Michael Yu
Wildlife Biologist
Education
B.S. Biology; University of Los Angeles, California (UCLA)
Research/Career Interests
I joined IWS as an avian shrike biologist in September 2024. As part of the Shrike Monitoring Crew, I am responsible for surveying for observing, trapping, and banding the endangered San Clemente Loggerhead Shrike. Through our efforts, we hope to better track their populations to assist in their conservation and recovery.
Prior to coming to work for IWS, I partook in several research projects on several different topics, including dark-eyed junco nest behavior and blood parasites in urban-dwelling birds, nesting preferences of Ballona Wetland birds, carpenter bee microbiomes, and the effects of the Woolsey fire on invasive plant species distributions. In addition, I have also dabbled in wildlife husbandry, interning at the California Wildlife Center and working as a husbandry technician and educator at a wildlife sanctuary. While much of my experiences have revolved around avian species, I am very much interested generally in the effects of human activity on wildlife ecology and health, as well as understanding the actions we can take to help conserve and coexist with wildlife.
Outside of work, I enjoy bouldering, urban dance, basketball, and hiking. I also love learning about the world, whether that be about ecology, history, geography, true crime, or aviation and engineering. Growing up, I found myself fascinated by the natural world and the complex ways it all interacts, so I am thrilled to have the opportunity to combine my interests and passions with my love for the outdoors and make a difference in the process.
Publications
Handy, M. Y., Sbardellati, D. L., Yu, M., Saleh, N. W., Ostwald, M. M., & Vannette, R. L. (2022). Incipiently social carpenter bees (Xylocopa) host distinctive gut bacterial communities and display geographical structure as revealed by full-length PacBio 16S rRNA sequencing. Molecular Ecology, 32, 1530–1543. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16736
Boyd, S. M., Freimuth, S., Xue, C., Lyons, B., Nagori, S., Yu, M., Lozano-Huntelman, N., Diamant, E. S., Yeh, P. J. (2024). Use of the Word “Evolution” in the Time of a Global Pandemic. Frontiers in Science Communication, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2024.1427596
Contact
m@iws.org