Krista Oswald

Krista Oswald, Zuckerman postdoctoral scholar at Ben-Gurion University, is studying movement ecology in the Negev desert, specifically colonies of Arabian babblers, a highly social bird population found in dry arid regions of the Middle East.

She chose the Negev for its modification history of human settlement and agriculture. These modifications were considered to be oases for the surrounding desert wildlife, but in actuality they are unnecessary – or even detrimental – to desert specialists.

Using highly fine-scale tracking that is available with the newly erected ATLAS network, she examines how this human-modified mosaic of habitats affects the Arabian babbler. Small tracking tags are placed on individual babblers to develop a unique understanding of inter-and intra-specific group movements and social dynamics throughout the year. This allows her team to measure whether a species whose sociality may have evolved as a mechanism to deal with the harsher desert conditions breaks down in the presence of human-modified habitats. The results indicate that habitat-use and nest-site selection are linked to breeding success. To date, they have found that groups choosing to nest in more modified environments fare worse despite the supposed oasis of resources.
Krista hopes her findings will contribute to improved conservation and changes in policy.