Animal Populations and the Environment

Updated September 2009

Animal Population Health Institute

The Animal Population Health Institute (APHI), led by Dr. Paul Morley, is primarily concerned with animal populations and their interface with the environment. This institute focuses on antimicrobial use in animals and the effects on antimicrobial resistance in the environment; the interface of domestic and wildlife diseases; and improved livestock management systems. APHI has strong collaborative programs with the USDA Centers for Epidemiology and Animal Health.

Environmental Factors in Reproduction

Faculty with the Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology Lab (ARBL) are involved in research looking at the environmental factors affecting reproduction. This includes Dr. Terry Nett’s research on contraceptives for wildlife; Dr. Rau Vermachini’s research on environmental toxicant effects on male reproduction; and Dr. Jerry Bouman’s research on toxin effects on genetics and developmental biology.

Habitat

CSU faculty and students are engaged in a number of projects related to animals and their habitats and how they’re impacted by environmental change. Graduate student Jenny Glazer is doing research on ecology of the endangered black-footed ferret, attempting to determine what factors most influence movement patterns and habitat selection by re-introduced ferrets. This work is being done on one of Ted Turner's ranches in northern New Mexico, and it is part of a much larger effort by the Turner Endangered Species fund to reestablish extirpated native wildlife species in their natural habitats. Another CSU research project is focused on the ecological and evolutionary ways in which animals adapt to changes in the environment over different time scales. Current related research projects involve examining the effects of climate change on the reproductive strategies of bird populations ranging from Alaska to California, and the processes that lead to adaptation to new environments in a tropical fish species.

Back to Areas of Research Excellence