A summary of various projects I have been involved with thus far.
The bartlett hack
"Bartlett Hacks is an online hackathon designed to foster collaboration and develop ideas for the urgent climate emergency we still face during the coronavirus crisis and helping build resilience for a post-pandemic world."
See the competition results
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e-turkey
Did you know that wild turkeys were hunted to extinction in Ontario in the early 1900's, and were only reintroduced in the late 1980's? Because Ontario's turkey population has grown and changed rapidly since reintroduction, understanding how many individuals there are and where they are distributed is essential to ensuring the long-term persistence of this species in the province.
I am currently working on developing a spatial model that will allow us to predict wild turkey abundance and distribution across the province of Ontario. To validate our model's predictions, we need to know the locations of as many flocks as possible all across the province. To gather this data, we requested wild turkey observations from citizen scientists anywhere in Ontario between December 1 2018 and March 31 2019. If you'd like to learn more about this project and how you can participate visit www.wildturkeycount.wordpress.com. You can report a 2020 Ontario wild turkey sighting to eBird or iNaturalist using methods outlined at www.wildturkeycount.wordpress.com or you can report a turkey here using our online turkey reporting form. |
E-turkey in the news
1. Link: Random Acts of Green (RAOG), How public wildlife sightings can help research - The Case of the Wild Turkey. November 28, 2019. 2. Barney Moorhouse, Counting Turkeys, Out of Doors, April 2019 3. Link: Brian Owens, How apps and online databases are helping conservation science to thrive, University Affairs, March 2019 4. Link: Drew Monkman, Let's talk turkey, Peterborough Examiner, February 1 2018 5. Link: Drew Monkman, An almanac for winter in Peterborough and the Kawarthas, Peterborough Examiner, November 30 2017 |
wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) social structure and behaviour
Most of my PhD research questions are related to the behaviour and social structure of Ontario's reintroduced wild turkey population. I am interested in understanding wild turkey flock and nest genetics, factors influencing nesting success, kin selection, and the current distribution of Ontario's turkeys. This project involves rocket netting, tagging, and tracking wild turkey movement, survival and nest success throughout the year.
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Biocontrol of invasive dog strangling vine (Cynanchum rossicum)
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estimating mammal abundance within an active logging concession
- As an undergraduate at the University of Toronto I completed an honours thesis on mammal abundance and diversity within an active Guyanese logging concession.
- This project involved setting camera traps and recording mammal tracks along logging roads as line transects.
- Using this data we were able to estimate mammal abundance and diversity and also identify resident jaguars based on their unique spot patterns.
- The two photos below were taken by the same trail camera withing several hours of one another.