Social organization and life history trait variation of a temperate colonial mammal

了解种群生物学对于了解本地物种如何应对环境扰动至关重要;这是管理生物多样性的关键。尽管如此，生物学家没有关于关键种群参数的数据（例如，数量，生产力，社会性），甚至对于许多常见的物种。我的研究计划的目标是测量生活史特征和人口动态，这对于理解和预测导致它们变化的因素很重要。最终，我的计划的目标是了解这些特征的进化原因和后果，这些特征也可能用于为物种和生态系统的管理提供信息。 我的研究计划使用蝙蝠作为模式生物，我已经建立了一个长期（多代）的研究计划，以最大限度地提高推理的严谨性。到目前为止，我主要研究北美东部蝙蝠的运动动力学、社会性和资源利用。我们继续使用field-（例如，捕获、标记和跟踪）和实验室（例如，群体遗传学，稳定同位素）为基础的方法来了解物种生物学和原因和性状的后果。这些信息有助于更好地了解种群动态，对管理至关重要。 展望未来，我打算继续保持我对解释生活史参数变化的因素的长期研究（例如，大小，繁殖，行为）的小棕蝙蝠，一个物种，是典型的许多温带蝙蝠世界各地，所以我希望我们的结果将推广到其他物种在其他地方。我的主要目标是了解物种生物学如何随着年龄的变化，并了解他们的社会组织。在纽芬兰，我们的项目有超过2400只蝙蝠单独贴上RFID标签，并在16个栖息地监测这些蝙蝠，并积累了超过120万个位置记录。我们目前正在西南安大略建立一个类似的计划，期望比较研究将提供更深入的了解解释人口动态的因素。 我的研究项目吸引了年轻的科学家，他们的职业发展范围从本科生到博士生，每个人都将发展包括野外生物学，统计分析，写作和沟通在内的技能。我们的工作发表在广泛阅读的科学期刊上，并受到同行的高度引用。从纯粹的应用角度来看，考虑到白鼻综合征对蝙蝠的影响，我们的研究非常及时。白色鼻综合征是一种由一种真菌引起的疾病，这种真菌被引入北美，使蝙蝠数量减少了90%以上。例如，在新斯科舍省，由于数量已减少至接近0，因此不再可能在以前的研究地点进行这项研究。在加拿大，根据《濒危物种法》，三种蝙蝠现在被列为濒危物种。科学和管理界目前正在努力解决如何管理蝙蝠，我的研究计划正在为恢复工作做出贡献。

Understanding population biology is crucial for understanding how native species will respond to environmental perturbations; a key for managing biodiversity. Despite this, biologists do not have data on key population parameters (e.g., number, productivity, sociality), even for many common species. The objective of my research program is to measure life history traits and population dynamics that are important for understanding and predicting factors that cause them to vary. Ultimately, the goal of my program is to understand the evolutionary causes and consequences of these traits that might also be used to inform management for species and ecosystems. My research program uses bats as model organisms and I've established a long term (multi-generational) study program to maximize rigor of inferences. To date, I have worked primarily on movement dynamics, sociality and resource use of bats in eastern North America. We continue to use field- (e.g., capture, tagging and tracking) and lab- (e.g., population genetics, stable isotopes) based methods to understand species biology and the causes and consequences of traits. Such information permits greater understanding of population dynamics and is crucial for management. Moving forward, I intend to continue my maintain my long-term investigations of the factors that explain variation in life history parameters (e.g., size, reproduction, behavior) of little brown bats, a species that is typical of many temperate zone bats worldwide and so I expect our results will be generalizable to other species in other places. My primary objectives are to understand how species biology changes with age and to understand their social organization. In Newfoundland our program has >2400 bats individually tagged with RFID and are monitoring for these at 16 roosts and have accumulated >1.2 million location records. We are currently establishing a similar program in SW Ontario with the expectation that the comparative study will provide greater insight into factors that explain population dynamics. My research program engages young scientists that range in career progression from undergrads to PhD candidates and each will develop skills that include field biology, statistical analysis, writing and communication. Our work is published in widely read scientific journals and highly cited by peers. From a purely applied perspective, our research is very timely given the impacts of white-nose syndrome on bats. White nose syndrome is a disease caused by a fungus that was introduced to North America and has reduced bat populations by >90%. For example, in Nova Scotia, it is no longer possible to conduct this research at former study sites as numbers have been reduced to near 0. In Canada, three species of bat are now listed as Endangered' under the Species at Risk Act. The science and management community are currently struggling with how to manage bats and my research program is contributing to recovery efforts.