Jennifer Merems
PhD Student
Biography
My passion for the natural world was cultivated by the experiences obtained growing up in the Sonoran desert of southern Arizona, spending the majority of my time outside immersed in the diversity of wildlife and plants alike. Once I decided to dedicate my future to wildlife, I enrolled at the University of Arizona where I obtained my BSc in natural resources with a specialization in wildlife management. I primarily worked with small mammals such as the endangered Mt. Graham red squirrel, black-tailed prairie dogs, kangaroo rats, and a variety of small rodent species. After graduation, I was offered a graduate position at the University of Idaho to obtain a MSc, which is where I made the leap to studying large game species. My researched focused on understanding the mechanism influencing mule deer declines in the west, specifically competition by elk and/or the risk of predation by mountain lions. During this time I found my niche studying behavioral ecology in predator-prey systems. This led me to my Ph.D. position in the Van Deelen lab at UW-Madison where I am studying the impacts of wolves on elk population dynamics and habitat use in Wisconsin.
She/Her/Hers
Contact Information
Email: merems@wisc.edu
Twitter: Jennifer Merems
ResearchGate: Jennifer Merems
Education
MS in Wildlife Sciences at the University of Idaho
BS in Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona
Publications
Merems JL*, Shipley LA, Levi T, Ruprecht J, Clark DA, Wisdom MJ, Jackson NJ, Stewart KM, and Long RA (2020) Nutritional-landscape models link habitat use to condition of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 8:98. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00098
Professional Presentations and Posters
Scholarships and Fellowships
Hastings Award for outstanding female student in Forest and Wildlife Ecology, UW-Madison 2020
Best student presentation at the Wisconsin Wildlife Society conference 2019
University of Idaho, College of Natural Resources Supplemental Grant 2017
Project
Effects of Wolves on Elk Population Dynamics and Habitat Use in Wisconsin