How do animals choose what to eat? Why does it matter?
In African savannas and Californian grasslands, we study the behavioral ecology of avian and mammalian foraging. Combining data on what wild animals eat with data on the options they have to choose from, we try to figure out how they chose what to eat. We then try to map those decisions to animal health & fitness, population dynamics, and ecosystem structure.
HERD Members
We’re a multidisciplinary team based in the Department of Life & Environmental Sciences at the University of California, Merced.
Matthew Hutchinson
Assistant Professor
Luca Kuziel
Graduate Student
Sean Lyon
Graduate Student
Geneva Easton
Undergraduate Student
Selina Nguyen
Undergraduate Student