Dr. Larissa Bailey – As a quantitative ecologist, my research often applies to a wide variety of taxa, and generally focuses on ways of measuring and monitoring biological systems to increase our scientific understanding and improve management decisions. My research involves developing and implementing methods to estimate common state variables used to explore changes in animal communities; namely, population size and species distribution and the vital rates responsible for changes in these state variables. I am particularly interested in factors influencing amphibian and reptile systems, including disease, invasive species, and habitat change (loss or fragmentation of aquatic and terrestrial habitats). In addition to basic and applied scientific questions, I also dabble in integrating science into conservation decision making (i.e., decision theory).