Jason D. Fischer

Doctoral Student in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology

 

Curriculum Vitae (PDF)

 

Jason Fischer

Education

B.S., Biology, University of Puget Sound (2004)

 

Research Interests

Despite the dramatic habitat alterations and disturbances associated with urban environments, wildlife can be found in all portions of a city. I am interested in how human actions shape the lives of urban wildlife, from individual responses to community assembly. As cities continue to grow exponentially in the coming decades, a deeper understanding of the nature of interactions between humans and wildlife will be essential to directing urban growth in a way that will maximize biodiversity in the habitats where we live and work.

 

Personal Interests

When not doing research, my time is spent with my wife, Sara, and our son, Liam, who was born on July 20, 2010. We love spending time outdoors, and so far we’ve taken Liam hiking in the redwoods of California, sledding down what passes for a hill in east-central Illinois, and bird banding. I’m not sure he got a lot out of the experiences, but my wife and I enjoyed ourselves! We’re looking forward to more adventures with him as he continues to develop and discover the world around him.

 

Project

Food Availability and Predation Risk: Explaining Avian Abundance Along an Urbanization Gradient

 

Select Publications

Schneider, S.C., J.D. Fischer, and J.R. Miller. Two-sided edge response of avian assemblages in an urban landscape. Urban Ecosystems. In Press.

 

Frasz, L.M., J.D. Fischer, and J.R. Miller. 2014. Effects of experience and a visual aid on ptilochronology. Journal of Ornithology 155:319-322.

 

Fischer, J.D., S.H. Cleeton, T.P. Lyons, and J.R. Miller. 2012. Urbanization and the predation paradox: the role of trophic dynamics in structuring wildlife communities. Bioscience 62:809-818.

 

Presentations

Fischer, J.D., and J.R. Miller. Direct and indirect effects of supplemental food on house finch populations. 131st Annual American Ornithologists’ Union and 83rd Annual Cooper Ornithological Society Joint Meeting, Chicago, Illinois. August, 2013 (oral presentation).

 

Hartland, R.H., J.D. Fischer, and J.R. Miller. The relationship between body condition and potential plumage signals in the American goldfinch across an urbanization gradient. 131st Annual American Ornithologists’ Union and 83rd Annual Cooper Ornithological Society Joint Meeting, Chicago, Illinois. August, 2013 (poster).

 

Fischer, J.D., and J.R. Miller. The impact of urbanization on daily feeding activity of songbirds: a test of foraging theory. Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, Portland, OR. August 2012. (oral presentation)

 

Frasz, L.M., Fischer, J.D., and J.R. Miller. Effects of experience and a visual aid on ptilochronology. University of Illinois Undergraduate Research Symposium, Urbana, IL. April 2012. (poster presentation)

 

Fischer, J.D., J.R. Miller, T.P. Lyons, and S.H. Cleeton. Surviving in the city: a review of urban predation and its impacts on avian communities. International Urban Wildlife Management and Planning Conference, Austin, Texas. May, 2011. (poster)

 

Fischer, J.D, and J.R. Miller. Food for thought: anthropogenic food sources and their impact on avian diversity. International Symposium on Urban Wildlife and the Environment, Amherst, Massachusetts. June, 2009. (poster)

 

Fischer, J.D., and J.R. Miller. The relationship between homeowners and urban birds as defined by the practice of bird feeding. 71st Annual Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference, Springfield, Illinois. December, 2009. (oral presentation).

 

Fischer, J.D. Female-defense polygyny in the chestnut-headed oropendola. Council On International Educational Exchange, Program in Tropical Ecology, Spring Symposium, Monteverde, Costa Rica. May, 2004. (oral presentation)

 

Contact

Program in Ecology, Evolution, & Conservation Biology
University of Illinois
W411 Turner Hall,
1102 S. Goodwin Ave.
Urbana, IL 61801

fischer9@illinois.edu

 

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