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My ExpertiseMy Expertise
Area(s) of expertise:
habitat disturbance, ecology
Summary of expertise:
Dr. Summer Arrigo-Nelson studies the effects of habitat disturbance on forest regeneration and primate behavior and ecology. Specifically, she is interested in how animals respond to disturbance by changing their diet and social behavior. She is also interested in social dominance and the role of age and sex in behavior and how predators and parasite infections alter behavior. Additionally, her work involves the integration of rain forest conservation and local development programs. Since 2001, she has conducted a long-term study of the effects of habitat disturbance on the Milne-Edwards sifaka at two research sites within the Ranomafana National Park in Madagascar. This project includes work on forest quality assessments and forest regeneration, examining lemur densities, ranging patterns and habitat use using GIS technology, documenting animal feeding ecology, socioecology and social behavior, demography and reproduction, parasitism and predator-prey relationships. She was a visiting professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Notre Dame from 2006-2008; and as a program coordinator and study abroad program assistant for Stony Brook University's Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments from 2001-2006.
Blog/Web site:
http://www.calu.edu/academics/faculty/summer-arrigonelson.aspx
White paper/research:
http://www.calu.edu/academics/colleges/eberly/biology/madagascar-field-school/index.htm
Books/articles published:
-- Arrigo-Nelson, S.J. Encyclopedia entries for: Propithecus edwardsi, Propithecus tattersalli Eulemur sanfordi, and Eulemur coronatus. In: All the World's Primates, N. Rowe (Ed.) Charleston, RI: Pogonias Press. [Accepted: September 2007] -- Ratsimbazafy, J.H. Arrigo-Nelson, S.J., Dollar, L., Holmes, C.M., Irwin, M.T., Johnson, S.E., Stevens, N.J. and Wright, P.C. (in press) Conservation of prosimians in Madagascar: A view from the great red island. In: Leaping Ahead: Advances in Prosimian Biology, J. Masters, M. Gamba and F. Génin (Eds.) New York: Springer Press. [Accepted: December 2008] -- Wright, P.C., Arrigo-Nelson, S.J., Hogg, K.L., Bannon, B., Morelli, T.-L., Wyatt, J., Harivelo, A.L., and Ratelolahy, F. (2009) Habitat disturbance and seasonal fluctuations of lemur parasites in the rain forest of Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar. In: Primate Parasite Ecology: The Dynamics and Study of Host-Parasite Relationships, M. Huffman and C. Chapman (Eds.) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp.311-330. -- Wright, P.C., Johnson, S.E., Irwin, M.T., Jacobs, R., Schlighting, P.E., Lehman, S.M., Louis, E.E., Arrigo-Nelson, S.J., Raharison, J.-L., Rafalirarison, R.R., Razafindratsita, V., Ratsimbazafy, J.H., Ratelolahy, F., Dolch, R. and Tan, C.L. (2008) The crisis of Prolemur simus, the greater bamboo lemur. Primate Conservation 23: 5-17. -- King, S.J., Arrigo-Nelson, S.J., Pochron, S.T., Semprebon, G.M., Godfrey, L.R., Wright, P.C., and Jernvall, J. (2005) Hanging on to the edge: Maintenance of primate tooth function and offspring survival. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 102 (46): 16579-16583. -- Arrigo-Nelson, S.J. (2004) A biological "hotspot": A review of The Natural History of Madagascar by S.M. Goodman and J.P. Benstead (eds). Quarterly Review of Biology 79 (4): 400-403. -- Arrigo-Nelson, S.J. and Wright, P.C. (2004) Census and survey results from Ranomafana National Park: New evidence for the effects of habitat preference and disturbance on the Genus Hapalemur. Folia Primatologica 75 (5): 331-334.
Awards/associations/memberships:
-- American Anthropological Association (AAA) -- American Association of Physical Anthropologists (AAPA) -- Lambda Alpha Anthropology Honor Society -- International Primatological Society (IPS) -- Fulbright Association -- Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi and Golden Key national honor societies
Prior media experience:
Featured in the Madagascar episode of the Japan Broadcasting Corporation’s (NHK) documentary series “Around the World in Eco-Tourism”. The episode first aired in September 2008; also interviewed as part of the British Broadcasting Corporation’s Radio World Service series “Science in Action”. The segment premiered on August 29, 2008; research featured in National Geographic News story: “Threatened Lemurs’ Diet Key to Conservation Efforts”, published on February 8, 2007; interviews for the National Geographic News story “Research Vacations No Walk in the Park, Experts Say”, published on March 29, 2008; featured by the National Science Foundation sponsored “Pulse of the Planet” radio program as part of their ongoing “Dispatches from the Frontiers of Discovery” project. A series of 8 segments aired throughout February and March 2007.
Educational background:
B.A.: Anthropology, University of Rhode Island B.S.: Zoology, University of Rhode Island M.A.: Anthropological Sciences, Stony Brook University Ph.D.: Anthropological Sciences, Stony Brook University |
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