Urban White-tailed Jackrabbits in Edmonton

City hares…

Urbanization is cited as one of the hallmarks of the Anthropocene epoch and the expansion of urban environments is expected to increase. For many species, the habitat modification, loss, and fragmentation due to urbanization results in negative effects including declining populations and local extirpation. However, for some species, aptly referred to as urban adapters, proximity to human habitation provides opportunities for establishment and adaption. White-tailed jackrabbits (WTJ) are such as species existing in Edmonton neighbourhoods at densities up to 80 times that of the surrounding rural areas. We want to understand how features of the city facilitate or impede movement and survival of WTJ.

I am working on this hares in Edmonton from a number of angles:

• Monitoring survival

• Habitat selection

• Movement ecology and connectivity

• Landscape genetics

This work is being done in collaboration with:

• John Wood (The King’s University)

• WildNorth