Caitlin Kroeger

SouthernRoyalAlbatross

Ph.D. Student, Ocean Sciences, UC Santa Cruz

B.S. Wildlife, Fish & Conservation Biology, UC Davis

Email: ckroeger@ucsc.edu

 
 
 

Research Interests

 
My research focuses on comparing physiological differences between two closely related albatross species that employ contrasting foraging strategies. Albatross are well known for their efficient flight strategies and ability to cover long distances with minimal metabolic energy costs; however, environmental changes may impact flight efficiency and some species may be better adapted than others. My research addresses the following questions: (1) how does energy use change with variations in flight patterns and morphometrics; (2) does environmental forcing affect energy expenditure; (3) do stress hormone levels elevate in relation to energetically expensive movement patterns; and finally, (4) do individuals with elevated stress levels have increased presence of white blood cells and blood parasites?

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