Dr. Bruce Eshelman

My main research interests are in population and community ecology of mammals.  I am particularly interested in aspects of population ecology (such as habitat selection, foraging preferences, and plant-animal interactions) which have a direct impact on life history characteristics, population structure, and resultant fitness of individuals and populations.  A present study examines the effects of heavy metal contamination on individual and population fitness of small mammals.

One study will determine the effect of dietary lead on gut bacteria of a prominent rodent, the deer mouse. Initial investigations suggest that bacterial populations in the gut of these rodents differ in quantity. I wish to also see if they differ in quality. Another investigation in my lab deals with identifying stress hormones in koalas. I am interested in using these hormones to potentially identify populations of koalas that may be stressed in the wild.

Research Papers