The dimensions of fear: from genes to ecosystems

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A "paradigm shift in ecology" is in progress, resulting from the recognition that the impacts of predators may be far more profound than previously realized. This stems in part from new evidence that prey can actually 'die of fright'. My research is at the forefront of this paradigm shift. I demonstrated for the first time that fear itself is powerful enough to affect wildlife population dynamics, partly because frightened parents will literally let their young starve to death. Thanks to new biotelemetry technology I can track survival year-round, and I will now quantify the total impact of fear on prey population dynamics, by testing if juveniles and adults may also 'die of fright', using song sparrows as my model prey. My research shows that fear is costly. Where it is unnecessary, animals should thus lose their fear. To explore the ecosystem-level effects of fear I will test if the loss of fear in smaller ("meso") predators (raccoons) after the extirpation of apex predators (e.g. wolves), helps explain the devastating impacts of "mesopredator release" on biodiversity. Fear favours escape vs. endurance, and so may reduce migratory flight ability in birds. Using a globally-unique wind tunnel and a one-of-a-kind breeding facility, I will conduct the first ever experimental test of whether the costs of migration have adverse "carry-over" effects on reproduction, as part of testing if fear exacerbates such effects. Predator-induced fear is one of the most common stressors used in the 'animal model' of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), prompting some biomedical researchers to propose that PTSD evolved as a response to predators. To help validate this I will bridge the gap between medical science and ecology by testing for the same lasting effects of fear on neural circuitry in wild birds and mammals. My highly original and innovative research will thus impact conservation and wildlife management, and medical practice as well. I will train 6 PhDs, 5 MScs, 8 BSc thesis students, and multiple undergraduate assistants. These HQP will receive integrative training in genetic, physiological, neurobiological, behavioural and ecological research, providing them with the highly desired skills needed to succeed in academic or professional public or private sector careers.