Elle Sutherland
Borderlands Research Institute, Sul Ross State University
Graduate Research Assistant, Range and Wildlife Management, Niche Plasticity of Desert Bighorn Sheep in the Trans-Pecos
My name is Elle Sutherland. I grew up in northern Idaho where my experiences hunting, fishing and backpacking in the outdoors ignited my love of natural resources and led me to pursue a degree in Wildlife Management from the University of Idaho. Following graduation, I began seasonal work on a bighorn sheep project and was hooked by the charismatic species, leading me to spend the next two years as a bighorn research technician in Montana and Wyoming. I am grateful for the opportunity to continue pursuing my passion for wildlife management as a graduate student at the Borderlands Research Institute. My study is exploring competitive interactions between exotic aoudad and desert bighorn sheep. Specifically, I am investigating variation in niche breadth among desert bighorn sheep populations in the Trans-Pecos to determine whether desert bighorn exhibit niche plasticity. By focusing on potential competition induced niche shifts, the results of this study will provide insight on how to manage desert bighorn in a landscape co-occupied with aoudad.
