Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences
Texas A&M University
2258 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-2258
chelseahidalgo@tamu.edu
Education:
- M.S., Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, In progress
- 2015 – B.S., Biology, University of Houston, Houston, TX
Research Interest:
My interests are in ecotoxicology, conservation, and environmental policy. For my master’s thesis, I am working to understand the current impacts of persistent organic pollutants on the Northern Aplomado Falcon. The Aplomado Falcon was once common in the American southwest, but declined to extinction from the U.S. in the mid 1900s due to pesticide use and habitat loss. Organochlorine pesticide use has been associated with eggshell thinning and subsequent declines in bird populations, and other contaminants have led to malignant effects that inhibit successful population maintenance or growth. With addled eggs collected from south Texas from over the past decade, I will measure eggshell thickness and contaminant loads to compare from earlier years to now, in order to better understand the current status of this iconic bird.