2. Explore the effects of rapid environmental change on animal behaviour
Behavioural flexibility can help animals buffer harmful effects of environmental change in the short-term but the longer-term implications of these changes are poorly understood. Our research suggests that rapid environmental change can erode established "rules of engagement" amongst species, potentially leading to a new world order in species dominance within the community.Gunn, R.L., Hartley, I.R., Algar, A.C., Niemela, P.T. & Keith, S.A. (2021) Understanding behavioural responses to human-induced rapid environmental change: a meta-analysis. Oikos 4:e08366
3. Understand implications of behavioural adjustments to environmental change across ecological scales
Revealing the emergent properties of individual behaviour at higher ecological scales is hard! We are trying to develop methods to achieve this by combining empirical data around large-scale natural experiments with individual-based models. For example, PhD student Cat Sheppard is figuring out how overfishing affects damselfish abundance, and in turn alters damselfish aggression with knock-on effects for space use of herbivores, which are important for coral reef resilience, on the reef.Early, R. & Keith, S.A. (2019) Geographically variable biotic interactions and implications for species ranges. Global Ecology & Biogeography 28(1):42-53
4. Explain geographical patterns in animal behaviour
Many processes that influence the distribution and abundance of a species occur at early life history stages, such as natal dispersal and density-dependent recruitment. These processes might be particularly important in the marine realm because many habitat-forming species (e.g., corals, macroalgae) do not move as adults. My research consistently identifies dispersal and establishment of propagules as key processes underlying geographic distributions in both temperate and tropical ecosystems.Keith, S.A., Maynard, J.A., Edwards, A.J., Guest, J.R., Bauman, A.G., van Hooidonk, R., Heron, S.F., Berumen, M., Bouwmeester, J., Piromvaragorn, S., Rahbek, C., & Baird, A.H. (2016) Coral mass spawning predicted by rapid seasonal rise in ocean temperature. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 283(1830):20160011
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