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Dr. Brandon BartonI study the structure and dynamics of food webs, with particular emphasis on predator-prey interactions and how they cascade through ecosystems. My current research investigates how Canada lynx hunting behaviour and movement patterns drive predation rates across boreal forest in the Yukon. Lynx populations undergo dramatic cycles driven by snowshoe hare abundance, creating an opportunity to investigate how individual hunting behaviour influences broader ecosystem dynamics. Using multi-sensor biologging technology (GPS telemetry, tri-axial accelerometers, and audio recorders) to capture fine-scale behavioural data, I am addressing questions about how lynx movement and behaviour respond to changing environmental conditions. By integrating these data with dynamically mapped habitat layers that track seasonal and interannual variation in snow cover and hare abundance, my research connects individual predator behaviour to landscape-scale predation patterns at spatial and temporal scales not previously possible. Understanding how lynx adjust their behaviour will reveal the mechanisms linking predator responses to trophic interactions across boreal food webs. These findings will advance our understanding of not only lynx ecology but also food webs in dynamic changing environments. Selected publications Baruzzi, C, BT Barton, MV Cove, BK Strickland, and MA Lashley. 2023. Scavenger and herbivore functional role impairment modulates changes in plant communities following mass mortality events. Functional Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14376 Newsome, T, BT Barton, JC Buck, J DeBruyn, E Spencer, W Ripple and P Barton. 2021. Monitoring the dead as an ecosystem indicator. Ecology and Evolution. 11:5844-5856. Peacor, SD, BT Barton, DL Kimbro, A Sih, and MJ Sheriff. 2020. A framework and standardized terminology to facilitate the study of predation risk effects. Ecology. 101:e03152 Wolff, CL, S Demarais, CP Brooks, and BT Barton. 2020. Behavioral plasticity mitigates the effects of climate warming in white-tailed deer. Ecology and Evolution. 10: 2579–2587. Barton, BT, JV Hill, CL Wolff, TM Newsome, WJ Ripple, and MA Lashley. 2020. Grasshopper consumption by grey wolves and implications for ecosystems. Ecology. 101:e02892. McMahon, JD, MA Lashley, and BT Barton. 2018. Covariance between predation risk and nutritional preferences confounds interpretations of giving-up density experiments. Ecology. 99:1517-1522. Education B.S. Wildlife Resources – University of Idaho M.S. Biology – University of Central Florida M.Phil. Forestry and Environmental Studies – Yale University Ph.D. Forestry and Environmental Studies – Yale University Contact Email: [email protected] |