Doctoral Dissertation Research: Using GPS to Track Vultures in Texas

秃鹫是分解过程的催化剂，但它们的清除作用在学术文献中被低估了。此外，法医科学家已经意识到，一些秃鹫除了吃公路上被杀的动物外，还会吃人类尸体，从而使死亡时间的估计变得复杂。 德克萨斯州州立大学法医人类学研究机构（FARF）的研究表明，秃鹫在腐烂过程中很早就到达了，几乎没有留下任何线索来表明它们之前的存在。 因此，在涉及身份不明的人类遗骸的医学法律调查期间，协助执法的一个选择是确定秃鹫的首选和最有可能的食腐环境。 本博士论文研究项目将使用全球定位系统（GPS）为基础的卫星遥测跟踪秃鹫，以分析和比较秃鹫的空间分布在FARF与秃鹫的清除行为在其他非法医位置的清除行为，并建立一个可预测的模型可能秃鹫清除栖息地使用遥感技术和空间和时间统计。 这位博士生将把45克重的GPS发射器安装在秃鹫身上。 这些发射器将在六个月内每小时记录秃鹫的位置。 秃鹫位置数据将输入地理信息系统，以利用空间分析方法，包括描述性统计、热点分析的严格统计、核心密度估计和时空分析，分离可能的秃鹫食腐地点。 秃鹫食腐地点的可预测性模型将使用一系列变量创建，包括土地覆盖，道路距离和从附近气象站获得的气候数据。 学生将测试的假设，即土地海拔和距离水将有最大的影响，FARF是一个秃鹫食腐热点，无论潜在的地理。 从观察到秃鹫在野外食腐的地点获得的数据将用于验证该模型。该研究项目与其他秃鹫食腐研究的不同之处在于，所讨论的秃鹫以人类尸体而不是道路杀戮为食。 没有其他研究曾经调查过已知在人类尸体上觅食的秃鹫的空间分布。 此外，全球定位系统野生动物标签与地理信息系统技术相结合，扩大了动物研究的范围。 剩下的一个挑战是确定一种方法，使研究人员能够获得离散点数据，并对特定的动物行为（如清除）进行连续的观察。 秃鹫是很好的测试研究对象，因为它们是滑翔者而不是飞行者，而且它们一天中的大部分时间都在空中度过。 将这种行为与从GPS发射器获得每小时位置数据的能力相结合，将有机会识别与特定秃鹫活动有关的地理数据。 这一项目将通过使用全球定位系统和地理信息系统来增进对秃鹫食腐行为的了解，从而在科学知识方面取得根本性的进展。 此外，研究结果将确定与可能的秃鹫食腐地点相关的地理特征，从而有助于法医调查的效率和准确性，航空安全和秃鹫保护。 作为博士论文研究改进奖，该奖项还将提供支持，使有前途的学生建立一个强大的独立的研究生涯。

Vultures are catalysts of the decomposition process, but their scavenging is underreported in the academic literature. Moreover, forensic scientists have realized that some vultures will feed on human cadavers in addition to road-kill, thereby complicating time-since-death estimations. Research from Texas State University's Forensic Anthropology Research Facility (FARF) has shown that vultures arrive early during the decomposition process and leave few clues to indicate their prior scavenging presence. As a result, one option to aid law-enforcement during medical-legal investigations involving unidentified human remains will be to identify vultures' preferred and most likely scavenging environments. This doctoral dissertation research project will use global positioning system (GPS)-based satellite telemetry to track vultures in order to analyze and compare the spatial distribution of vulture scavenging behavior at FARF versus vulture scavenging behavior at other non-forensic locations and to establish a predictability model of likely vulture scavenging habitats using remote sensing techniques and spatial and temporal statistics. The doctoral student will attach 45-gram GPS transmitters to vultures. These transmitters will record the vultures' locations every hour for six months. The vulture locational data will be entered into a geographic information system (GIS) to isolate probable vulture scavenging locations using spatial analytic methods, including descriptive statistics, rigorous statistics for hotspot analysis, kernel density estimations, and time-space analysis. A predictability model of vulture scavenging locations will be created using a range of variables, including land cover, distance to roads, and climate data obtained from nearby weather stations. The student will test the hypothesis that land elevation and distance to water will have the greatest impact and that FARF is a vulture scavenging hotspot regardless of the underlying geography. Data from locations where vultures are observed scavenging in the wild will be used to validate the model.This research project differs from other vulture scavenging studies in that the vultures in question are feeding on human cadavers rather than road kill. No other study has ever investigated the spatial distribution of vultures that are known to scavenge on human cadavers. Moreover, GPS wildlife tags combined with GIS technologies have enhanced the scope at which animals can be studied. One remaining challenge is identifying a method that will allow researchers to obtain discrete point data with a continuous observational history for a specific animal behavior such as scavenging. Vultures are excellent research subjects for testing, because they are soarers rather than fliers and they spend the majority of their day in the air. Combining this behavior with the ability to obtain hourly locational data from the GPS transmitters, will allow for the opportunity to discern geographic data linked to specific vulture activities. This project will generate fundamental advances of scientific knowledge by using GPS and GIS to provide an enhanced understanding of vulture scavenging. Furthermore, the results will identify the geographic features associated with probable vulture scavenging locations, thereby contributing to forensic investigation efficiency and accuracy, aviation safety, and vulture conservation. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career.