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Interests: Organism-environment interactions, behavioral ecology, life-history trade-offs, ecophysiology, biometry |
My research centers around the central question, how does the environment shape organism behavior, life-history traits, and eco-physiology?

Current Projects:
Untangling urban-rural dynamics in breeding songbirds
This is an ongoing study researching how breeding secondary-cavity nesting songbirds navigate an increasingly urbanized environment. More information can be found here. Collaborators: Valerie Brewer (OSU), Jamie Cornelius (OSU), Doug Robinson (OSU).
Demography of PNW birds: Effects of climate change of avian demography
To better understand why some species are declining, I'll be banding birds throughout the annual cycle. I will use these data to understand habitat use across an elevation gradient. I will also collect data on species survival, condition, and annual productivity. These data will be paired with climate data and species population trends to determine factors that are contributing to species' declines. I'm particularly interested in understanding how the increasing frequency of extreme weather from climate change are affecting annual productivity of declining species. Collaborators: Doug Robinson (OSU) and Nolan Clements (OSU).
The effect of climate change on western bluebirds
Using ˜30 years of data from the Prescott Bluebird Recovery Project, I am investigating how climate change, weather, and land use change has affected the reproductive timing and nest success of western bluebirds (Sialia mexicana) in the Willamette Valley, OR.
2021 PNW Heat Dome
The heat dome in June 2021 caused record-breaking temperatures throughout the Pacific Northwest. In our work, we found that increased rates of nest failure in breeding western bluebirds, violet-green swallows, and tree swallows. I'm compiling data from local researchers, wildlife rehabilitation centers, and organizations to illustrate the impact that this extreme heat event had on wildlife.
Life-history Physiology Nexus
Co-variation of physiology and life-history in trait space: I am investigating how physiological and life-history traits co-vary to determine an organism's pace-of-life. I'm interested in how life-histories have diversified in temperate and tropical songbirds, particularly in regards to the latitudinal difference in life-history traits.
Environmental influences of parental care and development in songbirds: An ongoing interest is how parents and their young navigate sometimes conflicting demands caused by environmental and resource variation. I am interested in both from the side of the parents must balance the incubating and feeding their offspring with their own self-maintenance, but also from the standpoint of the young in a critical period of their life cycle. Pertinent publications include: Addison et al. 2009, Austin et al. 2011, Robinson et al. 2014, Ricklefs et al. 2017, Austin et al. 2019, Austin et al. 2020.
Collaborators: Doug Robinson (OSU), Bob Ricklefs (University of Missouri- St. Louis), Michaela Hau (Max Planck Institute of Ornithology), Martin Wikelski (Max Planck Institute of Ornithology), Joe Williams (Ohio SU), Kirk Klasing (UC Davis), and Jeff Brawn (University of Illinois- Urbana-Champaign).
Past Projects:
Transcriptomics of Parental Care and Stress
I am investigating how the transcriptome of the reproductive axis (hypothalamus-pituitary-gonads) in response to stress, the hormone corticosterone, and parental care in pigeons. Publications include: MacManes et al. 2017, Calisi et al 2018, Lang et al. 2020, Austin et al. 2021a, Austin et al 2021b, Farrar et al 2021.
Day length and its influence on incubation period length in songbirds
Incubation period varies widely in birds. A notable trend in songbirds is the increase in incubation period length with decreasing latitude (e.g., longer incubation periods near the equator), which likely is due to life-history trade-offs due to environmental variation. Exposure to long daylengths, as is typical in north temperate birds, can speed up development in poultry. I investigated if how four different photoperiods affected incubation period in the Eurasian blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla): see Austin et al. 2014 for results. I also collaborated with other researchers to review the topic of photoacceleration in birds and to investigate how day length affected incubation period and embryo metabolism in another species, the house sparrow (Passer domesticus): see Cooper et al. 2011.
Reproductive ecology and development of Tachycineta swallows
I investigated reproduction and nestling growth in violet-green (Tachycineta thalassina) and tree swallows (T. bicolor) in the Willamette valley of Oregon. Data from this project have been published in Austin et al. 2011, Winkler et al. 2014, and Austin et al. 2020.
Untangling urban-rural dynamics in breeding songbirds
This is an ongoing study researching how breeding secondary-cavity nesting songbirds navigate an increasingly urbanized environment. More information can be found here. Collaborators: Valerie Brewer (OSU), Jamie Cornelius (OSU), Doug Robinson (OSU).
Demography of PNW birds: Effects of climate change of avian demography
To better understand why some species are declining, I'll be banding birds throughout the annual cycle. I will use these data to understand habitat use across an elevation gradient. I will also collect data on species survival, condition, and annual productivity. These data will be paired with climate data and species population trends to determine factors that are contributing to species' declines. I'm particularly interested in understanding how the increasing frequency of extreme weather from climate change are affecting annual productivity of declining species. Collaborators: Doug Robinson (OSU) and Nolan Clements (OSU).
The effect of climate change on western bluebirds
Using ˜30 years of data from the Prescott Bluebird Recovery Project, I am investigating how climate change, weather, and land use change has affected the reproductive timing and nest success of western bluebirds (Sialia mexicana) in the Willamette Valley, OR.
2021 PNW Heat Dome
The heat dome in June 2021 caused record-breaking temperatures throughout the Pacific Northwest. In our work, we found that increased rates of nest failure in breeding western bluebirds, violet-green swallows, and tree swallows. I'm compiling data from local researchers, wildlife rehabilitation centers, and organizations to illustrate the impact that this extreme heat event had on wildlife.
Life-history Physiology Nexus
Co-variation of physiology and life-history in trait space: I am investigating how physiological and life-history traits co-vary to determine an organism's pace-of-life. I'm interested in how life-histories have diversified in temperate and tropical songbirds, particularly in regards to the latitudinal difference in life-history traits.
Environmental influences of parental care and development in songbirds: An ongoing interest is how parents and their young navigate sometimes conflicting demands caused by environmental and resource variation. I am interested in both from the side of the parents must balance the incubating and feeding their offspring with their own self-maintenance, but also from the standpoint of the young in a critical period of their life cycle. Pertinent publications include: Addison et al. 2009, Austin et al. 2011, Robinson et al. 2014, Ricklefs et al. 2017, Austin et al. 2019, Austin et al. 2020.
Collaborators: Doug Robinson (OSU), Bob Ricklefs (University of Missouri- St. Louis), Michaela Hau (Max Planck Institute of Ornithology), Martin Wikelski (Max Planck Institute of Ornithology), Joe Williams (Ohio SU), Kirk Klasing (UC Davis), and Jeff Brawn (University of Illinois- Urbana-Champaign).
Past Projects:
Transcriptomics of Parental Care and Stress
I am investigating how the transcriptome of the reproductive axis (hypothalamus-pituitary-gonads) in response to stress, the hormone corticosterone, and parental care in pigeons. Publications include: MacManes et al. 2017, Calisi et al 2018, Lang et al. 2020, Austin et al. 2021a, Austin et al 2021b, Farrar et al 2021.
Day length and its influence on incubation period length in songbirds
Incubation period varies widely in birds. A notable trend in songbirds is the increase in incubation period length with decreasing latitude (e.g., longer incubation periods near the equator), which likely is due to life-history trade-offs due to environmental variation. Exposure to long daylengths, as is typical in north temperate birds, can speed up development in poultry. I investigated if how four different photoperiods affected incubation period in the Eurasian blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla): see Austin et al. 2014 for results. I also collaborated with other researchers to review the topic of photoacceleration in birds and to investigate how day length affected incubation period and embryo metabolism in another species, the house sparrow (Passer domesticus): see Cooper et al. 2011.
Reproductive ecology and development of Tachycineta swallows
I investigated reproduction and nestling growth in violet-green (Tachycineta thalassina) and tree swallows (T. bicolor) in the Willamette valley of Oregon. Data from this project have been published in Austin et al. 2011, Winkler et al. 2014, and Austin et al. 2020.