Our research uses movement ecology as a framework to understand how individuals and populations respond to changes in their environment in order to project how future change may alter a population’s dynamics and evolutionary trajectory. ​
Our Philosophy
​The natural world knows no political boundaries. That means that we are all stakeholders in the conservation of our biodiversity and our lab welcomes the involvement of anyone and everyone, no matter where they come from or how they identify themselves. We are also working to overcome our own biases, as well as those that have long prevailed in the scientific and conservation communities, by learning from and engaging with the communities whose lives intersect with the species we study.

Breaking News

  • Congrats to Maina Handmaker and Lauren Puleo for winning the best talk and best poster awards, respectively, at the 100th Association of Field Ornithologists Conference! Maina's talk focused on the extreme levels of site fidelity exhibited by Whimbrel during their migratory stopovers in South Carolina, while Lauren's poster detailed the surprising recent reversal in trends in migratory timing in Hudsonian Godwits. Hopefully you will be able to read more about both studies soon!
  • Undergraduate researchers Sara Padula and Maggie Pelton--along with mentors Jenny Linscott and Julian Garcia-Walther, as well as team members from South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and Kiawah and Seabrook islands--found that Kiawah and Seabrook islands off the coast of South Carolina host more than 40% of the global population of rufa Red Knots. They also found that many of the knots stopping over on the islands subsequently fly nonstop to the Canadian Arctic. Combined, their results demonstrate the Kiawah and Seabrook are critical sites for knots during northward migration. You can read more here in their article in Wader Study.​
nsenner at umass.edu
Department of Environmental Conservation
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Holdsworth Hall 219
Amherst, Massachusetts, U.S.A.