Following woodpeckers throughout the forest, trudging through mud and poison ivy, and living in harmony (or trying to) with mosquitoes and deer flies has all become second nature to Evan Kowalski and Dr. Jeff McKelvey, Professor of Biology. This summer, Kowalski and McKelvey are conducting research on the relationship between ash trees, Emerald ash borers, and woodpeckers.

McKelvey is the chairperson of the biology department at Aquinas and is Kowalski’s professor, advisor and research mentor. He and Kowalski had been talking about conducting summer research together for some time now. This year, they received funding from the Mohler Thompson Research grants.

McKelvey gave Kowalski some leeway in what he wanted to research. Kowalski wanted to pick an area of study that would have a contemporary impact. He also has an interest in ecology and knew that McKelvey has an interest in ornithology, the study of birds, so Kowalski decided to combine their two interest areas.

Kowalski said, “Eventually we decided in studying the factors that influence the predator/prey relationship between emerald ash borers and bark-feeding birds such as woodpeckers and nuthatches.” Kowalski and McKelvey are busy investigating what kinds of factors influence how much woodpeckers are using the Emerald ash borer, an insect that was accidentally introduced from Asia into North America and feeds on the phloem of ash trees, as a food source. They have been looking for clues as to why these woodpeckers search for the beetles’ larvae in some trees but ignore searching in similar trees close by.

“By looking at the evidence of foraging behavior on the ash tree themselves (chips and holes in the bark), we can quantify how much the woodpeckers are exploiting the resource,” said Kowalski. “We then compare this data to data collected from the tree, such as the species, diameter, and canopy condition. We also look for signs of the ash borers themselves, such as the D-shaped holes they leave in the trunk of the tree when they emerge. Eventually, when all the data is collected, we'll look for correlations and test those against our hypothesis.”

McKelvey said, “By correlating woodpecker activity with the different variables, we hope to determine which sign(s) the birds use to determine where to invest their foraging energies. We’ve also spent several hours following woodpeckers through the forest to observe their feeding activities directly.”

McKelvey noted that Kowalski has been easy and fun to work with and does not complain even if the project forces them to get dirty. “Evan’s been great to work with. He’s smart and perceptive with good ideas and a great attitude, despite slogging around in mud, wading through stinging nettles and poison ivy and enduring clouds of mosquitoes and deer flies. Our current site along the Grand River was under eight feet of water just 10 weeks ago, so it’s still pretty sloppy!”

The research team has been working on this project already for eight weeks and their project will extend through August. They are currently on their fifth plot and have assessed over 130 trees so far. During the fall 2013 semester, there will be a poster session where Kowalski will display his research. They are also looking into attending other conferences throughout the year to present their research.

Kowalski enjoys working with McKelvey and values his help throughout this project as well as throughout Kowalski’s time at Aquinas. “Aquinas gave me this wonderful opportunity with their funding, but I have Dr. McKelvey to thank more than anyone else. He's been my advisor, professor, and now research mentor, and I respect him a great deal. I've learned a lot from him in my time at Aquinas and this summer in particular. He's an incredibly intelligent and understanding professor, and I’m grateful to have to opportunity to do research with him,” said Kowalski.