We are always seeking good students to fill positions, and you should contact me directly for information on graduate positions or summer employment. Prospective students should have good academic standing, a solid understanding of ecological principles, superior field and quantitative skills, and an insatiable curiosity about natural systems. Applicants should work well on their own as well as part of a team, and all students are expected to publish their work by the end of their degree. Candidates for the positions listed below should submit a cover letter and CV to me directly in advance of a formal application to Trent University's graduate program.
NEW (2017) - Lynx hunting behaviour and responses to prey abundance and distribution
We are seeking a PhD student to assess lynx foraging behavior and population ecology near Kluane Lake, Yukon. Our research on lynx and their prey in the Kluane region spans decades, and the current project builds on our recent re-analysis of the functional response of lynx to different prey types and how such relationships are more complex than previously thought (see Chan et al. 2017 Ecology DOI:10.1002/ecy.1828). Specifically, through lynx GPS telemetry and accelerometry, camera trap surveys, as well as assessment of prey distribution and abundance, we aim to understand the mechanisms underlying lynx interactions with their primary (snowshoe hare) and secondary (red squirrel) prey, and how such interactions affect lynx population ecology through space and time. To date, lynx have been studied intensively for 2 winters during a period of relative abundance of prey, with an anticipated crash in snowshoe hare numbers and corresponding changes in lynx foraging behavior, expected during the next 2 years. These anticipated changes set the stage for robust analysis of variation in lynx: 1) kill rates and movement patterns; 2) exploitation of prey habitat patches; and 3) interactions with conspecifics. The PhD student will have the opportunity to develop specific research questions within the scope of the larger project and be part of a dynamic group of researchers from 4 Canadian universities.
NEW (2017) - Optimizing the design of long-term population monitoring studies
We are seeking a PhD student to assess the statistical limitations and biological inference of contemporary long-term ecological monitoring study designs and datasets, to help reveal the extent that existing approaches may be limited in guiding wildlife conservation programs or documenting broader patterns of environmental change. Currently, few robust long-term datasets of wildlife abundance exist, and there is the need to evaluate both the optimal design of long-term monitoring studies and the reliability of surrogate datasets (e.g., harvest statistics, habitat loss timeseries) in population analysis. Indeed, our previous work on carnivores and waterfowl (e.g., Murray et al. 2010, Ecology 91: 571-581; Murray et al. 2008 J. Wildl. Manage. 72: 1463-1472) revealed shortcomings that call into question the broader utility of existing approaches in population analysis and management. Through timeseries analysis, statistical power analysis, and simulation modeling, the project will address questions such as: 1) population timeseries attributes that are needed to reliably detect a numerical decline or increase; 2) the most robust statistical methods for assessing attenuation in cyclic animal populations; 3) optimal design of wildlife surveys in heterogenous and changing landscapes; and 4) forecasting population viability using limited or biased data. The student will have the opportunity to develop specific research questions within the scope of the larger project, and our lab-based model system (i.e., Chlamydomonas, see Borlestean et al. 2015 Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution doi: 10.3389/fevo.2015.00037) is available to test specific model predictions in an empirical context.
NEW (2017) - Boreal forest responses to climate change
We are initiating a PhD project to assess responses to climate change among native species in Canada’s boreal forest. The boreal forest comprises Canada’s largest biome but its state is rapidly deteriorating, including due to climate change. Our recent findings (Row et al. 2012 Glob. Chan. Biol doi:10.1111/gcb.12526; Murray et al. 2017 PLoS (ONE), in press) forecast dire consequences to the boreal forest especially in the boundary region between Ontario-Quebec where disjunct east-west populations of native plants, birds, and mammals, and extensive loss of native biodiversity, likely will arise. Through field sampling, species distribution modeling, population viability analysis, and landscape genetics and adaptive genomics, the PhD student will determine: 1) the current and potential future extent of change in boreal species in the Ontario-Quebec region relative to less-impacted areas; 2) how boreal breakdown may affect population processes and viability of native species in the region; 3) whether invasives are colonizing the region disproportionately quickly compared to other regions; and 4) if native or invasive species in the region demonstrate genome-level evidence of stress or adaptation to environmental change. The PhD student will have the opportunity to develop specific research questions within the scope of the larger project.
NEW (2017) MSc - Stress physiology of perceived predation risk in tadpoles
There is increasing evidence that amphibian tadpoles exhibit a suite of complex physiological responses when exposed to environmental stressors, and that responses are finely-tuned to match different types of stressors. An MSc student will work on the stress physiology of anuran larvae in response to predation risk. The research will examine the relationship between short- and long-term changes in stress hormone levels and morphological and behavioural plasticity in response to predation risk cues. The study will also investigate differences in prey response in relation to predator type. There is opportunity for the student to develop and implement new experiments based on their own interests.
NEW (2017) - Lynx hunting behaviour and responses to prey abundance and distribution
We are seeking a PhD student to assess lynx foraging behavior and population ecology near Kluane Lake, Yukon. Our research on lynx and their prey in the Kluane region spans decades, and the current project builds on our recent re-analysis of the functional response of lynx to different prey types and how such relationships are more complex than previously thought (see Chan et al. 2017 Ecology DOI:10.1002/ecy.1828). Specifically, through lynx GPS telemetry and accelerometry, camera trap surveys, as well as assessment of prey distribution and abundance, we aim to understand the mechanisms underlying lynx interactions with their primary (snowshoe hare) and secondary (red squirrel) prey, and how such interactions affect lynx population ecology through space and time. To date, lynx have been studied intensively for 2 winters during a period of relative abundance of prey, with an anticipated crash in snowshoe hare numbers and corresponding changes in lynx foraging behavior, expected during the next 2 years. These anticipated changes set the stage for robust analysis of variation in lynx: 1) kill rates and movement patterns; 2) exploitation of prey habitat patches; and 3) interactions with conspecifics. The PhD student will have the opportunity to develop specific research questions within the scope of the larger project and be part of a dynamic group of researchers from 4 Canadian universities.
NEW (2017) - Optimizing the design of long-term population monitoring studies
We are seeking a PhD student to assess the statistical limitations and biological inference of contemporary long-term ecological monitoring study designs and datasets, to help reveal the extent that existing approaches may be limited in guiding wildlife conservation programs or documenting broader patterns of environmental change. Currently, few robust long-term datasets of wildlife abundance exist, and there is the need to evaluate both the optimal design of long-term monitoring studies and the reliability of surrogate datasets (e.g., harvest statistics, habitat loss timeseries) in population analysis. Indeed, our previous work on carnivores and waterfowl (e.g., Murray et al. 2010, Ecology 91: 571-581; Murray et al. 2008 J. Wildl. Manage. 72: 1463-1472) revealed shortcomings that call into question the broader utility of existing approaches in population analysis and management. Through timeseries analysis, statistical power analysis, and simulation modeling, the project will address questions such as: 1) population timeseries attributes that are needed to reliably detect a numerical decline or increase; 2) the most robust statistical methods for assessing attenuation in cyclic animal populations; 3) optimal design of wildlife surveys in heterogenous and changing landscapes; and 4) forecasting population viability using limited or biased data. The student will have the opportunity to develop specific research questions within the scope of the larger project, and our lab-based model system (i.e., Chlamydomonas, see Borlestean et al. 2015 Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution doi: 10.3389/fevo.2015.00037) is available to test specific model predictions in an empirical context.
NEW (2017) - Boreal forest responses to climate change
We are initiating a PhD project to assess responses to climate change among native species in Canada’s boreal forest. The boreal forest comprises Canada’s largest biome but its state is rapidly deteriorating, including due to climate change. Our recent findings (Row et al. 2012 Glob. Chan. Biol doi:10.1111/gcb.12526; Murray et al. 2017 PLoS (ONE), in press) forecast dire consequences to the boreal forest especially in the boundary region between Ontario-Quebec where disjunct east-west populations of native plants, birds, and mammals, and extensive loss of native biodiversity, likely will arise. Through field sampling, species distribution modeling, population viability analysis, and landscape genetics and adaptive genomics, the PhD student will determine: 1) the current and potential future extent of change in boreal species in the Ontario-Quebec region relative to less-impacted areas; 2) how boreal breakdown may affect population processes and viability of native species in the region; 3) whether invasives are colonizing the region disproportionately quickly compared to other regions; and 4) if native or invasive species in the region demonstrate genome-level evidence of stress or adaptation to environmental change. The PhD student will have the opportunity to develop specific research questions within the scope of the larger project.
NEW (2017) MSc - Stress physiology of perceived predation risk in tadpoles
There is increasing evidence that amphibian tadpoles exhibit a suite of complex physiological responses when exposed to environmental stressors, and that responses are finely-tuned to match different types of stressors. An MSc student will work on the stress physiology of anuran larvae in response to predation risk. The research will examine the relationship between short- and long-term changes in stress hormone levels and morphological and behavioural plasticity in response to predation risk cues. The study will also investigate differences in prey response in relation to predator type. There is opportunity for the student to develop and implement new experiments based on their own interests.
