Fishers, Flying Squirrels, and Fungi: Mammals in a Changing World (2025-02-07)

Abstract

Earth has experienced widespread ecosystem changes over the last several hundred years due to the cumulative effects of human development and economic exploitation, overharvest of animal populations, climate change, and accidental and intentional species Introductions. In many cases, changes have been rapid compared to recent evolutionary time and have caused fundamental changes to the structure and function of many ecosystems. A major theme in animal ecology has been understanding how species respond to changing conditions in order to predict future responses and develop effective management strategies to conserve at-risk species and maintain critical ecosystem function. In this seminar, I will highlight recent changes to northern forest ecosystems in North America and describe recent and ongoing research in my lab focused on Understanding responses of various mammals to changing conditions. First, I will discuss the history, status, and population changes to fishers in Minnesota. Fishers are a medium-size carnivore that has simultaneously experienced population declines in northern Minnesota and population expansion and re-colonization of southern Minnesota. Second, I will discuss factors influencing distributional shifts in flying squirrel species in eastern North America, with an emphasis on ongoing research to better understand flying squirrel distribution and interactions in Minnesota. Finally, I will discuss trophic Interactions between carnivores, small mammals, and mycorrhizal fungi and the role these Interactions play in creating and maintaining resilient forest ecosystems in a changing climate.