People — The Long Lab

Ryan Long – Associate Professor

I completed my B.S. in Wildlife Biology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (2004), my M.S. in Wildlife Resources at the University of Idaho (2007), and my Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at Idaho State University (2013). After a 1-year post-doc at Princeton University, I joined the Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences at UI in the fall of 2014. My research focuses on the behavioral and physiological ecology of large mammals. I'm especially interested in how the interplay between individual behavior and physiology scales up to influence population performance, and much of my work seeks to quantify the fitness consequences of individual foraging and movement patterns. I work in a variety of ecosystems to address these types of questions, from the montane forests and high-elevation deserts of the Intermountain West to the woody savannas of sub-Saharan Africa. Curriculum Vitae - Ryan Long

Current Graduate Students

Jeremy Van Driessche – PhD Student

Since a young age I have been fascinated by the world around me. I am particularly intrigued by conspicuous organisms like large herbivores and the vital role they play in ecosystems. In the Long Lab, my research will take a closer look at complex community dynamics to better understand the mechanisms that govern species interactions. I am also an Air Force officer and pilot, and previously I have been a part of projects studying coyotes, mule deer, amphibians, and herbivorous tropical fish.

Katey Huggler – PhD Student

I am broadly interested in linking animal behavior to environmental variation, and in understanding how behavioral choices influence the demography of populations. My ultimate goal is to conduct research that can be used to inform conservation and management of large mammals in North America. Over the past few years I have had the opportunity to work with a variety of species including mule deer, elk, bighorn sheep, moose, coyotes, mountain lions, and wolves. My PhD project is focused on linking use of the nutritional landscape by bighorn sheep to population demographics across Idaho and Wyoming.

Hallie Walker – PhD Student

I am fascinated by why and how large mammals move throughout their landscape and how behavioral responses to environmental factors shape community structure. Currently, I am working on a project that investigates the scaling of behavior with antelope body size by using landscape-level experimental techniques to go beyond correlative ecological models to find mechanisms underlying herbivore niche differentiation. I graduated from Brown University in 2017. Before joining the Long Lab, I worked on projects studying the shifting continental distribution of flora in response to changing climate, elk response to catastrophic fire events, prairie dog population dynamics after plague outbreaks, and large carnivore behavioral ecology in Botswana.

Marc Wiseman – MS Student

My research lies at the intersection of disease ecology, behavioral ecology and conservation. Specifically, I am interested in how normally adaptive animal behaviors can facilitate the spread of novel pathogens. I am currently exploring models of state-dependent resource allocation by female ungulates. Prior to joining the Long lab, I worked on the prevalence and phylogeography of Lyme disease in the Midwest.

Nikie Bilodeau – MS Student

I have broad research interests in wildlife behavior, predator-prey interactions, resource competition, and movement. More specifically I am interested in studying these topics to improve wildlife management and conservation decisions. Over the years I have had the opportunity to study a variety of species ranging from birds of prey and amphibians all the way to carnivores and ungulates. Currently, my research is focused on the complex factors that influence the survival of bighorn sheep lambs, and in particular the effects of nutrition on lamb survival.