Occurring within the Champagne and Aishihik First Nation's traditional territory in the Kluane region of southwestern Yukon are two multi-university long-term ecological monitoring projects: the Kluane Red Squirrel Project and the Community Ecological Monitoring Project. I have been lucky to be involved with both projects throughout my graduate career, and much of my research was only possible thanks to the long-term data that has been collected through these projects. Nestled within CEMP is the Kluane Predator Prey Team, a highly collaborative research group.
Kluane Red Squirrel Project
The Kluane Red Squirrel Project (KRSP) is a multidisciplinary and multi-university monitoring project aimed at understanding the role of food abundance on the ecology and evolution of the North American red squirrel. This long-term project has been extensively studying the red squirrel and its main food source, the seeds of the white spruce, since 1987. The project is a collaboration of four universities: University of Alberta, University of Saskatchewan, University of Colorado Boulder, and University of Michigan. Read more about KRSP here.
I have been collaborating with the KRSP since 2010. During this time I have explored how the environment influences maternal care and survival of pups, and how squirrel behaviour in shaped by seasonal changes in the environment. I have developed biologging techniques for monitoring behaviour in red squirrels, as well as a data collection app for recording focal observations in the field. |
Publications:
Studd EK, Boutin S, McAdam AG, Humphries MM. 2015. Predators, energetics and fitness drive neonatal reproductive failure in red squirrels. Journal of Animal Ecology, 84: 249-259.
Studd EK, Boutin S, McAdam AG, Humphries MM. 2016. Nest attendance of lactating red squirrels: influences of biological and environmental correlates. Journal of Mammalogy, 97(3): 806-814.
Studd EK, Landry-Cuerrier M, Menzies AK, Boutin S, McAdam AG, Dantzer B, Lane JE, Humphries MM. 2019. Behavioral classification of low frequency acceleration and temperature data from a free ranging small mammal. Ecology and Evolution, 9(1): 619-630.
Siracusa ER, Wilson DR, Studd EK, Boutin S, Humphries MM, Dantzer B, Lane JE, McAdam AG. 2019. North American red squirrels mitigate costs of territory defence through social plasticity. Animals Behaviour, 151: 29-42.
Studd EK, Menzies AK, Siracusa ER, Dantzer B, Lane JE, McAdam AG, Boutin S, Humphries MM. 2020. Optimisation of energetic and reproductive gains explains behavioural responses to environmental variation across seasons and years. Ecology Letters, 23(5): 841-850. *cover article
Menzies AK, Studd EK, Majchrzak YN, Peers MJL, Boutin S, Dantzer BJ, Lane JE, McAdam AG, Humphries MM. 2020. Body temperature, heart rate, and activity patterns of two boreal homeotherms in winter: homeostasis, allostasis, and ecological coexistence. Functional Ecology, 34(11): 2292-2301.
Studd EK, Boutin S, McAdam AG, Humphries MM. 2015. Predators, energetics and fitness drive neonatal reproductive failure in red squirrels. Journal of Animal Ecology, 84: 249-259.
Studd EK, Boutin S, McAdam AG, Humphries MM. 2016. Nest attendance of lactating red squirrels: influences of biological and environmental correlates. Journal of Mammalogy, 97(3): 806-814.
Studd EK, Landry-Cuerrier M, Menzies AK, Boutin S, McAdam AG, Dantzer B, Lane JE, Humphries MM. 2019. Behavioral classification of low frequency acceleration and temperature data from a free ranging small mammal. Ecology and Evolution, 9(1): 619-630.
Siracusa ER, Wilson DR, Studd EK, Boutin S, Humphries MM, Dantzer B, Lane JE, McAdam AG. 2019. North American red squirrels mitigate costs of territory defence through social plasticity. Animals Behaviour, 151: 29-42.
Studd EK, Menzies AK, Siracusa ER, Dantzer B, Lane JE, McAdam AG, Boutin S, Humphries MM. 2020. Optimisation of energetic and reproductive gains explains behavioural responses to environmental variation across seasons and years. Ecology Letters, 23(5): 841-850. *cover article
Menzies AK, Studd EK, Majchrzak YN, Peers MJL, Boutin S, Dantzer BJ, Lane JE, McAdam AG, Humphries MM. 2020. Body temperature, heart rate, and activity patterns of two boreal homeotherms in winter: homeostasis, allostasis, and ecological coexistence. Functional Ecology, 34(11): 2292-2301.
Kluane Predator Prey Team
The Community Ecological Monitoring Project has been monitoring species that interact with snowshoe hares within the boreal food web since 1975. Within this project, the Kluane Predator Prey Team was established in 2015 to intensively study snowshoe hares and their primary predator, the Canada lynx through the last hare population cycle using the latest technologies. Taking advantage of the current bio-logging revolution, we are capturing continuous and highly detailed spatial, behavioural, and physiological information on both species, and providing new insight into what drives the 10 year population cycles. This project is a collaboration between University of Alberta, University of Toronto, McGill University, Trent University, and the Yukon Government.
During my PhD, I spent three winters (Nov-May) trapping and deploying accelerometers and audio recorders on snowshoe hares and Canada Lynx. With this data I developed methods to convert data from the bio-logging technologies into behaviour. I have used that data to explore how hares adjust behaviour to changing moonlight conditions, and to assess what role seasonal variation in the behaviour of interacting species plays in structuring population dynamics. During my PDF, I am continuing to investigate how the environment shapes activity, and how behaviour shapes predator-prey interactions. |
To learn more about the cool research that was done by this team, check out these early career researchers who I had the pleasure of teaming up with for my PhD: Boudreau, Derbyshire, Majchrzak, Menzies, and Peers.
Publications:
Studd EK, Boudreau MR, Majchrzak YN, Menzies AK, Peers MJL, Seguin JL, Lavergne SG, Boonstra R, Murray DL, Boutin S, Humphries MM. 2019. Use of acceleration and acoustics to investigate the influence of moonlight on the behavior of snowshoe hares. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 7: 154.
Peers MJL, Majchrzak YN, Menzies AK, Studd EK, Bastille-Rousseau G, Boonstra R, Humphries M, Jung TS, Kenney AJ, Krebs CJ, Murray DL, Boutin S. 2020. Climate change increases predation risk for a keystone species of the boreal forest. Nature Climate Change, 10(12): 1149-1153.
Peers MJL, Konkolics SM, Lamb CT, Majchrzak YN, Menzies AK, Studd EK, Boonstra R, Kenney AJ, Krebs CJ, Martinig AR, McCulloch B, Silva J, Garland L, Boutin S. 2020. Prey availability and ambient temperature influence carrion persistence in the boreal forest. Journal of Animal Ecology, 89(9): 2156-2167. *cover article
Menzies AK, Studd EK, Majchrzak YN, Peers MJL, Boutin S, Dantzer BJ, Lane JE, McAdam AG, Humphries MM. 2020. Body temperature, heart rate, and activity patterns of two boreal homeotherms in winter: homeostasis, allostasis, and ecological coexistence. Functional Ecology, 34(11): 2292-2301.
* Stay tuned for many more upcoming publications
Studd EK, Boudreau MR, Majchrzak YN, Menzies AK, Peers MJL, Seguin JL, Lavergne SG, Boonstra R, Murray DL, Boutin S, Humphries MM. 2019. Use of acceleration and acoustics to investigate the influence of moonlight on the behavior of snowshoe hares. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 7: 154.
Peers MJL, Majchrzak YN, Menzies AK, Studd EK, Bastille-Rousseau G, Boonstra R, Humphries M, Jung TS, Kenney AJ, Krebs CJ, Murray DL, Boutin S. 2020. Climate change increases predation risk for a keystone species of the boreal forest. Nature Climate Change, 10(12): 1149-1153.
Peers MJL, Konkolics SM, Lamb CT, Majchrzak YN, Menzies AK, Studd EK, Boonstra R, Kenney AJ, Krebs CJ, Martinig AR, McCulloch B, Silva J, Garland L, Boutin S. 2020. Prey availability and ambient temperature influence carrion persistence in the boreal forest. Journal of Animal Ecology, 89(9): 2156-2167. *cover article
Menzies AK, Studd EK, Majchrzak YN, Peers MJL, Boutin S, Dantzer BJ, Lane JE, McAdam AG, Humphries MM. 2020. Body temperature, heart rate, and activity patterns of two boreal homeotherms in winter: homeostasis, allostasis, and ecological coexistence. Functional Ecology, 34(11): 2292-2301.
* Stay tuned for many more upcoming publications