Leila Fouda

My research focuses on animal movement and in particular understanding the drivers behind the movement decisions animals make. I am broadly interested in how life history traits and individual fitness are linked to the movement patterns we observe. 

 

My PhD research at Queen Mary University of London, focused on the foraging and movement ecology of sea turtles in Cabo Verde using a variety of technologies. I investigated the interplay between complex eco-evolutionary processes from foraging strategy to reproductive output and examined movement dynamics given finite energetic resources that need to be balanced. For this work I utilised stable   isotope analysis, tri-axialaccelerometers, and high spatial and temporal resolution GPS trackers deployed on nesting turtles. Further to this I examined how animal health determined by parasitic infection leads to trades off in individual fitness, energetic resources, reproduction, and movement decisions.

 

My MSc in Conservation Science from Imperial College London and BSc (Hons) in Marine Biology from the University of St Andrews both had a strong focus on anthropogenic stressors in the marine environment. My MSc thesis explored underwater noise in critical whale habitats to examine how marine mammals may be affected by high levels of shipping noise in along their migration routes and in foraging habitat. I worked with underwater hydrophone data to examine noise in across the hearing range of multiple species that utilise the waters of Haro Strait, British Columbia. 

 

As a postdoc at the Yale Center for Biodiversity and Global Change my work focuses in understanding the drivers of animal movement on a changing planet. I aim to assess how human modification and environmental conditions drive the choices highly mobile species make in terms of habitat and resource selection.