Wildlife Ecology

The Wildlife/Forest Ecology Laboratory, Room 321, UMCES Appalachian Laboratory (AL), is designed to meet the needs of field biologists. The laboratory includes two herbarium cabinets for storage of dried plants, a drying oven, three map cases for maps and aerial photographs, large work tables, laboratory benches and sinks, overhead cabinets, balances, and networked computer with the latest software for statistical and spatial analysis of animal movements. Smaller field equipment and other supplies are stored in bench drawers and cabinets. A storage room adjacent to the main laboratory contains larger items of field equipment, including radiotelemetry equipment for tracking animals as well as a variety of field gear for animal capture and habitat analysis. Current research being conducted in the laboratory include otter spraint analysis for food habitats study, use of different nest box designs by birds, several bird community studies, and research on different forest insects. The laboratory is also used extensively by students in wildlife classes taught at the AL.