Desert Ecology

I am interested in the influences of temperature on the behavior of desert arthropods. In the high elevation (6,000 feet) deserts near Cedar City, Utah, I conducted two studies which are described further in the publications (2002) part of this website. I was the first to show that ants in the sagebrush areas (like the picture above) orient their several-foot high mounds in order to capture the morning sunlight and heat up their mounds. In a study of a rare species of tiger beetle in the Coral-Pink sand dunes near Zion National Park, a colleague and I discovered that they prefer drier inter-dune areas than another species of tiger beetle. This discovery helped to formulate a state management plan to help the recovery of the rare species.