Hila Shamon is a landscape ecologist and mammalogist at Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Conservation Ecology Center. Shamon’s research interests focus on anthropogenic activity and landuse changes effects on terrestrial mammals’ distribution and densities across large landscape gradients. Shamon uses a multi-species, multi-trophic approach to answer local- and landscape-level questions that unveil mechanistic processes and cascading processes, combining several modeling methodologies, and collects data from the field using camera traps, audio recordings, GPS tags and aerial image processing.
RESEARCH
Gains and Losses of Bird Functional Traits in Relation to Human Habitation
It is well established that anthropogenic activities alter natural habitats, ultimately leading to biodiversity loss. However, how landuse and landcover changes affect ecosystem functionality is
Swift Fox Reintroduction
Over the last year and a half I’ve been working with the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation to establish a swift fox reintroduction project to the
LoRa Technology for Wildlife Tracking
New communications technology has made it possible to track fine-scale movements of wildlife, enabling researchers to understand the factors that influence local and migratory movements
UPDATES
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The Possibilists – Episode 6: Dr. Hila Shamon
November 6, 2021The Possibilists is a podcast collaboration between The Smithsonian Earth Optimism and Pelecanus.
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Guest speaker at Aaniiih Nakoda College
October 29, 2021
Swift fox reintroduction to Fort Belknap Indian Reservation
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How I Study Elusive Prairie Bobcats
September 20, 2021
This update was written by research fellow Johnny Stutzman.
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Recent Publications
Kays, Roland, Cove, Michael V., Diaz, Jose, Todd, Kimberly, Bresnan, Claire, Snider, Matt, Lee, Thomas E., Shamon H., et al. 2022. SNAPSHOT USA 2020: A Second Coordinated National Camera Trap Survey of the United States during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Ecology e3775. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3775
Boyce*, A., Shamon*, H., McShea WJ. (2022). Bison restoration to shortgrass prairie is associated with increases in vertebrate diversity and occupancy in riparian areas. (In press, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.) https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.821822/full
Shamon, H., Boyce, AJ, Kunkel, KE, McShea, WJ. (2022). The Unique Responses of Five Sympatric Ungulates to Local Phenological Gradients. (In press, Wildlife Research Journal.) https://doi.org/10.1071/WR20185