Our lab has recently developed an experimental system using Drosophila melanogaster, the common fruitfly, the examine how seasonality and seasonal interactions influence population dynamics. Work from this system provides key insights into how non-lethal effects scale-up to influence long-term population dynamics and generates predictions about population stability and persistence. More recently, we have taken this research in several new and exciting directions, including examining population dynamics in connected migration networks, understanding how fear can carry over to influence fitness and population dynamics, and determining how seasonal life-history trade-offs can contribute towards generating long-term population cycles.
Drosophila Publications
Burant, JB, Park, C, Betini, GS & Norris, DR. 2021. Early warning indicators of population collapse in a seasonal environment. Journal of Animal Ecology 90(6):1538-1549.
Burant, JB, Griffin, A, Betini, GS & Norris, DR. 2020. An experimental test of the ecological mechanisms driving density-mediated carry-over effects in a seasonal population. Canadian Journal of Zoology 98(7): 425-432.
Burant, JB, Betini, GS & Norris, DR. 2020. Simple signals indicate which period of the annual cycle drives declines in seasonal populations. In press: Ecology Letters
Kilgour, RJ, Norris, DR & McAdam. 2019. Carry-over effects of resource competition and social environment on aggression. Behavioural Ecology 31(1): 140-151.
Kilgour, RJ, McAdam, AG, Betini, GS, Norris, DR. 2018. Experimental evidence that density mediates negative frequency-dependent selection on aggression. Journal of Animal Ecology 87(4):1091-1101.
Elliott, KH, Betini, GS & Norris, DR. 2017. Fear creates an Allee effect: experimental evidence from seasonal populations. Proceedings of the Royal Society, London: Biological Sciences 284:20170878.
Elliott, KH, Norris, DR, Betini, GS & Dworkin, I. 2017. Scared fitless: context-dependent response of fear to loss of predators over evolutionary time. FACETS 2(1):342-354.
Betini, GS, McAdam, AG, Griswold, CK & Norris, DR. 2017. A fitness trade-off between seasons causes multigenerational cycles in phenotype and population size. eLife 6:e18770.
Elliott, KH, Betini, GS, Dworkin, I & Norris, DR. 2016. Experimental evidence for within- and cross-seasonal effects of fear on survival and reproduction. Journal of Animal Ecology 85: 507-515.
Betini, GS, Pardy, A, Griswold, CK & Norris, DR. 2015. Causes and consequences of density-dependent dispersal: the role of seasonality and carry-over effects. Ecosphere 6(12): art 272.
Betini, GS, Fitzpatrick, MJ & Norris, DR. 2015. Experimental evidence for the effect of habitat loss on the dynamics of migratory networks. Ecology Letters 18: 526-534.
Betini, GS, Griswold, CG, Prodan, L & Norris, DR. 2014. Body size, carry-over effects, and survival in a seasonal environment: consequences for population dynamics. Journal of Animal Ecology 83: 1313-1321.
Betini, GS, Griswold, CG & Norris, DR. 2013. Carry-over effects, sequential density dependence and the dynamics of populations in a seasonal environment. Proceedings of the Royal Society, London: Biological Sciences 280: 20130110.
Betini, GS, Griswold, CG & Norris, DR. 2013. Density-mediated carry-over effects explain variation in breeding output across time in a seasonal population. Biology Letters 9(5): 20130582.