Principal Investigator

Dr. Andrew G. McAdam

I'm interested in the interactions between ecology and contemporary adaptation. I use long-term pedigrees and experimental manipulations of resources and relatedness to quantify key ecological and quantitative genetic parameters. The goal of these investigations is to understand how an organism’s unique ecology contributes to contemporary patterns of selection and evolution. [McAdam IB profile]

Current Graduate Students

I have wide-ranging interests in evolution, ecology and behavior. For my current research I am investigating correlated evolution of testosterone titers in male and female red squirrels, the fitness consequences of experimental elevation of testosterone levels, as well as hormone mediated maternal effects. Ben's website

I am interested in the effects of climate change on mammalian ecology and evolution. Specifically, I plan to examine the ecological and evolutionary changes in two mouse species located in Michigan. I plan to focus on phenology and range. Lauri's website.

Andrea Miehls (PhD, 2006 to present) Evolution of trophic linkages in an invaded food web.

Aquatic ecosystems woldwide are in the midst of large-scale ecological alteration owing to exotic species invasion, fisheries collapse, trophic uncoupling from climate change and rapid loss of native biodiversity, amongst others. The ability of species, communities and ecosystems to respond to and recover from these stressors is of paramount importance. My research aims to understand the processes by which ecosystems adapt to perturbation; in particular, I am interested in the rapid evolutionary effects that an exotic species, Bythotrephes longimanus (the spiny water flea) has exerted on Great Lakes ecosystems since invasion in the 1980s. Andrea's website

I have interests in various topics of behavioural ecology, including territorial behaviour and communication. For my project I will investigate the mechanism that red squirrels use to recognize kin. Red squirrels differentiate between the territorial vocalizations (rattles) of kin vs. non-kin. Proposed mechanisms of kin recognition include recognition by prior association and phenotype matching. An important difference between the two is that phenotype matching allows for the identification of unfamiliar but related individuals. I will use playbacks of rattles to test if red squirrels respond equally as often to unfamiliar vs. familiar kin. I will also attempt to identify the specific component of the rattle that is responsible for phenotype matching by experimentally manipulating different components of recorded rattles, and observing the responses of focal individuals to the playbacks of the manipulated vocalizations.

Ryan Taylor (PhD, 2006 to present) Reproductive polymorphisms in female red squirrels.

I'm interested in general evolutionary questions involving red squirrels in the south-west Yukon, Canada. At the moment I am investigating the possibility that alternate reproductive strategies exist among female red squirrels. Ryan's website

Former Students

Elizabeth Ball (MSc, 2008) Preferences and harvest intentions of hunters in Michigan and their effects on white-tailed deer harvest outcomes.

Adam Goble (MSc, 2008) Signature signals in the territorial vocalizations of red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) and their use in kin recognition.