We are extending our long-term snowshoe hare research at Kluane Lake, Yukon, to assess the role of food and cover on hare population dynamics. Using GPS telemetry and accelerometry, combined with detailed assessment of structural cover and food patches on the landscape, the project will evaluate hare movements, habitat selection, and behaviour, in relation to environmental risks (predation) and rewards (nutrition). Our recent work (Boudreau et al. 2019 doi: 10.1007/s00442-019-04500-2; Peers et al. 2020. doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-00908-4; Shiratsuru et al. 2021 doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3456) suggests that hares live on the fine edge of high risk from predation and therefore are faced with important risk-reward tradeoffs in their lifetime. The new work could also focus on hare movement ecology in the context of energy landscapes that vary dynamically with accumulation/melt of snow in winter, and the implications of climate change on these dynamics. Because we also instrument Canada lynx with GPS collars at Kluane, there are excellent opportunities to evaluate complex predator-prey spatial interactions. An evolving interest is assessing how individual hares vary their risk-reward tradeoff through phases of the 10-year hare population cycle.
A second project will involve assessing how naturally occurring variation in predation risk and conspecific density that hares experience during their 10-year population cycle may lead to epigenetic changes that reflect heritable variation in gene expression. Such epigenetic changes could allow hares to rapidly adjust their phenotype to the dramatic and predictable cycle in risks and rewards, which should be a trait under strong selection. Since 2015, we collected GPS and accelerometry data and banked corresponding genetic samples for a large sample of hares, and will extend this work for additional years to complete a 10-year cycle in hare abundance. We will determine variation in gene expression and epigenetic modification (e.g., DNA methylation) and whether this corresponds with behavioural variation in individual hares. The project could be extended to infer functionality in gene regulation patterns from an annotated snowshoe hare genome that is currently being developed.
Successful candidates should have a BSc in Biology, Ecology, or related field, with PhD applicants also needing an MSc degree and demonstrated evidence of peer-reviewed publications. Students with good field skills (including GPS telemetry and winter living in remote areas), and an interest in working collaboratively within a large and diverse research group are especially sought. Additional desirable qualifications include remote sensing and GIS analysis (Project 1) and DNA sequencing and bioinformatics (Project 2).
A second project will involve assessing how naturally occurring variation in predation risk and conspecific density that hares experience during their 10-year population cycle may lead to epigenetic changes that reflect heritable variation in gene expression. Such epigenetic changes could allow hares to rapidly adjust their phenotype to the dramatic and predictable cycle in risks and rewards, which should be a trait under strong selection. Since 2015, we collected GPS and accelerometry data and banked corresponding genetic samples for a large sample of hares, and will extend this work for additional years to complete a 10-year cycle in hare abundance. We will determine variation in gene expression and epigenetic modification (e.g., DNA methylation) and whether this corresponds with behavioural variation in individual hares. The project could be extended to infer functionality in gene regulation patterns from an annotated snowshoe hare genome that is currently being developed.
Successful candidates should have a BSc in Biology, Ecology, or related field, with PhD applicants also needing an MSc degree and demonstrated evidence of peer-reviewed publications. Students with good field skills (including GPS telemetry and winter living in remote areas), and an interest in working collaboratively within a large and diverse research group are especially sought. Additional desirable qualifications include remote sensing and GIS analysis (Project 1) and DNA sequencing and bioinformatics (Project 2).
Photo credit: Hannah Miller