Education
University of Arizona, School of Natural Resources, Tucson, AZ
M.S. in Wildlife Science, May 2005.
Florida International University, Miami, FL
B.S. in Biology, Cum Laude, May 1996
The American University, Washington, DC
B.A. in International Studies, Magna Cum Laude, May 1989
Master’s Research
The age that juveniles initiate dispersal (dispersal age) plays a role in
understanding the evolution of cooperative breeding, life history strategies, and how
organisms resolve parent-offspring conflicts. The age at which young leave their natal
area may influence their survival and their ability to find a suitable breeding territory. In
birds, the post-fledging period (i.e., when dispersal is initiated) is often the life stage
with the lowest daily survival probability. Because dispersal age seems to have
important fitness consequences, I would expect strong selection on (and hence little
variation in) dispersal age. However, variation in dispersal age occurs across latitudinal
gradients, within species, and even within broods. This variation may be due to the
employment of different dispersal strategies or to individual variation in local conditions,
even at the level of the nest. Hence, strong selection on dispersal age may result in
high variability of dispersal age.
Very little is known about what factors influence dispersal decisions such as
whether to delay dispersal, and delayed dispersal is a precursor to the evolution of
cooperative breeding systems. Although burrowing owls do not exhibit cooperative
breeding behavior, they do share several traits that are common among cooperatively
breeding birds including year-round residency in parts of their range, relatively high
annual adult survival rates, and limited breeding opportunities due to specialized
nesting requirements (cavities with specific internal and external characteristics). I have
observed that some burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) leave their natal area soon
after they can fly well (~40 days old), whereas others remain until their plumage and
behavior are indistinguishable from adults (≥100 days old).
I used both manipulative and correlative approaches to test two alternative
hypotheses that explain variation in the age that burrowing owls initiate natal dispersal.
Results from my study show that both food and ectoparasites affect the age at which
juvenile burrowing owls initiated natal dispersal, but their effect is context-dependent.
Publications
Garcia, V. 2005. Effects of food and ectoparasites on age of natal dispersal in
burrowing owls. M.S. Thesis, University of Arizona.
Conway, C. J., and V. Garcia. 2005. Effects of radiotransmitters on natal recruitment of
burrowing owls. Journal of Wildlife Management 69(1):404-408.
Garcia, V. and C. J. Conway. 2005. When is it time to leave home? Factors that
influence natal dispersal age in burrowing owls. Bluebird 27(2):18-19.
Presentations
Garcia, V., and C. J. Conway. 2005. What is a nest? Influence of nest definition on
estimates of nesting success in Burrowing Owls. Oral presentation, American
Ornithologists' Union Annual Meeting, Santa Barbara, CA.
Garcia, V. and C. J. Conway. 2004. Ultimate factors affecting initiation of natal dispersal
in burrowing owls. Oral presentation, American Ornithologists’ Union Annual
Meeting, Quebec City, Quebec.
Garcia, V. and C. J. Conway. 2003. Effects of food and ectoparasites on dispersal age.
Poster presentation, American Ornithologists’ Union Annual Meeting, UrbanaChampaign, IL.
Garcia, V. and C. J. Conway. 2003. Effects of food and ectoparasites on age of natal
dispersal in burrowing owls. Oral presentation, Cooper Ornithological Society
Annual Meeting, Flagstaff, AZ.
Garcia, V. and C. J. Conway. 2002. Effects of habitat and landscape features on
survival, reproductive success, and dispersal of Burrowing Owls. Oral
presentation. USGS Cooperators Meeting, Tucson, AZ.
Grants
Mewaldt-King Student Research Award, Cooper Ornithological Society, 2004
Student Travel Award from the American Ornithologists’ Union, 2004
North American Bluebird Society Research Grant, 2003
Frank M. Chapman Memorial Grant, American Museum of Natural History, 2003
Silliman Memorial Research Award, University of Arizona, 2003, 2004
Budweiser Conservation Scholarship, 2002-2003
Student Membership Grant from Cooper Ornithological Society, 2002, 2003
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V. Garcia resume