Lillie Langlois

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Lecturer at Clemson University

Shale gas development occurs in forests of the Appalachian Basin within breeding habitat for forest songbirds. Development requires linear infrastructure (e.g., pipelines, gas access roads) that fragments habitat and reduces core forest. Collocation is a mitigation practice that sites new pipelines adjacent to existing surface disturbance such as f...

Migratory birds undergo seasonal changes to muscle biochemistry. Nonetheless, it is unclear to what extent these changes are attributable to the exercise of flight itself versus endogenous changes. Using starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) flying in a wind tunnel, we tested the effects of exercise training, a single bout of flight and dietary lipid compos...

Wild birds must consume certain amounts of protein and an appropriate balance of amino acids while inhabiting environments where foods often differ in the quantity and quality of available protein. The requirements for amino acids are well documented for domestic bird species but are largely unknown for wild birds, which makes it impossible to reli...

Elite human and animal athletes must acquire the fuels necessary for extreme feats, but also contend with the oxidative damage associated with peak metabolic performance. Here, we show that a migratory bird with fuel stores composed of more omega-6 polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) expended 11% less energy during long-duration (6 hr) flights with no chan...

Large, continuous forest provides critical habitat for some species of forest dependent wildlife. The rapid expansion of shale gas development within the northern Appalachians results in direct loss of such habitat at well sites, pipelines, and access roads; however the resulting habitat fragmentation surrounding such areas may be of greater import...

Exercise is known to have a strong effect on neuroproliferation in mammals ranging from rodents to humans. Recent studies have also shown that fatty acids and other dietary supplements can cause an upregulation of neurogenesis. It is not known, however, how exercise and diet interact in their effects on adult neurogenesis. We examined neuronal recr...

It is well established that once birds have laid their eggs they sometimes incubate non-egg objects. However, reports of birds incubating solely non-egg objects (without prior manipulation by researchers) are rare. Here we report on our observation of a Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus incubating a clutch composed entirely of mammalian...

Life-history theory predicts that animals face a trade-off in energy allocation between performing strenuous exercise, such as migratory flight, and mounting an immune response. We experimentally tested this prediction by studying immune function in European starlings, Sturnus vulgaris, flown in a wind tunnel. Specifically, we predicted that consti...

Many songbirds are seasonally frugivorous and eat primarily fruit during migration and insects or seeds during nonmigratory periods. Previous work has suggested that most wild fruits may have inadequate protein for birds. Assessing the nutritional adequacy of fruit requires knowing the protein requirements of birds in relation to the composition of...

Many songbirds are seasonally frugivorous and eat primarily fruit during migration and insects or seeds during nonmigratory periods. Previous work has suggested that most wild fruits may have inadequate protein for birds. Assessing the nutritional adequacy of fruit requires knowing the protein requirements of birds in relation to the composition of...