Department of Biology

Research

Environmental change alters environments, and migration research may make it possible to predict which species will have the capacity to adapt to changing climate and how. Singh’s research studies the mechanisms junco sub-populations use while still living on their wintering range to enhance the likelihood of achieving a match with their ultimate breeding environment. Singh is looking at migratory behavior and reproductive timing of closely related populations of juncos that reside in the same environment in early spring, but differ in their response to climate change. While one population is setting up territories and preparing to breed, the other is preparing to migrate north and breeds only after migrating. Further, he is using tools to assess how the environment influences their physiology and behavior. Collectively, these studies will address the capacity of avian populations to adapt their migration and reproduction timing to environmental change.