Ashleigh is a master’s student at the University of Wyoming, based in the WY Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. Originally from Montana, she considers herself a true Wyomingite after graduating from the University of Wyoming with her BSc in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology and Management in 2018. During her undergrad, Ashleigh worked catching dark-eyed juncos outside of Teton National Park, investigating grassland birds and cattle grazing systems, and on the Wyoming Range Mule Deer project.
Ashleigh’s research will focus on understanding how energy development alters trophic dynamics and species interactions between sagebrush-obligate songbirds and deer mice. This project will address whether nest predation by deer mice is additive or compensatory mortality and investigate the indirect effects of deer mouse competition/predation on songbird nesting success.
During her free time Ashleigh enjoys birding (of course!), cross country skiing, and hiking with her favorite adventure friend, Penny the pup.
Selected Presentations
Rhea, A.M.and A.D. Chalfoun. Of Mice and Birds: Effects of primary predator removal on sagebrush songbird nesting success. Annual Meeting of the Wyoming Chapter of the Wildlife Society. Laramie, WY. 2018
Rhea, A.M., S.M. Billerman, R.J. Weaver, D.K. Eddy, and M.D. Carling. Living with malaria: The relationships between plumage characteristics and carotenoid concentrations in infected vs. uninfected birds. Annual Meeting of the American Ornithological Society. Tucson, AZ. 2018
Rhea, A.M., Woodpeckers and Parasites: Testing for correlations between immune function and carotenoid levels. Undergraduate Research Day. Laramie, WY. 2017
Rhea, A.M., J.D. Carlisle, and A.D. Chalfoun. Investigating the variation in nestling size in three species of sagebrush songbirds. Annual Meeting of the Wyoming Chapter of the Wildlife Society. Cody, WY. 2016