Research interests:Environmentally sustainable methods (including biological, microbial and integrated control) of crop protection
Effects of climate variability and economic development on organisms and social systems in semi-arid ecosystems
Food relationships, biodiversity, ecological integrity, ecotoxicology, system linkages, resilience, impacts
Forecasting abundance, movement, phenology, range changes and invasions of arthropods and plants
Aquatic and terrestrial arthropod communities (including soil fauna), diversity, activities, ecotoxicology, and land-water linkages
Post-glacial grassland, foothills, montane and alpine ecology and biodiversity
Ecological methods and logical frameworks; applications to terrestrial, riparian, aquatic and edaphic systems
Grassland microbe-insect-plant-bird interactions, including impacts of disturbance (toxins, weather, invasion, fire)
Watershed ecosystems; terrestrial-aquatic linkages; Pollination study; Soil biology; Insect outbreaks
Support for environmental economics; application of ecological knowledge to management and policy
The research plan is divided into a total of seven studies, in three major areas.1-2: Semi-arid ecosystems, weather, climate, land, water, and external linkages (includes assessment of the larger landscape setting of semi-arid ecosystems, applying the results of collaborative weather and climate modelling),
3-5: Food webs, biodiversity, ecological integrity, ecotoxicology, system linkages and ecosystem resilience to challenge and disturbance,
6-7: Development of environmentally sustainable methods for management of pests and invasive species, to minimize impact on native, semi-native, or agricultural ecosystems, and to promote well-being of protected landscapes and species at risk (including research in ecotoxicology)
Research sites include western Canadian semi-arid ecosystems, mainly dry mixed grass and fescue foothills. Some experiments and research topics (such as entomopathology/epizootiology, grassland food web ecology, insect-bird interactions, and decomposition ecology) are closely linked to ecological research in other semi-arid zones, including in the U.S. and Australia, with applications in Africa and China.The program utilizes mainly field experimentation, sampling, laboratory analysis and modeling, but also depends on support in remote sensing and spatial analysis at the University of Lethbridge.
Key collaborative research projects1. Assessment of the expected impacts of climate change scenarios on biodiversity and ecological integrity of semi-arid systems, and on the distribution and abundance of organisms (initially applied to weather-driven insects, but with subsequent applications to plants, birds, and certain microbes, including decomposers and pathogens).
2. Characterization of past and future impacts of climate change on selected aspects of biodiversity, endemism, metapopulation ecology, and ecosystem processes of alpine, montane and fescue foothills ecosystems (Alberta and eastern B.C.), with linkages to lower elevation grassland ecosystems.
3. Experimental characterization and modeling of food web relationships of semi-arid ecosystems and agroecosystems, including herbivoury, predation and decomposition aided by detritovores.
4. Assessment of grassland management and restoration practices (including revegetation, fire, grazing) on the availability and quality of insects as food for grassland species at risk, and other wildlife species.
5. Ecology, biodiversity, taxonomic status, and economic status of selected pest and non-pest arthropods of the Canadian Prairies and Northern Great Plains
6. Development of non-chemical methods of control of devastating pests (such as grasshoppers), to support organic agriculture in the semi-arid zone, and to offer alternatives for the protection of sensitive habitat from pesticide contamination.
7. Improved environmental safety and ecotoxicology of existing and proposed agricultural products, including microbial control of crop and rangeland pests, and other management practices applied to semi-arid systems on the Canadian Prairies and Northern Great Plains.
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