The Path Less Traveled: Movement Ecology of Lizards

  November 17, 2025 @ 01:25 pm to 02:15 pm

  105 Wartik Laboratory
  University Park

Abstract:
Movement is a fundamental characteristic of life. The study of movement can provide insights into critical biotic and abiotic factors affecting the lives of animals, as well as a way of measuring behavioral responses to human activity. Movement ecology can focus on processes at levels from the individual up to whole ecosystems, providing measures that anticipate the impact of global changes during the Anthropocene. I will introduce the field of movement ecology and share insights acquired through studying the movement of lizards around the world.

About the Speaker:
Dr. Douglas Eifler is a Research biologist from Erell Institute, a non-profit organization in Lawrence, Kansas, USA, whose focus is on education through field research. He earned his PhD in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University in 1996. He works with students on field based behavioral ecology throughout deserts of the world, undertaking recent projects in the Atacama Desert (Chile), Gobi Desert (Mongolia), Namib Desert (Namibia), Sahara Desert (Tunisia), Sonoran Desert (USA and Mexico), and Chihuahuan Desert (USA). Dr. Eifler's research focuses on movement ecology, foraging behavior and network analysis of animals, reptile behavior, and desert ecology.

Contact

  Liz McAlpine
  ekm5556@psu.edu