Matthew McClanahan
M.S. Candidate
Research
My research focuses on the habitat use and
bioenergetics of wintering waterfowl communities in western Tennessee. This project is in collaboration with the
Black Duck Joint Venture (BDJV) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with
the primary goal of improving management in Tennessee for wintering waterfowl, especially
the American black duck (Anas rubripes). Additionally, I will be investigating the
effects of mechanical disking and subsequent millet planting on wetland
carrying capacity and waterfowl use.
Refuge personnel frequently perform mechanical manipulations in wetlands
to set back plant succession; however, the effects on wintering black ducks are
unknown. My study is taking place on the
Duck River Unit of Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge (TNWR) and on Cross
Creeks National Wildlife Refuge (CCNWR).
The objectives of my
M.S. research are to:
1) Compare
proportional habitat use among 6 habitat types for wintering waterfowl
communities using habitats associated with TNWR and CCNWR,
2) Relate
waterfowl habitat use to energetic carrying capacity (i.e., the amount of
available metabolizable energy for ducks and geese
relative to daily energetic demands), and
3) Quantify the
effects of disking and subsequent millet planting on wetland carrying capacity
and waterfowl use.
My study will include the use of scan sampling in over
30 plots distributed among 6 habitat types to estimate waterfowl use and
activities. In each habitat type, I will
estimate biomass of seed and aquatic invertebrates, which will be used to
estimate the available energy (kcal/ha) and duck-energy days (DEDs). I will use ArcGIS®
and FRAGSTATS to quantify landscape characteristics (edge, patchiness, connectivity,
etc.) associated with each sampling plot, and determine the effects of
landscape variation and configuration on waterfowl habitat use. I will use control plots that have not been
disked alongside those that have been disked and planted with millet in order
to assess the effects of disking and supplemental planting on waterfowl habitat
use.
Collaborators:
Black Duck Joint Venture, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, University of Tennessee Institute of
Agriculture, and Mississippi
State University.
Personal
Greetings!
I grew up in a small town in western North Carolina in
the Smoky Mountains, and my father, a USFS wildlife biologist, raised me with a
deep fascination and appreciation for wildlife and nature from a very early
age. My primary interest is avifauna,
particularly waterfowl and neotropical
birds. I am an avid waterfowl hunter and
sportsman and, having that role, I feel a responsibility and fascination for
the things I hunt, observe and enjoy.
There is something magical in my mind about waterfowl and their habitats,
and my goal is to secure a wildlife biologist position where I can help
continue the waterfowl conservation legacy for future generations of hunters
and other conservationists.
I received my B.S. in Wildlife and Wildlands
Conservation with a minor in GIS from Brigham
Young University, and I am pursuing my M.S. under the guidance of Dr. Matt Gray in the UTIA
Wetlands Program. I am a teaching
assistant for WFS 101 (Current Topics in Wildlife Health) and WFS 340 (Wetlands Ecology and
Management). I enjoy teaching and
sharing share my knowledge with others.
Educating the public and future generations of wildlife students is a
key to conservation!
In my spare time, I enjoy fishing and hunting for
waterfowl, turkey and deer. I also like
to birdwatch, play guitar, and I do a little art on
the side (carving, wood burn etching, drawing/cartooning). One of my goals is to make my own duck decoys
and, perhaps, waterfowl calls one day.
Contact Information
Email: mmcclan2@utk.edu
Phone: 865-974-3897
UT Department of
Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries