Beaupre 9728470 Animals in nature, like people, make complex decisions about how they use their time. These decisions influence the amount of food they obtain, and how they use that food to grow and reproduce, which in turn, influences the size and health of the population. If the PIs can understand how changes in an animal's environment affect connections between time use and production (growth and reproduction) then the PIs can make better predictions about the responses of animals to environmental change (natural, or human-caused). Perhaps the best way to understand how environmental change will influence animals is to experimentally change the environment and observe their responses. In this project, the PI will experimentally increase feeding in a small sample of free-ranging timber rattlesnakes, and observe changes in their behavior, physiology and production relative to an unmanipulated control group. The timber rattlesnake is an excellent study animal because with the help of small surgically placed radio transmitters we can observe complex behavior and physiology in a natural setting. This project will be conducted at the Ozark Natural Science Center, a non-profit natural science education center in Northwest Arkansas. Project activities will directly contribute to the education of children at the grade school and high school levels, college undergraduates, and graduate students at the Master's and Ph.D. levels.
