The Cooperative Research Units Program is a unique collaborative relationship among federal and state agencies, universities, and a non-profit organization.
The tripartite mission of the Cooperative Research Units Program is:
- Train graduate students for professional careers in natural-resource research and management.
- Conduct research that will create new information useful for natural-resource management.
- Provide technical assistance on application and integration of new science.
The Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit embraces the mission of the Cooperative Research Units Program and contributes daily to the overall success of the Cooperative Research Units Program.
Featured Student
Our students are involved in a wide variety of research, including diversity in ecological functions, invasive species, and habitats of various animals.
Abby May's project is:
State-Wide Connectivity of Deer and Other Big Game in Nebraska
August 2028
Western Nebraska provides a complex mosaic of habitats for large game species to navigate. Although the movement ecology of these species has been studied individually, relatively little is known about the extent to which these species share common corridors or barriers to movement.
The ability of wildlife to move across the landscape, either as part of their annual cycle to exploit different habitats at critical life stages or in response to ecosystem change and resource availability, is fundamental to population viability and health. Disruption of migration routes or reduction of dispersal opportunities can increase extirpation risk beyond the effects of habitat loss alone.
Abby May
M. S. Candidate, Wildlife
Evaluating Spatial Distribution and Composition of Mesopredator Communities in Western Nebraska
July 2027
Mesopredators are important components of animal and plant communities and play a role in maintaining ecosystem function and health. Not only does the presence of mesopredators on the landscape have a strong influence on prey density and vital rates, mesopredator composition has cascading effects on species and ecosystem processes.
Within Nebraska, scant data are available describing predator composition, occurrence and distribution. Given the influence these predators have on species, data on predator communities are needed to address knowledge gaps regarding population dynamics of harvested species and ultimately inform management strategies for both predator and harvested species.
