Current Research

I have a number of research interests in ecology. Much of my work has been focused on the ecology, behavior, and evolution of birds. I am especially interested in designing research that meets the needs of policy-makers and resource managers, while also addressing basic questions in ecology. I currently have several areas of research related to the ecology of birds. If you are interested in seeing the work I have completed, visit my "old" research page and my publications page.

A major focus of my lab's research has been on grassland birds breeding in an ecosystem heavily modified by agriculture. This research, begun in 2002, is being conducted in collaboration with L. LaReesa Wolfenbarger, an Associate Professor of Biology at UNO. Our research recognizes that native prairie has been heavily impacted by human activities over much of North America. Where grassland species persist, agricultural ecosystems tend to be in close proximity. How agricultural ecosystems are managed is likely to have a strong influence on the suitability of grassland habitats for breeding birds. The research program combines population-level studies of Dickcissels (Spiza americana) with community-level work looking at the grassland bird community in relation to vegetation and food supply. Our work is being supported by the US Department of Agriculture and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. To learn more about the Grassland Birds Project, follow this link.

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Migrating Shorebirds and Agriculture

The second main focus of research in our lab is on the stop-over ecology of shorebirds migrating through Nebraska's Rainwater Basin in the spring. This work is being done in collaboration with L. LaReesa Wolfenbarger here at UNO and with Joel G. Jorgensen of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. This work developed out of research Joel's did for his master's thesis in our lab (Jorgensen, J. G. 2007. Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Tryngites subruficollis) Abundance, Habitat Use, and Distribution During Migratory Stopover in the Rainwater Basin, Nebraska. M.S. Thesis, Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha). We are focusing on how rare Buff-breasted Sandpipers use agricultural lands while resting during their spring migration between South America and their arctic breeding grounds.

Be sure to watch the Buff-breasted Sandpiper Show on NonGame Bird Television!!

Graduate Student Research in the McCarty-Wolfenbarger Lab

LaReesa Wolfenbarger and I co-advise all of our graduate students. While much of the work in our lab focuses on birds, recent graduate students have asked questions about butterflies, herbivorous insects, and nest predators such as snakes and small mammals.

Completed Graduate Student Theses:

Lindsay Brown 2017. Landscape and local features that influence habitat use and behavior of shorebirds in agriculture fields during migration in the Rainwater Basin, Nebraska. MS Thesis, University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Emily Geest 2017. Recruitment, survival, and parasitism of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) in residential gardens and conservation areas. MS Thesis, University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Aaron Young 2017. Seasonal fecundity and post-fledging survival and habitat selection of Henslow’s Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii). MS Thesis, University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Chase Wickard. 2017. Landscape effects on Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) densities and upland bird abundances in CRP patches. MS Thesis, University of Nebraska at Omaha.

James Nooyen, Jr. 2016. The Effect of Arthropod Biomass on Post-fledging Survival and Movement of the Dickcissel (Spiza americana). MS Thesis, University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Jason E. Andersen. 2015. The Effects of the 2011 Missouri River Flood on the Populations of Breeding Grassland Birds at DeSoto and Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuges. MS Thesis, University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Heather D. Wills. 2013. Physiological Impacts of Wind Turbines on a Grassland Breeding Galliform, the Greater Prairie Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido). MS Thesis, University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Michelle C. Biodrowski. 2013. The Effects of Patch Burn Grazing on Breeding Grassland Birds. MS Thesis, University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Melissa E. Mount. 2013. Effects of Urbanization on the Species Richness and Abundance of Native Grassland Birds. MS Thesis, University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Erin M. Kucera. 2011. Effects of Grazing on Vegetation and Grassland Bird Densities in the Nebraska Sandhills Prairie. MS Thesis, University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Jorgensen, Joel G. 2007. Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Tryngites subruficollis) Abundance, Habitat Use, and Distribution During Migratory Stopover in the Rainwater Basin, Nebraska. M.S. Thesis, Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Zooknrider, Nichollette L. 2006. The cumulative effects of using transgenic herbicide-tolerant (HT) soybeans on plant and butterfly diversity in marginal field habitat. M.S. Thesis, Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Klug, Page 2005. The effects of local grassland habitat and surrounding landscape composition on the predators of grassland bird nests. M.S. Thesis, Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Berkeley, Lorelle I. 2004. The postfledging ecology of Dickcissels (Spiza americana). M.S. Thesis, Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Engberg, Shannon E. 2004. Landscape and habitat effects on grassland birds. M.S. Thesis, Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha.