Ecological Research

H. T. Harvey & Associates was founded by a group of university professors, and we believe strongly that basic and applied research is an integral part of ecological consulting. We recruit widely for scientists with research experience, and ecological research continues to be a critical part of our business.

Our research projects explore diverse topics, ranging from Adelie Penguins in Antarctica to seabird and marine mammal foraging strategies, and from mariculture effects on estuarine systems to the ecology of bats foraging over aquatic systems. Much of our work is related to species’ habitat requirements and their responses to climatological, geological, or ecological fluctuations. The National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have all provided funding to our basic research efforts.

Our expert scientists serve as editors, participate in editorial boards, and peer reviewers for submitted papers for industry and academic publications, such as The Condor: Ornithological Applications, Environmental Biology of Fishes, North American Journal of Fisheries management The Auk, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, Mammalia, Current Zoology, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Western Birds, Marine Ornithology, Journal of Raptor Research, North American Birds, and Zootaxa.

Collectively, we have published more than 500 peer-reviewed research papers on a wide variety of subjects in the biological disciplines. Our published papers cover a wide-spectrum of ecological topics:

• Identifying the possible effects of climate and ecosystem change on marine bird species, including those in the California Current, Southern Ocean (including penguins), and waters around Hawai‘i
• Reducing the effects on wildlife of selenium contamination in agricultural runoff
• Refining techniques to restore tidal marshes
• Assisting with the recovery of seabird colonies after the Exxon Valdez oil spill
• Providing information to help site coastal and marine renewable energy projects
• Developing techniques to transplant rare plants and restore their populations
• Formulating methods for relocating giant kangaroo rat colonies

The focus on basic research contributes to our skill in practicing applied ecology—the heart of our business.