Johnson Lab Research

Habitat Ecology...a unifying theme

Our lab is fascinated by all aspects of wildlife Habitat Ecology - from the theoretical to the practical. Habitat ecology is the study of how animals interact with their habitats, which the lab investigates by identifying animals' critical resources and the factors that constrain their use. Such studies advance our ecological understanding and refine our conservation and management efforts. We purposefully work with a variety of taxa to better understand emergent relationships between animals and their habitats. Therefore, students in the lab work on a diversity of study systems, yet share a unified focus on habitat.

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An emphasis on working landscapes

Our lab is particularly interested in the conservation of wildlife in so-called "working landscapes", meaning farms, rangelands, and managed forests where many of the world's people work, live, and play.  These areas not only provide food and fiber to sustain human communities and economies, they can also provide homes for wildlife, sequester carbon, filter and store water, cycle key nutrients, and offer people places of refuge and inspiration.  These ecosystem services, perhaps better thought of as environmental gifts, represent a reciprocal relationship between people and the rest of nature.  As Aldo Leopold once wrote,  "When the land does well for its owner, and the owner does well by their land – when both end up better by reason of their partnership – then we have conservation."

Current & former graduate students in the lab

Birds & Vineyards

Most recently, our lab has been researching the role of birds in California’s winegrape vineyards. Many winegrape farm managers have installed nest boxes for barn owls and songbirds in hopes that the birds control insects and rodent pests such as gophers and voles. The lab is pursuing this line of research with a series of related projects, starting with determining how barn owls select boxes, how they hunt across the landscape, how surrounding habitats affect hunting in the vineyards, and farmers’ perceptions of the owls and their potential to control rodents. We’re working mainly in Napa Valley, where there are over 300 barn owl nest boxes. We're now expanding the work to other birds such as bluebirds and swallows. This line of research is important because it could help one of California’s most economically important industries become less reliant on chemical pesticides that have negative impacts on the environment, and it is fascinating to Matt because it combines his interests in birds, agriculture, and ecosystem services (see below) right here in California. Not to mention he loves owls…and wine. Here’s a short video on the topic by Great Big Story featuring my former student Carrie Wendt, and another produced by Wild Farm Alliance. Learn more about this project on Facebook or Instagram. See our one-page list of recommendations for installing barn owl boxes, with links to buy or build them yourself.

See Current & Former Graduate Students