DPhil. Student

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Kris Jones

Kris Jones

Details

Name: Kris Jones
Position: DPhil. Student
Email: kristopher.jones@zoo.ox.ac.uk

Autobiography

I graduated from California State University, Sacramento in May 2002 with a BSc in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. As an undergraduate I completed two theses: one studying the foraging behavior of the invasive Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) and a second while studying at Uppsala University studying the display behavior of the great snipe (Gallinago media). After graduating from university, I undertook several research positions including studying wetland ecology with the U.S. Geological Survey, sensitive species surveys with the CA Dept. of Fish and Game, and salmon ecology with the CA Dept. of Water Resources.

Research Activities

My main research interests are in the areas of evolutionary and behavioral ecology. Specifically, I'm interested in the affect nesting environment has on sex allocation, sex ratio variation, and sex differential development.

During the first year of my PhD, I used individual-specific data from a long-term study of the great tit in Wytham Woods, UK to examine the relationship between habitat quality and brood sex ratio. I also tested whether habitat had sex-differential effects on the development and recruitment of offspring and thus explore the match between the potential for sex differences in patterns of selection and the observed sex ratio.

I found that pairs produced a higher proportion of male offspring when nesting in better quality habitats (oak rich areas, relatively distant from woodland edges). While the recruitment of males was relatively higher than females from better quality habitats, there were no sex*habitat interactions in the fledging mass of nestlings. Results from an experiment conducted in the following year confirmed these results. In my future work, I aim to investigate other potential sources of selection for biased sex ratios in the great tit population at Wytham Woods, as well as further examine the relationship between rearing conditions and sex-differential development in sexually size dimorphic species.

Selected Recent Papers

Jones, K. 2006. Review of Introduction to California Birdlife, by Jules Evens and Ian Tait. IBIS 148(1):183.

Jones, K. 2005. Review of Important Bird Areas of California, by Dan Cooper. IBIS 147(3):619.

Jones, K. 2005. Review of The Birdwatcher's Companion to North American Birdlife, by Christopher Leahy. IBIS 147(3):620-621.

Drexler, J. Z., G. Wheeler, R. Fujii, & K. S. Jones. Mitigation of Land Subsidence through Wetland Restoration in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California. Submitted to Wetlands Ecology and Management.

Brown, R. L., B. Cavallo & K. S. Jones. 2004. The effects of the Feather River Hatchery on naturally spawning salmonids. Final Report to Calif. Dept. of Water Resources, Sacramento, CA. 150 pages.