Linking space use, individual fitness, and population dynamics to quantify the conservation value of geographic areas

管理和保护水生动物是具有挑战性的。海洋和淡水动物迁徙，随着时间的推移改变它们的分布，很难监测。我的研究小组的主要目标将是开发工具来量化地理区域对水生物种的价值。为了做到这一点，我将运动数据与身体状况、压力水平、繁殖成功和种群数量数据联系起来。确定栖息地利用、繁殖条件和种群过程之间的关系，将使我的研究小组能够确定对水生物种生存至关重要的栖息地，这是制定保护和管理规划的关键一步。由于用于跟踪水生动物运动的技术带来了巨大的测量误差等技术挑战，我的研究计划的进一步重点将是开发能够应对这些挑战的新统计工具。虽然我将要开发的方法将适用于加拿大和其他地方的许多物种，但我将采取多物种的方法，重点关注加拿大北极和亚南极岛屿的三个极地研究系统。首先，我将使用声学遥测来确定本地斑马鱼的栖息地用途和影响引进褐鲑鱼传播的因素。保护斑马鱼的栖息地，阻止外来物种的传播，威胁到它们的灭绝，是福克兰群岛的保护重点。我的工作将直接有助于这些物种的管理。其次，我将使用卫星遥测来确定正图企鹅在福克兰群岛周围的海洋栖息地的用途，那里正在进行大量的渔业和石油开发。企鹅是福克兰群岛的标志性野生动物景点，旅游业是该地区第二大经济贡献者。了解绅士与工业的相互作用，以及它们如何影响生殖性能，对于管理来说至关重要。第三，我将把加拿大北极的变化与独角鲸和白鲸的分布变化联系起来。气候变化导致海冰减少，这促进了人类活动的增加(例如航运、渔业、石油和天然气)。我将检验这一假设，即航运增加和冰川减少改变了这些物种的分布，这是在哈德逊湾建立海洋保护区所需的信息。拟议的研究将建立与学术机构、非政府组织和政府机构的国内和国际合作，并旨在直接培训17名高素质人员(2名博士后，4名博士，4名理学硕士，7名理科学士)。我的研究将带来新的统计工具，以评估地理区域对物种的重要性。这些工具将帮助回答生态问题，旨在解决具有重大经济、生态和文化重要性的物种的重要管理和保护问题。

Managing and conserving aquatic animals is challenging. Marine and freshwater animals migrate, change their distribution through time, and are difficult to monitor. The primary goal of my research group will be to develop tools to quantify the value of geographic areas for aquatic species. To do so, I will link movement data with body condition, stress levels, breeding success, and population size data. Determining the relationships between habitat utilization, reproductive condition, and population processes will allow my research group to identify habitats important to the survival of aquatic species, which is a crucial step towards conservation and management planning. Because the technology used to track the movement of aquatic animals presents technical challenges such as large measurement errors, a further focus of my research program will be to develop new statistical tools that can handle these challenges. While the methods I will develop will be applicable to many species in Canada and elsewhere, I will take a multi-species approach focused on three polar study systems from the Canadian Arctic and sub-Antarctic islands. First, I will use acoustic telemetry to identify the habitat use of native zebra trout and factors affecting the spread of introduced brown trout. Protecting the habitat of zebra trout and stopping the spread of the introduced species threatening them with extirpation are conservation priorities in the Falkland Islands. My work will directly contribute to the management of these species. Second, I will use satellite telemetry to identify the marine habitat use of gentoo penguins around the Falklands, where substantial fishing and oil development is occurring. Penguins are an iconic wildlife attraction in the Falklands, where tourism is the 2nd largest contributor to the economy. Understanding interactions of gentoos with industry, and how they affect reproductive performance, is crucial to management. Third, I will relate changes in the Canadian Arctic to variation in the distribution of narwhals and belugas. Climate change has led to declining sea ice, which promotes increased human activity (e.g. shipping, fishing, oil and gas). I will test the hypothesis that increased shipping and ice declines have changed the distribution of these species, information needed for the creation of a Marine Protected Area in Hudson Bay. The proposed research will create national and international collaborations with academic institutions, NGOs, and governmental agencies, and is designed to directly train 17 highly qualified personnel (2 postdocs, 4 PhD, 4 MSc, 7 BSc). My research will bring novel statistical tools to assess the importance of geographic areas to species. These tools will help answer ecological questions and will be designed to address important management and conservation issues for species with significant economic, ecological, and cultural importance.