Landscape connectivity for wildlife in a changing environment

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Landscape change is arguably one of the greatest threats to native species and the integrity of ecosystems globally. When landscape change alters structural connectivity of the landscape, it can affect animal movement patterns by promoting, impeding, or preventing movement. Loss of connectivity, therefore, can have large and varied impacts on animal space use, gene flow, and fitness at various spatial and temporal scales. My research program involves testing hypotheses about how landscape connectivity influences ecosystems across all levels of organization. My shorter-term objectives are to: 1) quantify the role of landscape connectivity as a driver of animal movement; 2) evaluate the consequences of connectivity loss for wildlife movement and behaviour; and 3) assess the effectiveness of parks and protected area networks for preserving connectivity in a changing landscape. Specifically, we will evaluate the role of landscape connectivity in shaping wildlife range expansion and contraction. We will also evaluate how light pollution impacts connectivity of the nightscape and animal movement patterns at both global and local scales. We will map `corridors of darkness' and test whether the spatial distribution of dark corridors caused by light pollution influences migration paths of nocturnally migrating bird species. We will also test the hypothesis that light pollution lengthens the active period of wildlife, increasing mortality and thus decreasing fitness. Finally, we will assess how land use change has affected connectivity of protected area networks in North America in the face of landscape and climate change. My team and I will use a landscape-scale approach with datasets that span large spatial and temporal scales to address these emerging questions in the field of connectivity conservation. Increasing functional connectivity is perhaps the most important tool we have for enabling species to traverse landscapes that are becoming increasingly altered by changes in landcover and climate. My research program is designed to make contributions to connectivity science through empirical data and predictive models and will have impacts for theoretical and applied conservation and policy.