Most of my work focuses on vertebrates in forest ecosystems. Although populations vary substantially over time and space, the causes and consequences of this variation remain poorly understood. My work addresses this challenge using a combination of field and theoretical approaches. Field study is essential because each ecological system is unique, requiring site-specific data about spatial and temporal dynamics. Field research also is required to evaluate the assumptions made by theory and models.
Theory is vital to development of general concepts in ecology and biological conservation.
We need these concepts, because the world is too large to analyze each site and population in detail. Thoughtful integration of theoretical and field study will play a crucial role in the continuing maturation of ecology and conservation from collections of interesting stories to predictive sciences. I am interested in the status, distributions, and habitat relationships of forest carnivores, particularly American marten, fisher, and lynx. Apparent declines in the abundances and distributions of these species throughout the Western States have raised concern. Habitat loss and fragmentation, are the leading causes of species imperilment globally.