Trinity Smith

Trinity

Thesis Topic

Elucidating patterns of bat species richness and composition across a disturbed landscape

About Me

I grew up in a small town in eastern Nevada, where I developed my love of all things wildlife. I completed my Bachelor’s in Wildlife Science at Utah State University in 2015, where I conducted undergrad research on the impacts of exotic plant invasion on the rodent community. During and after my undergraduate work at USU, I worked for Nevada Department of Wildlife on a variety of field projects including Columbia spotted frog distribution surveys, sage grouse census, reservoir electrofishing surveys, abandoned mine bat hibernation surveys, and a statewide shrew inventory effort.

My master’s project involves a partnership with CDFW, where I helped collect data on all the terrestrial species in California’s Central Valley and Mojave Desert as a statewide drought inventory. Using a combination of camera traps, acoustic recorders, and ground surveys, we collected information on presence of birds, bats, mammals, herps, and vegetation. Since my research interests broadly involve community and disturbance ecology, I am using ultrasonic recordings to study the habitat associations of bats in California, and examine the differences in habitat selection based on morphology and life history characteristics. I hope to use this data to help inform land management practices that will be beneficial to bats in California.  

Advisor

Dr. Barbara Clucas

Undergraduate Institution

  • Major: Wildlife Studies
  • Minor: Fisheries Science and Biology

Utah State University

Favorite Animal

river otters