Join us for the next talk in the Linda Loring Nature Foundation Science Pub series. Effects of climate, habitat, and biodiversity on reproductive performance in an aerial insectivore, the Tree Swallow, in Massachusetts with Dr. Lucy Zipf North American avian aerial insectivores, including the Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor), are undergoing dramatic population declines. These declines span multiple species of diverse life histories, and thus may be driven by the large-scale environmental changes caused by humans. Here we first investigate trends in Tree Swallow reproductive performance over the last three decades, and then test the hypothesis that declines in aerial insectivore reproductive success caused by anthropogenic changes in the breeding habitat, including climate change, decline in insect prey populations, and land management regimes, are contributing to overall population decline. Dr. Lucy Zipf is a community ecologist studying the integrated impacts of co-occurring global changes - climate, habitat, and conservation management - on biological communities in New England. Lucy recently received her PhD from Boston University and is currently a Visiting Lecturer at Wellesley College. Check out more info about Lucy's research projects at lucyzipf.com.