abclab.bib

@article{Neame2024a,
  author = {Tobyn Neame and Samuel Robinson and Paul Galpern},
  doi = {10.1016/j.agee.2024.109133},
  journal = {Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment},
  title = {Proximity to non-crop vegetation increases estimates of predation frequency but not beetle numbers},
  volume = {373},
  pages = {109133},
  year = {2025},
}
@article{Neame2024b,
  author = {Tobyn Neame and Paul Galpern},
  doi = {10.1016/j.agee.2024.109270},
  journal = {Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment},
  title = {Body size mediates ground beetle dispersal from non-crop vegetation: Implications for conservation biocontrol},
  year = {2024},
  volume = {377},
  pages = {109270},
}
@article{Cohen2024,
   abstract = {Conversion of land for agricultural use is a leading driver of global biodiversity loss. Natural and semi-natural lands within agricultural landscapes are targeted for protection because they provide habitat for many organisms. Pothole (or kettle) wetlands occur across the Northern Hemisphere and are a focus for conservation both because of their location within agriculturally intensive landscapes and their importance to vertebrates, especially migratory birds. Recent evidence suggests that wetlands may also be an important habitat for arthropods, including insects that provide ecosystem services. To understand how insects associate with wetlands and landscape features, we examine the relationship between bumblebees (Bombus), and wetland area, cropland area and wetland perimeter-area ratio. We found that wetland area is significantly positively associated with the occurrence and abundance of the species studied. We also found that the relationship between bumblebees and wetland perimeter-area ratio varied across the growing season. This suggests that the importance of wetland edge as a foraging habitat varies across the season. These results show the utility of wetlands to bees, though their resources are likely not being used uniformly by all bumblebee species or across the entire growing season. Our results also suggest that pothole wetlands in agricultural landscapes are likely to support biodiversity, and their conservation contributes to overall ecosystem health and function.},
   author = {Abigail L. Cohen and James H. Devries and Paul Galpern},
   doi = {10.1111/icad.12701},
   issn = {17524598},
   issue = {1},
   journal = {Insect Conservation and Diversity},
   title = {Wetland cover in agricultural landscapes is positively associated with bumblebee abundance},
   volume = {17},
   year = {2024},
}
@article{Rohde2024,
   abstract = {Genetic resiliency is the likelihood that populations retain sufficient genetic diversity to respond to environmental change. It is rarely examined through time in conservation genetic studies due to challenges of acquiring and sequencing historical specimens. Focusing on populations of two sibling bumble bee species of conservation concern with different recent patterns of decline, we used museum specimens collected between 1960 and 2020 and 15 microsatellite markers to assess genetic resiliency (allelic richness, expected heterozygosity, and inbreeding) through time and across geographic space. We find evidence of decreasing allelic richness through time, starting at least 30 years before observed abundance declines in one species and at least 20 years before present in a species with apparently stable abundance. We also found increasing expected heterozygosity through time, indicating increased inbreeding, in the putatively stable species. We demonstrate that genetic measurements taken from specimens collected through time can be used to detect population decline in imperiled species before decreases in abundance are detected. We also demonstrate the importance of interpreting population genetic metrics within the context of historical patterns to assess species' conservation statuses. Finally, we discuss the limitations of currently available population genetic methods, including the influence of isolation by distance and sampling density on measurements of genetic structure, and the influence of demographic characteristics and choice of genetic markers on estimates of genetic diversity and structure. We call for further development of individual-based modeling methods to measure genetic structure, as opposed to commonly applied population-based metrics, to overcome these limitations.},
   author = {Ashley T. Rohde and Michael G. Branstetter and Karen E. Mock and Joyce N. Knoblett and David S. Pilliod and Jeffrey G. Everett and Paul Galpern and James P. Strange},
   doi = {10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110453},
   issn = {00063207},
   journal = {Biological Conservation},
   title = {Population genetics of museum specimens indicate decreasing genetic resiliency: The case of two bumble bees of conservation concern},
   volume = {291},
   year = {2024},
}
@article{Clake2024,
   abstract = {Maintenance of phenotypic and genotypic diversity within and across species and populations is critical for their capacity to survive and adapt to changing environments. Climate change potentially puts cryptic diversity and populations at increased risk, highlighting the importance of quantifying and understanding this diversity before it is lost. This study focuses on Bombus lapponicus sylvicola, a bumble bee species that has undergone recent taxonomic additions and revisions. We tested the null hypotheses that B. l. sylvicola over a 40,000 km2 geographic range and climatic gradient in the Canadian Rocky Mountains represented a single genetic population. Furthermore, we evaluated predictions for mechanisms behind genomic divergence among groups under this framework. We sampled bumble bees from 69 sites and used DNA from two different species (131 B. l. sylvicola and 435 individuals of the closely related B. melanopygus as an outgroup) to characterize 20,000 SNPs and measure relatedness and gene flow. We collected phenotypic data on color patterns and mapped population distribution based on environmental variables. We found evidence of two phenotypically and genetically distinct parapatric populations of B. l. sylvicola that appear to have diverged under conditions of gene flow and differential recombination. Our models suggest that these populations occupy distinct climatic regions, with a newly described cryptic population found in locations reaching a lower minimum temperature. This research presents evidence for the role of adaptative evolution in response to different climate conditions.},
   author = {Danielle J. Clake and Sean M. Rogers and Paul Galpern},
   doi = {10.1007/s10531-023-02753-1},
   issn = {15729710},
   issue = {2},
   journal = {Biodiversity and Conservation},
   title = {Cryptic genotypic and phenotypic diversity in parapatric bumble bee populations associated with minimum cold temperatures},
   volume = {33},
   year = {2024},
}
@article{Innes2024,
   abstract = {Abstract Non-crop vegetation areas in agricultural landscapes are vital for maintaining biodiversity. However, they potentially host pest insects, which can cause economic loss in crop fields. Some insect species have been found to spill into crops from these areas, but this varies depending on species, landscape composition and the time of the season. To determine if five common pest insects of canola crops were spilling into fields during the late growing season, we collected samples at various distances from non-crop areas, in a part of the Canadian Prairies (Alberta, Canada) where this crop is widely grown. Sampling occurred at 15 sites in each of 10 fields (N = 150 sites). We modelled changes in pest abundance over distance from the non-crop areas and contrasted the abundance of each taxon in the crop and non-crop areas. Only leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) demonstrated a declining gradient in abundance that is consistent with spillover from non-crop vegetation areas into the canola fields. Weevils were found to have significantly higher abundance in the non-crop areas, indicating a relationship between this taxon and the non-crop area in the late season, but there was no decline in abundance, which might indicate spillover occurring. All taxa demonstrated spatial differences in abundance among fields. This study found limited evidence that the pests are spilling over from non-crop vegetation into canola crops during the late season. Therefore, movement of pests from non-crop vegetation areas at this time is unlikely to be a driver of pest pressure for this economically important crop.},
   author = {Rebecca Innes and Tobyn Neame and Paul Galpern},
   doi = {10.1111/afe.12626},
   journal = {Agricultural and Forest Entomology},
   keywords = {canola,ecosystem disservices,leafhoppers,non-crop vegetation,pest insects,spillover},
   title = {Contrasting late season pest insect abundance in non-crop vegetation areas and nearby canola fields in the Canadian Prairies},
   url = {https://resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/afe.12626},
   year = {2024},
}
@article{Kwafo2023,
   abstract = {Nest-founding bumble bee queens search landscapes broadly for a nest site, whose later-developed workers are constrained to foraging around the nest. Landscape could therefore have different influences on nest site selection and subsequent colony success. Additionally, the density of bumble bees in a landscape reflects the product of their nest density and nest success. To examine separate landscape effects on nest density and success, we examined nest occupancy (reflecting nest density) and colony size (reflecting nest success) using ground-installed nest boxes placed adjacent to blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) fields in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Nest-searching queens occupied 59% of these boxes. We classified landscapes in a 1.5 km radius of colonies using habitats of a priori relevance to bumble bees: beneficial (i.e. flowering) agriculture, non-beneficial agriculture (NBA), forest, open semi-natural, suburban, and their configuration (habitat edge density). Landscape strongly affected nest founding but only weakly affected colony success. Nest founding increased in landscapes with more forest habitat, more open semi-natural habitat (and little NBA), and more habitat edge (and little NBA). Colony success increased in landscapes with more edge density (and much NBA). Overall, edge habitats enhanced bumble bee populations, but enhancement was conditional: edge increased nest occupation in landscapes with little NBA and nest success in landscapes with a lot of NBA. Populations of crop-pollinating bumble bees might therefore best be enhanced by locally enhancing nesting: protecting forests, 2D semi-natural habitats (when flowering crops are uncommon), and edge habitats.},
   author = {Richard Kwafo and Paul Galpern and Ralph V. Cartar},
   doi = {10.1111/icad.12611},
   issn = {17524598},
   issue = {1},
   journal = {Insect Conservation and Diversity},
   title = {Contrasting effects of landscape on nest founding and colony success of bumble bees in a mixed-crop agroecosystem},
   volume = {16},
   year = {2023},
}
@article{Robinson2023,
   abstract = {Ecosystem services can maintain or increase crop yield in agricultural systems, but data to support management decisions are expensive and time-consuming to collect. Furthermore, relationships derived from small-scale plot data may not apply to ecosystem services operating at larger spatial scales (fields and landscapes). Precision yield data (PYD) can be used to improve the accuracy and geographic range of ecosystem service studies but have been underused in previous studies: out of 370 literature records, we found that less than 2% of all records were used to study biotic or landscape effects on yield. We argue that this is likely due to low data accessibility and a lack of familiarity with spatial data analysis. We provide examples of analysis using simulated PYD, and outline two case studies of ecosystem services using PYD. Ecologists and agronomists should consider using PYD more broadly, as it can be used to test hypotheses about ecosystem services across multiple spatial scales, and could be used to inform the design of multifunctional farming landscapes.},
   author = {Samuel V.J. Robinson and Timothy Schwinghamer and Hector Cárcamo and Paul Galpern},
   doi = {10.1002/2688-8319.12271},
   issue = {4},
   journal = {Ecological Solutions and Evidence},
   title = {Precision agricultural data and ecosystem services: Can we put the pieces together?},
   volume = {4},
   pages = {e12271},
   year = {2023},
}
@article{Nguyen2022,
   author = {L.H. Nguyen and S Robinson and P Galpern},
   doi = {10.1016/j.agee.2021.107849},
   journal = {Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment},
   pages = {107849},
   title = {Effects of landscape complexity on crop productivity: an assessment from space},
   volume = {328},
   year = {2022},
}
@article{Nguyen2022b,
   author = {LH Nguyen and SVJ Robinson and P Galpern},
   doi = {10.1007/s11119-022-09874-7},
   journal = {Precision Agriculture},
   pages = {1051-1071},
   title = {Medium-resolution multispectral satellite imagery in precision agriculture: mapping precision canola (Brassica napus L.) yield using Sentinel-2 time series},
   volume = {23},
   year = {2022},
}
@article{Robinson2022,
   author = {S Robinson and LH Nguyen and P Galpern},
   doi = {10.1016/j.agee.2022.107956},
   journal = {Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment},
   pages = {107956},
   title = {Livin' on the edge: precision yield data shows evidence of ecosystem services from field boundaries},
   volume = {333},
   year = {2022},
}
@article{Clake2022,
   abstract = {Context: Land use change is a major factor influencing biodiversity, but the mechanisms that drive species losses require further examination. Habitat loss often reduces biodiversity, but habitat fragmentation can increase biodiversity when examined independently. Processes driving this pattern remain largely unclear. Objectives: We aimed to determine the effects of habitat fragmentation on bumble bee populations after controlling for habitat amount, and to examine possible mechanisms behind observed effects. Methods: We sampled 22 species of bumble bees (Bombus sp.) across 50 unique sites located throughout the Canadian Rockies using a sampling design that minimized correlations between amount and spatial arrangement of land covers that may represent important habitat for bees. We modeled bumble bee abundance, species richness and diversity as a function of land cover metrics. Results: Effects of land cover fragmentation were dependent on both the measure of fragmentation used, and landscape scale. Bumble bee abundance was higher where nesting habitat (forest) and foraging habitat (grassland) were found adjacent to each other within 300 m, suggesting a landscape complementation effect where bees benefit from having access to both land cover types in proximity to one another. Having available habitat split into a greater number of patches was detrimental when considering the immediate area (0–300 m), but beneficial when quantified in more distant areas (300–600 m). Conclusions: Landscape complementation may be an important component behind positive fragmentation effects. Estimates of multiple measures of fragmentation are important when testing the impacts of land cover and landscape changes on species abundance and biodiversity.},
   author = {Danielle J. Clake and Sean M. Rogers and Paul Galpern},
   doi = {10.1007/s10980-021-01389-2},
   issn = {15729761},
   issue = {3},
   journal = {Landscape Ecology},
   title = {Landscape complementation is a driver of bumble bee (Bombus sp.) abundance in the Canadian Rocky Mountains},
   volume = {37},
   year = {2022},
}
@article{doylebaker2021,
   abstract = {For many university students, commuting to and from campus constitutes a large proportion of their daily movement, and therefore it may influence their ability and willingness to spend time on campus or to participate in campus activities. To assess student engagement on campus, we collected smartphone GPS location histories from volunteers (n = 280) attending university in a major Canadian city. We investigated how campus visit length and frequency were related to characteristics of the commute using Bayesian regression models. Slower commutes and commutes over longer distances were associated with more time spent but less frequent visits to campus. Our results demonstrate that exposure to campus life, and therefore the potential for student engagement, may relate not just to whether a student lives on or near campus, but also to urban environmental factors that interact to influence the commuting experience.},
   author = {Patricia K. Doyle-Baker and Andrew Ladle and Angela Rout and Paul Galpern},
   doi = {10.3390/ijgi10080517},
   issn = {22209964},
   issue = {8},
   journal = {ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information},
   keywords = {Campus,Commuting,Smartphone GPS locations,Student movement,University},
   pages = {517},
   title = {Smartphone GPS locations of students’ movements to and from campus},
   volume = {10},
   year = {2021},
}
@article{Rout2021,
   abstract = {With the near-ubiquitous presence of smartphones among urban dwellers in many parts of the world, we are living in an age where the public can act as continuous sensors of urban spaces. As such, data collected from GPS sensors in phones are particularly suited to support understanding human spatial behaviors in cities, and their potential for societal monitoring has been much anticipated. Yet, the field is still emerging and practical steps for utilizing smartphone-GPS in human behavior research remain unclear. Over a decade after the introduction of smartphones, we review the use of GPS data collected by these devices (smartphone-GPS data) as a tool for researching human behavior in cities. Using methods and findings from 96 papers that investigate human behaviors using smartphone-GPS data, we present seven application themes that describe domains where these data have been used thus far: sports and physical activity, environmental conditions, health and wellbeing, places and movement, neighborhoods and society, tourism, and single amenity use. We also describe the methodological factors, including parameters and variables, that have shaped how researchers have used smartphone-GPS data to understand relationships between pedestrian-scale human behaviors and urban environments. Based on these findings, we make recommendations for future researchers using smartphone-GPS data to understand relationships between humans and urban environments, at the pedestrian scale.},
   author = {Angela Rout and Sophie Nitoslawski and Andrew Ladle and Paul Galpern},
   doi = {10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2021.101705},
   issn = {01989715},
   journal = {Computers, Environment and Urban Systems},
   pages = {101705},
   title = {Using smartphone-GPS data to understand pedestrian-scale behavior in urban settings: A review of themes and approaches},
   volume = {90},
   year = {2021},
}
@article{Vickruck2021,
   abstract = {We reviewed the common mechanisms through which intensively cropped landscapes are modified to increase wild bee abundance and diversity in North American prairie ecosystems. We categorized these efforts into three main categories: retaining parcels of land identified as important to wild bee communities, augmenting currently cropped areas to increase available resources, and restoring spaces from cropland to pollinator habitat. We discuss considerations that should be included at both the farm and “farm-neighborhood” scale, and review the literature pertaining to the costs and benefits of each strategy. Wild bee conservation has been a topic of much interest in the past decade, with research generally focused at the field scale. Initial studies have focused on providing evidence that restoring, augmenting, and retaining land for wild bees shows the desired effects. Research quantifying the costs associated with each method still has significant knowledge gaps, as does understanding patterns of variability common in natural prairie ecosystems. Retaining, augmenting, and restoring habitat for wild pollinators can create “win-win” scenarios for both wild bees and land-use decision-makers, whereby increased insect abundance has the potential to increase yield. There are considerations to be taken into account at both the farm and farm-neighborhood scale, and we present a framework which can be used to demonstrate the value of non-cropped areas to land-use decision-makers. Rapidly developing technology, such as GPS yield monitoring, has the potential to dramatically increase our power to detect which areas of a field may be ideal candidates for restoration or augmentation efforts.},
   author = {Jess Vickruck and Emily E. N. Purvis and Richard Kwafo and Holly Kerstiens and Paul Galpern},
   doi = {10.1007/s40823-021-00066-z},
   issue = {3},
   journal = {Current Landscape Ecology Reports},
   pages = {85-96},
   title = {Diversifying Landscapes for Wild Bees: Strategies for North American Prairie Agroecosystems},
   volume = {6},
   year = {2021},
}
@article{Rout2021b,
   abstract = {Smartphones can help researchers track how people use green spaces and understand how design features impact their behaviors. However, when using this data to evaluate green space designs, researchers should be aware of human perceptions of the features within these environments. We contribute a mixed method approach that allows for comparison between how people report using green space features intended to support wellbeing, with how often they are used in common daily routines. As an illustration of this approach, we present the results of a case study conducted on a university campus that compares how outdoor design features are used by students with how these features are reported as being used. Specifically, we compare perceptions of 362 students about which campus design features create a sense of wellbeing, and which are near locations they report using, with the use of these features recorded by the smartphones of a separate group of 62 students. We found that there were large differences between locations students reported using, and locations tracked students used regularly. Features that were used more often during daily routines (low walls, food retail outlets), did not match features reported as helping create a sense of wellbeing in the questionnaire (benches, trees, and sunshine). Of all the design features we modeled, only water features were positively associated with use in the tracking data and supportive of wellbeing in the questionnaire data. Our findings point to the importance of using tracking data together with response data from questionnaires in mixed-method studies if designers want to locate features that the public consider as supportive to their wellbeing, in locations that will be regularly used.},
   author = {Angela Rout and Paul Galpern},
   doi = {10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127335},
   issn = {16108167},
   journal = {Urban Forestry and Urban Greening},
   keywords = {Campus landscape,Green space,Human use patterns,Smartphone data,Urban resource selection function},
   pages = {127335},
   title = {Benches, fountains and trees: Using mixed-methods with questionnaire and smartphone data to design urban green spaces},
   year = {2021},
}
@article{Purvis2021,
   abstract = {Global wild bee declines have been well documented in recent decades, with a regularly cited driver being habitat loss and the associated reduction of food and nesting resources. In North America's Prairie Pothole Region, habitat loss is largely attributed to agricultural intensification, resulting in the reduction of once common native grasslands surrounding wetlands. Although restoration of these grassland–wetland complexes has been implemented across the region, wild bees are not often the primary target for recovery. Restoration efforts may better support wild bees by including specific flowering plants (i.e. food resources) intended to provision the highest diversity of taxa; however, very little information is available specific to this region, which covers over 700 000 km2 in Canada and the United States. Our objective is to inform habitat restoration intended to support wild bee conservation through the addition of targeted flowering plant species at restored sites. As such, we used a model-based approach to identify 16 key flowering plants present in remnant grassland–wetland complexes that are highly visited by diverse wild bee species, as well as by Bombus terricola Kirby, which is a species at risk in this region. The key plants represented eight families and supported approximately 82% of all visits from 69 out of the 75 observed bee species. By incorporating the recommended floral resources into restoration practices in the Prairie Pothole Region, practitioners can more efficiently mitigate the habitat loss that is thought to be a major driver of wild bee decline.},
   author = {Emily E.N. Purvis and Lincoln R. Best and Paul Galpern},
   doi = {10.1111/icad.12524},
   issn = {17524598},
   issue = {6},
   journal = {Insect Conservation and Diversity},
   keywords = {Bombus terricola,ecological restoration,grassland,parkland,pollinator conservation,wetland},
   pages = {851-861},
   title = {Identifying key forage plants to support wild bee diversity and a species at risk in the Prairie Pothole Region},
   volume = {14},
   year = {2021},
}
@article{Robinson2021,
   abstract = {Ground-dwelling arthropods can be important generalist predators in agroecosystems, and can use non-crop features as overwintering habitats. However, it is unclear which types of landscape features constitute useful non-crop habitat, and at what spatial scale organisms gather resources. Additionally, the same landscape feature may act as a source or a destination for arthropods at different times of the year, but this is rarely considered. We modeled the abundance of four common species of Canadian prairie arthropods caught in a set of 198 in-field and roadside pitfall traps (June to August of 2017). Functional regression was used in order to simultaneously consider both the habitat preferences and the timing of movement from the land cover classes. Pterostichus melanarius (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and Pardosa moesta (Araneae: Lycosidae) were attracted to canola (Brassica napus) during the early summer, then dispersed to grasslands, wetlands, and grassy road margins at the end of the summer. In particular, Pterostichus melanarius aggregated in canola early in the growing season, suggesting that its role in suppressing crop pests may be underestimated. Pardosa distincta (Araneae: Lycosidae) and Phalangium opilio (Opiliones: Opilionidae) showed weak patterns of seasonal migration, and were more influenced by large-scale geographic patterns rather than landscape composition. Our results suggest that predatory arthropods may migrate into canola crops during the early summer, and that grasslands and wetlands may act as seasonal reservoir habitats. Farmers and land managers should consider preserving existing habitat in order to maintain pest-control services across the season.},
   author = {Samuel V.J. Robinson and Diane Edwards and Jess L. Vickruck and Lincoln R. Best and Paul Galpern},
   doi = {10.1016/j.agee.2021.107581},
   issn = {01678809},
   journal = {Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment},
   keywords = {Beetles,Ecosystem services,Functional data analysis,Harvestmen,Seminatural land,Spiders},
   pages = {107581},
   title = {Non-crop sources of beneficial arthropods vary within-season across a prairie agroecosystem},
   volume = {320},
   year = {2021},
}
@article{Galpern2021,
   abstract = {Wild bees may benefit from the restoration of natural areas in agricultural regions. The abundance and diversity of wild bee species responds to the amount of nesting and foraging habitat, but it is less clear how the distribution of these resources (e.g., the landscape complexity) may affect bees. We implemented a pseudo-experiment to disentangle the effects of three components of landscape complexity for wild bees in a Canadian Prairie cropland region. We used an algorithm to identify 146 sites that minimized correlations in indices of patch richness (i.e., the diversity in land cover types) and contagion (i.e., their degree of interspersion), and that collectively captured a cross-section of landscape contexts that differed in the relative proportion of cropland to other non-crop land covers. We trapped bees at these locations repeatedly over time (1119 unique collection events; equivalent to 10,471 trap-days over two consecutive years), identifying 22,493 bees of 213 taxa, in order to model trends for bees at different times of the season. We found that increasing patch richness may support a greater number of bee taxa, but individual bee taxa varied considerably in their response to components of landscape complexity. The effect on the total abundance of wild bees was temporally-variable, with the amount of cropland positively associated with abundance earlier in the season when mass-flowering crops are in bloom, and negatively later in the season when semi-natural areas are likely to provide the most forage. The response of bee abundance to contagion also varied temporally, and demonstrated a “humped” effect later in the growing season, suggesting there is an optimum in the complementary resources provided by adjacent habitat types. Our study shows that increasing the amount or diversity of non-crop land covers in this region is not likely to have a consistent effect for the majority of species across the season. We argue that modifying croplands to support wild bees is likely to be a complex task, requiring study of the functional responses to landscape of bee species present in the region, and their interactions with the phenological variability in resources.},
   author = {Paul Galpern and Lincoln R. Best and James H. Devries and Sarah A. Johnson},
   doi = {10.1016/j.agee.2021.107652},
   issn = {01678809},
   journal = {Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment},
   keywords = {Alberta,Apoidea,Bombus,Canada,Landscape complexity,Landscape ecology,Phenology,Pollination services,Prairie},
   pages = {107652},
   title = {Wild bee responses to cropland landscape complexity are temporally-variable and taxon-specific: Evidence from a highly replicated pseudo-experiment},
   volume = {322},
   year = {2021},
}
@article{Galpern2020,
   abstract = {Establishing semi-natural areas within annual croplands can provide habitat for beneficial organisms and ecosystem services to crops through a spillover effect. However, this approach to increasing landscape complexity may have no effect on crops, or it may promote pests, weeds and other disservices that reduce productivity. An argument for changing landscape complexity may be more persuasive if it is associated with higher crop yields. Here, we examine regions that vary in their landscape complexity and, therefore, may also naturally differ in the potential for ecosystem services, disservices and crop yields. Specifically, we examine crop-growing districts in the Canadian province of Alberta to test whether the presence of more non-crop land covers has increased crop yields. Our dataset covered about one-quarter of the seeded area in Canada between 2012 and 2017 consisting of 10,069 records representing average field-level yields reported to a crop insurance provider. In total, we analyzed summary data for 250,000 km2 of seeded area for seven grain crops. Using a functional regression approach, we found evidence for a plausibly positive association between yield and the non-crop land covers found within and near fields in four of seven crops. Landscape complexity, therefore, represented a measurable yield benefit for farmers, although the variance in yield explained by the landscape was small. These findings suggest there may be a low risk of disservices to crops from non-crop land covers in this region. Our study adds support at a broad geographic extent for initiatives that restore perennial and other semi-natural vegetation in annual cropping systems and suggests that, in this temperate grassland region, their promotion (e.g., as carbon stores or as biodiversity refugia) may have no adverse effects for crop production.},
   author = {Paul Galpern and Jess Vickruck and James H. Devries and Michael P. Gavin},
   doi = {10.1016/j.agee.2019.106724},
   issn = {01678809},
   journal = {Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment},
   keywords = {Canadian prairies,Crop yield,Ecosystem services,Landscape complexity,Perennial vegetation,Semi-natural areas},
   pages = {106724},
   title = {Landscape complexity is associated with crop yields across a large temperate grassland region},
   volume = {290},
   year = {2020},
}
@article{Chubaty2020,
   abstract = {Networks are widely used for modelling landscape connectivity and have many ecological and conservation applications. The nodes in these models describe geographic locations (such as habitat patches or protected areas) and links describe the potential for organisms (or their propagules) to move among nodes. We present the r package grainscape which facilitates working with these networks within a spatially explicit framework. Package analyses are based on the minimum planar graph, a class of network where links among nodes are influenced by the spatial characteristics of features across the entire landscape. Modelling outputs are compatible with downstream packages including igraph for network analysis and ggplot2 for visualization. Tools for analysis (e.g. finding corridors) and scaling networks (e.g. grains of connectivity) are also provided. Models can be exported for visualization and analysis in Geographic Information System (GIS) or network software. This package provides a computationally-efficient programmatic toolbox for many landscape connectivity research questions, enabling researchers to easily customize models, work at large geographic extents, generate their own network metrics, conduct sensitivity analyses and seamlessly employ r statistical functions to test models using biological data. A detailed guide, provided as an Appendix, illustrates common analysis and model variants with accompanying r code.},
   author = {Alex M. Chubaty and Paul Galpern and Sam C. Doctolero},
   doi = {10.1111/2041-210X.13350},
   issn = {2041210X},
   issue = {4},
   journal = {Methods in Ecology and Evolution},
   keywords = {grains of connectivity,landscape connectivity,landscape graph,minimum planar graph,network analysis,scaling networks,spatial graph,spatially explicit networks},
   pages = {591-595},
   title = {The r toolbox grainscape for modelling and visualizing landscape connectivity using spatially explicit networks},
   volume = {11},
   year = {2020},
}
@article{Galpern2020b,
   abstract = {Increasing natural vegetation in agricultural landscapes can create habitat for beneficial organisms such as pollinators and the natural enemies of crop pests. Adding perennial vegetation can also support biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation objectives. However, implementing such changes to agricultural land use across large geographic areas will require a strategic approach. This study examined the amount and distribution of uncultivated areas in Canadian prairie croplands, focusing on Alberta's agricultural zone (226,543 km2). The aim was to identify locations in this region that have potential for increasing non-crop land cover within fields. This assessment was based on a multi-scale model of landscape complexity that described the distribution of land cover as a function of the distance from field centers. It is based on the assumption that the land cover in the field neighborhood is an informative index of how much non-crop area might realistically be maintained or restored in the field itself; i.e., because neighboring lands will reflect the local environmental conditions that support the growth and establishment of non-crop vegetation as well as the likelihood that crop growers will remove areas from production. The model identified variation across the region in land cover distribution, with regions at latitudes between 52°N and 55°N demonstrating the greatest contrasts in the amount of non-crop land between the field and the field neighborhood scale. These findings suggest that there remains capacity for land use decision-makers to optimize the distribution of non-crop land covers in ways the reduce the differences between these scales (i.e., to increase non-crop covers within fields to better represent the neighborhood proportions). Modeling also revealed scale-dependent patterns, such as field margins without crops (400–500 m from field centers) broadly distributed across the region, and evidence that gradients in moisture and temperature have interacted with land use decisions to shape the proximity of non-crop area to fields.},
   author = {Paul Galpern and Michael P. Gavin},
   doi = {10.3389/fenvs.2020.00031},
   issn = {2296665X},
   journal = {Frontiers in Environmental Science},
   keywords = {Canadian prairie,agroecosystems,ecological intensification,ecosystem services,landscape simplification,perenniality,semi-natural habitat},
   pages = {31},
   title = {Assessing the Potential to Increase Landscape Complexity in Canadian Prairie Croplands: A Multi-Scale Analysis of Land Use Pattern},
   volume = {8},
   year = {2020},
}
@article{Purvis2020,
   abstract = {Agricultural intensification is a widespread driver of global pollinator decline that subsequently threatens the associated provisioning of ecosystem services. In North America's Prairie Pothole Region, wetlands surrounded by grassland were once abundant on the landscape, but now generally exist within a matrix of agriculture. We assessed whether restoration of these grassland-wetland complexes from cropland could be used as a potential tool for mitigating wild bee decline, using a 25-year restoration chronosequence. We also monitored the development of bee nesting and food resources to better establish the mechanisms that drive return to a restored habitat. Our objective was to assess whether restoration of grassland-wetland complexes can return bee communities to a reference state (i.e. remnant native grassland-wetland habitats), and to ascertain the timeline over which these changes occur. We found bee diversity increased following restoration and approximated reference sites after 1–4 years, while the diversity of non-Bombus species analyzed separately resembled reference sites after around 5–10 years. Floral diversity also increased following restoration from cropland but remained slightly lower than reference sites through time. Changes to bee species composition were driven more by floral species composition than time since restoration. Our results suggest that restored grassland-wetland complexes are able to provide food and nesting resources to bees within agriculturally dominated landscapes, and that restoration can recover wild bee communities to a reference state. On a broader scale, they underscore the utility of retaining patches of non-cropped and restored land within agroecosystems as a pathway for mitigating pollinator decline.},
   author = {Emily E.N. Purvis and Jess L. Vickruck and Lincoln R. Best and James H. Devries and Paul Galpern},
   doi = {10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108829},
   issn = {00063207},
   journal = {Biological Conservation},
   keywords = {Agricultural ecosystem,Chronosequence,Ecological restoration,Grassland,Pollinator conservation,Wetland},
   pages = {108829},
   title = {Wild bee community recovery in restored grassland-wetland complexes of prairie North America},
   volume = {252},
   year = {2020},
}
@article{Priadka2019,
   abstract = {Isolation by distance (IBD) is a natural pattern not readily incorporated into theoretical models nor traditional metrics for differentiating populations, although clinal genetic differentiation can be characteristic of many wildlife species. Landscape features can also drive population structure additive to baseline IBD resulting in differentiation through isolation-by-resistance (IBR). We assessed the population genetic structure of boreal caribou across western Canada using nonspatial (STRUCTURE) and spatial (MEMGENE) clustering methods and investigated the relative contribution of IBD and IBR on genetic variation of 1,221 boreal caribou multilocus genotypes across western Canada. We further introduced a novel approach to compare the partitioning of individuals into management units (MU) and assessed levels of genetic connectivity under different MU scenarios. STRUCTURE delineated five genetic clusters while MEMGENE identified finer-scale differentiation across the study area. IBD was significant and did not differ for males and females both across and among detected genetic clusters. MEMGENE landscape analysis further quantified the proportion of genetic variation contributed by IBD and IBR patterns, allowing for the relative importance of spatial drivers, including roads, water bodies, and wildfires, to be assessed and incorporated into the characterization of population structure for the delineation of MUs. Local population units, as currently delineated in the boreal caribou recovery strategy, do not capture the genetic variation and connectivity of the ecotype across the study area. Here, we provide the tools to assess fine-scale spatial patterns of genetic variation, partition drivers of genetic variation, and evaluate the best management options for maintaining genetic connectivity. Our approach is highly relevant to vagile wildlife species that are of management and conservation concern and demonstrate varying degrees of IBD and IBR with clinal spatial genetic structure that challenges the delineation of discrete population boundaries.},
   author = {Pauline Priadka and Micheline Manseau and Tim Trottier and Dave Hervieux and Paul Galpern and Philip D. McLoughlin and Paul J. Wilson},
   doi = {10.1002/ece3.4682},
   issn = {20457758},
   issue = {1},
   journal = {Ecology and Evolution},
   keywords = {Moran’s eigenvector maps,Rangifer tarandus caribou,clinal differentiation,genetic connectivity,landscape genetics,population structure},
   pages = {141-153},
   title = {Partitioning drivers of spatial genetic variation for a continuously distributed population of boreal caribou: Implications for management unit delineation},
   volume = {9},
   year = {2019},
}
@article{Vickruck2019,
   abstract = {© 2019 Elsevier Ltd The act of converting prairie grassland to agricultural farmland has negative implications for pollinator communities. In the Prairie Pothole Region, wetland remnants are a common feature in intensively cultivated landscapes. These wetlands are typically small and often left embedded in the cropland matrix and may act as the only semi-natural feature in a radius of several hundred metres. To quantify the role that these in-field wetlands play in supporting native pollinators, we sampled bees at three distances from the wetland margin into the surrounding cropland (0 m, 25 m and 75 m) across the season in three field types (canola, cereal and perennial grassland). We used Bayesian multilevel models to test the hypothesis that native bees are using infield wetlands as habitat for nesting and foraging. Native bee abundance and diversity decreased further away from the margin of wetlands in both canola and cereal fields, while it increased in wetlands located in perennial grassland. Community composition did not change further away from wetlands, which may be because the foraging range of most species was within the sampling distance of the study. These results suggest that wetlands play an important role in providing critical resources for native pollinators, and encouraging farmers not to drain or plow through these wetlands will have beneficial impacts for native pollinators in the area. Maintaining in-field wetlands may have additional pollination benefits for farmers growing crops such as canola, which is known to benefit from insect visitors.},
   author = {J.L. Vickruck and L.R. Best and M.P. Gavin and J.H. Devries and P. Galpern},
   doi = {10.1016/j.biocon.2019.01.015},
   issn = {00063207},
   journal = {Biological Conservation},
   keywords = {Bayesian hierarchical models,Ecosystem services,Point source habitat,Pollinator conservation},
   pages = {42-50},
   title = {Pothole wetlands provide reservoir habitat for native bees in prairie croplands},
   volume = {232},
   year = {2019},
}
@inbook{Schweiger2019,
   abstract = {Which ecosystem services are addressed? Pollination What is the research question addressed? How does climate change impact pollinators, and can land manage- ment be used to increase their resilience? Which method has been applied? Analysing observed range shifts; species distribution models and future sce- nario projections; generalised linear mixed effects model- ling of monitoring data What is the main result? Current climate change has already led to range contractions of pollinators, while it is projected to have an even more severe impact in the future. However, proper land management can increase resilience of pollinator communities What is concluded, recommended? Effects of increas- ing the amounts of semi-natural areas are positive and twofold: they directly increase the richness and abun- dance of pollinators while simultaneously making them more resilient against other threats of global change such as climate warming. However, the intended level of 7% of Ecological Focus Areas by the EU Common Agricultural Policy falls too short; at least ca. 17% are needed},
   author = {Oliver Schweiger and Markus Franzén and Mark Frenzel and Paul Galpern and Jeremy Kerr and Alexandra Papanikolaou and Pierre Rasmont},
   doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-96229-0_17},
   journal = {Atlas of Ecosystem Services},
   pages = {105-111},
   title = {Minimising Risks of Global Change by Enhancing Resilience of Pollinators in Agricultural Systems},
   year = {2019},
}
@article{Galpern2018,
   abstract = {The mode, timing and frequency of travel by residents of urban neighbourhoods is affected by sociodemographic and environmental factors. Among these, the layout and connectivity of the street network is amenable to design by urban planners and developers. Here we focus on street connectivity as a variable influencing mobility in cities by examining GPS-enabled mobile phone location data volunteered by a group of 127 university students (234,709 h of behavioural observation over a six-year period). We used a Bayesian beta regression framework to model the proportion of time spent inactive, walking and travelling at vehicle speeds, relative to street connectivity and other environmental attributes measured within a radius of home. Results indicated that lower street connectivity, measured using a simple measure we call network warp, is associated with more time spent inactive and more time travelling at vehicle speeds by students. The proportion of time spent walking was higher in areas with more street connectivity, and for student homes that were closer to campus. Our study confirms the importance of street connectivity as a factor influencing the walkability of neighborhoods and the selection of passive forms of transport, and builds on earlier studies of this relationship by incorporating longitudinal data with high spatial and temporal resolution. We conclude that crowdsourcing data that is recorded automatically by GPS-enabled mobile phones can provide an accessible and flexible evidence base to support the design of urban areas.},
   author = {Paul Galpern and Andrew Ladle and Francisco Alaniz Uribe and Beverly Sandalack and Patricia Doyle-Baker},
   doi = {10.1016/j.apgeog.2018.02.009},
   issn = {01436228},
   journal = {Applied Geography},
   pages = {37-46},
   title = {Assessing urban connectivity using volunteered mobile phone GPS locations},
   volume = {93},
   year = {2018},
}
@article{Ladle2018,
   abstract = {Data describing how individuals use their urban environment is a valuable source of information in urban planning. In many cases, data used for these purposes have low spatial and temporal resolution, or sample size. Equally, comprehensive analytical approaches suitable for these data may be lacking. We present a statistical method borrowed from wildlife ecology and management called a resource selection function (RSF). We apply it to answer questions relating to the selection of urban green space by university students, using a dataset consisting of smartphone GPS location data volunteered by participants. We ask questions relating to urban greenspace selection by comparing used locations to a set of random locations at multiple spatial extents. We found that participants altered their selection of areas according to the surrounding recreational trail density and whether those areas were classified as green space. These relationships were also influenced by season. Our study also demonstrates how the design of an urban RSF can offer different insights by varying the extent of the domain: (1) to an individual's core area; or (2) by excluding from the domain areas that are physically unavailable. We emphasize the importance of matching availability to the research question and conclude by reviewing the opportunities presented by using RSFs combined with GPS location data in an urban context. We argue that RSFs have utility beyond wildlife ecology and management, and, given the increasing availability of smartphone GPS data, can successfully be applied to determine the use and selection of spaces by urban residents.},
   author = {Andrew Ladle and Paul Galpern and Patricia Doyle-Baker},
   doi = {10.1016/j.landurbplan.2018.07.012},
   issn = {01692046},
   journal = {Landscape and Urban Planning},
   keywords = {GPS,Green space,Location history,RSF,Smartphone,Urban,Urban resource selection function},
   pages = {107-115},
   title = {Measuring the use of green space with urban resource selection functions: An application using smartphone GPS locations},
   volume = {179},
   year = {2018},
}
@article{Rout2018,
   abstract = {Selecting a location for a new amenity can be a ‘wicked problem’ in planning engagement processes, involving multiple contradicting criteria. Recently available data sources generated by personal devices such as smartphones may be able to help. Planners are often required to incorporate public engagement methods when making urban planning decisions. Ideally, such decisions will be informed by evidence of how relevant public spaces are used. Researchers have speculated that smartphone location data, which can be mapped to show the use of space, might be useful for such purposes, however, it is not obvious whether non-experts will trust location data enough to use it. Our objective is to investigate whether non-experts use these data in an urban planning scenario by empirically measuring the influence of personal smartphone location histories on a location selection. Using an experimental simulation of an engagement scenario with 48 participants, and two manipulated factors (data presentation format and group size) we ask: do students use smartphone location data when locating a new campus amenity and how were the data used? We utilized regression analysis to assess changes in location selection after viewing data and compared these results to a qualitative post-study interview. Our data demonstrated a plausible change in location selection after viewing maps of smartphone location data. In addition, groups using a digital interactive surface discussed the data while those using paper did not. We also found that, when asked to make a final location selection, participants combined the data with previously held values (such as centrality). We conclude that those researching and leading planning decisions, such as locating a new amenity, should invest in incorporating smartphone data where it can provide empirical support for public engagement decisions.},
   author = {Angela Rout and Paul Galpern},
   doi = {10.1016/j.apgeog.2018.09.003},
   issn = {01436228},
   journal = {Applied Geography},
   pages = {68-77},
   title = {Using personal smartphone location histories in public engagement: Locating a new campus amenity},
   volume = {100},
   year = {2018},
}
@article{Galpern2017,
   abstract = {One of the most commonly seeded crops in Canada is canola, a cultivar of oilseed rape (Brassica napus). As a mass-flowering crop grown intensively throughout the Canadian Prairies, canola has the potential to influence pollinator success across tens of thousands of square kilometers of cropland. Bumble bees (Bombus sp.) are efficient pollinators of many types of native and crop plants. We measured the influence of this mass-flowering crop on the abundance and phenology of bumble bees, and on another species of social bee (a sweat bee; Halictus rubicundus), by continuously deploying traps at different levels of canola cultivation intensity, spanning the start and end of canola bloom. Queen bumble bees were more abundant in areas with more canola cover, indicating that this crop is attractive to queens. However, bumble bee workers were significantly fewer in these locations later in the season, suggesting reduced colony success. The median collection dates of workers of three bumble bee species were earlier near canola fields, suggesting a dynamic response of colonies to the increased floral resources. Different species experienced this shift to different extents. The sweat bee was not affected by canola cultivation intensity. Our findings suggest that mass-flowering crops such as canola are attractive to bumble bee queens and therefore may lead to higher rates of colony establishment, but also that colonies established near this crop may be less successful. We propose that the effect on bumble bees can be mitigated by spacing the crop more evenly with respect to alternate floral resources.},
   author = {Paul Galpern and Sarah A. Johnson and Jennifer L. Retzlaff and Danielle Chang and John Swann},
   doi = {10.1002/ece3.2856},
   issn = {20457758},
   issue = {7},
   journal = {Ecology and Evolution},
   keywords = {Bombus,Canadian Prairies,agricultural intensification,bumble bee,canola,mass-flowering crop,oilseed rape,phenology,pollinator conservation},
   pages = {2414-2422},
   title = {Reduced abundance and earlier collection of bumble bee workers under intensive cultivation of a mass-flowering prairie crop},
   volume = {7},
   year = {2017},
}
@article{Gubili2017,
   abstract = {Ecosystem fragmentation and habitat loss have been the focus of landscape management due to restrictions on contemporary connectivity and dispersal of populations. Here, we used an individual approach to determine the drivers of genetic differentiation in caribou of the Canadian Rockies. We modelled the effects of isolation by distance, landscape resistance and predation risk and evaluated the consequences of individual migratory behaviour (seasonally migratory vs. sedentary) on gene flow in this threatened species. We applied distance-based and reciprocal causal modelling approaches, testing alternative hypotheses on the effects of geographic, topographic, environmental and local population-specific variables on genetic differentiation and relatedness among individuals. Overall, gene flow was restricted to neighbouring local populations, with spatial coordinates, local population size, groups and elevation explaining connectivity among individuals. Landscape resistance, geographic distances and predation risk were correlated with genetic distances, with correlations threefold higher for sedentary than for migratory caribou. As local caribou populations are increasingly isolated, our results indicate the need to address genetic connectivity, especially for populations with individuals displaying different migratory behaviours, whilst maintaining quality habitat both within and across the ranges of threatened populations.},
   author = {Chrysoula Gubili and Stefano Mariani and Byron V. Weckworth and Paul Galpern and Allan D. McDevitt and Mark Hebblewhite and Barry Nickel and Marco Musiani},
   doi = {10.1111/eva.12443},
   issn = {17524571},
   issue = {2},
   journal = {Evolutionary Applications},
   keywords = {Rangifer tarandus,connectivity,gene flow,isolation,landscape genetics,nuclear loci,reciprocal causal modelling},
   pages = {199-211},
   title = {Environmental and anthropogenic drivers of connectivity patterns: A basis for prioritizing conservation efforts for threatened populations},
   volume = {10},
   year = {2017},
}
@article{Galpern2017b,
   author = {Paul Galpern},
   doi = {10.1016/j.jth.2017.11.041},
   issn = {22141405},
   journal = {Journal of Transport & Health},
   title = {Validating Walkability Models Using Volunteered Mobile Phone Data ( breakout presentation )},
   volume = {7},
   year = {2017},
}
@book{Rout2017,
   abstract = {Outdoor learning spaces can be used to support child development where children engage with natural elements as an integral part of their school experience. This naturally facilitates cognitive play: a grouping of behaviors that facilitate cognitive development. The problem is that outdoor learning is particularly challenging in winter due to cold weather. This compromises opportunities for children to benefit from outdoor learning for a large part of the school year in cold climates. Previous studies, using behavioral mapping, have pointed to the role that design elements play in child development; although these studies were conducted in warm weather. Our solution is to map child behaviors in schools where outdoor play is encouraged during winter, to illustrate the role that design elements play in winter outdoor learning, and to enable us to highlight challenges of winter outdoor learning that may be addressed through design interventions. We observed three schools which are dedicated to outdoor learning, during winter in a cold climate, using behavioral mapping, focused observations and photo documentation. Our analysis confirms that outdoor winter environments support cognitive play, and we discuss design interventions that can mitigate challenges faced by schools dedicated to outdoor learning in winter.},
   author = {A Rout and P Galpern},
   journal = {Architectural Research Addressing Societal Challenges, Vols 1 and 2},
   title = {Evidence-based design of outdoor learning spaces in winter: Behavioral mapping in a 'Forest School'},
   url = {https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.1201/9781315116068-76/evidence-based-design-outdoor-learning-spaces-winter-behavioral-mapping-forest-school-rout-galpern},
   year = {2017},
}
@article{Lindquist2016,
   author = {M Lindquist and P Galpern},
   doi = {10.14627/537612030},
   journal = {Journal of Digital Landscape Architecture},
   pages = {263-272},
   title = {Crowdsourcing (in) Voluntary Citizen Geospatial Data from Google Android Smartphones},
   volume = {1},
   year = {2016},
}
@article{Kerr2015b,
   author = {J.T. Kerr and A. Pindar and P. Galpern and L. Packer and S.G. Potts and S.M. Roberts and P. Rasmont and O. Schweiger and S.R. Colla and L.L. Richardson and D.L. Wagner and L.F. Gall and D.S. Sikes and A. Pantoja},
   doi = {10.1126/science.350.6258.287},
   issn = {10959203},
   issue = {6258},
   journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)},
   pages = {287},
   title = {Relocation risky for bumblebee colonies—Response},
   volume = {350},
   year = {2015},
}
@article{Kerr2015,
   abstract = {For many species, geographical ranges are expanding toward the poles in response to climate change, while remaining stable along range edges nearest the equator. Using long-term observations across Europe and North America over 110 years, we tested for climate change–related range shifts in bumblebee species across the full extents of their latitudinal and thermal limits and movements along elevation gradients.We found cross-continentally consistent trends in failures to track warming through time at species’ northern range limits, range losses from southern range limits, and shifts to higher elevations among southern species. These effects are independent of changing land uses or pesticide applications and underscore the need to test for climate impacts at both leading and trailing latitudinal and thermal limits for species.},
   author = {Jeremy T Kerr and Alana Pindar and Paul Galpern and Laurence Packer and Simon G Potts and Stuart M Roberts and Pierre Rasmont and Oliver Schweiger and Sheila R Colla and Leif L Richardson and David L Wagner and Lawrence F Gall},
   doi = {10.1126/science.aaa7031},
   issue = {6244},
   journal = {Science},
   pages = {177-180},
   title = {Climate change impacts on bumblebees converge across continents},
   volume = {349},
   year = {2015},
}
@article{Galpern2014,
   abstract = {Landscape genetics studies using neutral markers have focused on the relationship between gene flow and landscape features. Spatial patterns in the genetic distances among individuals may reflect spatially uneven patterns of gene flow caused by landscape features that influence movement and dispersal. We present a method and software for identifying spatial neighbourhoods in genetic distance data that adopts a regression framework where the predictors are generated using Moran's eigenvectors maps (MEM), a multivariate technique developed for spatial ecological analyses and recommended for genetic applications. Using simulated genetic data, we show that our MEMGENE method can recover patterns reflecting the landscape features that influenced gene flow. We also apply MEMGENE to genetic data from a highly vagile ungulate population and demonstrate spatial genetic neighbourhoods aligned with a river likely to reduce, but not eliminate, gene flow. We developed the MEMGENE package for R in order to detect and visualize relatively weak or cryptic spatial genetic patterns and aid researchers in generating hypotheses about the ecological processes that may underlie these patterns. MEMGENE provides a flexible set of R functions that can be used to modify the analysis. Detailed supplementary documentation and tutorials are provided.},
   author = {Paul Galpern and Pedro R. Peres-Neto and Jean Polfus and Micheline Manseau},
   doi = {10.1111/2041-210X.12240},
   issn = {2041210X},
   issue = {10},
   journal = {Methods in Ecology and Evolution},
   keywords = {Landscape genetics,Moran's eigenvector maps,R,Spatial genetics,Woodland caribou},
   pages = {1116-1120},
   title = {MEMGENE: Spatial pattern detection in genetic distance data},
   volume = {5},
   year = {2014},
}
@article{Harris2014,
   abstract = {Assessments of fine-scale population structure in natural populations are important for understanding aspects of ecology, life history variation and evolutionary history and can provide novel insights into resource management. Although Arctic char, Salvelinus alpinus, represent one of the most culturally and commercially important salmonids in the Canadian Arctic, fine-scale assessments of genetic structure in northern populations of this species are rare. In this study, we assessed population structure in anadromous Arctic char from Cumberland Sound in Canada’s Nunavut territory using 18 microsatellite loci. Specifically, we aimed at identifying potential habitat and landscape/geographic features influencing genetic variation and population structure and resolving potential barriers to gene flow. Overall population structure was moderate (global FSTand Jost’s D of 0.042 and 0.236 respectively) and significant among all sampling locations. Habitat and landscape/geographic features, with the exception of fluvial (shoreline) distance, appeared to have little influence on genetic variation and population structure. Bayesian clustering revealed a hierarchical model of population structure, in which the 14 sampling locations were nested within two distinct clusters corresponding to the north and south shores of Cumberland Sound. Both isolation-by-distance analysis and calculations of mean dispersal distance suggest dispersal and gene flow is highest among proximate locations. Finally, several putative barriers to gene flow were identified and one, a putative barrier separating north and south Cumberland Sound, was consistent with the hierarchical STRUCTURE results. Our results suggest that the current river-specific management of commercially harvested Arctic char is appropriate. Overall, we provide further insights into the evolution of genetic variation and population structure in iteroparous, Arctic salmonids.},
   author = {Les N. Harris and Jean Sébastien Moore and Paul Galpern and Ross F. Tallman and Eric B. Taylor},
   doi = {10.1007/s10641-013-0210-y},
   issn = {15735133},
   issue = {11},
   journal = {Environmental Biology of Fishes},
   keywords = {Arctic char,Cumberland Sound,Genetics,Hierarchical,Population structure,Salvelinus alpinus},
   pages = {1233-1252},
   title = {Geographic influences on fine-scale, hierarchical population structure in northern Canadian populations of anadromous Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus)},
   volume = {97},
   year = {2014},
}

@article{Galpern2013,
   abstract = {Landscape change may reduce the connectivity of landscapes and impact the movement of animals. If movement processes have been influenced by landscape connectivity, we hypothesize that animals may distribute themselves in larger connected regions of the landscape in order to minimize the movement costs associated with obtaining required resources and avoiding predators. We adopt the term functional grain to describe a set of functionally connected regions. In this spatial pattern, each region describes a contiguous area of the landscape within which an animal may move freely below a threshold amount of movement cost. We used telemetry data from woodland caribou Rangifer tarandus caribou to test hypothetical functional grains where connectivity was determined by the spatial configuration of resource patches (patch only), by the resistance to movement presented by landscape features (resistance only), and by a combination of the two (patch + resistance). To identify these functional grains, we used a grains of connectivity approach, and introduced a novel lattice-based variant of this method to build the resistance only model. We developed a measure of fit that describes caribou distribution with respect to larger functionally connected regions in the grain, and used this to ask: 1) are seasonal caribou locations consistent with a random functional grain, implying that landscape connectivity has not shaped their distribution? 2) Given a functional grain model, are seasonal caribou locations distributed in larger functionally connected regions than random points, implying a response to the shape, size, and location of the connected regions. We found support for landscape connectivity influencing animal distribution using grains based on a landscape resistance model, and that support varied between behaviourally defined seasons. We also discuss how our novel lattice approach may be valuable for highly mobile mammals and other species where the identification of resource patches is a limitation.},
   author = {Paul Galpern and Micheline Manseau},
   doi = {10.1111/j.1600-0587.2012.00081.x},
   isbn = {1600-0587},
   issn = {09067590},
   issue = {November 2012},
   journal = {Ecography},
   pages = {1004-1016},
   title = {Modelling the influence of landscape connectivity on animal distribution: a  functional grain approach},
   volume = {36},
   year = {2013},
}
@article{Galpern2013b,
   abstract = {The influence of landscape features on the movement of an organism between two point locations is often measured as an effective distance. Typically, raster models of landscape resistance are used to calculate effective distance. Because organisms may experience landscape heterogeneity at different scales (i.e. functional grains), using a raster with too fine or too coarse a spatial grain (i.e. analysis grain) may lead to inaccurate estimates of effective distance. We adopted a simulation approach where the true functional grain and effective distance for a theoretical organism were defined and the analysis grains of landscape connectivity models were systematically changed. We used moving windows and grains of connectivity, a recently introduced landscape graph method that uses an irregular tessellation of the resistance surface to coarsen the landscape data. We then used least-cost path metrics to measure effective distance and found that matching the functional and analysis grain sizes was most accurate at recovering the expected effective distance, affirming the importance of multi-scale analysis. Moving window scaling with a maximum function (win.max) performed well when the majority of landscape structure influencing connectivity consisted of high resistance features. Moving window scaling with a minimum function (win.min) performed well when the relevant landscape structure consisted of low resistance regions. The grains of connectivity method performed well under all scenarios, avoiding an a priori choice of window function, which may be challenging in complex landscapes. Appendices are provided that demonstrate the use of grains of connectivity models.},
   author = {Paul Galpern and Micheline Manseau},
   doi = {10.1007/s10980-013-9873-1},
   isbn = {0921-2973},
   issn = {09212973},
   issue = {7},
   journal = {Landscape Ecology},
   keywords = {Effective distance,Functional grain,Grains of connectivity,Landscape graphs,Landscape pattern,Least-cost paths,Minimum planar graph,Simulation,Voronoi tessellation},
   pages = {1269-1281},
   title = {Finding the functional grain: Comparing methods for scaling resistance surfaces},
   volume = {28},
   year = {2013},
}
@article{Galpern2012,
   abstract = {We present allelematch, an R package, to automate the identification of unique multilocus genotypes in data sets where the number of individuals is unknown, and where genotyping error and missing data may be present. Such conditions commonly occur in noninvasive sampling protocols. Output from the software enables a comparison of unique genotypes and their matches, and facilitates the review of differences between profiles. The software has a variety of applications in molecular ecology, and may be valuable where a large number of samples must be processed, unique genotypes identified, and repeated observations made over space and time. We used simulations to assess the performance of allelematch and found that it can reliably and accurately determine the correct number of unique genotypes (3%) across a broad range of data set properties. We found that the software performs with highest accuracy when genotyping error is below 4%. The R package is available from the Comprehensive R Archive Network (http://cran.r-project.org/). Supplementary documentation and tutorials are provided.},
   author = {Paul Galpern and Micheline Manseau and Peter N Hettinga and Paul J Wilson and Karen Smith},
   doi = {10.1111/j.1755-0998.2012.03137.x},
   issn = {1755098X},
   issue = {4},
   journal = {Molecular Ecology Resources},
   keywords = {2012,accepted 22 february 2012,dynamic tree cutting,genotyping error,identity analysis,missing data,noninvasive genetic sampling,received 23 november 2011,revision received 21 february},
   pages = {771-778},
   pmid = {22463778},
   title = {ALLELEMATCH: an R package for identifying unique multilocus genotypes where genotyping error and missing data may be present},
   volume = {12},
   url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22463778},
   year = {2012},
}
@article{Galpern2012b,
   abstract = {Landscape genetic analyses are typically conducted at one spatial scale. Considering multiple scales may be essential for identifying landscape features influencing gene flow. We examined landscape connectivity for woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) at multiple spatial scales using a new approach based on landscape graphs that creates a Voronoi tessellation of the landscape. To illustrate the potential of the method, we generated five resistance surfaces to explain how landscape pattern may influence gene flow across the range of this population. We tested each resistance surface using a raster at the spatial grain of available landscape data (200 m grid squares). We then used our method to produce up to 127 additional grains for each resistance surface. We applied a causal modelling framework with partial Mantel tests, where evidence of landscape resistance is tested against an alternative hypothesis of isolation-by-distance, and found statistically significant support for landscape resistance to gene flow in 89 of the 507 spatial grains examined. We found evidence that major roads as well as the cumulative effects of natural and anthropogenic disturbance may be contributing to the genetic structure. Using only the original grid surface yielded no evidence for landscape resistance to gene flow. Our results show that using multiple spatial grains can reveal landscape influences on genetic structure that may be overlooked with a single grain, and suggest that coarsening the grain of landcover data may be appropriate for highly mobile species. We discuss how grains of connectivity and related analyses have potential landscape genetic applications in a broad range of systems. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.},
   author = {P. Galpern and M. Manseau and P. Wilson},
   doi = {10.1111/j.1365-294X.2012.05677.x},
   issn = {09621083},
   issue = {16},
   journal = {Molecular Ecology},
   keywords = {Rangifer tarandus caribou,gene flow,landscape resistance,patch-based landscape graphs,voronoi tessellation},
   pages = {3996-4009},
   title = {Grains of connectivity: Analysis at multiple spatial scales in landscape genetics},
   volume = {21},
   year = {2012},
}
@article{Galpern2011,
   abstract = {Graph theory has become a popular tool for modelling the functional connectivity of landscapes. We conduct a review of studies that use graph theory to model connectivity among patches of habitat (patch-based graphs), with the intention of identifying typical research questions and their associated graph construction and analysis methods. We identify and examine nine questions of conservation importance that can be answered with these types of graph models, discussing appropriate applications of these questions and presenting a guide for using graph methods to answer them. We also investigate how the connectivity predictions of patch-based graphs have been assessed and emphasize the importance of empirical evaluation. Our findings identify commonality among diverse approaches and methodological gaps with an aim to improve application and to help the integration of graph theory and ecological analysis.},
   author = {Paul Galpern and Micheline Manseau and Andrew Fall},
   doi = {10.1016/j.biocon.2010.09.002},
   isbn = {0006-3207},
   issn = {00063207},
   issue = {1},
   journal = {Biological Conservation},
   pages = {44-55},
   publisher = {Elsevier Ltd},
   title = {Patch-based graphs of landscape connectivity: A guide to construction, analysis and application for conservation},
   volume = {144},
   url = {http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0006320710003836},
   year = {2011},
}
@article{Houle2003,
   abstract = {Background: Many studies in evolutionary biology and genetics are limited by the rate at which phenotypic information can be acquired. The wings of Drosophila species are a favorable target for automated analysis because of the many interesting questions in evolution and development that can be addressed with them, and because of their simple structure. Results: We have developed an automated image analysis system (WINGMACHINE) that measures the positions of all the veins and the edges of the wing blade of Drosophilid flies. A video image is obtained with the aid of a simple suction device that immobilizes the wing of a live fly. Low-level processing is used to find the major intersections of the veins. High-level processing then optimizes the fit of an a priori B-spline model of wing shape. WINGMACHINE allows the measurement of 1 wing per minute, including handling, imaging, analysis, and data editing. The repeatabilities of 12 vein intersections averaged 86% in a sample of flies of the same species and sex. Comparison of 2400 wings of 25 Drosophilid species shows that wing shape is quite conservative within the group, but that almost all taxa are diagnosably different from one another. Wing shape retains some phylogenetic structure, although some species have shapes very different from closely related species. The WINGMACHINE system facilitates artificial selection experiments on complex aspects of wing shape. We selected on an index which is a function of 14 separate measurements of each wing. After 14 generations, we achieved a 15 S. D. difference between up and down-selected treatments. Conclusion: WINGMACHINE enables rapid, highly repeatable measurements of wings in the family Drosophilidae. Our approach to image analysis may be applicable to a variety of biological objects that can be represented as a framework of connected lines.},
   author = {D Houle and J Mezey and P Galpern and A Carter},
   doi = {10.1186/1471-2148-3-25},
   isbn = {1471-2148},
   issue = {1},
   journal = {BMC Evolutionary Biology},
   keywords = {diptera,evolution,genetics,melanogaster,outlines,phylogeny,selection,shape,traits,venation},
   pages = {1-3},
   title = {Automated measurement of drosophila wings},
   volume = {3},
   year = {2003},
}
@article{Houle2002,
   abstract = {Common principal components (CPC) analysis is a new tool for the comparison of phenotypic and genetic variance-covariance matrices. CPC was developed as a method of data surnmarization, but frequently biologists would like to use the method to detect analogous patterns of trait correlation in multiple populations or species. To investigate the properties of CPC, we simulated data that reflect a set of causal factors. The CPC method performs as expected from a statistical point of view, but often gives results that are contrary to biological intuition. In general, CPC tends to underestimate the degree of structure that matrices share. Differences of trait variances and covariances due to a difference in a single causal factor in two otherwise identically structured datasets often cause CPC to declare the two datasets unrelated. Conversely, CPC could identify datasets as having the same structure when causal factors are different. Reordering of vectors before analysis can aid in the detection of patterns. We urge caution in the biological interpretation of CPC analysis results.},
   author = {David Houle and Jason Mezey and Paul Galpern},
   doi = {DOI: 10.1111/j.0014-3820.2002.tb01356.x},
   isbn = {0014-3820},
   issn = {0014-3820},
   issue = {3},
   institution = {Department of Zoology, University of Toronto, ON, Canada. dhoule@bio.fsu.edu},
   journal = {Evolution},
   keywords = {common principal components analysis,flury hierarchy,garter snake,house finch,individual variation,matrix comparisons,matrix correlation,natural-populations,ontogenetic variation,phenotypic covariance structure,phylogenetic analysis,quantitative genetic-parameters,thamnophis-elegans,variance-covariance matrix},
   pages = {433-440},
   pmid = {11989675},
   publisher = {Wiley Online Library},
   title = {Interpretation of the results of common principal components analyses},
   volume = {56},
   url = {<Go to ISI>://000175040500001 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11989675},
   year = {2002},
}