Anna Carlson
Master’s Student
Personal Website | acarlson0118@gmail.com
After iEcoLab
Anna graduated with her Master’s in Biology in 2023, immediately moving on to a full-time position with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Education
- B.S. Biology, Earlham College (2019)
Current Research
I am specifically interested in differences between rural and urban populations of the same species and am currently exploring this area through my master’s thesis research focused on diet variation of mammalian mesopredators and their potential small mammal prey across the rural-urban gradient in the greater Philadelphia area. The aim of this project is to better understand the provision, or lack thereof, of potential pest management services by mesopredators in a growing urban area that struggles with waste management and zoonotic lyme disease transmission, and is currently expanding its metropolitan park system.
Research Interests
I am an applied ecologist investigating the reactionary relationships between animals and humans in highly modified landscapes with the aim of exploring symbiotic solutions to mitigate present conflicts and avoid future clashes between co-occurring humans and animals. As human-altered landscapes continue to expand at unprecedented rates and with experts at the United Nations predicting that nearly 90% of Americans will be living in cities in the next three decades, investigating the ways in which wildlife adapts to human-dominated environments and studying the shifts in ecosystem services these animals provide is incredibly important. My previous research has focused in areas of animal behavior, habitat selection and utilization, effects and impacts of human disturbance, as well as how humans think about and interact with domestic and wild animals. My field work priortizes “non-invasive” methods such as camera traps, hair snares and small mammal hair tubes, as well as in-field measurements and observations to avoid undue stress or harm to study subjects.