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.......
Mountain Mammal Research Personnel
The mountain mammal research group is a consortium of international researchers interested in the ecology and evolutionary biology of mountain mammals. It aims to provide fundamental knowledge on species biology that fosters fundamental insights into evolutionary and ecological questions, but further informs conservation practices, local and provincial policies. It has an especially long history in the study of bighorn sheep (long-term study began in 1981, 37 years ongoing) and Columbian ground squirrels (3 long term studies of > 15 years, longest term starting in 1992).
Current PIs of MMR
University of Calgary, Canada
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Professor Kathreen Ruckstuhl (University of Calgary, Canada) is a behavioral ecologist interested in the social organization within groups, affinities and associations between group members, cost and benefits of group living, such as competition for food and mates, parasite and disease transmission, and cooperation, to name but a few of her research questions. Her most recent efforts focus on understanding social network structures in different animal societies and the benefits/potential costs that could be associated with certain positions within a network. Her current students study a variety of vertebrate species in the field (or lab), such as bighorn sheep, coyotes, Columbian ground squirrels, and fish (lab), with a research focus on parasites, ecology and behaviour. More information can be found on her personal webpage.
Auburn University, USA
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Professor F. Stephen Dobson (Auburn University, USA) is an evolutionary ecologist with a broad understanding of ecology and genetics at the population level. He has a long career of studying the evolutionary biology of behaviours, particularly social behaviours. His main work has focused on the behavioral ecology and life history of mountain-dwelling ground squirrel in Canada, and their adaptations to environmental heterogeneity. His research has includes ethological studies of mice, research on sexual selection of king penguins in the Southern Antarctic Territories of France and, most recently, on ageing and stress in ground-dwelling squirrels in Canada. He uses model animal systems to study basic properties of social behaviour, kin selection, sexual selection, and evolutionary responses to climate change.
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University of Calgary, Canada
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Dr. Peter Neuhaus' research covers a broad range of animal ecology focusing on animal behaviour, behavioural ecology, population biology, evolutionary ecology and conservation. His main interest is in understanding individual differences in behaviour and ecology. In his current research on Columbian ground squirrels and bighorn sheep, he studies the evolution of different mating systems and mating tactics as well as life-history trade-offs leading to individually optimised reproductive success in both sexes. He does so by connecting behavioural ecology based research with other research fields such as genetics, parasitology and behavioural endochrinology. Some specific topics include animal personalities, mate choice, reproductive success, mating tactics, parasite – host interactions, hormones stress and reproduction, population dynamics and global warming.
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France
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Dr. Vincent Viblanc is an evolutionary ecologist interested in understanding the evolution of group living and how social x genetic influences shape individual phenotype. His work is situated at the interface of behavioural ecology and ecophysiology. He uses both correlative and experimental approaches in the wild as complementary frameworks for assessing the effects of social environments on individual phenotype and their ultimate consequences on fitness (including trans-generational consequences). Reciprocally, he is interested in how individual phenotype pertains to social behaviour and group living. His work is carried out both in the Northern and Southern hemisphere and currently revolves around 3 main model systems using group-living animals, ranging birds, mammals and fish, as model systems. His main research interests are: (1) understanding to which extent the social environment may act as a source or buffer to individual stress, affecting individual energetics, health and ageing; (2) understanding the consequences of inter-individual variation in exposure to social stimuli on offspring phenotype; (3) understanding the bi-directional effects of individual physiology and social interactions on social signals vs. the effect of social signals on individual physiology and social interactions.
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University of Saskatoon
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Dr. Jeffrey Lane is an evolutionary ecologist interested in understanding adaptation of populations to their natural environment. He uses a combination of theory and techniques from ecology, evolutionary biology, quantitative genetics and physiology, and primarily works with wild mammal systems that have been studied for multiple decades
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Past PIs of MMR
University of Alberta, Emeritus Professor
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Professor Jan O Murie devoted most of his career studying the behavioral ecology of sciurid rodents, primarily ground squirrels, specifically. His research covers a wide range of topics from social behavior and use of space, including territoriality; the role of kinship and familiarity in organizing social relationships; influences on vigilance, alarm-calling, and other aspects of anti-predator behavior; scent communication among ground squirrels; mating systems and the influence of demographic and environmental factors on mating strategies of males and females. He is one of the original PIs in the early days of the long-term research on Columbian ground squirels, and continues to contribute to the studies by seminal insights and knowledge on the animals and the ecology of the Rocky Mountain ecosystem in Alberta.
University of Sherbrooke
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Professor Marco Festa-Bianchet seeks to understand how individual differences affect reproductive success, reproductive strategies and population dynamics of large mammals. Large mammals are long-lived, highly iteroparous, and their population dynamics often show time lags. Therefore, long-term monitoring of marked individuals is the best approach to test theories on their reproductive success and population dynamics. Marco and his students produce knowledge useful for wildlife management and for the conservation of biodiversity. With mixed success, they argue that evolutionary ecology is important for conservation and for wildlife management. Professor Festa-Bianchet is one of the original PIs on the bighorn sheep research in the Kananaskis area.
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