Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

This research project examines how and where juvenile animals decide to settle and establish their own territory or home range. As new patches of habitat come into being (e.g. a growing forest), and older patches disappear (through human or natural disturbance), animal populations will 'shift' across the landscapes. To a large extent, this shifting takes place through the dispersal, or relocation, of juvenile animals. Thus, an understanding of how juvenile animals perceive their environment, and what cues they use for making decisions on where to explore and settle, is critical if we are to eventually predict if and how populations of animals will be sustained on the landscape. For this project, we are focusing on red squirrels, a common forest-dwelling animal. We are tracking the movements and responses of juvenile animals, while simultaneously conducting experiments to see what cues or habitat features are most important to these animals. Juvenile red squirrels make circling 'forays' off of their mothers' territories, presumably so they can gather information on habitat availability, and eventually secure their own territory. To monitor the movements and behaviour of these small mammals, we use a combination of radio-tracking, live-trapping, and the recording of tracks (footprints) in small tunnels. Our ability to follow the movements and fates of these animals makes them excellent subjects for studying dispersal. We are also manipulating certain resources and features in the forest, in order to determine if this acts to 'lure' juvenile red squirrels into settling in specific locations. The information we gather from studying red squirrels can be used to generate predictions or additional research on other animals, including those that are not as common. This work is taking place in the forests surrounding Kamloops, British Columbia.