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Rhianne CrowtherMy research examines the spatio-temporal dynamics of snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) habitat use in the Kluane Valley, Yukon, Canada. Unfortunately, the boreal forest that snowshoe hares inhabit is undergoing major structural and compositional shifts due to climate change, yet little is known about the impacts on boreal species, largely because of limited long-term monitoring data. As a keystone species in the boreal forest, snowshoe hare populations strongly influence other species, meaning that shifts in their population size and dynamics can trigger significant downstream effects across the ecosystem. It is therefore critical that we understand how environmental shifts affect hare populations, as early detection of changes in their population structure can serve as a warning for broader ecosystem responses. My aim is to help fill this gap in our understanding using data from a 40+ year long capture-mark-recapture dataset as part of the Kluane Monitoring Project. Specifically, I am focusing on how snowshoe hare spatial dynamics shift across a population cycle and whether these patterns remain consistent across multiple cycles in the face of ongoing habitat change. This work will reveal key insights into snowshoe hare cyclical-habitat use dynamics and will broadly address the gap in our knowledge of how species respond to changes in their natural environment. It will also serve as a foundation for understanding long-term ecosystem responses to climate-mediated environmental change using a rare dataset available for assessing long-term changes in the boreal region.
Education M.BEMA (Bioenvironmental Monitoring and Assessment) – Trent University, 2023 B.Sc. Honours Biology – Trent University, 2022 Contact Email: [email protected] |