Swamp Sparrow Summit
Understanding the coastal plain swamp sparrow: A summit November 15, 2007
Why?
The coastal plain swamp sparrow is a poorly-known subspecies of the widespread swamp sparrow. The subspecies inhabits a small area of the coastal mid-Atlantic states.
This summit features experts on swamp sparrows and their brackish marsh ecosystems. The goal is to assess what we know, what we need to know, and how we are going to find out what we need to know through future research. Future research subjects possibly include:
- Further work on song and plumage differentiation as incipient isolating mechanisms
- Climate change and clutch size
- Cross seasonal life history
- Testing functional explanations for adaptations (larger bill size, plumage, etc.)
Who and What?
The summit consists of presentations in the morning followed by afternoon discussions about future areas of research.
| Presenter | Topic |
|---|---|
| Russell Greenberg | Overview |
| Brian Olsen | Factors affecting clutch size and life history |
| Rob Fleischer | Genetic structure of East Coast swamp sparrow populations |
| Barbara Ballentine | Genetic and environmental bases of differentiation |
| Sarah Warner | Mercury accumulation and/or comparative ecology of coastal plain swamp and seaside sparrows |
| Ashley Peele | Feather bacteria, salinity, and plumage |
| Sam Droege | Seven-year population trends in Delaware |
| Ray Danner | Non-breeding ecology |
Where?
The Smithsonian's National Zoo is the site of the summit.
