluate the importance of the local environment in determining gut microbiota composition in migratory shorebirds, by assessing presence and causes of intra-annual variation in gut microbiota in relation to breeding, staging and wintering environments. Migratory shorebirds have the potential to act as disease vectors that spread pathogens over long distances, and investigation of gut microbiota diversity and function is an essential first step towards identifying current and future disease threats to both avian and human populations.

The overall objective of this research will be addressed by testing three hypotheses related to different aspects of environment-gut microbiota interactions: site characteristics, duration of stay, and interactions among migratory populations. The researchers predict that the local environment largely determines gut microbial composition, and that within this environment the effect of latitude and flock composition on gut microbiota composition will be detectable. Shorebird gut microbial composition will be analyzed from fecal samples collected from key shorebird staging and wintering sites throughout the Western Hemisphere. Bacterial communities will be sequenced using genetic techniques and microbial communities will be analyzed by using advanced bioinformatics and a Bayesian statistical framework. This research combines the fields of migration ecology, microbiology and computational biology.