As of summer 2005, I am no longer an assistant research scientist at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. My research interests lie at the intersection of behavior, population-community ecology, and landscape ecology. Specifically, they include:

• Spatial analysis and modeling
• Trophic interactions and food web stability
• Habitat patchiness and population fragmentation
• Population and community dynamics of mammals
• Causes and consequences of dispersal

Although my interests are diverse, a unifying theme of my work is the integration of questions across multiple levels of biological organization. For all of these projects, numerous opportunities exist for students to conduct independent research and to gain first-hand understanding of the scientific method.

SELECTED RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Harper, S. J. and R. Sharitz. 2005. Delineating sandhill communities: the use of advanced techniques to extract features from satellite imagery. p. 123-136. In Proceedings of the 4th Southern Forestry and Natural Resources GIS Conference. Warnell School of Forest Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA.

Harper, S. J., J. D. Westervelt and A. Shapiro. 2002. Modeling the movements of cowbirds: application towards management at the landscape scale. Natural Resource Modeling 15:111-131.

Harper, S.J. and G.O. Batzli. Accepted with Revisions. Effects of food quality, predators and interspecific competitors on the aggressive behaviour of prairie voles. Animal Behaviour.

Harper, S.J., J.D. Westervelt, and A.M. Shapiro. 2001. Management application of an agent-based model: control of cowbirds at the landscape scale. In: Integrating Geographic Information Systems and Agent-Based Modeling Techniques (R. Gimblett, ed.). Oxford University Press.

Shapiro, A.M., S.J. Harper, and J.D. Westervelt. 2001. Modeling cowbird occurrences and parasitism rates: statistical and individual-based approaches. In: Predicting Species Occurrences: Issues of Scale and Accuracy (J.M. Scott, P.J. Heglund, M. Morrison, M. Raphael, J. Haufler, and B. Wall, eds.). Island Press, Covello, CA.

Aycrigg, J.L., S.J. Harper, and J.D. Westervelt. 1999. A demonstration of a spatially-dynamic model of a desert tortoise population. In: The Desert Tortoise Council Proceedings of the 1997-1998 Symposia (B. Bartholomew, ed.). Desert Tortoise Council, Wrightwood, CA.

Batzli, G.O., S.J. Harper, Y.K. Lin, and E.A. Desy. 1999. Experimental analysis of habitat quality, behavior, and population dynamics: scaling up to the landscape. In: Landscape Ecology of Small Mammals (G.W. Barrett and J.D. Peles, eds.). Springer-Verlag, New York, NY.

Harper, S.J. and G.O. Batzli. 1997. Are staged dyadic encounters useful for studying aggressive behaviour of voles and lemmings? Canadian Journal of Zoology 75:1051-1058.

Harper, S.J. and G.O. Batzli. 1996. Effects of predators on structure of the burrows of voles. Journal of Mammalogy 77:1114-1121.

Harper, S.J. 1996. Behavioral responses of prairie voles to extrinsic factors and their effects on population dynamics. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.

Harper, S.J. and G.O. Batzli. 1996. Use of passive integrated transponders (PIT tags) to monitor runway use by individual voles. Journal of Mammalogy 77:364-369.

Barrett, G.W., J.D. Peles, and S.J. Harper. 1995. Reflections on the use of experimental landscapes in mammalian ecology. In: Landscape Approaches in Mammalian Ecology and Conservation (W.Z. Lidicker, ed.). University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN.

Harper, S.J., E.K. Bollinger, and G.W. Barrett. 1994. Effects of habitat patch shape on population dynamics of meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus). Journal of Mammalogy 74:1045-1055.

Bollinger, E.K., S.J. Harper, and G.W. Barrett. 1993. Inbreeding avoidance increases dispersal movements of the meadow vole. Ecology 74:1153-1156.

Bollinger, E.K., S.J. Harper, J.M. Kramer, and G.W. Barrett. 1991. Avoidance of inbreeding in the meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus). Journal of Mammalogy 72:419-421.

Bollinger, E.K., S.J. Harper, and G.W. Barrett. 1991. Effects of seasonal drought on old-field plant communities. American Midland Naturalist 125:114-125.

Harper, S.J. 1990. Effects of patch shape on the dispersal behavior and population dynamics of the meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus). M.S. Thesis, Miami University, Oxford, OH.

SREL RESEARCH TECHNICIAN

• Ashley Hayes. Research Technician. Savannah River Ecology Laboratory.