Season 2, Episode 1
Who’s Eating What? Learning About Urban and Scavenger Ecology and How Humans Affect Biodiversity with Alexis Brewer
In this episode of From the Field, our guest Alexis Brewer, a Ph.D candidate at the City University of New York, discusses the relationship between humans and wildlife and how we may affect their diets. Cue dumpster diving black bears and road kill loving vultures!
You'll Learn
Alexis’s journey towards scavenger ecology.
Human-Wildlife Interaction in our daily lives.
Scavenger and predatory animals can benefit people.
The “Yuck Factor” of scavenger ecology.
Types of scavenger animals.
The unique scavenger capabilities of the Turkey Vulture.
GPS tracking vultures – where are they finding their scavenged food?
Using Stable Isotopes to analyze vulture’s diet.
Setting up camera traps to see who’s scavenging – you’d be surprised!
Recognizing the positive in our environment – even in our backyard.
Links from the Episode:
Research Paper: Scavenging in the Anthropocene: Human Impact Drives Vertebrate Scavenger Species Richness at a Global Scale
About Alexis
ABOUT ALEXIS BREWER, PH.D CANDIDATE
Alexis Brewer is a doctoral candidate in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior subprogram of the Department of Biological Sciences at The Graduate Center of The City University of New York. Her dissertation research revolves around the intersection of urbanization, vertebrate scavenging, and the ecosystem services provided by the scavenger guild. Alexis’s background is in neuroscience and animal behavior (bachelor’s and master’s degrees, respectively). Past research projects include: the p50 auditory evoked potential response to neurological conditions and outside stimuli, and anthropogenic effects nutritional variations in the food sources for the mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata). Her ultimate goal is to continue pursuing a career in academia and field biology.
