In this dissertation I conducted, evaluated, and advanced research on complex socio-ecological and socio-cognitive systems. In Chapter 1, I explored the degree to which pastoralist cattle (Bos taurus) in northern Tanzania exhibited anti-predator behaviors in response to the risk of depredation by African lions (Panthera leo). Using focal animal sampling, I compared two typical anti-predator behaviors, vigilance and grouping, among cattle in village rangelands with high and low background depredation rates. I found that pastoralist cattle exhibit anti-predator strategies that varied both spatially and temporally, and that such strategies might help livestock optimally trade-off the costs and benefits of anti-predator behavior across timescales. In Chapter 2, I investigated the many drivers of human-lion conflict in East Africa to create a novel conceptual model illustrating the intricate interactions within and between the main dimensions of conflict. I highlighted the importance of broadening research efforts to include these multiple dimensions at all stages of the research process and made recommendations on how to approach human-lion conflict from a more interdisciplinary perspective. In Chapter 3, I explored how aspects of perceived team composition were related to the publication performance of integrative environmental science research teams using two common bibliometrics. I found that perceived team size was positively associated with the mean number of peer-reviewed publications per year, and perceived disciplinary diversity was negatively associated with the mean journal impact factor of those publications. My findings may be used to improve the performance of diverse integrative research teams. In Chapter 4, I created a systems-based framework for conservation research and established a discipline-specific definition of reflexivity to enable the integration of reflexive methods into conservation science and practice. I outlined four major tenets of reflexivity for conservation and presented practical techniques that conservationists can use to adhere to these tenets and foster research-informed conservation efforts that are more ethical, adaptive, and diverse. I close my dissertation with a summary of my key findings and a look towards the future of interdisciplinary research.
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