Spatial Conservation
As quantitative ecologists with a spatial focus, our group typically creates spatial products that guide aspects of wildlife management & conservation or informs policy & decision making.
01
The role of deer-deer and deer-pig interactions in CWD transmission
Discovered in Mississippi in 2018, CWD is now spreading within the state. As a 100% fatal disease in infected deer, our team is looking to create predictions of this diseases' transmission across the landscape as a function of deer movement and known disease properties. As deer movement can be influenced by deer-deer social interactions, as well as negative interactions with competitors such as wild pigs, our team is looking to incorporate these dynamics into spatial disease transmission models.
02
Black Skimmer and Least Tern Conservation
Following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the northern
Gulf of Mexico, efforts to restore damaged ecosystems and wildlife populations have been numerous and wide-ranging. Two coastal seabird species that have been identified as needing research and conservation action are Least Terns and Black Skimmers as many knowledge gaps about their life histories remain in affected coastal regions. Our team aims to describe Tern and Skimmer foraging patterns, movements, and demographic patterns to better inform stewardship and management efforts along the Mississippi coast.
03
Long-term ecological research across Canada and the United States
We are working with the LTR-CSEE to quantify long-term ecological and agricultural research across the United States and Canada. Long-term research is important as it allows unique insights to be reached about population trends, ecosystem and population dynamics, and evolutionary changes. Through this project, the team hopes to ma the breadth and scope of the long-term research being conducted across North America.
04
Catfish biologging calibration
The use of technology in new systems requires careful quantity control and calibration before large scale deployment. To ensure that we can examine catfish behavior in murky pond waters effectively, our team is working to calibrate various biologging tech (e.g. accelerometers) for use in catfish production systems. We are looking into how best to implant, deploy, and retrieve devices, as well as how to translate signals to measures of activity, metabolism, and space use.
