Hillary Robison
Education:
| B.A. | Integrative Biology |
| University of California, Berkeley | |
| Berkeley, CA |
Research Interests:
I am interested in using molecular
genetic techniques to answer questions relevant to the ecology and conservation
of species. My Ph.D. dissertation research focuses on how army cutworm moth
(Euxoa auxiliaris) (ACM) migration and population genetics may influence grizzly
bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) conservation in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
(GYE). ACMs are native to North America; with the intensification of agriculture
in the Great Plains, their larvae have become agricultural pests. Adult ACMs
emerge in June and migrate from the Great Plains to talus slopes between 9-12,000'
in the Rocky Mountains where they are consumed by grizzlies by the thousands.
ACMs are the richest food source available to grizzlies in the GYE, and a
grizzly foraging on ACMs can consume half of its yearly energy needs in 30
days.
Investigating the variability at ACM microsatellite loci may allow determination
of the specific Great Plains origins of ACMs. Determining ACM origins is important
because pressures, either natural (i.e., weather) or human-caused (i.e., pesticides
or habitat loss), in ACM natal areas or while ACMs are enroute from their
natal areas to the Rocky Mountains may affect ACM recruitment and the numbers
of adult ACMs reaching high elevation sites where they are fed on by grizzly
bears. This study will provide groundwork for further investigations of the
effects of ACM variability in abundance on grizzly bear conservation. I have
received grants from the Yellowstone Park Foundation, Camp Fire Conservation
Fund, the International Bear Association, the Rob & Bessie Welder Wildlife
Foundation, the American Museum of Natural History, the Wyoming Chapter of
the Wildlife Society, and Sigma Xi for this research. Donations from the Turner
Foundation, the Benice Barbour Foundation, Earth Friends, and the National
Park Foundation were also contributed through the Yellowstone Park Foundation.
This project is coordinated through the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team
and the Yellowstone National Park Bear Management Office.
