Dominic LaRoche
dlaroche@email.arizona.edu

Background:

I graduated from the University of Maryland in 2000 with a degree in ecology, evolution, and animal behavior. I first joined the Conway lab in 2002 as a research intern banding and tracking band-tailed pigeons, conducting avian point counts, as well as nest searching and monitoring ground nesting passerines in the sky islands. While working in the Conway lab I earned a graduate certificate in statistics. I am currently a Wildlife Biologist working on a variety of projects and a PhD student in the statistics graduate interdisciplinary program. I enjoy living in Tucson and working in the diverse habitats that span from the Sonoran desert to the Sky Islands.

Some of the research projects I assist with include:

• population status, distribution, and effects of fire on buff-breasted flycatchers

• influence of perennial pools on the abundance, diversity and reproductive success of breeding birds in riparian woodlands in southeastern Arizona

• effects of catastrophic wildfires on abundance and distribution of montane birds in southeastern Arizona

• effects of clutch size on the cost of reproduction in birds.
• The influence of water quality on the health of riparian bird communities in Arizona
• Developing a habitat suitability index (HSI) model for masked bobwhites using expert opinion
• Using LiDAR to model potential red-faced warbler habitat in the sky islands of southern Arizona.

• 2013 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship

• 2012 Winner, Graduate Interdisciplinary Program Student Poster Award

• 2012 Graduate College Merit Fellowship

• 2012 Emily Krauss Scholarship

• 2011 Emily Krauss Scholarship

• LaRoche, D.D., C.J. Conway, D.E. Swann, and C. Kirkpatrick. In Review. Effects of Drought on Birds, Vegetation, and Surface Flow in a Desert Riparian Woodland. Climactic Change.

• LaRoche, D.D., C.J. Conway, and C. Kirkpatrick. In Review. Factors affecting sticky traps used to measure arthropod abundance in riparian woodlands. Journal of Arid Environments.

• Robinson, G., C. J. Conway, C. Kirkpatrick, and D. L. LaRoche.  2010.  Response to Nestling Throat Ligatures by Three Songbirds.  Wilson Journal of Ornithology 122:806-809.

• Kirkpatrick, C., C. J. Conway, and D. LaRoche.  2007.  Range expansion of the Buff-breasted Flycatcher (Empidonax fulvifrons) into the Rincon Mountains, Arizona.  Southwestern Naturalist 52:149-152.

• LaRoche, D.D., C.J. Conway, and D.E. Swann. 2012. Quantifying Impacts of Groundwater Withdrawal on Avian Abundance, Species Richness, and Reproductive Success on Rincon Creek. DSCESU Final Report for Agreement No. 1200100001

• Kirkpatrick C., C.J. Conway, D. D. LaRoche, and G. Robinson. 2010.  The influence of water quality on the health of riparian bird communities in Arizona. Wildlife Research Report #2009-03, U.S. Geological Survey, Arizona Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Tucson, AZ.

• Kirkpatrick, C., C. J. Conway, and D. D. LaRoche.  2009.  Effects of ground water withdrawal on avian abundance and species richness in riparian areas of National Parks in the Desert Southwest.  Wildlife Research Report #2009-07, U.S. Geological Survey, Arizona Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Tucson, AZ.

• Kirkpatrick, C., C. J. Conway, and D. LaRoche.  2006.  Effects of wildland fires on buff-breasted flycatchers and other forest birds in southeastern Arizona. Wildlife Research Report #2006-05, U.S. Geological Survey, Arizona Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Tucson, AZ.

• Kirkpatrick, C., C. J. Conway, and D. LaRoche.  2007.  Quantifying impacts of groundwater withdrawal on avian communities in desert riparian woodlands of the southwestern U.S.  Final Report submitted to Department of Defense Legacy Resource Management Program, Arlington, VA.

• LaRoche D.D., C.J. Conway, D.E. Swann, and C. Kirkpatrick. 2012. The future of southwestern birds in a changing climate: Changes in species composition due to declines in available water and riparian vegetation. North American Ornithological Conference, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Paper presentation.

• LaRoche D.D., C.J. Conway, G. Robinson, and C. Kirkpatrick. 2011. Factors affecting insect abundance in a southwestern riparian woodland. The Wildlife Society National Conference, Waikoloa, Hawaii. Poster.

• LaRoche D.D., C.J. Conway, C. Kirkpatrick, and D.E. Swann. 2011. Effects of drought on birds, vegetation and surface flow in a desert riparian woodland. The Wildlife Society National Conference, Waikoloa, Hawaii. Poster.

• LaRoche D.D., C.J. Conway, C. Kirkpatrick, and D.E. Swann. 2011. Effects of Drought on a Desert Riparian Woodland. Arizona Hydrological Society Annual Symposium, Flagstaff, AZ.

• LaRoche D.D., C.J. Conway, C. Kirkpatrick, and G. Robinson. 2010. The Influence of Environmental Contamination on Riparian Bird Populations at Tumacacori National Historic Park. USGS Border Environmental Health Initiative (BEHI) Interdisciplinary Showcase Agenda, Tucson, AZ.

• LaRoche, D.D., Conway, C.J., Kirkpatrick, C., and D. Swann.  2009. Evaluating the influence of surface water on bird diversity and abundance in southwestern riparian woodlands.  American Ornithologist's Union annual meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

• Kirkpatrick, C., C. J. Conway, D. D. LaRoche, and D. Swann. 2009. Quantifying impacts of surface water and ground water depletion on avian communities in desert riparian woodlands of the southwestern U.S.  DOD Sustaining Military Readiness Conference, Phoenix, Arizona.
  

• LaRoche, D., C. J. Conway, and C. Kirkpatrick. 2008. Evaluating the efficacy of sticky traps to measure arthropod abundance in riparian woodlands. American Ornithologist's Union annual meeting, Portland , Oregon. Poster

• LaRoche, D., C.J. Conway, and C. Kirkpatrick.  2007.  Evaluating the efficacy of sticky traps to measure arthropod biomass in riparian woodlands. The Wildlife Society 14th Annual Conference, Tucson, Arizona.  Paper presentation.

• Kirkpatrick, C., and D. LaRoche.  2005.  Potential range expansion of the Buff-breasted Flycatcher (Empidonax fulvifrons) into the Rincon Mountains, Arizona.  Presented to Saguaro National Park volunteers.

• LaRoche, D., C. Kirkpatrick, and C. J. Conway.  2005.  Proposed evaluation of methods for measuring burn severity in forests during avian surveys. 4th USGS Wildland Fire Sciences Workshop, Tucson, Arizona. Poster presentation