Tony Barada caught this pallid sturgeon October 9, 2007, in the Platte River near Louisville. Photo by Drew Paprock

The population dynamics of individual species or species assemblages (i.e., communities) has traditionally been at the heart of both basic and applied ecology. An understanding of population ecology requires solid foundations in both organismal biology (including taxonomy) and the mathematical/statistical tools needed for analyzing and projecting population estimates. The applied ecology faculty have diverse population-oriented research projects supporting a large number of graduate students. A number of projects partner with state and federal agencies to study threatened and endangered (T&E) species. These projects often place T&E species in a community context and assess overall biodiversity of a particular group or habitat. Because many of the Great Plains’ T&E species are associated with contested water resources (e.g. pallid sturgeon, piping plover, whooping cranes), their status is closely tied to management practices, including new efforts at adaptive management in cooperation with state and federal agencies. We also maintain strengths in the study and management of game species (e.g. fisheries). Current research addresses over-abundant and invasive species, as well as negative human-wildlife interactions. These negative interactions increasingly include wildlife – disease–human interactions (e.g. Hantavirus, Chronic Wasting Disease, West Nile Virus).