Brittany Slabach ’09

Before COA

• Lecturer, Biology, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX (2022- 2024)
  
• Visiting Assistant Professor, Biology, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX (2020-2022)
  
• Preserve Manager and Conservation Coordinator, Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee, Inc., Riverside, CA (2019 – 2020)
  

Course Areas

Terrestrial Biology, vertebrate zoology, conservation, museum studies, wildlife ecology

• Ph.D. Biology, University of Kentucky, 2018
  
• M.Sc. Biology, Tufts University, 2012
  
• B.A. Human Ecology, College of the Atlantic 2009
  

I am interested in the relationship between landscapes, disturbance, and vertebrate ecology. My research is question driven and not system specific, and I have experience with a variety of taxa (mammals, reptiles, and aves), and focus on landscapes that serve multiple recreational purposes. My students and I use a variety of methods including live trapping (Shermans and mist netting), observational techniques (direct and wildlife cameras), vegetation sampling and mapping (transects, NDVI and LiDAR), voucher specimens, and molecular techniques (species identification, relatedness, and disease). We have several on-going projects investigating the effects of various types of disturbance on different vertebrate communities. This work is occurring in Acadia National Park, ME, and Government Canyon State Natural Area, TX.

As a research mentor, I aim to offer a structured and collaborative environment for students to explore questions of their unique interest. We use a residential science approach to dive deep into the processes and community members of a place. I view students as my collaborators and we work together to refine questions, design methodology, execute studies, and publish findings. We operate as a research team, but every student has an individual portion of the project they have ownership of.

I have a general open-door field policy where any student interested in field ecology is welcome to join in the field (or lab) no long-term commitment required! My goal is to ensure these valuable experiences are accessible to everyone. Interested in getting involved, please reach out!

Project social media page: @thelittleboxproject

Wildlife sightings report: We are working with NPS Biologists to understand the movement of carnivores – specifically bears, martens, and fisher – on MDI. If you have a sighting to report, please do so here!

Select Publications. *undergraduate author

Krupa JJ, Slabach, BL. 2023. Do African egg-eating snakes (Dasypeltis) exhibit preference for the eggs they eat? Journal of Zoology, 320 (4): 292 300.

Slabach BL, Cooper RL. 2022. An active learning approach to teach aspects of human dietary health using fruit flies as a model. Advances in Biology Laboratory Education, 42.

Slabach BL, Hast JT, Murphy S, Johannsen K, Bowling WE, Crank RD, Jenkins G, Cox JJ. 2018. Survival and cause-specific mortality of elk (Cervus canadensis) in southeastern Kentucky. Wildlife Biology, 2018(1): wlb.00459.

Slabach BL, Krupa JJ. 2018. Range expansion of the hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus) into reclaimed surface coal mines in eastern Kentucky. Southeastern Naturalist, 17(4): N84-N89.

Muller LI, Murrow JL, Lupardus JL, Clark JD, Yarkovich JG, Stiver WH, Delozier EK, Slabach BL, Cox JJ, Miller BF. 2018. Genetic structure in elk persists after reintroduction in Tennessee and North Carolina. Journal of Wildlife Management, 82(6):1124 1134.

Slabach BL, McKinney A*, Cunningham J*, Hast JT, Cox JJ. 2018. A survey of tick species in a recently reintroduced elk population in southeastern Kentucky: potential implications for interstate translocation of zoonotic vectors. Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 54(2): 366 370.

Hotaling S, Slabach BL, Weisrock D. 2017. Next generation teaching: a template for bringing genomics and bioinformatic tools into the classroom. Journal of Biological Education, 1 13.

Select Student Presentations. *denotes presenting researcher

Ellis G*, Nguyen D, and Slabach BL. 2024. Moose-telids: Examining cryptic mustelid populations in Acadia National Park, ME. Student poster presentation at the Trinity University Undergraduate Research Symposium. San Antonio, TX.

Nguyen D*, Ellis G, and Slabach BL. 2024. Where they at though? Investigating flying squirrel (Glaucomys spp.) presence and ecology in Acadia National Park, ME. Student poster presentation at the Trinity University Undergraduate Research Symposium. San Antonio, TX.

Bates TB*, Ellis G, Weitzenhoffer R, Nygen D, Sondern K, Slabach BL. 2023. Using cameras to assess impacts on mammalian occupancy and presence in Acadia National Park, ME. Student poster presentation at the International Meeting of the Society for Human Ecology. Tucson, Arizona.

Denison MK*, Jackson EJ, Bates T, Wheeler B, and Slabach BL. 2023. The effects of historical landscape disturbance on small mammal assemblages on Schoodic Peninsula, Acadia National Park, Maine. Student poster presented at the Acadia Science Symposium, Schoodic Institute, Winter Harbor, ME.

Denison MK*, Jackson EJ, Bates T, Wheeler B, and Slabach BL. 2023. The effects of historical landscape disturbance on small mammal assemblages on Schoodic Peninsula, Acadia National Park, Maine. Student poster presented at the Northeast Natural History Network. Burlington, VT.

Denison MK* and Slabach BL. 2023. The effects of human-driven landscape alteration on small mammal biodiversity on Schoodic Peninsula, Acadia National Park, Maine. International Meeting of the Society for Human Ecology. Tucson, Arizona. (Oral Presentation)

Ellis G*, Weitzenhoffer R*, Pemberton A, Harris C, Taylor T, Kohl V, Bates, TB, Slabach BL. 2023. Recreational Use Impacts on Mammalian Biodiversity. International Meeting of the Society for Human Ecology. Tucson, Arizona.

Bates TB*, Ellis G, Weitzenhoffer R, Nygen D, Sodern K, Slabach BL. 2023. Using cameras to assess impacts on mammalian occupancy and presence in Acadia National Park, ME. International Meeting of the Society for Human Ecology. Tucson, Arizona.

Denison MK*, Jackson EJ, Bates T, Wheeler B, and Slabach BL. 2023. The effects of historical landscape disturbance on small mammal assemblages on Schoodic Peninsula, Acadia National Park, Maine. Acadia Science Symposium, Schoodic Institute, Winter Harbor, ME.

O’Hartigan I* and Slabach BL. 2023. Disease and Disturbance: Understanding the relationship between large-scale habitat disturbance and chronic wasting disease. Annual Meeting of the Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society, Houston, Texas.

Bates TB* and Slabach BL. 2023. Single-species management and its effect on small mammal biodiversity. Annual Meeting of the Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society, Houston, Texas.

Cooper CC*, Bates TB*, Slabach BL. 2022. Characterization of Black-capped Vireo Habitat at Government Canyon State Natural Area, San Antonio, TX. Annual Meeting of the Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society, Johnson City, Texas.

Cooper CC* and Slabach BL. 2021. Characterization of Black-capped Vireo Habitat at Government Canyon State Natural Area. Summer Research Symposium, Trinity University. San Antonio, TX. (Oral Presentation)

Schlner J*, Shlepr K, Slabach BL. 2018. Chick provisioning and foraging hot spots in herring gulls (Larus smithsonianus). International Ornithological Congress. Vancouver, Canada.

Virgina Gibbs M*, Slabach BL, Krupa JJ. 2017. Why do some mammals not have a pubic bone? UK Showcase of Undergraduate Scholars. Lexington, KY.

Select Contributed Presentations

Slabach BL. 2023. Residential science as a classroom approach to teach human ecology. International Meeting of the Society for Human Ecology. Tucson, Arizona.

Slabach BL*, Buchholz MJ, Conway WC, Grisham BA, Leslie RF, Lyons K, Murphy T. 2022. Discrete climatic events and non-native species: the effects of winter storm Uri on Axis deer (Axis axis) mortality and ecology. Annual Meeting of the Texas Chapter of the Wildlife Society, Johnson City, Texas.

Slabach BL and Cooper RL. 2021. An active learning approach to teach aspects of human dietary health using the classic Drosophila model. Teaching demonstration at the Association for Biology Laboratory Education. San Diego, CA. Virtual Conference of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education. July 2021.

Watson E*, Kurth K, Metts D, Slabach BL, Hast JT, Cox JJ, Miller B, Gerhold R, Muller L. 2020. Evaluating Genetic Variability of Elk in Eastern Tennessee. Annual Meeting of the Wildlife Society. Virtual Conference.

Slabach BL*, Hast JT, Crowley PH, Bowling WE, Crank RD, Jenkins G, Cox JJ. 2017. Mortality by human predation: how social structure influences probability of mortality in large mammals. Annual meeting of The Wildlife Society. Albuquerque, NM.