Protecting Biodiversity at the Wildland-Urban Interface

The LowCountry region continues to face developmental pressure as more people move towards the coast. As habitat fragmentation continues, The LowCountry Institute is interested in conserving biodiversity in residential and urban settings. Often using Spring Island as a laboratory, LCI researchers investigate ways to ensure habitats can support both people and wildlife.

bat photo

Two graduate students completed master’s degrees in 2007 from Coastal Carolina University. Mario Lawrence studied small mammals and habitat preferences and species distribution patterns on Spring Island. Travis Scott studied habitat selection of bats on Spring Island. Research projects like this demonstrate that it is possible to still maintain wildlife habitat in residential communities. Spring Island also served as a study site for the 2015 Bat Blitz.

pdfAbundance, Richness, and Habitat Preferences of Small Mammals on Spring Island, South Carolina

pdfBat Species Richness and Edge Habitat Use on a Coastal Island in South Carolina

 

bluebirds

  • Working as a partnership with Clemson University and the Smithsonian Institute, graduate student Ali Rodrian is wrapping up her master’s degree on dispersal of fledgling bluebirds. Building upon a long-term dataset, Rodrian banded and tracked bluebirds on Spring Island and evaluated what factors (e.g. supplemental feeding) influenced dispersal in young bluebirds.