Monica Lasky- Doctor of Philosophy
- PhD Student at University of Florida
Monica Lasky
- Doctor of Philosophy
- PhD Student at University of Florida
Studying the unique impacts of megaherbivore in southern African savannas.
About
21
Publications
5,034
Reads
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201
Citations
Introduction
I am a wildlife biologist and NSF Graduate Research Fellow pursuing a PhD in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida. My research investigates how ecological traits shape species interactions and ecosystem processes, with a particular focus on how body size influences animal ecology. I study the behavioral roles of keystone species, examining how their actions drive ecosystem dynamics and shape biodiversity.
Current institution
Additional affiliations
June 2018 - June 2020
Position
- Project Manager
Description
- Coordinating a large-scale citizen science camera trapping wildlife survey. Organizing a country-wide project using camera traps to study impacts of mast production on mammal populations across the National Ecological Observatory Network.
October 2017 - May 2018
Position
- Conservation Associate
Description
- Studied population management techniques for Burmese pythons in southern Florida in an ongoing, intensive radio telemetry project.
August 2016 - May 2017
North Carolina Zoo
Position
- Research Intern
Description
- Investigated the effects of management techniques and environmental factors on captive elephant behavior.
Education
August 2020 - July 2022
August 2013 - May 2017
Publications
Publications (21)
While recent work has assessed how environmental and managerial changes influence elephant welfare across multiple zoos, few studies have addressed the effects of management changes within a single institution. In this paper, we examine how management changes related to social structure and diet affect the behavior of a group of zoo elephants over...
Furthest marine incursion of a Burmese python ever recorded.
Citizen science projects that use sensors (such as camera traps) to collect data can collect large-scale data without compromising information quality. However, project management challenges are increased when data collection is scaled up. Here, we provide an overview of our efforts to conduct a large-scale citizen science project using camera trap...
Camera trap surveys are useful to understand animal species population trends, distribution, habitat preference, behavior, community dynamics, periods of activity, and species associations with environmental conditions. This information is ecologically important since many species play important roles in local ecosystems as predators, herbivores, s...
Gopher tortoises prefer grasses and clover for foraging needs. Gopher tortoises foraged most often in the parking lot site. There was more foraging at the treatment site than at control site, especially when only considering consumption and removing tactile investigation. Several gopher tortoises will travel from their burrow site to other location...
Understanding how systemic biases influence local ecological communities is essential for developing just and equitable environmental practices that prioritize both human and wildlife well-being. With over 270 million residents inhabiting urban areas in the United States, the socioecological consequences of racially targeted zoning, such as redlini...
Understanding how systemic biases influence local ecological communities is essential for developing just and equitable environmental practices that center both human and wildlife wellbeing. With over 270 million United States residents inhabiting urban areas, understanding the socio-ecological consequences of racially-targeted zoning, such as redl...
While many species are fearful of human presence, others may habituate after prolonged, non-lethal exposure. Highly persecuted carnivores often take longer to habituate than herbivores, which can lead to prey associating with humans to ‘shield’ themselves from predators. We conducted an experiment in a hyper-diverse African reserve to examine how a...
While museum voucher specimens continue to be the standard for species identifications, biodiversity data are increasingly represented by photographic records from camera traps and amateur naturalists. Some species are easily recognized in these pictures, others are impossible to distinguish. Here we quantify the extent to which 335 terrestrial non...
Although quality control for accuracy is increasingly common in citizen science projects, there is still a risk that spatial biases of opportunistic data could affect results, especially if sample size is low. Here we evaluate how well the sampling locations of North Carolina’s Candid Critters citizen science camera trapping project represented ava...
With the accelerating pace of global change, it is imperative that we obtain rapid inventories of the status and distribution of wildlife for ecological inferences and conservation planning. To address this challenge, we launched the SNAPSHOT USA project, a collaborative survey of terrestrial wildlife populations using camera traps across the Unite...
Camera trap surveys are useful to understand animal species population trends, distribution, habitat preference, behavior, community dynamics, periods of activity, and species associations with environmental conditions. This information is ecologically important, because many species play important roles in local ecosystems as predators, herbivores...
Using citizen science to conduct a large-scale camera trapping survey of mammals across North Carolina.
Comparing feedback outlets for sharing results with citizen science volunteers.
Our survey of college students found that, in general, people support conservation initiatives that use captive animals, such as captive breeding programs or wildlife hospitals.
Provided evidence for the North Carolina Zoo that they were upholding welfare standards for their elephants in terms of shade use to allow for continued funding by the American Zoological Association.
