IRES: Behavioral ecology of reptiles in the Namib Desert, Namibia

National Center For Cooperative Education, Lawrence KS

Investigators

Abstract

1065532 Abstract With this award Drs. Douglas and Maria Eifler of the Erell Institute, Lawrence, Kansas, will carry out collaborative research with faculty from the Gobabeb Training and Research Center in Namibia. In this International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) project, students from the U.S. and Namibia together will engage in research on the behavior of Namib Desert lizards. Projects will be supervised jointly with Center faculty and may include studies of foraging behavior, social structure, or movement patterns, as well as the impact of mining on lizard behavior and distribution. The intellectual merit of this project is based on its broad focus on ecological dynamics and interconnectedness in a fragile arid ecosystem. Each of the student projects - lizard foraging, sociality, land use and effects from human land use - contributes a unique dimension. Given the observability of lizards, the research plans are realistic and likely to generate new scientific understandings pivotal to desert ecology. These results will be used to validate or adjust existing theories developed in other arid environments (US, South America, Australia). The study will also contribute to the emerging field of herpetological conservation. The broader impacts include development and dissemination of knowledge of the dynamic and interconnected nature of desert ecosystems, training students in behavioral ecology with a global perspective and diversifying the science and technology workforce. Workforce development is accomplished through professional development activities, including a journal club, writing and presentation assignments, as well as social and cultural activities. These efforts build upon the Eifler's successful mentoring of undergraduate field-based ecology research with Native American students in diverse field locations (Costa Rica, Mexico, and the Caribbean).