International Research Fellow Awards: Population and Community Structure of Grassland Birds on Wintering Grounds in Northern Mexico

9704253德斯蒙德国际研究员奖计划使美国科学家和工程师能够在国外进行3至24个月的研究。该项目的奖项提供了联合研究的机会，并提供了使用国外独特或互补的设施、专业知识和实验条件的机会。该奖项将支持Martha J.Desmond博士在墨西哥奇瓦瓦自治大学与Alberto Lafon Terrazas教授合作进行为期24个月的博士后研究访问。美国-墨西哥计划将为该项目提供50%的资金。德斯蒙德建议研究墨西哥北部越冬地草原鸟类的种群和群落组合。她将研究关于生活史特征的数据，这些特征对于许多冬季栖息地的草原鸟类来说是未知的。这对于了解这些移民如何适应栖息地是至关重要的。她将测试与差异迁徙相关的假设，这是由于性别之间的形态大小差异以及两性和年龄段之间对资源的竞争。其中许多物种的种群数量都出现了显著下降。这项研究将具体考察国内和本土食草动物对草原适应鸟类栖息地利用的影响，并检验与栖息地利用和群落结构有关的假说。关于冬季地面基本生活史特征的信息对于了解社区动态和评估对这些种群的潜在威胁至关重要。***

9704253 Desmond The International Research Fellow Awards Program enables U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct three to twenty four months of research abroad. The program's awards provide opportunities for joint research, and the use of unique or complementary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions abroad. This award will support a twenty-four-month postdoctoral research visit by Dr. Martha J. Desmond to work with Professor Alberto Lafon Terrazas at the Universidad Autonoma de Chihuahua in Chihuahua, Mexico. The U.S.-Mexico Program will provide 50% of the funding for this project. Desmond proposes to examine populations and community assemblages of grassland birds on wintering ground in Northern Mexico. She will look at data on life-history characteristics which are unknown for many grassland birds in winter habitats. This is essential to understand how these migrants are adapted to use habitats. She will test hypotheses related to differential migration due to morphological size variation between sexes and inter-sexual and age class competition for resources. Many of these species are showing significant population declines. This research will specifically examine the influence grazing by domestic and native herbivores on habitat use by grassland- adapted birds and test hypotheses related to habitat use and community structure. Information on the basic life history characteristics on winter grounds is essential for understanding community dynamics and evaluating potential threats to these populations. ***