Jodie Martin

• Contact information
• Profile
• Area of focus
• Research interests
• Postdoctoral project
• PhD
• Publication list
• Detailed curriculum-vitae

Contact information

School of Animal, Plant & Environmental Sciences
University of the Witwatersrand
Private Bag 3
Wits 2050
South Africa

E-mail:
Phone: +27 (0)1 17 17 64 58

Profile

I completed my PhD degree at the University of Lyon (Lab "Biometry and Evolutionary Biology", France), under the direction of and from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB) in 2009. During my PhD, I have been working on habitat selection and movement ecology of the brown bear (Ursus arctos) at different spatial and temporal scales.

I currently have a postdoctoral position at the university of the Witwatersrand, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences (APES), under the supervision of . I'm working on the dynamic of space use by large African herbivores, from navigation processes and role of memory to larger distribution patterns.

Area of focus

• Habitat selection
• Movement ecology
• Conservation biology

Research interests

I'm interested in the study of movements and habitat selection of large mammals. In particular, coupling movement and habitat selection to gain insights into behavioral processes involved in habitat selection. I aim at relating fine-scale processes to large scale distribution patterns.

On a more applied point of view, habitat selection is an important field of conservation biology. With the constant increase of human impact on wildlife habitat (e.g. fragmentation of habitats, modification of habitat), conservationists and managers need to get insights into habitat requirements of wildlife in human disturbed landscapes. I am particularly interested in studying the impact of human on wildlife habitats and its consequences, and in developing approaches for spacially explicit habitat models for conservation purposes.

Postdoctoral project

My postdoctoral project lies within the broad context of identifying the determinants of population decline of less common herbivore species in the Kruger National Park, and in particular, the influence of potential competitive species.

The more specific aim of the project is to investigate processes driving movement behaviour and space use by comparing 4 species of large African herbivores: common species (the wildebeest Connochaetes taurinus, the buffalo Syncerus caffer and the zebra Equus burchelli) and a declining species (the Sable antelope Hyppotragus niger). Both of these species are large grazers, but they differ in their herd sizes. While buffalo move in large herds numbering 100-500 individuals, wildebeest occur in much smaller herds typically numbering 15-30 animals, sable antelopes in herds of 10-20 individuals and zebra in herds numbering 6-10 individuals.

This contrast is expected to lead to fundamental differences in their movement rates, residence times in particular patches, and return times to previously exploited patches. Resource use by different herbivore species raises exciting questions on behavioural processes underlying habitat selection. We know that herbivores exploit different vegetation types with varying selectivity which vary according to species and may rely on the capacity to stay longer in high profitable place and/or come back more frequently on such places. The equilibrium between these 2 possibilities being imposed by relative productivity and regenerating capacities of these places and herd size influences. My postdoc project therefore will aim at comparing movements processes at different spatial scales to identify behavioural decision rules involved, and to relate fine-scale movement processes to seasonal home-ranges.

PhD

In my thesis (pdf available here, I studied habitat selection and movement ecology of brown bear at different spatial scales and mainly in two European populations (Scandinavian and Pyreneean populations). These populations have very different conservation statuses and are distributed in contrasting landscapes, differentially impacted by anthropogenic pressure. The Scandinavian population is now expanding and reached more than 3000 individuals in 2009. The population is located in a heavily managed boreal forest, with important forest logging and associated road network. The Pyrenean population is still threaten to extinction with an estimated number of 20 individuals only, divided in three isolated groups.

The objectives of my thesis were, for the Scandinavian population, to assess the influence of habitat types and anthropogenic structures on bear habitat selection and movement at fine spatial and temporal scales (Martin et al. 2010 and Martin et al. in prep) to understand how expanding human infrastructures and activity influence bear behaviour, to be able to anticipate potential conflicts between humans and this large carnivores.

Concerning the Pyrenean population, the objective was to assess and quantify suitables habitats for bears at the population level to identify areas that should be protected or areas for potential new release of individuals. I therefore developped a new approach combining large- and fine-scale resolution spatially explicit habitat models for bears in Pyrenees (Martin et al. submitted a).

I have also been working on more methodological considerations, the use of autocorelation in habitat selection studies (Martin et al. 2008, Martin et al. 2009).

Publication list

Peer-reviewed articles

5. Tolon, V., J. Martin, S. Dray, A. Loison C. Fischer & E. Baubet. Predator-prey spatial game as a tool to understand the effects of protected areas on harvester-wildlife interactions. Ecological Applications, In Press.
4. Martin, J., M. Basille, J. Kindberg, B. Van Moorter, D. Allainé & J.E. Swenson. 2010. Coping with human disturbance: spatial and temporal tactics of brown bear. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 88: 875-883. [manuscript]
3. Martin, J., V. Tolon, B. Van Moorter, M. Basille & C. Calenge. 2009. On the use of telemetry in habitat selection studies. In: "Telemetry: Research, Technology and Applications". Editors Barculo D & Daniels J, Nova Science Publishers Inc. [manuscript]
2. Martin, J., C. Calenge, P.-Y. Quenette & D. Allainé. 2008. Importance of movement constraints in habitat selection studies. Ecological Modelling 213:257-262. [manuscript]
1. Nellemann, C., O.-G. Stoen, J. Kindberg, J. E. Swenson, I. Vistnes, G. Ericsson, J. Katajisto, B. P. Kaltenborn, J. Martin & A. Ordiz.2007. Terrain use by an expanding brown bear population in relation to age, resorts and human settlements. Biological Conservation 138:157-165.[manuscript]

Under review

• Martin J., Revilla E., Quenette P.-Y., Naves J., Allainé D., Swenson J. E. Linking coarse and fine scales to assess suitable habitats of the small population of brown bears in the Pyrenees Mountains.
• Nawaz M.A., Martin J., Swenson J. E. Habitat selection by brown bears in Deosai National Park, Pakistan, and implications for park management.

In preparation

• Martin J., Van Moorter B., Revilla E., Blanchard P., Dray S., Quenette P.-Y., Allainé D., Swenson J. E. Tradeoffs between internal and external factors on female brown bear movements: the importance of scale.

Popularizing articles & reports

• Martin J., Quenette P.-Y., Camarra J.-J., Decaluwe F., Dubarry E., Touchet P. Sélection de l'habitat par l'ours brun à différentes échelles spatiales. ONCFS, Rapport Scientifique, 2008: 48-49

Oral communication

• Martin J., Revilla E., Quenette P.-Y., Naves J., Allainé D., Swenson J. E. Combining spatial scales to assess the suitable habitats of very small populations: the case of the brown bear in the Pyrenees. Sept. 2011. Spatial Ecology and Conservation, Birmingham (United Kingdom)

• Martin J. Movements and habitat selection of brown bears in multiple-use landscapes - Implications in conservation and management. March 2011. Invited seminar, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, Johannesburg (South Africa)

• Martin J., Basille M., Kindberg J., Van Moorter B., Allainé D.,Swenson J.E. Scale-dependent effects of human disturbance on large mammals: brown bears in Scandinavia. March 2009, Le Réveil du Dodo III, Journées Francophones des Sciences de la Conservation de la Biodiversité, Montpellier (France)

Posters

• Martin J., Yoganand K., Benhamou S., Owen-Smith N. Partial migration of wildebeest in the Kruger National Park: insights from movement segmentation at different spatial scales. Sept. 2011. Spatial Ecology and Conservation, Birmingham (United Kingdom)