Tim Bean

Ph.D. Student

Office: Room 45, Mulford Hall
bean@berkeley.edu
A Conservation Blog
Phone/Fax: 510-643-3918
Mailing address: 137 Mulford Hall #3114 University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-3114

B.A. Columbia University, 2004

Research Interests

In the broadest sense, my research interests center on the spatial dimensions of wildlife conservation at varying time scales. Where did a species occur in the past, and how and why has that changed? Are there seasonal elements to a species’ distribution? How do human activities affect a species’ range? What are the tools for assessing these questions, and can we do so faster, cheaper and more accurately? Currently, I am studying annual range fluctuations of the Giant Kangaroo Rat in Carrizo Plains National Monument, California. Due mostly to extremely variable annual precipitation (from 5 to 50 cm in the past two decades), the Giant Kangaroo Rat’s range can expand and contract dramatically between years. Using satellite imagery of different spatial scales, I will map their current distribution. In addition, using measures of plant productivity and current range I will try to predict future distribution. These models will help managers to make more informed decisions on cattle grazing in the monument, as well as answer questions about the effects of climate change on this endangered rodent. I also expect that “Counting Rats from Space,” the proposed title of my thesis, will become an international phenomenon, spawning everything from a board game to a Top 40 dance hall burner.

My previous research as an undergraduate and at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) included work on the Mannahatta Project, an on-going research project attempting to re-construct the ecological condition of Manhattan in 1609; the influence of humans across the globe and its effects on plants and wildlife (“The Human Footprint”); and work on WCS’ Living Landscapes Program, an effort to map and understand human-wildlife interactions in large conservation landscapes.

Publications

Wittemyer*, G., Elsen, P., Bean, W. T., Burton, A.C. & J.S. Brashares* 2008. Accelerated human population growth at protected area edges. Science 321, 123-126. (*authors contributed equally)

Bean, W. and E.W. Sanderson. 2008. Using a spatially explicit ecological model to test scenarios of fire use by Native Americans: An example from the Harlem Plains, New York, NY. Ecological Modelling 211: 301-308. (PDF)