People:
David Augustine
My professional interests focus on
the interface between wildlife and ecosystem management.
In North America, my past research focused primarily on
the role of white-tailed deer in forest ecosystems. As a
master’s student working with Drs. Lee Frelich and
Peter Jordan at the University of Minnesota, my research
assessed the effects of deer on the population dynamics
of rare understory plant species. More recent work in collaboration
with the USDA Forest Service extended my studies in Minnesota
to old-growth deciduous forests in New York and Pennsylvania,
where we used measures of understory forb population structure
to assess deer overabundance (see recent Ecoscience
article).
My dissertation research under Dr.
Samuel McNaughton from Syracuse University examined large
herbivores and ecosystem dynamics on managed rangeland in
central Kenya. Our studies demonstrated the importance of
phosphorous- and nitrogen-rich glades as a habitat component
for the dominant native ungulate species, impala (Aepyceros
melampus), and showed how cattle management plays a central
role in creating wildlife habitat. Ongoing, long-term exclosure
experiments are evaluating the benefits that elephants and
other native browsers can provide to ranches through the
control of shrub encroachment.
Currently, I am working for the
USDA Forest Service as the wildlife biologist for the Comanche
and Cimarron National Grasslands in Colorado and Kansas.
Here, I continue to focus on the integration of ecosystem
management with single-species wildlife management. My work
primarily focuses on developing appropriate cattle and fire
management practices on the Grasslands to ensure the long-term
viability of native wildlife populations.
To learn about David's deer grazing
research, click
here. |
