Research
CURRENT PROJECTS
RARITY VALUE & OVEREXPLOITATION
Between unsustainable harvest, the transport of invasive species, and the spread of novel pathogens, wildlife trade is a threat to thousands of species worldwide. At particular risk are rare species for which demand is high; examples include elephant tusks for the ivory trade, pangolin scales, and sturgeon eggs. I use big data and mathematical modeling techniques to improve our ability to identify the key biological and socio-economic factors that cause trade to drive species to the brink of extinction.
Photo credit: Gregg Yan
HERPETOFAUNAL EXPOS
Reptiles and amphibians make popular pets! My research group explores using herpetofaunal pet expos as a “model system” for understanding how in-person surveys of wildlife markets can be improved to bolster our ability to monitor trade and support a healthy exotic pet trade.
ECOSYSTEM IMPACTS OF OVEREXPLOITATION
Species are not affected equally by human-caused threats, with extinction risk depending on ecological traits such as diet specificity, abundance, and life-history strategy. In the case of commercial wildlife harvest, however, extinction risk can also be driven by traits that are desired by consumers, such as attractive coloration, unique morphological characteristics, or rarity. Importantly, species traits are often clustered within taxonomic groups, meaning consumer demand for certain morphological traits can result in incidental demand for ecological traits, threatening the functioning of ecosystems.