Romero, Susan
Ph.D. 2007 srome2@uky.edu
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Bio Brief
Influence of Landscape Structure on Movement Behavior and Habitat use by Red Flour Beetle (Tribolium castaneum)
Education
B.S. Biology, College of Mt. St. Joseph, Cincinnati OH, 1996M.S. Zoology, Miami University, Oxford OH, 1999
Research
Background
Movement behavior of individuals across heterogeneous landscapes impacts many important ecological phenomena such as patch resources use, population spread, and metapopulation dynamics. Suitable habitats are usually embedded in a matrix of unsuitable or inhospitable areas, resulting in a mosaic of patches that differ in their quality and usefulness. The spatial mosaic of the landscape and the scale at which this pattern is perceived by an organism influences movement behavior and ultimately influences the ability of animals to find resources for shelter, food and reproduction. How an organism scales its environment is a central question in ecology. By studying the movement paths of an animal in response to habitat heterogeneity, we may gain insights concerning how it perceives resources on the landscape, may better understand its search strategy, and thus increase our ability to predict its distribution and pattern of resource use.
Objectives
I am investigating how landscape heterogeneity, boundaries, and scale–dependent effects influence movement behavior of red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum Herbst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), and how this behavior may produce patterns of resource use.