Kristin Barker

University of California, Berkeley | UCB · Ecosystem Sciences

Ungulates typically migrate to maximize nutritional intake when forage varies seasonally. In western North America, however, increasing numbers of ungulates reside on low‐elevation winter range year‐round rather than migrating. These residents often occupy irrigated agricultural areas, but it is not known whether the nutrition provided by agricultu...

1.Ungulates migrate to maximize nutritional intake when forage varies seasonally. Populations of ungulates often include both migratory and non‐migratory individuals, but the mechanisms driving individual differences in migratory behavior are not well‐understood. 2.We quantified associations between hypothesized drivers of partial migration and the...

The Arctic is undergoing the most rapid climate warming on Earth. While concerns have been raised that more frequent icing events cause die‐offs, and earlier springs generate a mismatch in phenology, the effects of warming autumns have been largely neglected. We used 25 years of individual‐based data from a growing population of wild Svalbard reind...

Migratory ungulates are thought to be declining globally because their dependence on large landscapes renders them highly vulnerable to environmental change. Yet recent studies reveal that many ungulate species can adjust their migration propensity in response to changing environmental conditions to potentially improve population persistence. In ad...

Global declines in wildlife migrations have prompted new initiatives to conserve remaining migratory behaviors. However, many migrations have already been lost. Important attempts have been made to recover extirpated migrations, and our understanding of restoration remains narrowly confined to these particular species and landscapes. Here, we exami...

Highly mobile and migratory wildlife are ecologically, culturally, and economically important because they provide ecosystem services across heterogenous landscapes. Migratory ungulates (hoofed mammals) are particularly influential because of their large body size, seasonal movement across vast distances, and ties to human society. Ungulate migrati...

Wildlife translocations are increasingly used to combat declining biodiversity worldwide. Successful translocation often hinges on coexistence between humans and wildlife, yet not all translocation efforts explicitly include human dimensions (e.g., economic incentives, education programs, and conflict reduction assistance). To evaluate the prevalen...

A growing body of evidence shows that some ungulates alternate between migratory and nonmigratory behaviors over time. Yet it remains unclear whether such short-term behavioral changes can help explain reported declines in ungulate migration worldwide, as opposed to long-term demographic changes. Furthermore, advances in tracking technology reveal...

Large carnivores are recovering in many landscapes where the human footprint is simultaneously growing. When carnivores encounter humans, the way they behave often changes, which may subsequently influence how they affect their prey. However, little research investigates the behavioral mechanisms underpinning carnivore response to humans. As a resu...

Despite growing evidence of widespread impacts of humans on animal behavior, our understanding of how humans reshape species interactions remains limited. Here, we present a framework that draws on key concepts from behavioral and community ecology to outline four primary pathways by which humans can alter predator‐prey spatiotemporal overlap. We s...

For wildlife inhabiting snowy environments, snow properties such as onset date, depth, strength, and distribution can influence many aspects of ecology, including movement, community dynamics, energy expenditure, and forage accessibility. As a result, snow plays a considerable role in individual fitness and ultimately population dynamics, and its e...

Despite growing evidence of widespread impacts of humans on the behavior of animals, our understanding of how humans reshape species interactions remains limited. Here, we present a framework that draws on key concepts from behavioral and community ecology to outline four primary pathways by which humans can alter predator-prey spatiotemporal overl...

Large carnivores like gray wolves (Canis lupus) play key roles in regulating ecosystem structure and function. After being functionally extirpated from the United States by the early 1900s, wolves have recently recolonized portions of their historic ranges and are increasingly coming into contact with a rapidly-growing human population. When carniv...

Forestry practices such as prescribed fire and wildfire management can modify the nutritional resources of ungulates across broad landscapes. To evaluate the influences of fire and forest management on ungulate nutrition, we measured and compared forage quality and abundance among a range of land cover types and fire histories within 3 elk ranges i...

During late summer and fall, elk (Cervus canadensis) need access to adequate nutrition to support physiological requirements for reproduction and overwinter survival. The archery hunting season often occurs during this period and can affect distributions of elk as they seek areas that minimize perceived harvest risk. Areas that confer lower harvest...

Migratory and non-migratory ungulates often coexist in partially migratory populations, but the mechanisms that drive and maintain different migratory behaviors within the same herd are poorly understood. In western North America, increasing numbers of elk (Cervus canadensis) reside on low-elevation winter range year-round. These residents can caus...

Rigorous science that produces reliable knowledge is critical to wildlife management because it increases accurate understanding of the natural world and informs management decisions effectively. Application of a rigorous scientific method based on hypothesis testing minimizes unreliable knowledge produced by research. To evaluate the prevalence of...

Aspen stands in the Rocky Mountains form especially productive and diverse plant understory communities. However, little is known about canopy–understory relationships or understory dynamics, especially in light of widespread aspen decline. The purpose of our research was to assess recent aspen plant community dynamics by resampling 19 sites sample...