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

9704253 Desmond国际研究员奖励计划使美国科学家和工程师能够在国外进行三到二十四个月的研究。该计划的奖励为联合研究提供了机会，并利用独特或互补的设施、专业知识和国外的实验条件。该奖项将支持Martha J. Desmond博士与Alberto Lafon Terrazas教授在墨西哥奇瓦瓦自治大学进行为期24个月的博士后研究访问。美国-墨西哥项目将为该项目提供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。她将研究许多草原鸟类在冬季栖息地未知的生活史特征数据。这对于了解这些迁徙者如何适应栖息地至关重要。她将检验由于两性之间的形态大小差异和性别间以及年龄阶层对资源的竞争而导致的差异迁移的假设。其中许多物种的数量正在显著下降。本研究将专门研究家养和本地食草动物放牧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设。关于冬季土地上基本生活史特征的信息对于了解群落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. ***