Approximately 37% of the world’s land is used for agricultural production. Implementing sustainable and regenerative agricultural practices can improve soil heath, sequester carbon, provide habitat for wildlife, and enhance human livelihoods. Thus, local agricultural practices create opportunity to increase conservation of biodiversity and resilience to climate change that add up to impacts on a global level. I strive to identify research questions that are relevant to local landowners and that can be translated into best practices that benefit both people and nature.
Working landscapes in California and Virginia. Left, swallowtails at a farm in Virginia, photo by Allison Huysman. Middle, a barn owl nest box in a vineyard in California, photo by Allison Huysman. Right, a farm in Virginia, photo by Allison Huysman.
Checking a bluebird nest box in Virgnia, photo by Brooke McDonough.
My research has primarily focused on birds, but my doctoral degree has prepared me to ask questions from the perspective of ecological communities. More research is needed to determine if nest boxes are really an effective means of pest control and how landowners can enhance habitat for other wildlife species. The skills I have developed in my research including statistical analyses and DNA metabarcoding may apply to research of other taxa. Wherever my research takes me, I plan to engage local landowner communities and design research to meet their needs with the end goal of improving habitat for biodiversity.
@article{10.1002/ece3.8416,title={Habitat selection by a predator of rodent pests is resilient to wildfire in a vineyard agroecosystem},author={Huysman, A. E. and Johnson, M. D.},journal={Ecology and Evolution},volume={11},year={2021},doi={10.1002/ece3.8416},url={https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8416},publisher={Wiley},}
Ecosphere
Multi-year nest box occupancy and short-term resilience to wildfire disturbance by barn owls in a vineyard agroecosystem
@article{10.1002/ecs2.3438,title={Multi-year nest box occupancy and short-term resilience to wildfire disturbance by barn owls in a vineyard agroecosystem},author={Huysman, A. E. and Johnson, M. D.},journal={Ecosphere},volume={12},issue={3},year={2021},doi={10.1002/ecs2.3438},url={https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3438},publisher={ESA},}
Ornithol App
Hunting habitat use and selection of Barn Owls (Tyto alba) in the urban-agricultural setting of a winegrape growing region of California
@article{10.1093/ornithapp/duaa058,title={Hunting habitat use and selection of Barn Owls (Tyto alba) in the urban-agricultural setting of a winegrape growing region of California},author={Castaneda, X. A. and Huysman, A. E. and Johnson, M. D.},journal={Ornithological Applications},volume={122},issue={1},year={2021},doi={10.1093/ornithapp/duaa058},url={https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithapp/duaa058},publisher={AOS},}
