Adaptation to global change in Alberta’s mountain environment
Using the Columbian ground squirrel as a model animal species, we are examining organismal responses to patterns of global change. Because of demonstrated gene flow over the mountain environment, from alpine to foothill habitats in Alberta, the ground squirrels have evolved extreme phenotypic plasticity in their lifecycles. Thus, they are at the extreme favorable limit of flexibility to short-term changes in the physical environment that are occurring under climatic aspects of global change. In addition, the ground squirrels respond through their lifecycles to two critical climatic changes that are especially important in Alberta: the onset of spring and the intensity of midsummer warming and drying. These climatic elements exhibit increased fluctuations over the years, and our long-term studies permit testing of both basic and practical questions of animal reactions to climatic fluctuations.
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PI: Dr. F Stephen Dobson (Professor, Auburn University)
​Duration: 26 years ongoing (1992-present)
Collaborators: P Neuhaus (Univ Calgary), DW Coltman (U Alberta), VA Viblanc (IPHC-CNRS), JE Lane (Univ Saskatoon), etc.......
Adaptation to global change in Alberta’s mountain environment
Using the Columbian ground squirrel as a model animal species, we are examining organismal responses to patterns of global change. Because of demonstrated gene flow over the mountain environment, from alpine to foothill habitats in Alberta, the ground squirrels have evolved extreme phenotypic plasticity in their lifecycles. Thus, they are at the extreme favorable limit of flexibility to short-term changes in the physical environment that are occurring under climatic aspects of global change. In addition, the ground squirrels respond through their lifecycles to two critical climatic changes that are especially important in Alberta: the onset of spring and the intensity of midsummer warming and drying. These climatic elements exhibit increased fluctuations over the years, and our long-term studies permit testing of both basic and practical questions of animal reactions to climatic fluctuations.
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PI: Dr. F Stephen Dobson (Professor, Auburn University)
​Duration: 26 years ongoing (1992-present)
Collaborators: P Neuhaus (Univ Calgary), DW Coltman (U Alberta), VA Viblanc (IPHC-CNRS), JE Lane (Univ Saskatoon), etc.......
Evolution of life-history traits
Research focuses on understanding the interplay between physiology, behaviour, life-history trade-offs and evolutionary adaptation. The long-term data allows studying subtle changes in pheno- and geno-types over multiple generations as a response to environmental change. Specifically, we use experimental manipulations and long-term observations throughout an animal’s lifetime to investigate how hormones and parasites affect individual life history trade-offs, mate choice, reproductive success/survival, and offspring sex ratios in along-lived social mammal, the Columbian ground squirrel (Urocitellus columbianus). The long-term data sets allow to model the impact of individual differences on population dynamics and to test basic ecological theory using empirical data. Many graduate-, undergraduate and post graduate projects have contributed to our understanding of ecology, population dynamics, physiology and evolutionary processes. Many of these students went on to become highly qualified ecologists working for governments in different countries, Universities, museums, NGOs and in the private sector.
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PI: Dr. Peter Neuhaus (Adj. Professor, University of Calgary)
​Duration: 25 years ongoing (1994-present)
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Sociality and disease transmission
