NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship, Carleton University

Postdoc

Postdoctoral Fellowship, Memorial University

Abundance and occupancy are critical metrics in population ecology. Abundance (and specifically density) are more useful for wildlife management, however estimating abundance can impossible within the constraints of time and funding and is difficult to estimate given variation in detectability. As such, the relationship between occupancy and abundance, and well documented phenomenon, has long been used to approximate abundance managed populations. However several issues arise when applying the Abundance-Occupancy Relationship, which confound its meaning. My postdoc explores, this relationship, as well as the drivers of abundance and occupancy. 

PhD, Boreal Ecology, Laurentian University, 2019

Road Ecology

An emergent science taking a strong foothold in conservation biology, and the main focus of my dissertation. Largely my project focuses on investigating the impact of roadways on wildlife, and understanding how we can most effectively and most efficiently manage the associated threats. These threats include direct mortality from vehicular collisions as well as habitat fragmentation caused by road avoidance or limited crossing potential. Although seemingly straight forward, roads affect different species in very different ways; while most species are harmed in some way, others benefit from the conditions created by roads. 

Using two divergent study areas, each including multiple study sites, and a diverse array of species, I attempt to provide useful tools to biologists and resource managers that can be used to promote population persistence. These tools include strategies to predict mitigation effectiveness and prioritize areas of concern when planning the installation of mitigation infrastructure. Further, I complement these predictive tools with population level approaches to understanding mitigation effectiveness. Too often, roadway mitigation is under-evaluated, inhibiting the development of mitigation practices and our understanding of their real value to wildlife.

Railway Ecology

A collaboration with fellow PhD Candidate (now Dr.) Jesse Popp. Although our research focused on different aspects of wildlife management, both of our dissertations linked indirectly to the effects of railways. We both noticed however that there was a distinct lack of railway-related ecological research.  To quantify this discrepancy we reviewed the literature and demonstrated that compared to roads, railway-ecology is heavily underrepresented in science.  Our findings were published in Basic and Applied Ecology in 2017. Link

I have also contributed as a book reviewer for Railway Ecology - a comprehensive collection of the currant state of knowledge in railway ecology and a number of case studies. Link

Science Communication and Conservation Engagement

Even the most profound and meaningful scientific discoveries are of little value if not communicated widely and accurately, making science communication integral to any scientific field. I firmly believe that in the context of road ecology as well as conservation generally, engagement is a crucial step towards success.  As conservation biologists it is our responsibility to educate, inform and most importantly engage the public to support and participate in conservation to make real changes.  As a part of my dissertation, I used a mixed-methods approach to experimentally evaluate outreach presentations and discern not only their value to conservation, but also cues which can be used by educators to optimize their effectiveness at engaging youth in conservation activities. 

BSc Biology, Brock University 2012

My BSc was completed at Brock University in 2012 with a Major in Biology and Minors in Earth Science and Philosophy. Under Dr. Glenn Tattersall, I first volunteered as a research and animal care technician then undertook my Honours Thesis.  For this is studied a method of aging salamanders, a metric which is notoriously difficult to estimate.  The method, called skeletochronology, involves sectioned bone segments and identifying 'lines of arrested growth' or LAGs. Theoretically LAGs are deposited each year, just like tree rings, but environmental conditions, or differences in individual's physiology can confound this estimate. By using two toe clips from individuals caught several years apart, we could compare the number of LAGs to the expected change in age (number of years between captures).  Our findings indicated that there was a relatively low correlation between LAGs and age, but that further investigation is required.

Yellow Rail and Breeding Bird Surveys

My first endeavor as an ecologist, I volunteered with the Royal Ontario Museum to investigate the population dynamics and occupancy patterns of Yellow Rails (Coturnicops noveboracensis) in the southern portion of James Bay. We identified previously unknown populations of the Species at Risk, and characterized the habitat preferences of northern populations.

Long Term Small Mammal Project

Working as a field technician for a long term small mammal project run by Dr. Andrew McAdam at the University of Guelph (started by Dr. Bruce Falls from University of Toronto in 1952; currently run by Dr. Albrecht Schulte-Hostedde from Laurentian University), I worked as a part or a large team responsible for maintaining and updating the long term data set, as well as assisting MSc and PhD students with their data collection.

Bat Lake Inventory of Spotted Salamanders (BLISS)

Beginning as a volunteer for Dr. Glenn Tattersall in 2010, I returned again in 2011 to collect data for my undergraduate thesis project, as well as in 2012 to set up field station. My undergraduate thesis investigated a much contested method of aging amphibians. Much like trees, amphibians experience periods of arrested growth during the winter and it is theorized that this growth can be quantified by observing this effect in their bones, akin to tree rings.  I compared toe clips taken from the same individuals over multiple years to validate this method, however our results were somewhat inconclusive.

SAR Reptile Road Ecology 

Between graduating from Brock University in 2012 and beginning my graduate studies at Laurentian in 2013 I worked as a technician surveying and tracking Species At Risk reptiles in Georgian Bay. Our research area included two main study sites, one which was undergoing highway twinning with added roadway mitigation (Burwash, Ontario) and another control site, without any mitigation (Magnetwan First Nation).  Along with road surveys, we used telemetry of Snapping and Blanding's Turtles as well as Massasuaga Rattlesnakes to study the spatial ecology of these reptiles and determine the value of mitigation installed along the road. Equally important to our study of SAR reptiles was promoting their stewardship through community engagement and encouraging participation in the research program.