Julia J. Hicks
University of Colorado at Boulder
Research Fields
What is the dawn chorus?
The dawn chorus is the sound of the birds singing at first light of a new day. During fieldwork, I get up before the sun rises and walk through the woods listening to the bird species. I identify them by the songs and calls they make as a way of quantifying bird diversity in my forest study system.
Bark removal and spruce beetle larvae consumption by woodpeckers. Deer Lakes Campground, CO
Photo by Julia Hicks
Island Biology
As an undergraduate, my honor's thesis research took place on Santa Cruz Island, California. Here I completed the first population estimate of a rare Loggerhead shrike subspecies (Lanius ludovicianus anthonyi).
Avian Biogeography
My dissertation research examines avian diversity in sub-alpine forests of Colorado. Specifically, I am studying how bird communities change in selectively logged and bark-beetle infested forest stands. My study sites are located in Engelmann Spruce/Subalpine Fir forests of the San Juan Mountains in southern Colorado. This research is the first to address bark beetle impacts on avian species in Engelmann Spruce.
Invasion Ecology
For my master's research I studied the pressence of an invasive weevil (Rhinocyllus conicus) at treeline in the Colorado Front Range. This research showed that R. conicus is able to reproduce near treeline but unable to overwinter at this elevation, thus limiting the upper limits of the weevil's distribution. Rhinocyllus conicus' range is significantly related to elevation in Rocky Mountain National Park.
L. l. anthonyi on Santa Cruz Island
Photo by Dr. Hartmut Walter
Dr. Timothy Seastedt, a professor of Ecology and Ecolutionary Biology at CU Boulder, points out the experimental introduction site for Julia's Master's research. Niwot Ridge, CO. Photo by Julia Hicks
