Project Summary

This project is a quantitative synthesis of the intensification of row crop agriculture and grazing in the major temperate food producing regions of the world; the praires of North America, western Europe, the highveldt of South Africa and the pampas of Argentina, and the common ecological impacts reflected by the effects upon terrestrial gamebird populations. Through this synthesis I intend to illustrate the commonalities inherent to the intensification of row crop agriculture and grazing at a global scale and relate those commonalities to impacts upon ecological properties of agroecosystems and their subsequent impacts upon terrestrial gamebird ecology.

Field research has centered upon using radio-telemetry to assess the movements, survival and habitat use of the Spotted tinamou (Nothura maculosa) in Argentine grassland agroecosytems. The Spotted tinamou, and other species of Tinamiformes, are the principal gamebirds of austral South America but are little studied. This research is the first project of its kind to investigate the ecology of a grassland tinamou species.

Argentina has undergone rapid intensification in row crop agriculture and grazing management since the early 1990’s, as well as expansion of intensive row crop agriculture into regions where it was formerly not practiced. There is anecdotal evidence that agricultural intensification has negatively impacted population of tinamous in a similar manner to the Galliformes in North America, Europe, and South Africa. Quantitatively assessing the changes in the management of Argentine agroecosystems, comparing those changes across continents, and relating them to a cross-taxa synthesis of the ecology of Tinamiformes and Galliformes should elucidate the common impacts that management practices in agroecosystems have upon terrestrial gamebird ecology.

Information

• Ph.D., University of Georgia

• M.Sc., University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras
• B.Sc., SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse

Curriculumn Vitae

Jeffrey J. Thompson

Additional Information

For information related to Tinamou research, please see the Tinamou Research Group website