Monica Bond

I am a wildlife biologist with an emphasis on integrating behavioral ecology and demography to conserve threatened species. My PhD research focuses on dynamics and persistence of a socially and spatially structured giraffe population in a coupled natural-human ecosystem. I am building upon a long-term database of >3,100 individually identified giraffes in the Tarangire Ecosystem of northern Tanzania to investigate fine-grained biological and ecological factors underlying social and spatial population dynamics. I am studying social networks, herd dynamics, and natal dispersal. Results from my research will have important implications for conservation and management of giraffes and other tropical ungulates inhabiting increasingly fragmented ecosystems.

Previously I studied space use by small mammals and Burrowing Owls in grasslands, habitat use by spotted owls in burned landscapes, and demography of northern elephant seals and arboreal salamanders in California and Hawaiian monk seals in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

Research Interests:
Sociality and demography of giraffes in Tanzania
Spatial & temporal abundance and distribution of ungulates in a fragmented ecosystem of Tanzania
Fire ecology of Spotted Owls & Black-backed Woodpeckers in California
Space use by small mammals in western grasslands