Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biological Informatics for FY-2000

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This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biological Informatics for 2000.The research and training plan is in the area of Ecology and is entitled "Reconstructing Biogeography: Tree Species as a Novel Explanation for North American Bird Population Declines". One of the most visible environmental problems in eastern North America is the decline of many populations of breeding birds. While deforestation and loss of habitat have been identified as the causes for some species, they do not explain the population decline of the remainder. Important factors, such as quality of breeding habitat, have not been sufficiently studied. This research examines the alternative hypothesis that historical changes in forest composition, such as the decline of previously dominant tree species, is contributing to changes in bird populations due to species' preferences for particular trees. Examination of morphology (bill, leg, foot, wing, and tail dimensions) of various bird species allows characterization of their preferences for specific trees and in turn provides a means to identify correlations between tree species and bird species population decline.