Megan Dudenhoeffer

Position: Assistant Research Scientist, Jan 2020-Sep 2021; Currently PhD Student, University of Wisconsin
Project: Involved with all projects in the lab; special focus on Rocky Mountain Hummingbird Hemoparasite Project
Education: B.Sc. in Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, 2017; M.Sc. Biology, University of Manitoba, 2020

Research Interests

My interests are broad and include invasive species ecology, food-web ecology, wildlife conservation, and population ecology. I am interested in implementing genetic techniques to study wildlife populations.

Background

Growing up in Southern Idaho I spent my weekends camping and hiking in the Rocky Mountains, constantly asking questions about nature. During my bachelor’s degree at University of Wyoming, I discovered my love of research and became involved in many wildlife projects, based both in Wyoming and internationally. For my undergraduate research project, I studied the dispersal of an invasive cactus species (Opuntia stricta) by baboons in Laikipia, Kenya. I then moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba to study Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) population dynamics using fecal DNA to determine diet, and identify individuals. My experiences at University of Manitoba, in collaboration with the Assiniboine Park Zoo, opened my eyes to the utility of genetics research for wildlife monitoring and management. In addition to wildlife research, one of my passions is scientific communication. Some of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had involved leading field courses, and hosting hands-on workshops for people of all ages and backgrounds.

Masters research pages:

• UMGSA profile: http://www.umgsa.org/profiles-megan-dudenhoeffer/
• Arctic Focus Article: https://www.arcticfocus.org/stories/arctic-foxes-and-researchers-facing-consequences-arctic-warming/

Publications

Barocas, A., Golden, H. N., Dudenhoeffer, M., & Ben-David, M. 2020. Sociality and signaling activity modulate information flow in river otter communication networks. Behavioral Ecology, 1–9. https://academic.oup.com/beheco/advance-article/doi/10.1093/beheco/araa102/5970333

Dudenhoeffer, M., & Hodge, A. M. 2018. Opposing forces of seed dispersal and seed predation by mammals for an invasive cactus in Central Kenya. African Journal of Ecology, 56(2), 179-184. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/aje.12504

Berggren, K. L., Lu, Z., Fox, J. A., Dudenhoeffer, M., Agrawal, S., & Fox, J. H. 2016. Neonatal iron supplementation induces striatal atrophy in female YAC128 Huntington’s disease mice. Journal of Huntington’s Disease, 5(1), 53-63. https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-huntingtons-disease/jhd150182