Amy Russell

Genetic approaches to understanding the impact of wind-energy development on migratory bats


Project or Research Area At-a-Glance

As concerns about anthropogenic climate change and the long-term environmental impacts of the burning of fossil fuels on biological and human systems have heightened, there is increasing motivation to develop alternative sources of energy that will reduce the production of greenhouse gases. Wind power has become an increasingly important sector of the energy industry; however, fatalities of bats at wind power installations are emerging as a major environmental threat. The bat species most affected by wind power are migratory, tree-roosting species such as hoary bats, eastern red bats, and silver-haired bats, which together constitute almost three-quarters of the bat carcasses found at wind t... read more


Our estimates of effective population size will provide valuable information on the number of individuals across the range of eastern red bats, and thus provide the necessary context that has been lacking to understand the potential biological impact of increased wind power development on populations of eastern red bats. In addition, the sensitivity analyses we propose are critical to the effective use of genetic data as a population monitoring tool for large, widespread bat populations, and will provide a valuable tool for determining the conditions under which genetic monitoring could provide useful information on population trajectories over realistic timescales. By providing a proof-of... read more


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Amy Russell
Where from: Allendale, MI
Age: 36
Education
Post Grad: University of Tennessee
Degree: Ph.D.
College: Bowling Green State University
Degree: BS, MS
Work
Employer: Grand Valley State University
Position: Assistant Professor
Contact Info
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 616-331-8929

Post-Ph.D. Research Grant, Wenner-Gren Foundation, 2008-2009

Research Grant, Leakey Foundation, 2006-2009

Gaylord Donnelley Postdoctoral Fellowship, Yale University, 2003-2005

Karl Koopman Award, North American Symposium on Bat Research, 2003


Bats are currently facing major threats to their existence. Cave-roosting bats are experiencing horrific mortality rates from a fungal disease known as white-nose syndrome, and tree-roosting bats are being killed in increasing numbers by wind turbines. It is vital that we understand what the real impacts of these threats are on bat populations so that we can take effective and meaningful step towards mitigating those threats.