Justine Smith

I am a doctoral student at the University of California, Santa Cruz. My research examines how anthropogenic disturbances influence carnivore behavior and the consequent effects on animal communities. Changes in carnivore behavior are likely to have impacts throughout ecological systems by means of alterations to trophic dynamics, community structure, and space-use of other species. I am combining spatial ecology, behavioral ecology, and conservation biology to investigate changes in carnivore hunting behavior in a fragmented landscape and determine the ramifications on the animal community of the Santa Cruz Mountains.