J.E. (Joseph Churchill) Churchill
Research interests
PhD project: Climate and environmental impacts on embryonic and nestling development regarding post fledgling survival
I am most interested in the effect of our globally changing climate and environmental conditions on the fitness, growth, longevity and survival of the thorn-tailed Rayadito (Aphrastura spinicauda). The aims of my PhD are to discover how different climate related factors impact individuals at key developmental stages such as the embryonic stage and the day of hatching and how these stages determine their survival, fitness and longevity into adulthood. My field season takes place from September – January in sub-Antarctica and Northern Patagonia in Chile each year. We use these two sites because these differ in climatic and environmental conditions which make a comparative study between two isolated populations ideal. The overall achievements of this PhD is to develop a theory that outlines what could happen to this bird species when conditions change in the field and how this may affect the population as a whole into the future. These results can be extended to other bird species and we can then make predictions as to what may happen to them in the inevitable event of a change in climate and environmental conditions.