Current Projects
Individual-level interactions
A main interest of mine is in the evolution of behaviours related to the generation, acquisition and processing of socially derived information. We are currently investigating processes of aggression and cooperation using a combination of theoretical and empirical methods. I am increasingly interested in linking animal behaviour and interactions at individual-levels to population level patterns and processes, such as specialism/generalism, niche width, community structure, population biology and ultimately conservation. In this context I have worked previously on vulture foraging in light of their conservation, marine turtle nesting patterns and population consequences, and predation driven colony fragmentation in penguins. We are continuing our research on vulture foraging behaviour in Swaziland in collaboration with Prof Ara Monadjem.
SIAR - Stable Isotope Analysis in R.
This on-going project focuses primarily on the development of computational and statistical models for application to stable isotope ecology. The main output so far is the development of a Bayesian mixing model for inferring diet from stable isotope analysis of consumer and source tissues. This project also includes the new SIBER models for exploring niche width in isotopic d-space.
Find out more about SIAR - Stable Isotope Analysis in R.Spatio-temporal patterns in fisheries discards.
We have developed Bayesian and other models to describe and explain the patterns and causes of discards based on Irish fisheries data. This work has wider applications to ecology more generally in that we are developing models that allow us to disentangle the various ecological processes that drive spatial pattern formation.