The World of Research
In Olivia's career as a scientific researcher, she has centralized her efforts to bridging the divide between people, wildlife, and land through interdisciplinary and context-dependent approaches.
Kenya
Evaluating the Impacts of Human-Wildlife Conflict and Conservancy Engagement on Conservancy Satisfaction and Conservation Attitudes: A Case Study in the Siana Region
Author: Olivia Gervacio Jakabosky
Advisor: Thomas Currie, Ph.D.; Evans Sitati, Ph.D.
Ongoing Project...
Paraguay
Evaluating the Effects of Electric Cables on Urban Howler Monkeys with Local Knowledge and Naturalistic Observation
Author: Olivia Gervacio Jakabosky
Mentors: Rebecca Smith Ph.D., Lance McNew Ph.D., Jorge Damian Ayala Santacruz
Abstract:
Black-and-gold howler monkeys commonly inhabit urbanized areas of South America often using anthropogenic structures, such as electric cables, to travel across urban environments, which can result in increased rates of mortality. The urban black-and-gold howler monkey troops in Pilar, Paraguay, offer a unique opportunity to understand the dynamic between humans, wildlife, and complex urban habitats. With very little research existing on the black-and-gold howler monkey populations in Paraguay, this study aims to provide a baseline and initial understanding of the relationship between urban howler monkeys and human populations through an interdisciplinary research approach. During summer 2021, we studied the two most-at-risk monkey troops in Pilar to evaluate whether proximity to electric cables is influencing monkey behavior. We grouped proximity to electric cables into 3 groups, < 5 ft, 5-15 fit, and > 15 ft, and we grouped behavior into 7 classes: resting, feeding, traveling, playing, mating, grooming, and other. We found evidence that the behavior of the monkey troops had a significant behavior difference across three levels of proximity to electric cables (χ2= 225.8, df = 12, P < 0.001). Traveling was the most frequent behavior when within 5 feet of an electric cable, whereas resting was the most frequent behavior when greater than 5 ft from an electric cable. Next, we will fit a multinomial model to further assess the effect of electric cable proximity on monkey behavior. We explored the human dimension aspect of the monkey-cable issue by interviewing 104 community members. Within the community, the view of the monkeys ranged from being concerned to viewing the urban monkey populations as pests. In the future, the results of this study will provide valuable sociological and ecological tools to further assess the nuances and complexities of social-ecological issues in Paraguay.
Montana
An Inventory of Rangeland Wildlife in the Western United States
Authors: Elizabeth A. Leipold, Hunter S. Stier, Robert T. Haynam, Laura Robison, Aubrey R. Sullivan, Taylor L. Kaltenbach, Laura R. Dykstra, B. Ray Beaver, Morgan Monroe, Olivia G. Jakabosky, Lance B. McNew
Abstract:
The absence of an accurate account of rangeland fauna is becoming increasingly limiting due to the threats created by climate change, biodiversity loss, energy extraction, and changing land use in the western United States, all of which pose new challenges for effective rangeland management. To address this lack of information and underscore the importance of rangelands for wildlife biodiversity, we conducted a rigorous, standardized, and comprehensive inventory of vertebrates inhabiting rangeland ecosystems in the western United States. We classified each species as rangeland dependent, rangeland associated, or nonrangeland associated based on their habitat, life history, and food requirements. Additionally, we identified primary habitat type associations, as well as the federal (USA) and international conservation statuses for each species. Our inventory included 1,593 species in the 21 western U.S. states, with 1,066 classified as rangeland species (429 rangeland dependent, 637 rangeland associated). Among rangeland species, 2% are listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, and 3% are considered either endangered or critically endangered according to the IUCN Red List. Our baseline inventory can be used in the development of management plans for rangeland ecosystems and to inspire conservation efforts for these critical ecosystems.​
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Integrating Ecological Value and Charismatic Species Habitats to Prioritize Habitats for Conservation: A Case Study from Greater Yellowstone
Authors: Hansen, A., A. East, Z. Ashford, C. Crittenden, O. Jakabosky, D. Quinby, L. Gigliotti, F. Van Manen, M. Haroldson, A. Middleton, N. Robinson, D. Theobald
Abstract:
Expanding human pressure has reduced natural habitats globally and motivated strategies to conserve remaining natural habitats. Decisions about conservation on private lands, however, are typically made by local stakeholders who are motivated by the elements of nature they most highly value. Thus, national prioritization for conservation should be complemented by local analysis of species or habitats that most influence local landowner decisions. We demonstrate within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem how quantitative mapping of wildlife species that are highly valued by local residents can be integrated with indices of ecosystem integrity to prioritize private lands for conservation. We found that natural vegetation cover (NVC) comprised 81% of the private lands. Some watersheds have lost 6% of NVC since 2001 and developed lands now cover >40% of their areas. Locations high in ecological value, elk habitat, and grizzly habitat occurred in different biophysical settings. Consequently, only 2% of the NVC supports high levels of all three biodiversity measures and 26% of this area was within conservation easements. The remaining areas of high biodiversity value that are unprotected are priorities for conservation. We suggest that national-scale conservation planning will be most effective on private lands if additional within-ecoregion analyses are done on the elements of biodiversity that are most valued by local people.​
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Anthropogenic Effects on Grouse Detection and Abundance Based Upon Road & Trail Characteristics in Wester Montana.
Author: Olivia Gervacio Jakabosky
Co-Authors: Elizabeth Leipold Animal and Range Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Claire Gower Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, Bozeman, Lance McNew Department of Animal and Range Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman
​Abstract:
Anthropogenic structures such as roads and trails, and human use may affect space use, demography, density/abundance, and other wildlife population parameters. Human infrastructure and activity may result in biased population estimates by influencing the abundance/density of a species within a localized area near infrastructure or the ability of biologists to detect individuals during standard population surveys. To evaluate the effects of anthropogenic structures on mountain grouse populations, we developed and conducted replicated surveys throughout western Montana during 2020. Biologists and volunteers collected count data for dusky, ruffed, and spruce grouse during 582 point count surveys along 291 survey transects located throughout Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Regions 1-5. Survey transects occurred along two types of human infrastructure: U.S. Forest Service roads with minimal traffic during the survey period and U.S. Forest Service trails. As a first step, we compared count data for road and trail transect surveys for each species of grouse. Overall, raw counts of dusky grouse were higher for transects located along trails (0.59 ± 1.07SD grouse per transect) than roads (0.33 ± 0.91SD). Raw counts of ruffed grouse were similar for transects located along trails (0.75 ± 1.42SD) and roads (0.69 ± 1.55SD). We did not have a sufficient sample size to evaluate spruce grouse counts.
