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Graduate students: | Michael Andersen | Elisa Bonaccorso | Brett Benz | Guojun Chen | Pete Hosner | Leo Legra | Andrés Lira-Noriega | Yoshinori Nakazawa | Árpád Nyári | Carl Oliveros | Monica Papes | Richard Williams | Postdoctoral researchers: | Sarah Bush | Recently graduated students: see here The University of Kansas, Division of Ornithology, 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard, Dyche Hall, Lawrence, KS 66045-7562 | fax: (785) 864-5335 Michael Andersen | Ph.D. student | email
Advisor: Dr. Robert Moyle Research Interests: I recently arrived as a student in the bird division at KU’s Musem of Natural History. Broadly speaking, my interests lie in the diversity and biogeography of birds, with particular interests in the Neotropical avifauna. While I have not yet formalized a research project, I suspect it will involve topics in the patterns and processes of avian speciation and diversification, biogeography, phylogenetics, and the evolution of behavioral characters such as vocalizations. Other related interests include birding, specimen preparation, field collecting, and museum curation, natural sound recording, and traveling. Publications: click here
Elisa Bonaccorso | Ph.D. candidate | email
Advisor: Dr. Linda Trueb (KU Herpetology Division) and Dr. Townsend Peterson Research Interests: My interests center on questions of comparative biogeography, molecular systematics, and conservation of Neotropical fauna. My dissertation research is on the phylogenetic relationships of toucanets (genus Aulacorhynchus ) and jays (genus Cyanolyca). My results will be integrated with studies on other taxa to seek idiosyncratic and shared patterns of diversification and speciation in the Neotropics. Other current projects include biological inventories and collecting fieldwork in Ecuador and Venezuela, a molecular phylogeny for the New World Jays, and using ecological niche modeling to assess distributional changes of Amazon plant species during the last 100k years. Publications: click here
Brett W. Benz | Ph.D. candidate | email
Advisor: Dr. Townsend Peterson Research Interests: My primary research interests lie in phylogenetic ethology, and modes of intersexual selection as they relate to driving macroevolutionary trait diversity in avian lineages. I am also interested in geographic patterns of avian diversity and the historical processes responsible for this diversification; topics that will form the core of my PhD dissertation research, which centers on comparative montane biogeography of the New Guinea avifauna. In pursuing my interests in development of ornithological collections and constructing a molecular dataset for my PhD research, I continue to conduct extensive field studies across the highlands of New Guinea, facilitating a related research project, examining the evolution of behaviour in polygynous Amblyornis bowerbirds as well as other members of the family. I am also currently investigating phylogenetic relationships, historical biogeography, and character evolution in the woodpeckers and allies, by developing a 3 kb molecular data set for genus level analyses of the Picidae, and species level analyses in the Neotropical radiations of Picumnus and Celeus. Publications: click here
Dr. Sarah Bush | postdoctoral research fellow | email
Future Directions: The fauna of southern China is incredibly diverse, including many endemic animals, yet this area has received little scientific attention. This region is under increasing pressure to convert remaining wildlife habitat over to agriculture. Given this pressure, faunal surveys of the area are urgent. I am working with Dr. A. T. Peterson here at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum, on a biotic inventory of the fauna of southern borderlands of China. The vertebrates in southern China are being surveyed by ornithologists, mammologists, herpetologists. All of these vertebrates are commonly infested by parasites such as: fleas, flies, lice, ticks, mites, cestodes, nematodes, trematodes, hematazoa, and coccidia. Specifically, I am working with biologists that specialize on each of these groups of parasites to create a faunal survey of the parasites of southern China. For the latest on the Biotic Surveys and Inventories of Southern China please visit this website. Publications: click here
Guojun Chen | Ph.D. candidate | email
Research Interests: Biodiversity and conservation of Chinese avifauna.
Pete Hosner | Ph.D. student | email
Research Interests: I recently arrived at KU after four years of wandering around various places (mostly South America, but also in the states for funding and a little time in SE Asia) in search of birds, experiences, ideas for projects, and compromising situations that seemed serious at the time but now make for good stories. Way back in undergrad I studied conservation and ecology, but my interests have shifted towards topics such as speciation, diversification, biogeography, phylogenetics, and evolution of life history. I haven't settled on a dissertation project yet, but it will be on one of these topics working on tropical birds. My heart lies somewhere in a high cloud forest in South America (where it is cold, wet, shivering, and complaining about something), but for my dissertation I may be doing some work in SE Asia. I'd go on an expedition or start a project just about anywhere anyone would send me. Other interests include birding, sound recording, specimen preparation, backpacking, reading, good food (with wine and good company to go with), tennis (occasionally other sports), and good old rock and roll. Publications: click here
Leo Legra | M.S. student | email Advisor: Dr. Townsend Peterson Research Interests: My interests revolves around the fascinating world of raptors throughout Papua New Guinea, endemics, endangered species, conservation and the avian fauna of PNG in general. I have not decided on what I will be doing for my major thesis but in the mean time I am working on some projects focusing on the Biodiversity of the New Guinea region.
Andrés Lira-Noriega | Ph.D. student | email Advisor: Dr. Townsend Peterson and Dr. Jorge Soberón Research Interests: I am mainly interested in the description and analysis of species diversity at multiple spatial scales - including the factors that determine species richness at local and regional levels, as well as the evaluation and assessment of beta-diversity in relation to the ecological niche theory. These interests emerged from my Bachelor’s degree thesis, while working with the floristic composition of pastures at a landscape scale in Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, Mexico. There, I focused on the importance of understanding the role of community ecology and biogeography, as well as on the relevance of integrating the socioeconomic factors that determine part of the dynamics of those plant communities. Subsequently, I did my M.S. thesis on the avifauna of the central part of Mexico, analyzing distributional patterns of alpha, beta and gamma diversities by means of primary biodiversity data and distribution maps. Before coming to KU I was working in Mexico at the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) in the analysis of conservation gaps and omissions compared with the current protected areas network. I worked as an analyst in a national study for the evaluation of the knowledge on biodiversity in Mexico, focusing on five main topics: knowledge, conservation, sustainable use and policies, human and institutional capabilities, and future scenarios. Publications: click here
Yoshinori Nakazawa | Ph.D. candidate | email Advisor: Dr. Townsend Peterson and Dr. Stephen Egbert Research Interests: I have been working in the field of Ecological Niche Modeling since my undergraduate thesis in which I explored its potential on the study of the ecology of migratory birds. Since I arrived to KU I got involved in other applications of the niche models in diseases and invasive species ecology, biogeography and macroecology. My focus during the PhD is to learn techniques from the field of Geography such as GIS methods, Remote Sensing and image interpretation and geostatistics and spatial statistics in order to enrich the ecological, biogeographical and macroecological knowledge and study of species and biodiversity. Publications: click here
 Árpád Nyári | Ph.D. student | emailAdvisor: Dr. Townsend Peterson Research Interests: The focus of my masters project was aimed at exploring genetic differentiation and phylogeographic patterns in a Neotrocpical suboscine passerine (Schiffornis turdina) and contrast those findings with known variations in vocalizations. Hopefully my study would prove useful not only in establishing species limits within Schiffornis turdina but also contribute to an ever growing body of phylogenetic data on Neotropical avian taxa. For my PhD dissertation I am focusing on a comparative phylogeographic framework of Australo-Papuan mangrove-inhabiting birds. Besides exploring phylogeographic questions I am also interested in character evolution, integrating ecological niche modeling and comparative phylogeography, modeling potentially invasive species via ecological niche modeling and exploring conservation strategies by combining museum specimen data with use of remotely sensed environmental datasets. My other interests include natural history, museum specimen preparation and curation, photography, and playing Badminton. I am also responsible for designing this website. Publications: click here
My photography homepage (requires Macromedia Flash and a recommended screen resolution of 1280 x 1024) is in the testing phase, but please feel free to take a look and let me know if you like it!
Carl Oliveros | M.S. student | email
Research Interests: My research focuses on systematics and biogeography in the Philippines. I am also involved in small island ecosystem conservation in the Philippines with a focus in the Babuyan Islands and the island-endemic Gallirallus calayanensis. Publications: click here
Monica Papes | Ph.D. candidate | email
Research Interests: My interests generally revolve around the geography, ecology, and conservation of birds. My dissertation research is a remote-sensing approach to the study of seasonal movements of tropical frugivorous birds, based on fine-resolution, multi- or hyper-spectral imagery. More broadly, my research interests include conservation biology, ecological niche modeling, and GIS. Publications: click here
Richard Williams | Ph.D. candidate | email
Research Interests: West Nile Virus (WNV) in birds, particularly bird migration and movement, and the effect this has on the WNV transmission cycle. Other Flaviviruses present in the avian reservoir. Ecological niche modeling of invasive plants.
Edwin Scholes III (Advisor: Dr. Richard Prum) - PhD graduate (2006), currently at Cornell University. Marina Anciaes (Advisor: Dr. Richard Prum) - PhD graduate (2005), currently postdoctoral student in Manaus, Brazil. Oliver Komar (Advisor: Dr. Townsend Peterson) - PhD graduate (2005), currently director of the Conservation Science Program for the leading environmental organization SalvaNATURA in El Salvador. Alexis F. L. A. Powell (Advisors: Dr. Townsend Peterson and Dr. Richard Prum) - M.S. graduate (2004), currently pursuing a PhD degree at the University of Minnesota. Richard Sherry (Advisor: Dr. Richard Prum) - M.S. graduate (2004), now teaching at Johnson County Community College.
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Copyright © 2007 | The University of Kansas | Division of Ornithology
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Research Interests: Parasites are an incredibly diverse assemblage of organisms that infest a diverse assemblage of hosts. Yet, most parasites are specialized. Most parasites have unique adaptations that allow them to competitively and efficiently exploit a specific host. Still, even highly specialized, host specific, parasites occasionally switch to new host species. A successful host switch requires that the parasite disperse to and establish (survive and reproduce) on the new host species. My thesis work focused on ecological factors influencing parasite establishment using doves (Columbiformes) and their host specific feather lice (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera) as a study system. In a series of transfer experiments I showed that host size influences parasite establishment. Lice are able to establish on novel host species that are similar in size to their native host. In contrast, lice cannot establish on smaller or larger novel hosts. Why? While lice are able to feed on and remain attached to feathers from a wide variety host sizes, lice are unable to escape from host defense on smaller novel hosts. Consequently, lice cannot establish on smaller novel host species. On large novel host species, lice move more slowly. Slowed locomotion may increase energetic costs and may decrease the ability of a louse to find and compete for food, mates, or ovipositioning sites, thus preventing establishment on larger novel hosts.
Advisor: Dr. Townsend Peterson 
Advisor: Dr. Robert Moyle 
Advisor: Dr. Robert Moyle 
Advisor: Dr. Townsend Peterson 
Advisor: Dr. Townsend Peterson