B&C Fellow - Alejandra Zubiria Perez

Michigan State University - Projected to Graduate 2025
Project Title: Population dynamics of gray wolves in the western Great Lakes region in response to anthropogenic mortality

I born and raised in Mexico City, where I relied on TV and books to feed my curiosity about the natural world. I obtained a degree in Biology with a focus on conservation and animal welfare from the University of British Columbia in British Columbia, CA. I joined a research lab during my last year, where I completed an undergraduate thesis on zebrafish welfare and cognition. After graduating I moved to Victoria, BC, to pursue a masters degree in Geography studying grizzly bear movement and learning. I am currently a PhD candidate working on wolf population dynamics in response to anthropogenic mortality. After my PhD I would like to help develop non-invasive sampling methods and contribute to research promoting human-wildlife coexistence and informed decision-making.

Population Dynamics of Gray Wolves in the Western Great Lakes Region in Response to Anthropogenic Mortality

Approximately half of large-bodied vertebrate mortality can be directly attributed to anthropogenic mortality, which differs from natural mortality in timing and across sex-age groups. Social species can be particularly vulnerable to the indirect effects of anthropogenic mortality if reproduction or group dynamics are affected. The gray wolf (Canis lupus) is a social species that has been harvested and managed using lethal methods when not federally protected. My research aims to characterize gray wolf mortality and its effects on pack dynamics and population viability in the Great Lakes Region. Specific goals of my study are to 1) evaluate gray wolf survival and cause-specific mortality as a function of wolf demographics and landscape covariates, 2) assess wolf pack persistence and reproduction in response to lethal management and harvesting, and 3) evaluate gray wolf mortality, dispersal risk, and population viability of recolonizing populations as a result of individual-based resource selection.