Applied evolutionary ecology with mammals

Albrecht Schulte-Hostedde 
Laurentian University, Ontario, Canada aschultehostedde@laurentian.ca

 Presentation in English

Alteration of habitats by human activities leads to degraded or novel environments that animals must physiologically and behaviourally react to. These altered landscapes can have profound sub-lethal consequences for individuals, and can affect traits that are important for fitness. Forest resource extraction and urbanization are two ways that humans alter natural landscapes. Using the eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) and the raccoon (Procyon lotor) as models, we examined the effects of resource extraction (logging) and urbanization on traits including behaviour, base-line glucocorticoids and energy metabolism. Habitats altered by human activities do not have a universally negative effects on individuals, suggesting the complex effects of human activities on biodiversity.

Recent publications:

Stothart, M., C. Bobbie, A.I. Schulte-Hostedde, R. Boonstra, R. Palme, N. Mykyczuk, and A. Newman. 2016. Stress and the microbiome: linking glucocorticoids to bacterial community dynamics in wild red squirrels. Biology Letters. 12: 20150875

Schulte-Hostedde, A.I., and G. Mastromonaco. 2015. Integrating evolution in the management of captive zoo populations. Evolutionary Applications. 8: 413-422.

Mastromonaco, G. K. Gunn, H. McCurdy-Adams, D.B. Edwards, and A.I. Schulte-Hostedde. 2014. Validation and use of hair cortisol as a measure of chronic stress in eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus). Conservation Physiology. 2:cou055