Research

Recent research

For the last 2.5 years (since early 2022) I have been completing a camera trap study looking at estimating elk densities through the lens of Indigenous Rights and food sovereignty. In the last year this has led me to new passions such as nutritional ecology and rangeland ecology which intersect with my existing interests in anthropogenic impacts.

I am currently organizing a rangeland ecology symposia with partners at the Columbia Mountain Institute for Applied Ecology (CMIAE), as a result of this work, in May of 2025. You can find out more about this event here.

Now I am seeking new opportunities for research and collaboration within the Kootenays and would love to remain working with large mammals and cervids in particular!

MSc research

My MSc thesis investigated dynamic interactions between white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and hunters. Hunting is an important management tool for wildlife in North America. Through my research I looked at how hunters impact the movement, habitat use and flight response of white-tailed deer during the hunting season. This information can give us insights for improving management in the future in addition to giving us a better understanding of deer behaviour and their perception of anthropogenic predation.

These tools are also transferable to analyzing GPS and movement data of other species and questions such as disturbance by recreational users of landscapes.

https://geospatial.uwo.ca/people/student_pages/rhiannon_kirton.html

Through my outreach and DEI work during my MSc I also co-authored a paper 10 simple rules for supporting historically underrepresented students in science

Undergraduate research

During my BSc in Zoology at The University of Manchester, England I completed research projects on a number of different topics through research skills courses, dissertations and my year in industry. Find more info about these projects below!

  • Final year project: ‘Integration in carnivoran skulls and teeth: constraint and dietary choice’
  • Year in industry research: ‘Seasonal habitat use of grizzly bears in the Flathead valley, British Columbia: comparing huckleberry productivity and seasonal use’
  • Research skills module: Investigating passerine song diversity in the Italian Alps
  • Dissertation: ‘How do large herbivores influence biogeochemical cycling?’
  • Research skills module: Antelope vigilance exploring how body and herd size impact observed vigilance of ungulates

Fieldwork

Tasmanian Devil disease ecology – University of Tasmania, Hobart

I had the privilege of spending a few weeks with Dr David Hamilton catching Tasmanian Devils for data collection on disease epidemiology related to Tasmanian Facial Tumour Disease.

Fruit Bat ecology and epidemiology – Griffith University, Brisbane

I worked with the team at Griffith for a few weeks in 2019 catching fruit bats and collecting biological information on them (such as blood, hair etc) for studies in disease epidemiology and Lyssavirus

Reserve and project support – American Prairie Reserve, Montana

During my summer at APR I had the chance to work on multiple different fieldwork projects involving different mammal species. This included working with USFWS and Fort Belknap Reservation on Black Footed Ferret and Prairie Dog conservation, bison management and plant restoration.

BC FLNRO Internship

I got to do lots of different fieldwork during this year! Far too much to type out here. I got to work with Kokanee Salmon, Burbot, Sturgeon, Bats, Leopard Frogs and Grizzly Bears amongst other things!