Mentor: Jameson Chace, Salve Regina University
Project Location
Salve Regina University
Project Description
Colonial nesting waterbirds occur on protected islands across Narragansett Bay and Osprey breeding populations have rebounded throughout many of the tributaries to the Bay. Whereas, the more numerous songbirds nesting in the coastal wetlands and maritime shrublands continue to experience long-term declines. These species, collectively, have responded to environmental quality in the past and are sentinels of future changes in the ecosystem.
During the breeding season, we will monitor the reproductive health of these species and combine current with historic breeding information and changes in land use. Furthermore, we will pilot a study to quantify the bioaccumulation of toxins sequestered in the tissues of the young born this year.
RI NSF EPSCoR is supported in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation under EPSCoR Cooperative Agreements #OIA-2433276 and in part by the RI Commerce Corporation via the Science and Technology Advisory Committee [STAC]. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation, the RI Commerce Corporation, STAC, our partners or our collaborators.