Background
Clark's lab researches ecology and evolution of non-human animal social behaviors. Her past work includes studies of parent-offspring relations in birds and studies of yawning and social contagion in budgerigars. Her lab currently works on two themes: a) ecology and life history of cooperative behaviors (e.g., sentinel behavior, territory defense, caching and food calling) in crows and b) the effects of anthropogenic (human caused) changes on birds. Her graduate students are extending their long-term studies of American crows to at least three other crow species and to issues of Corvus conservation worldwide. Because crows are now established urban birds, their research questions include the effects of urban living on crows and other species. Urban-focused questions include the effects of recurrent West Nile virus on American crow social behavior and, in collaboration with Dr. WX Zhu, the role of crow roosts in N cycling in cities. Graduate research includes studies of how social signals may be critical to bringing birds back to areas restored after suburban populations of deer have removed critical nesting vegetation.
Education
- PhD, BA, University of Chicago
Research Interests
- Evolution
- Ecology of behavior
