My research interests are in behaviour, ecology, and conservation biology.
Past research has included study of the dispersal of mycorrhizal fungi by
northern flying squirrels (honours thesis), navigation and orientation of
eastern painted turtles (MSc Thesis), and the effects of fragmentation on
spatial use by the Barred Owl (employment with University of Alberta). Although
the work has involved a variety of taxa, the common thread has been animal
movement. It is the questions of when and where animals move coupled with
the environment they move through that interest me. I hope that by analyzing
their patterns of movement (which I collect through a combination of experimental
manipulation and direct observation) I can determine what motivates an animal
to move.
My current research focuses on when, where, and why sedentary fish move and
how this is influenced by the environments in which they live. I am using
European seahorses as model organisms for this study: an animal that leads
a sedentary adult lifestyle yet lives in a highly variable environment. My
work spans many scales from individuals to populations, from juveniles to
adults, and from long to short range movement. It also provides an opportunity
to test movement models which have been designed for terrestrial animals within
the marine environment to assess their general utility. I hope the information
I gather on the movement of individuals and connectivity of populations can
help guide management efforts for these animals of concern and the threatened
seagrass habitats in which they live.
Publications
Peer-reviewed:
Caldwell, I.R. and Nams, V.O. (2006) A compass without a map: tortuosity and
orientation of eastern painted turtles (Chrysemys picta picta) released in
unfamiliar territory. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 84: 1129-1137.
Caldwell, I.R., Vernes, K., and Bärlocher, F. (2005) The northern flying
squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) as a vector for inoculation of red spruce (Picea
rubens) seedlings with ectomycorrhizal fungi. Sydowia. 57: 166-178.
Other:
Caldwell, I. (2003) Spatial limitations of the water finding ability of the
eastern painted turtle, Chrysemys picta picta. Presented at the Northeast
Biological Graduate Student Conference (NBGSC), University of Prince Edward
Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Feb.28-Mar.2, 2003.
Caldwell, I., Ju, H.-Y., Asiedu, S.K., Hong, S.C. and Gray, B. (2001) Use
of strains of Trichoderma in controlling diseases of North American ginseng
caused by Cylindrocarpon destructans. (poster) Agricultural Institute of Canada
Annual Conference, University of Guelph, Ontario, July 8-11, 2001.
Caldwell, I., Vernes, K., and Bärlocher, F. (2001) The role of the northern
flying squirrel in inoculating red spruce seedlings with hypogeous ectomycorrhizal
fungi. (poster) American Society of Mammalogists Annual Meeting, Montana,
June 16-20, 2001.
Caldwell, I., Ju, H.-Y., Gray, B. and Asiedu, S. (2000). The control of Cylindrocarpon
root rot in ginseng. (Poster). Presented at "Technologies and Opportunities",
Atlantic Agricultural Science and Technology Workshop, Nova Scotia Agricultural
College, October 26-27, 2000.
Ju, H.-Y., Asiedu, S.K., Caldwell, I. And Craig, B. (1999). Update of apple
rootstocks and training systems in Canada. Korean Federation of Science and
Technology Series, July 1999. p.1622-1631.
