2010 CREST Annual Report - Alabama A&M University

Final Report: 0420541bird surveys using line transect surveys, banding target species on blocks two and three, radio tracking 24 males of the targetspecies: worm-eating warbler and hooded warbler, conducting nest search, surveying habitat, analyzing data, and completing thethesis. She also presented at 14th Biennial Southern Silviculture Research Conference, Cooper Ornithological Society Conference,and the Wilson Ornithological Society/Association of Field Ornithologists Conference. She published an article published in WildSouth, submitted a manuscript for publishing in the proceedings of the 14th Biennial Southern Silviculture Research Conference,and completed a draft manuscript for submission to Southeastern Naturalist. She was an invited speaker at the AlabamaOrnithological Society annual meeting. She successfully completed and defended thesis in April 2008. She has accepted positionas a biologist with Ecosystem Management, Inc., Albuquerque, NM.Name: Young, KelvinWorked for more than 160 Hours:YesContribution to Project:Kelvin conducted field research on small and medium-sized mammal communities to determine their abundance and diversityresponses to forest disturbance treatments. With the help of Seward Hamilton and Dr. Stone, Kelvin completed trapping of smallmammals in 16 post-treatment research sites. He presented his research at the CFE conference in June 2007, and successfullydefended his thesis during the Fall. He graduated in December 2007. He and Dr. Stone are preparing a manuscript for publicationin the Southeastern Naturalist.Name: Gardner, LisaWorked for more than 160 Hours:YesContribution to Project:: Lisa was initially hired as a research associate for the insect research and currently is a MS graduate student of Dr. Yong Wang.She is working on 'Stopover ecology of migratory land birds at an inland site in Alabama during autumn migration.' Thus far shehas conducted two field seasons of research. This fall will be her final field season. She has captured a total of 3,462 new birdscombined (1,770 in 2007), and a total of 84 species combined (74 in 2007). She sampled for arthropods each year. In 2007, sheplaced two pitfall transects (100m) at each site as well as two Malaise traps per site (in 2006, there was only one of each), onelocated within the associated forest and the other within the associated field/wetland. She has decided not to clip branches forLepidopteran larvae, but will collect fecal matter (frass) instead, as it is a less time-consuming process. She has performed somepreliminary data analyses and presented result at Alabama Ornithological Society tri-annual meeting; Alabama Chapter of theWildlife Society annual meeting; AAMU Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Day; and WilsonOrnithological Society / Association of Field Ornithologists (WOS-AFO) annual meeting. She received second place Award forSTEM day presentation. She submitted 2 proposals and has been serving as the secretary of the Flint River ConservationAssociation (FRCA), a non-profit organization committed to educating the local public about our watershed, and encouraging themto participate in maintaining its health. As a member, she has helped with the yearly Flint River Clean-ups and wrote articles forthe FRCA Currents newsletter. While conducting field research, Lisa encouraged the local public including hikers, Boy scouttroops, and campers to learn about migratory birds, and she taught them about her research and why this area is important formigratory birds.Name: Soumare, MohamedWorked for more than 160 Hours:YesContribution to Project:Mr. Soumare is a dissertation student whose project involves the study of responses of the leaf-litter ant community to thinning andfire disturbances. He is using the Ants of the Leaf Litter (ALL) protocol, a standardized method for sampling leaf litter antcommunities, and baiting studies in our treatment plots in Bankhead National Forest. He completed his first field season last yearand has initiated his field work for this year, which will involve sampling all of the treatment plots he will use in the study for thefirst time. Mr. Soumare anticipates graduation in 2009, by which time he will have completed two field seasons of data collection.Mr. Soumare has worked closely with Dr. Rufina Ward in identifying ant species collected as part of another CREST-relatedresearch project (funded by USDA Forest Service) in Jackson County, Alabama. This work allowed Mohamed to develop hisskills in ant taxonomy and also resulted in production of a poster display that has won awards at the 2007 Forest EcosystemsConference and at the STEM conference at Alabama A&M University' Effects of Prescribed Fire, Canopy Tree Reduction andTheir Interaction on Diversity and Abundance of Litter-Dwelling Ant Communities in Pine-Hardwood Forests of the SouthernCumberland Plateau.' Mr Soumare will be finished his field work the end of 2008. Ant identification is the most difficult part inthis study. It occupies about 80% of my research. In this academic year, I will still be going to the field to collect my data, as Icontinue to identify last year's collection.Page 7 of 58