Dissertation Research: Adaptive or Maladaptive Variation in the Adrenocortical Stress Response within a Heterogeneous Urban Environment

在城市栖息地，动物面临着生存和繁殖的独特挑战，包括人类活动和噪音的干扰。 因此，在城市环境中，只有具有特定特征的物种或个体才能持续存在。 因此，主要挑战之一是了解人类扩张和城市化的增加如何影响其他动物。此外，不仅有城市化的影响，而且还有一个事实，即活动水平在不同的城市地区各不相同，例如城市中心非常活跃，而我目前的其他地区则远离城市活动。 本研究的目的是确定成功利用这些不同的城市地区的基础上对压力的反应，作为衡量应激激素水平。 这一假设是，能够更好地处理压力的物种更有可能占据具有高水平活动的城市地区。这些研究人员将研究压力反应，并根据相对于城市环境的位置测量歌雀的繁殖成功率。 拟议的研究将为代表性不足的少数民族和内城学生提供STEM研究经验。 这项工作提供了将科学和实验室带到城市环境中的独特机会。

In urban habitats animals face unique challenges to survival and reproduction, including disturbance from human activity and noise. Thus, in urban environments only species or individuals with a particular suite of traits may persist. Therefore one of the major challenges is to understand how human expansion and increased urbanization impacts other animals. Further there is not only the impact of urbanization but also the fact that levels of activity vary with in different urban areas, such as city centers being very active while other areas my present refuges from urban activity. The goal of this study is to determine the successful utilization of these different urban regions based upon response to stress, as measured by stress hormone levels. The hypothesis being that species which are better able to handle stress are more likely to be able to occupy urban areas with high levels of activity. These researchers will examine stress response and measure reproductive success in the song sparrow based upon location relative to urban environments. The proposed research will provide STEM research experiences for under-represented minorities and inner city students. The work provides the unique opportunity to bring science and the lab to the urban environment.