Anna Chalfoun

Anna Chalfoun

Anna Chalfoun

Anna joined the Unit in May, 2011 as the Assistant Unit Leader for Wildlife after working in a similar capacity with the Unit and Department of Zoology and Physiology as a Research Scientist beginning spring, 2008.  She has an undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences from Smith College, an M.S. in Wildlife Science with a Conservation Biology emphasis from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and a Ph.D. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana-Missoula.

Anna’s work has largely focused on understanding wildlife-habitat relationships, and especially the contexts under which habitat choices are adaptive. A primary focal system for this work has been nest site selection in passerine birds and its consequences for the probability of nest predation. Other interests have included understanding the impacts of habitat fragmentation, and the evolution of life history traits with a focus on parental care behaviors in birds.

Current work in her lab spans multiple taxa (avian, mammalian, herpetofaunal) and has an emphasis on understanding the impacts of various types of anthropogenic change. Anna and her graduate students have on-going projects focused on birds and energy development (natural gas, coal-bed methane, wind), climate change impacts and the American pika, the impacts of the current mountain pine beetle pandemic on lodgepole birds and small mammals, and the utility of using the sage-grouse as an umbrella species for the conservation and management of non-game sagebrush species of concern. A primary focus of work in the lab is to provide timely information to agency cooperators to facilitate the management of Wyoming’s non-game wildlife species of greatest conservation need.

Professional Preparation and Appointments

Professional Preparation

Smith College

University of Missouri-Columbia

University of Montana- Missoula

University of Wyoming

Biological Sciences

Wildlife Science/Conservation Biology

Wildlife Biology

Wildlife Biology

B.A., 1995

M.S., 2000

Ph.D., 2006

Postdoc 2007-2008

 

Appointments

Assistant Unit Leader for Wildlife

Assistant Professor

Faculty

Research Scientist

Instructor

Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming

Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming

Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming

Wildlife Biology, University of Montana

2011-

2011-

2011-

2008-2011

2006

Publications

Gilbert, M. M. and A. D. Chalfoun. 2011. Energy development affects populations of sagebrush songbirds in Wyoming. Journal of Wildlife Management 75:816-824. View PDF

Chalfoun, A. D., and T. E. Martin. 2010. Parental investment decisions in response to ambient nest predation risk versus actual predation on the prior nest. Condor 112:701-710.

Chalfoun, A. D., and T. E. Martin.  2010.  Facultative nest patch shifts in response to nest predation risk in the Brewer’s sparrow: A win-stay, lose-switch strategy? Oecologia 163:885-892.

Chalfoun, A. D., and T. E. Martin.  2009. Habitat structure mediates predation risk for sedentary prey: Experimental tests of alternative hypotheses.  Journal of Animal Ecology 78:497-503.

Chalfoun, A. D., and T. E. Martin. 2007.  Assessments of habitat preferences and quality depend on spatial scale and metrics of fitness. Journal of Applied Ecology 44: 983-992.

Chalfoun, A. D., and T. E. Martin. 2007.  Latitudinal variation in avian incubation attentiveness and an experimental test of the food limitation hypothesis.  Animal Behaviour 73: 579-585.

Chalfoun, A., F. Thompson III., and M. Ratnaswamy. 2002.  Nest predators and fragmentation: a review and meta-analysis.  Conservation Biology 16: 306-318.

Chalfoun, A., M. Ratnaswamy, and F. Thompson III. 2002.  Songbird nest predators in forest-pasture edge and forest interior in a fragmented landscape.  Ecological Applications 12:858-867.

Projects