IRES Track I: International Research in The Bahamas: Conservation Biology of the Critically Endangered Bahama Oriole

University Of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Abstract

The fundamental goals of this proposal are increasing the diversity of students studying environmental science and training the next generation of global scientists. US students will work in collaborative teams with scientists from UMBC and the Bahamas to study the critically endangered Bahama Oriole. Six students per year will work with mentors doing international research in the Bahamas, followed by data analysis and presentation back at UMBC. These projects will enable students to develop deep understanding of a range of topics in environmental science related to island ecosystems, extinction and climate dynamics. Island ecosystems have always been vulnerable to human impacts, and many island species are endangered or have become extinct. The islands of the Caribbean represent a biodiversity hotspot that is acutely threatened by climate variations. The Caribbean is home to fifteen endangered songbird species, including the critically endangered Bahama Oriole (Icterus northropi). The proposed student research experience is a collaboration between the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and The Bahamas National Trust (BNT) to determine the status of the Bahama Oriole and to understand how habitat and climate change may affect it. In the current global extinction crisis, islands are especially vulnerable, and most endangered and extinct avian species are (or were) island species. The Bahama Oriole is now restricted to Andros, having been extirpated from Abaco in the 1990s. The likely threats facing the Bahama Oriole are typical for island species, ranging from introduced predators to anthropogenic habitat change. The impacts of climate change on endemic species in the Caribbean may be especially intense drying and warming are altering fire regimes while rising sea levels and increased hurricane intensity are causing forest mortality. The proposed student research projects address the full scope of these issues facing this critically endangered songbird. Teams of Bahamian and US mentors will together advise undergraduate students on a series of independent research projects. One UMBC PhD student will be continually on-site in the Bahamas to help mentor the students. Student projects will teach the students skills that can be applied in a range of STEM careers. Project topics include 1) population ecology (e.g., estimating population size), 2) remote sensing (e.g., effects of climate change on pine habitat), and 3) predation (e.g., radio tracking to study annual survival). Recently, the research team conducted two pilot trips with diverse teams of students from UMBC and The Bahamas. These student-led efforts confirmed the feasibility of these projects and demonstrated how little is known about the Bahama Oriole. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.