Alex Champagne

Advisor: Joe Williams

I am interested in comparing values of cutaneous water loss and skin lipid composition in birds across an environmental gradient.  I am particularly interested in the larks (Alaudidae) because they inhabit many different thermal and humidity regimes.  The Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) has been my primary study species thus far, and is of great interest because it has an extremely large range, and can therefore be compared across many environments without confounding phylogenetic factors.