Angela D. Anders
Ph.D. Candidate
Program in Ecology, Department of Biology
321 Mueller Lab
Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA 16802
email: ada128@psu.edu
Current Position:
Refuge Manager
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
French Frigate Shoals Atoll
Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge
PO Box 50167
300 Ala Moana Room 5231
Honolulu, HI 96850
email: angela_anders@fws.gov
Education:
In progress: PhD Ecology, Pennsylvania State University
M.A. Biology, University of Missouri 1996
B.S. Biology (emphasis in Ecology), University of Missouri 1992
Research Interests:
I am interested in the factors that limit populations, and in species' life history and population responses to these factors. Previous research I've been involved in includes the study of the post-fledging ecology of Neotropical migratory landbirds, the effects of avian brood parasitic nestlings on host fitness, the mating system of a sexually dimorphic seabird species, and population dynamics of a federally endangered landbird.
My dissertation research focuses on the effects of large-scale climate change on avian population dynamics. Specifically, I am examining the effects of the North Atlantic Oscillation and the El Niño Southern Oscillation on population densities of North American landbirds using long-term climate and survey data. I am assessing the potential mechanisms by which climate affects population densities by examining the relationships between climate change, food availability, and avian productivity. I'm conducting my dissertation work with Eric Post, whose research focuses on the effects of large-scale climate on life history traits and population and community dynamics in mammals, plants, and birds.
Research Highlighted:
The first publication from my dissertation was highlighted in Science's Editor's Choice column:
Chin, G., Editor. 2006. Editor's Choice: Long-term loss of landbirds. Science 311: 1073.
Publications:
Anders, A.D. and E. Post. 2006. Distribution-wide effects of climate on population densities of a declining migratory landbird. Journal of Animal Ecology 75: 221-227.
Dearborn, D.C., A.D. Anders, and J.B. Williams. 2005. Courtship display by great frigatebirds, Fregata minor: an energetically costly handicap signal? Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 58: 397-406.
Anders, A.D. and M.R. Marshall. 2005. Increasing the accuracy of productivity and survival estimates in assessing landbird population status. Conservation Biology 19: 66-74.
Anders, A.D. and D.C. Dearborn. 2004. Population trends of the endangered golden-cheeked warbler on Fort Hood, Texas, from 1992-2001. Southwestern Naturalist 49: 39-47.
Dearborn, D.C., A.D. Anders, E.A. Schreiber, R.M.M. Adams, and U.G. Mueller. 2003. Inter-island movements and population differentiation in a pelagic seabird. Molecular Ecology 12: 2835-2843.
Dearborn, D.C., A.D. Anders, and P.G. Parker. 2001. Sexual dimorphism, extrapair fertilizations, and operational sex ratio in great frigatebirds (Fregata minor). Behavioral Ecology 12: 746-752.
Dearborn, D.C., A.D. Anders, and E.N. Flint. 2001. Trends in reproductive success of Hawaiian seabirds: is guild membership a good criterion for choosing indicator species? Biological Conservation 101: 97-103.
Dearborn, D.C., and A.D. Anders. 2000. Occurrence and breeding behavior of Lesser Frigatebirds (Fregata ariel) on Tern Island, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Pacific Seabirds 27 (1): 2-5.
Anders, A.D., J. Faaborg, and F.R. Thompson III. 1998. Post-fledging dispersal, habitat use, and home-range size of juvenile Wood Thrushes. Auk 115: 349-358.
Dearborn, D.C., A.D. Anders, F.R. Thompson III, and J. Faaborg. 1998. Effects of cowbird parasitism on parental provisioning and nestling food acquisition and growth in the Indigo Bunting. Condor 100 (2): 326-334.
Anders, A.D., D.C. Dearborn, J. Faaborg, and F.R. Thompson III. 1997. Juvenile survival in a population of neotropical migrant birds. Conservation Biology 11 (3): 698-707.
Faaborg, J., A.D. Anders, M.E. Baltz, and W.K. Gram. 1996. Non-breeding season considerations for the conservation of migratory birds in the midwest. In F.R. Thompson III, editor. Management of midwestern landscapes for the conservation of neotropical migratory birds. USFS General Technical Report NC-187.
