Bonier Lab

Interactions with other species can have incredibly important effects on an individual's behaviour, physiology, ecology, and fitness. We are exploring two broad aspects of the importance of competition in our ongoing research.

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1) Importance of competitive interactions in shaping species responses to urbanization.

Along with collaborator Dr. Paul Martin, we have documented effects of competitive interactions among species on responses to urbanization. You can find some of our recent work in this area here and here.

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2) Importance of competitive interactions with mites and microbes for burying beetles.

Along with former MSc students Julia Kendrick and Anjalie St-Louis-Hodgins, and collaborator Dr. Laura Nagel, we are investigating how burying beetles cope with competition from conspecifics, phoretic mites (pictured), carrion flies, and microbes that also eat carrion.