Mr J. Berton C. Harris

Research Interests

NEWS

11 December 2011: New paper in Conservation Letters shows that the US Endangered Species Act does not recognize hundreds of threatened animal species (see PDF at bottom of page).

 

I am interested in conservation biology, particularly in tropical forests. I work on applied ecology and conservation questions, usually with birds as study organisms. Lately I have become fascinated by climate change impacts on tropical species. I also have strong interests in threatened species classification systems and avian migration (recent blog post).

 

EDUCATION AND PREVIOUS RESEARCH

I received a B.S. from the University of the South in Sewanee, TN, USA in 2006. My honors thesis at Sewanee examined land cover sampling biases in the North American Breeding Bird Survey. While at Sewanee I worked on a variety of ecological research projects including a study of birds associated with ephemeral wetlands and a comparison of forest change in adjacent but distinct communities. As part of my undergraduate education I spent a semester abroad in Costa Rica for coursework and research in tropical ecology. Before starting my PhD I studied threatened birds with the Jocotoco Conservation Foundation over a period of two years in Ecuador. Also, in 2007 I returned to Costa Rica for a study of a seed-dispersing bird community in a resoration site.

 

CURRENT RESEARCH

For my PhD (commenced 2008) I am studying the effects of climate change on Southeast Asian and Australian birds. I am particularly interested in:

(1) Evaluating extinction risk in light of climate change,

(2) Improving predictions of avian distributional shifts from climate change, and

(3) Using different combinations of models to evaluate the conservation status of large numbers of species.

 

My field sites are in Indonesia and Malaysia. Southeast Asian work is funded by the Loke Wan Tho Memorial Foundation. My modelling work on managing the South Australian Glossy Black-Cockatoo under climate change was funded by the South Australian Department for Environment and Natural Resources.

 

I am a part of Barry Brook's Global Ecology Lab at the Environment Institute, University of Adelaide (formerly the Research Institute for Climate Change and Sustainability). My co-supervisors are David Paton and Damien Fordham at the University of Adelaide. I also had the privilege of knowing and being supervised by Navjot Sodhi  before his untimely death on 12 June.

Publications

Reprints of most papers are uploaded at the bottom of the page. Others are available online (see links).

PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES

Harris, J. B. C., J. L. Reid, B. R. Scheffers, T. C. Wanger, N. S. Sodhi, D. A. Fordham, and B. W. Brook. 2011. Conserving imperiled species:  A comparison of the US Endangered Species Act and IUCN Red List. Conservation Letters URL. (pdf at bottom of page). Scientific American. The Conversation. Science Daily. Center for Biological Diversity. Examiner.

Reid, J.  L., J. B. C. Harris, and R. A. Zahawi. 2011. Avian habitat preference in tropical forest restoration in southern Costa Rica. Biotropica In press.

Harris, J. B. C., C. H. Sekercioglu, N. S. Sodhi, D. A. Fordham, D. C. Paton, and B. W. Brook. 2011. The tropical frontier in avian climate impact research. Ibis 153:877–882. Full text.

Scheffers, B. R., D. L. Yong, J. B. C. Harris, X. Giam, and N. S. Sodhi. 2011.The world's rediscovered species: Back from the brink? PLoS ONE 6(7):e22531. Full text. Brazilian media coverage. Discovery News. Mongabay. Science Daily.

Madika, B., D. D. Putra, J. B. C. Harris, D. L. Yong, F. N. Mallo, A. Rahman, D. M. Prawiradilaga, and P. C. Rasmussen. 2011. An undescribed Ninox hawk owl from the highlands of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia? Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. 131:21-29.

Juiña, M. E., J. B. C. Harris, H. F. Greeney, and B. R. Hickman. 2010. Description of the nest and parental care of the Esmeraldas Woodstar (Chaetocercus berlepschi) in western Ecuador. [In Spanish]. Ornitologia Neotropical 21:313-322.

Greeney, H.F., M. E. Juiña J., J. B. C. Harris, M. T. Wickens, B. Winger, R. Gelis, and E. T. Miller. 2010. Observations on the breeding biology of birds in south-east Ecuador. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 130:61-68.

Harris, J. B. C., A. Agreda, M. E. Juiña, and B. P. Freymann. 2009. Distribution, plumage, and conservation status of the endemic Esmeraldas Woodstar (Chaetocercus berlepschi) of western Ecuador (cover article). Wilson Journal of Ornithology 121:227-239. ABC news article; World Land Trust article;  American Bird Conservancy writeup

Juiña, M. E., J. B. C. Harris, and H. F. Greeney. 2009. Description of the nest and parental care of the Chestnut-naped Antpitta (Grallaria nuchalis) from southern Ecuador. Ornitologia Neotropical 20:305-310.  

Harris, J. B. C., D. G. Tirira, P. J. Alvarez L., and V. Mendoza I. 2008. Altitudinal range extension for Cebus albifrons (Primates: Cebidae) in southern Ecuador. Neotropical Primates 15:22-24. (also cover photograph). pdf

Reid, J. L., J. B. C. Harris, L. J. Martin, J. C. Barnett, and R. A. Zahawi. 2008. Distribution and abundance of nearctic-neotropical migrants in a tropical forest restoration site in southern Costa Rica. Journal of Tropical Ecology 24:685-688.

Harris, J. B. C., R. L. Carpio A., M. K. Chambers, and H. F. Greeney. 2008. Altitudinal and geographical range extension for Bicoloured Antvireo Dysithamnus occidentalis punctitectus in south-east Ecuador, with notes on its nesting ecology. Cotinga 30:63-65.

Reid, J. L, J. Evans, K. Hiers, and J. B. C. Harris. 2008. Ten years of forest change in two adjacent communities on the southern Cumberland Plateau, U.S.A. Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 135:224-235.

Harris, J. B. C., and D. G. Haskell. 2007. Land cover sampling biases associated with roadside bird surveys. Avian Conservation and Ecology 2(2):12. pdf full text

Scheffers, B. R., J. B. C. Harris, and D. G. Haskell. 2006. Avifauna associated with ephemeral ponds on the Cumberland Plateau, Tennessee. Journal of Field Ornithology 77:178-183.

See Google Scholar for citation counts.

 

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Harris, J. B. C., and J. M. Harris. 2010. Probable breeding of Cerulean Warbler (Dendroica cerulea) in Monte Sano State Park, Huntsville, AL. Alabama Birdlife 55: 37-41. pdf

Harris, J. B. C. and J. L. Reid. 2007. Bird songs of Las Cruces, Costa Rica. Audio CD. Available at Wilson Botanical Garden, Costa Rica.

 

 

PRESENTATIONS AT INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS

Harris, JBC, Fordham, DA, Mooney, PA, Pedler, LP, Araujo, MB, Paton, DC, Watts, MJ, Stead, MG, Akcakaya, HR, Brook, BW. Managing  the long-term persistence of a rare cockatoo under climate change. Talk given at 25th International Congress of Conservation Biology, Auckland, New Zealand, 6 December 2011

Harris, J. B. C., D. A. Fordham, D. D. Putra, N. S. Sodhi, B. W. Brook, and D. M. Prawiradilaga. The effects of climate change on the endemic avifauna of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Talk given at the Association of Tropical Biology and Conservation meeting, Bali, Indonesia, July 2010.

Harris, J. B. C., B. W. Brook, D. C. Paton, and D. A. Fordham. Synergistic effects of climate change and habitat loss on South Australian birds. Poster at the Australasian Wildlife Management Society meeting, November 2008, Fremantle, WA.

Harris, J. B. C., M. E. Juiña, R. Carpio, and F. Mendoza. Territory size, foraging behavior, and vocalizations of the Jocotoco Antpitta (Grallaria ridgelyi) in southeastern Ecuador. Poster at the 125th stated meeting of the American Ornithologists’ Union, August 2007, Laramie, WY.

Harris, J. B. C. and D. G. Haskell. A quantitative analysis of roadside survey bias of the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Poster at the 4th North American Ornithological Conference, October 2006, Veracruz, Mexico.

Kight, C. R., J. P Swaddle, J. B. C Harris, and J. Phillips. The effects of human disturbance on the breeding success of cavity-nesting bird species. Poster at the Animal Behavior Society meeting, August 2005, Salt Lake City, UT.

Scheffers, B. R., J. B. C. Harris, and D. G. Haskell. Do ephemeral ponds provide habitat for birds? Poster at the 122nd stated meeting of the American Ornithologists' Union, August 2004, Université Laval, Québec.

 

PRESENTATIONS AT REGIONAL SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS

Harris, J. B. C. Two years, two species: Research on a pair of endangered Ecuadorian birds with the Jocotoco Conservation Foundation. Presentation to the Alabama Ornithological Society, Dauphin Island, AL, April, 2008.

Harris, J. B. C. Community ecology of Cumberland Plateau ephemeral ponds. Presentation to the Tennessee Ornithological Society, Winchester, TN, May 2006.

Harris, J. B. C., D. G. Haskell, and K. Willis. A quantitative analysis of roadside survey bias of the North American Breeding Bird Survey: Implications for conservation planning in North America. Poster at Association of Southeastern Biologists meeting, March, 2006, Gatlinburg, TN.

Scheffers, B. R., J. B. C. Harris, and D. G. Haskell. Do ephemeral ponds provide habitat for birds? Talk by B. Scheffers at the Tennessee Ornithological Society fall symposium, 9 October 2004, Cooksville, TN.

 

MANUSCRIPT REVIEWER

Ardea, Biological Conservation,  Diversity and Distributions, Ecography,  Emu-Austral Ornithology,  Ornitología Neotropical,  Wilson Journal of Ornithology

 

 

Other Interests

 

I am an avid birdwatcher.  I especially love looking for endemic birds in remote tropical locations (e.g. Jesus del Monte, Peru). 

I also enjoy boofs and waterfalls (e.g. Little River Canyon, Alabama; see below) in my kayak.  Steep creeks are my favorite.  I enjoy sievy sandstone runs (e.g. Suck Creek, Tennessee), alpine slides (e.g. Oh-be-Joyfull Creek, Colorado), and clean boulder gardens in the Smokey Mountains (e.g. West Prong of the Little Pigeon River, Tennessee).  

Climbing is my main hobby in Australia and trad has opened up some great new possibilities.  I head for the Adelaide hills and the Arapiles/Grampians whenever possible.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Professional Associations

A male Esmeraldas Woodstar in Ayampe, Ecuador (see publications).

Files

• Migratory bird seed dispersal - reid_et_al_2008_j_trop_ecol.pdf [57.2K] (application/pdf)
• Grallaria nuchalis proofs - ON_20_(2)_Juina_et_al_814.pdf [355.6K] (application/pdf)
• Conservation Letters Comparison of ESA and IUCN - Harris_et_al_2011_Cons_Lett_ESA_IUCN_comparison.pdf [1003.4K] (application/pdf)
• Undescribed Ninox owl from Sulawesi - Madika_et_al_2011_final.pdf [1.5MB] (application/pdf)
• Reid et al 2011 Biotropica - reid_et_al_2011.pdf [357.2K] (application/pdf)
• Esmeraldas Woodstar WJO - woodstar_paper.pdf [831.5K] (application/pdf)
• Ecuador bird breeding biology - Greeney_et_al.pdf [224.8K] (application/pdf)
• Ephemeral pond bird diversity - scheffers_et_al_2006_JFO.pdf [80.5K] (application/pdf)
• Forest change on the Cumberland Plateau - reid_et_al_2008_J_Torrey_Bot_Soc.pdf [488.6K] (application/pdf)
• Bicoloured Antvireo - Harris_et_al_2008_Cotinga.pdf [76.0K] (application/pdf)

Entry last updated: Saturday, 4 Feb 2012