Troy Koser, PhD Student

"What if we could use climate and wildlife host data to predict where and when a disease outbreak will happen? What sort of wildlife management actions might we take given this knowledge?"

In recent decades moose populations have been declining across their southern range with many studies linking population declines to epizootics of winter tick. It has been reported in other areas of North America that warming winters and earlier snow melts increase winter tick survival rates and egg clutch sizes, but such research on winter ticks, moose, and climate in the western United States is lacking. I am investigating the relationship between winter ticks, moose, and climate in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem with specific questions including: 1) how do varying levels of winter tick infestations affect individual moose health, 2) do differences in moose migration habits, habitat use, and overlap with other ungulate movement patterns predict tick infestation severity, and 3) do long-term climate data alongside fine-scale microclimate data predict regional winter tick epizootics?

Master of Science, 2019
Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources
University of Georgia, Athens

Bachelor of Arts, 2017
Biology & Environmental Studies
Hendrix College, Arkansas