Sun Devil Scientists Studying City Sleep and Stress in Songbirds

2017 ~ Present

Sun Devil Scientists Studying City Sleep and Stress in Songbirds

Goals

Students interested in animal behavior and ecology will gain skills in live-capture, measurement, and behavioral assessment of wild bird sleep across the Phoenix urban-rural gradient. Students learn surgical techniques for implanting neurologgers that generate millisecond-level data on the different phases of sleep. The team will work in both the field and lab to understand the large-scale fitness effects of urban alterations to avian sleep cycles.

Issues Involved or Addressed

Employing techniques to assess if and how cities alter the sleep patterns of wild birds.

Methods and Technologies

  • Measurement
  • Behavior monitoring
  • Behavior assessment
  • Data analysis

Academic Majors of Interest

  • Biological Sciences
  • Sustainability
  • Neurobiology
  • Physiology
  • Animal Behavior

Preferred Interests and Preparation

Sponsor(s)