CAREER: Integrating Behavior and Demography in Marine Mammal Conservation

Arizona State University, Scottsdale AZ

Investigators

Abstract

Integrating Behavior and Demography in Marine Mammal Conservation Leah R. Gerber, Arizona State University Individual differences in behavior and social status can in theory determine the rate of population change and thus the threat that imperiled species face in the real world. Dr. Leah Gerber will integrate theories from behavioral ecology with quantitative techniques in demography to examine the effects of reproductive behavior on extinction risk for California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) in the Gulf of California. Dr. Gerber plans to develop an empirical research program to test hypotheses regarding the degree to which the demography of sea lions depends on three commonly studied groups of behavior-conspecific attraction, territoriality and parental investment. She will also develop a theoretical research program that links behavioral data collected in the field to models that describe the demography of sea lions and more generally of populations of conservation concern. Finally, she will use empirical data combined with her previous work on risk assessment to develop a general framework for integrating behaviors and the demographic consequences of these behaviors into estimates of extinction risk. Findings from this basic research will provide practitioners with guidelines for understanding when behavior should be an important component of a particular management strategy. Dr. Gerber's research will achieve broader impacts through undergraduate training and curriculum development, graduate and post-doctoral mentorship, outreach and communication of results to the general public and by fostering research and teaching collaborations with Mexican undergraduate institutions.