Andrew T. Smith
- Human Dimensions of Biology |
- SOLS Conservation Biology |
- Lagomorph Specialist Group |
- Global Mammal Assessment
Conservation Biology, Population Biology, Mammalogy
Dr. Smith primarily conducts field work in the mountains of western United States and on the Tibetan Plateau in China. He recently completed A Guide to the Mammals of China (Princeton University Press;)
Dr. Smith's research concerns the determination of mammalian population structure. Knowledge of local population structure is necessary to our understanding of the management of threatened populations and to the manner in which natural selection may act on populations. In natural systems it is often difficult to unmask the variety of important factors that may determine population structure: population size and demography, habitat selection and availability, patterns of dispersion, gender and age differences, genetics, and behavior. Dr. Smith concentrates on the role played by dispersal (and its reciprocal = philopatry) in the determination of mammalian population structure because this may function to integrate many of those factors listed above. In addition, he investigates the behavior of metapopulation dynamics that results from dispersal of populations that occupy fragmented habitats.
Dr. Smith also investigates the ecosystem services and keystone species status of small mammals - primarily Plateau Pikas on the high grasslands of the Tibetan plateau. His collaborative work on these alpine grasslands is designed to deepen our understanding of the complex interactions involving geophysical, biological, social, and policy factors and feedback systems in determining grassland status. A goal of this work is to enhance understanding of this socio-ecological system and to provide important inference for policies on grassland restoration, biodiversity, and economic development.
Selected Recent Publications:
Smith, A. T. and Y. Xie, editors. 2008. A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press: Princeton.
Qu, J., M. Yang, W. Li, K. Li, Y. Zhang and A. T. Smith. 2008. Seasonal variation of family group structure of plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae). Acta Theriologica Sinica 28:144-150.
Schipper, J., J. S. Chanson, F. Chiozza, N. A. Cox, M. Hoffmann, V. Katariya, J. Lamoreux, A. S. L. Rodrigues, S. N. Stuart, H. J. Temple, J. Baillie, L. Boitani, T. E. Lacher, Jr., R. A. Mittermeier, and A. T. Smith, et al. 2008. The status of the world's land and marine mammals: diversity, threat, and knowledge. Science 322:225-230.
Smith, A. T. 2008. The world of pikas. Pp. 89-102. In: Lagomorph Biology: Evolution, Ecology and Conservation. P. C. Alves, N. Ferrand and K. Hackländer, editors. Springer-Verlag: Berlin.
Smith, A. T. 2008. Conservation of Endangered Lagomorphs. Pp. 297-315. In: Lagomorph Biology: Evolution, Ecology and Conservation. P. C. Alves, N. Ferrand, and K. Hackländer, editors. Springer-Verlag: Berlin.
Qu, J. P., K. X. Li, M. Yang, W. J. Li, Y. M. Zhang and A. T. Smith. 2007. Seasonal dynamic pattern of spatial territory in social groups of plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae). Acta Theriologica Sinica 27: 215-220.
Smith, A. T. 2007. Ecosystems and a Keystone species - the Plateau Pika. Pp. 319-323. In: Encyclopedia of Human-Animal Relationships. M. Bekoff, editor. Greenwood Publishing Group: Westport, Connecticut.
Katzner, T. E., E. A. Bragin, S. T. Knick and A. T. Smith. 2006. Spatial structure in diet of Imperial eagles (Aquila heliaca) in Kazakhstan. Journal of Avian Biology 37:594-600.
J. McNeely, T. M. McCarthy, A. T. Smith, L. Olsvig-Whittaker and E. D. Wikramanayake, editors. 2006. Society for Conservation Biology, Asian Section and Resources Himalaya Foundation: Kathmandu, Nepal.
Olsvig-Whittaker, L., M. Lane, C. MacAlister, Y. Xie, and A. T. Smith. 2006. Data networking for conservation biology in Asia. Pp. 386-400. In: Biodiversity Conservation in Asia. J. McNeely, T. M. McCarthy, A. T. Smith, L. Olsvig-Whittaker and E. D. Wikramanayake, editors. Society for Conservation Biology, Asian Section and Resources Himalaya Foundation: Kathmandu, Nepal.
Smith, A. T., P. Zahler and L. A. Hinds. 2006. Poisoning of native small mammals in central Asia is an undesirable and unsustainable activity. Pp. 285-293. In: Biodiversity Conservation in Asia. J. McNeely, T. M. McCarthy, A. T. Smith, L. Olsvig-Whittaker and E. D. Wikramanayake, editors. Society for Conservation Biology, Asian Section and Resources Himalaya Foundation: Kathmandu, Nepal.
Katzner, T. E., E. A. Bragin, S. T. Knick and A. T. Smith. 2005. Relationship between demographics and diet specificity of Imperial Eagles Aquila heliaca in Kazakhstan. Ibis 147:576-586.
Li, W. D. and A. T. Smith. 2005. Dramatic decline of the threatened Ili pika Ochotona iliensis (Lagomorpha: Ochotonidae) in Xinjiang, China. Oryx 39:30-34.
Hoffmann, R. S. and A. T. Smith. 2005. Lagomorphs. Pp. 185-211 . In : Mammal Species of the World, 3rd Edition. D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder, editors. Johns Hopkins University Press.
Katzner, T. E., C. H. Lai, J. D. Gardiner, J. M. Foggin, D. Pearson and A. T. Smith. 2004. Adjacent nesting by bearded vulture Gypaetus barbatus and Himalayan Griffon Vulture Gyps himalayensis on the Tibetan plateau, China. Forktail 20:94-96.
Koleff, P., J. Soberon and A. T. Smith. 2004. Madrean pine-oak woodlands. Pp. 204-217. In: Hotspots revisited: Earth's biologically richest and most endangered terrestrial ecosystems. R. A. Mittermeier, P. Robles Gil, M. Hoffmann, J. Pilgrim, T. Brooks, C. Goettsch Mittermeier, J. Lamoreau and G. A. B. da Fonseca, editors. Conservation International/CEMEX: Mexico City.
Smith, A. T. and F. S. Dobson. 2004. Social organization: Social dynamics in the plateau pika. Pp. 1016-1019. In: Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior. M. Bekoff, editor. Greenwood Publishing Group, Westport, Connecticut.
Zahler, P., L. Dolgormaa, L. A. Hinds and A. T. Smith. 2004. The management of Brandt's vole in Mongolia: toward an ecologically based means of control. Mongolian Journal of Biological Sciences 2:51-55.
Smith, A. T. and R. Harris. 2004. The plateau pika: an irreplaceable member of the Tibetan plateau ecological community. Chinese National Geography April 2004. 4:138-144.
Lai, C. H. and A. T. Smith. 2003. Keystone status of plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae): effect of control on biodiversity of native birds. Biodiversity and Conservation 12:1901-1912.
Katzner, T. E., E. A. Bragin, S. T. Knick and A. T. Smith. 2003. Coexistence in a multispecies assemblage of eagles in central Asia. Condor 105:538-551.
Clinchy, M., D. T. Haydon and A. T. Smith. 2002. Pattern does not equal process: what does patch occupancy really tell us about metapopulation dynamics? American Naturalist 159:351-362.