I am an MSc student focusing on how human disturbance can alter behavior and community interactions in wildlife and fisheries systems. I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved in a wide variety of systems from elephant seals to pumas. A major undergraduate project at the University of California (Santa Cruz) focused on mammalian anti-predator behavior during rest. As an Honors project, I studied human-dependent foraging strategies in an invasive mammalian genus, rats.
My current work examines the potential impacts of human exploitation on keystone species, identifying which species characteristics or processes might make a species more vulnerable. Part of this will be confronting the Hyperkeystone Species hypothesis with data.
I am also a strong advocator for equity and inclusion work in STEM, as I believe that science can only benefit from a variety of diverse and nuanced backgrounds.
I’m grateful for the Department of Geography and the Raincoast Fellowship to be able to pursue these opportunities.
Publications:
I Shukla, AM Kilpatrick, RS Beltran. 2021. Variation in resting strategies across trophic levels and habitats in mammals. Ecology and Evolution, 00, 1-11.
