J. Michael Reed

Avian ecology and conservation biology

Graduate Research Area: Global Change Biology and Ecology, Behavior and Evolution

Prof. Reed is interested in a wide variety of conservation related research problems. Most of his research focuses on identifying characteristics of species that put them at risk to human-caused threats, understanding why (or how) these characteristics put a species at risk, and to determining how best to reduce the risk.

Michael has been working, in particular, on the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on extinction risk and population viability, and on the importance of animal behavior in extinction risk and conservation. Although he is primarily a "bird" person, some of his recent students worked (or work) on amphibians, moss, and butterflies. Prof. Reed has worked in forests and wetlands, evaluating habitat loss and fragmentation as well as the impacts of grazing, logging, and suburban sprawl on biodiversity.