| Affiliations: | STEM Research Leadership |
| Project Leader: | Nicole Stevens nstevens@tamu.edu Ecology and Conservation Biology |
| Faculty Mentor: | Lee Fitzgerald, Ph.D. |
| Meeting Times: | TBA |
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Team Size:
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4 |
| Open Spots: | 4 |
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Special Opportunities:
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Interested students will have the opportunity to collect and analyze real scientific data with potential for conference presentations and/or manuscript co-authorship.
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Team Needs:
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Some basic ecology coursework or experience is highly encouraged, especially related to mammals. Most importantly, ideal students should have interest and motivation for learning science! Timing is flexible and data can be collected on the student’s schedule. Game camera footage can be viewed and data recorded remotely, while stomach dissection will have to take place in the lab. There will also be opportunities for higher-level data analysis if the student has experience in R. |
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Description:
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In summer 2023, researchers spent six weeks in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands trapping invasive mongoose to study their impact on the native ecosystem. Data was collected on mongoose body size, trap preference, habitat, and sex ratios, but we have not yet compiled data from game camera footage or stomach contents. Camera data will be useful to assess mongoose behavior and to detect additional individuals or other species that were not physically trapped during the study. Stomach content analysis will be used to assess mongoose diet as this has not been formally studied since the 1950s. |