By investigating how and why animals act the way they do, I work to help improve management outcomes, conservation effectiveness, and ecological understanding.
Current research themes focus on the behavior of large terrestrial mammals, including the mechanisms driving behavior, and the effects of behavior on everything ranging from individual fitness to ecological communities.
Specific topics include migration ecology, predator-prey dynamics, and human influences on wildlife behavior and distribution.
With all of these topics comes a focus on rigorous research designed to reduce uncertainty in ecological theories and management decisions.
Migration ecology
Causes and consequences of partial migration in elk and other ungulates
Predator-prey dynamics
Interactions between large carnivores and their prey in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Human influences
How humans affect the behavior and distribution of wolves and elk
Kristin Barker 