Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

My research develops and tests theory linking the behaviour of individual organisms with its consequences to biological populations and ecological communities. We are particularly interested in learning how decisions governing habitat use and foraging behavior can act to create new species, enable coexistence of competing species, predict the consequences of climate change on biodiversity, and reduce the risks of extinction. ******We aim to advance understanding with a combination of theory, field studies, and definitive experiments that take advantage of our Habitron, a globally unique field laboratory designed specifically to assess the manifold consequences of habitat selection. We will use the Habitron's 24 rodent-proof enclosures to manipulate habitat quality and dispersal of rodents among habitats, as well as rodent density, demography, and the frequency of rodents expressing bold versus shy personalities. These manipulations will allow us to explore the ways that prey species respond to habitat differences in predation risk, and how different configurations of habitat impact dispersal. We will use the knowledge on dispersal to evaluate whether movement among habitats of varying quality can reduce the likelihood of extinction or help to create new species. ******We will also conduct controlled experiments on invertebrates in our research lab. These studies will explore the ability of habitat selection to regulate population size. We are especially interested in testing theory predicting that dispersal from source to so-called sink habitats (habitats that rely on immigration to sustain their populations) can stabilize populations that would otherwise fluctuate dangerously close to the edge of extinction.******We will complement both sets of experiments with on-going studies in natural systems. Research in Nunavut will evaluate whether differences in personalities between brown and collared lemmings can account for their wide fluctuations in abundance, and help to forecast future habitat use under climate change. Research in southern Ontario will build on our 37-yr study of white-footed mice to assess whether documented differences in reproduction are linked with climate change. ******My research program thus provides numerous avenues along which we can advance our fundamental understanding of ecology and evolution while also informing policy and practical solutions to problems of climate change, habitat loss, and declining biodiversity.