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Karen E. HodgesUniversity of
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General Research Interests
Conservation issues are global in scope and embrace a variety of disciplines. I currently focus on the areas of conservation-related research outlined below.
(1) Understanding the population dynamics and risks affecting individual species. This interest involves field-based projects that are designed to provide demographically informative data that can be integrated in modelling approaches and viability analyses. Often this research area involves looking at species interactions or habitat use and movements. Although individual projects provide data relevant to specific taxa, I also choose systems and questions that will offer more widely applicable insights into conservation management and approaches. I am particularly interested in how changes in landscape pattern affect predator-prey dynamics, e.g. through changes in foraging efficiency or altered community dynamics.
(2) Developing criteria to assess the conservation value of peripheral versus core populations. At present, conservation decisions seldom focus on range position as an important variable, and we lack a broad understanding of which peripheral populations are likely to be most valuable or most expendable for long-term protection of species that are at risk of extinction. This issue is becoming more pressing, as range shifts induced by climate change are rapidly altering many species' ranges. I am exploring approaches to this problem in the field (behaviour, demography), lab (genetics), and via mathematical modelling and meta-analyses (demography, traits predicting range-edge dynamics).
Because conservation biology is fundamentally a practical discipline, I have especially enjoyed collaborations with people who work for federal, provincial, or state agencies. Participating in science that contributes to action is a challenging activity, and my collaborators have made this process a rewarding one.
Expressions of interest from undergraduate students, graduate students, or postdoctoral fellows are welcome.
Dr. Karen E. Hodges
Associate Professor, Biology
3333 University Way
University of British Columbia Okanagan
Kelowna B.C. V1V 1V7, Canada
Phone: 250 807-8763 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 250 807-8763 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Fax: 250 807-8005
karen.hodges@ubc.ca
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Although wolves and bears are not globally threatened with extinction, many large predators are. But for every recognizable large species that is at-risk of extinction, many small and poorly known species are also at risk. One major challenge of conservation biology is to protect many species at once, rather than focusing efforts on one species at a time.
Last reviewed 
10/21/2011 3:15:42 PM
