Brian Rawles
MSC, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES (EXPECTED GRADUATION, SPRING 2023)
THESIS TITLE:
The relative effects of drought and urbanization on terrestrial mammal occupancy in Southern California
Brief background
Brian is a master’s candidate, co-advised with Amanda Zellmer of Occidental College, examining the impacts of drought on patterns of small mammal occupancy along a gradient of increasing urbanization throughout the Greater Los Angeles Area (L.A.). Brian is using camera trap data from transects across L.A., precipitation measurements, and multiple metrics of urbanization, including population density, impervious surface data, and Landsat Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) along with auto-logistic occupancy approaches to address his research questions.
A bobcat (Lynx rufus) captured with a camera trap used for Brian’s study in the vicinity of Pasadena, California.