|
|
|
 |
Campo
sujo habitat in Brazil. |
|
Meet
the next generation of conservation scientists. |
NGC funds promising students working on conservation projects in
Neotropical grasslands. The Student Grant Program (SGP) provides
much needed funds for research that leads to professional degrees
for these students and promotes the development of the next generation
of conservation scientists.
Below, read some recent examples of funded students and their projects.
 |
|
BOLIVIA
PLANTS – Seed Dispersal
Andrea Loayza, Ph.D. Candidate
An Associate Researcher of the Bolivian Fauna Collection,
Museum of Natural History, La Paz, Bolivia, Andrea studied
the role of isolated vegetation patches in a tropical savanna
in Beni, Bolivia.
Here are some questions and points of interest regarding
Andrea's research on seed dispersal in Bolivia: |
- Savannas are interspersed with continuous forest and forest
fragments. Why do some forest fragments continue growing in
savanna while other forest fragments are gradually replaced
by savanna?
- The savannas of the Beni are ideal for studying this question
because they are a naturally fragmented landscape in which
forest fragment persistence is at least partially governed
by seed dispersal dynamics.
- This project examined the processes and habitat characteristics
that promote seed dispersal into savannas with a focus on bats
as seed disbursers. Results suggest that, ultimately, seed
arrival does not lead to savanna/grassland replacement of forest,
but rather it creates habitats, which enable other species
to persist and inhabit the savanna.
 |
|
VENEZUELA
FISH – Peacock Bass
Carmen Montaña
Getting her degree from a Venezuelan university in the llanos
(UNELLEZ), Carmen is studying an important sport fish called
a peacock bass. This study will measure basic ecological
data concerning its reproduction and diet that will enable
conservationists to construct effective management programs
in the Orinoco River. |
ARGENTINA
BIRDS – Austral Rail
Juan Mazar Barnett
Juan is involved in a vital conservation effort of the Austral
Rail in Argentina (Patagonia). The Austral Rail was previously
feared extinct. However, a small population was recently found,
but little is known about its biology or ecology. This project
will provide basic information regarding this organism, and ultimately
will provide recommendations for a conservation agenda. Juan is
affiliated with the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, Buenos
Aires, Argentina.
 |
|
URUGUAY
BIRDS – Pampas Meadowlark
Adrián Azpiroz, Ph.D. Candidate
Adrián, a graduate from Universidad de la Republica,
Montevideo, Uruguay, is studying the status and distribution
of Pampas Meadowlark (Sturnella
defillippi) in northern Uruguay. Adrián’s
project will provide valuable data on the distribution, numbers,
key breeding sites, and general biology of the Pampas Meadowlark
population in southeastern Salto department, Uruguay. |
GPS data will be used to obtain geographic coordinates of all sites
of interest, and a general habitat description will be constructed.
|
| |
|
