
Animal spatial learning and movement ecology

Tana Verzuh
When it comes right down to it, I'm a behavioral ecologist. Particularly, I study animal spatial learning and movement.
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I investigate how spatial learning shapes how free-roaming mammals respond to environmental change, with a focus on how individual cognitive processes scale up to influence population-level outcomes. My research bridges behavioral ecology, movement ecology, and conservation biology to reveal how animals acquire and use information to navigate novel landscapes—work that provides both theoretical insights into behavioral adaptation and practical applications for conservation. Using innovative approaches to study cognition in free-ranging animals, I combine natural and planned experiments, long-term datasets, and cutting-edge analytical approaches to connect individual cognitive traits to population-level outcomes.
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I also have a background in science education. I am working to bridge research and science education with field experiences for undergraduates.
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