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Lee-Yaw Lab

  • Home
  • About
  • Research
  • People
  • Publications
  • Work with Us!
  • Français
  • …  
    • Home
    • About
    • Research
    • People
    • Publications
    • Work with Us!
    • Français
Lee-Yaw lab. Logo designed by Aidan Sheppard (Thinhorn Creative)
Lee-Yaw lab. Logo designed by Aidan Sheppard (Thinhorn Creative)
broken image

Lee-Yaw Lab

  • Home
  • About
  • Research
  • People
  • Publications
  • Work with Us!
  • Français
  • …  
    • Home
    • About
    • Research
    • People
    • Publications
    • Work with Us!
    • Français
Lee-Yaw lab. Logo designed by Aidan Sheppard (Thinhorn Creative)
  • Diversity, Distributions, & Conservation

    What can we learn & how can we help?

  • Welcome to the Lee-Yaw Lab at the University of Ottawa!

    We strive to create a supportive, productive, and fun research environment where we can ask big questions, learn new skills, and contribute to knowledge and the protection of biodiversity.

    Land Acknowledgement

    The Lee-Yaw lab and uOttawa are located on the traditional unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation. Much of our fieldwork takes place in areas covered by Treaty 7, on the traditional and ancestral territory of the Niitsítapi (including Kainai, Piikani, and Siksika Nations) and the Tsuut’ina Nation, and on the homelands of the Métis Nation.

     

    We recognize these Nations as the traditional stewards of the lands on which we live and work. We make this acknowledgement in recognition of our responsibility to treat these lands and other lands we visit with respect, and to honour and respect the rights, culture, and histories of Indigenous peoples everywhere.

     

    Learn more about Indigenous lands here and about Truth and Reconciliation in Canada here.

    Our Values

    In this lab, we value curiosity, collaboration, collegiality, and personal growth. We are committed to an inclusive and positive lab environment--one where diversity is celebrated and the unique backgrounds and experiences of lab members are seen as opportunities to learn from one another and improve our science. You are welcome here!

    Take the pledge: https://sammykatta.com/diversity
  • Research

    We use a variety of approaches and tools to address questions at the intersection of evolutionary ecology and conservation biology, with an emphasis on understanding the past, present, and future of species' geographic distributions.

    Western toad (Credit: Jayna Bergman)
    Post-fire site (Credit: Julie Lee-Yaw)
    Wood frog (Photo: Julie Lee-Yaw)
    On the hunt for salamander ponds (Credit: Dustin Snider)
    Christie gets some visitors during her tunnel surveys (Credit: Julie Lee-Yaw)
    Long-toed salamander (Credit: Chris Jacobs)
    Black bear (Credit: Dylan Brassard)
    Western toad tadpoles (Credit: Shay Marks)
    Fowler's Toad (Credit: Julie Lee-Yaw)

    Some of the main themes we explore:

    The structure and history of species' geographic distributions.

    We use molecular data and phylogeographic methods to study the biogeographic history and structure of species ranges in temperate regions of North America. Of interest is the extent to which widespread species represent composites of evolutionarily distinct groups, the outcome of interactions between these groups, and the implications for conservation assessments.

    Ecological and evolutionary explanations for range limits.

    We are broadly interested in understanding the ecological and evolutionary drivers of species' geographic range limits. Previous work in the lab has focused on understanding the relative importance of niche constraints versus dispersal limitation in shaping species' range limits. Current work is focused on understanding the roles that genetic drift and gene flow play in adaptation at the edge of the range and how environmental context shapes the outcome of these processes.

    The impact of global change on species' distributions.

    Climate change is leading to major changes in species' distributions yet there is tremendous variation in the response of species to changing conditions. We are interested in understanding this variation. We are especially interested in the impacts of extreme, climate-related events on populations and range limits.

    Genomic and spatial data to inform conservation translocations.

    The intentional release of individuals at locations away from known threats or in extirpated parts of species' range is increasingly called for to protect species under global change. Yet, these efforts often fail. We are working with our conservation partners to explore the potential value of genomics in guiding source site selection, as well as habitat suitability models to prioritize release sites for different at-risk species in Canada.

  • People

    *alphabetical by first name

    Alice Cang

    Alice Cang (she/they)

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    Research Interests:

    Evolutionary ecology, plant genome evolution, population genomics, especially at range edges.

    Current focus:

    Population genomics of rare plants to inform provenancing for pottential translocations in Ontario.
    Other Interests:

    Baking, cooking, mindful movement, my emotionally witholding cat, video games.

    Contact
    Christie Crews

    Christie Crews (she/her)

    MSc student (co-supervised with Dr. Sean Boyle at Memorial University of Newfoundland)

    Research Interests:

    Human-wildlife coexistence, species of conservation concern, ecology.

    Thesis:

    Post-fire use of under-road tunnels and the status of long-toed salamanders in Waterton Lakes National Park.

    Other Interests:

    Painting, reading, growing giant vegetables, petting my cats and other people’s dogs.

    Contact
    Gwen Deadman-Wylie

    Gwen Deadman-Wylie

    Summer Field Technician and Incoming MSc Student

    Research Interests:

    Evolutionary ecology, conservation genetics, species at risk.

    Current focus:

    Surveying amphibians in Alberta and getting ready to start grad school!

    Other Interests:

    Hiking, camping, travelling, reading, amateur wildlife photography

    Contact
    Jayna Bergman

    Jayna Bergman (she/her)

    MSc student

    Research Interests:

    Geographic distributions, the use and development of geospatial tools to inform conservation decisions, conservation genomics

    Thesis:

    Genomic and environmental differences between Calling and Non-Calling populations of western toads.

    Other Interests:

    Hiking, walking, being outdoors

    Contact
    Juan Enciso-Romero

    Juan Enciso-Romero (he/him)

    Postdoctoral fellow

    Research Interests:

    Genetic basis of adaptation, hybridization, population genomics, bioinformatics and demographic modelling.

    Current Focus:

    Understanding the effects of environmental disturbance on genetic diversity.

    Other Interests:

    Running, cooking, soccer, hiking and reading.

    Contact
    Julie Lee-Yaw

    Julie Lee-Yaw (she/her/elle)

    PI

    Research Interests:

    Evolutionary ecology, geographic distributions and range limits, conservation and population genomics

    Main Focus:

    Running a lab and trying to have fun and balance while doing so!

    Other Interests:

    Hiking, camping, snowboarding very slowly, looking into ponds, creative cooking, pickling, tea drinking, intermittent knitting, boardgames, fiction.

    Contact
    Madeleine Robitaille

    Madeleine Robitaille (she/her/elle)

    PhD Student

    Research Interests:

    Evolutionary ecology, conservations genetics, species distributions, species at risk.

    Thesis:

    Evolutionary ecology of Fowler's toads in Canada.

    Other Interests:

    Outdoor activities (especially water sports), knitting, reading, cooking

    Contact
    Star Hungry Wolf Cardinal

    Star Hungry Wolf Cardinal (she/her)

    MA student (co-supervised with Dr. Jodie Asselin at uLeth)

    Research Interests:

    Cross cultural sustainability, holism, treaty relations, governance, ecology and environmental spiritualism, functional genomics and Squamata.

    Thesis:

    Blackfoot perspectives on Snakes and Lizards and how and why those have changed over time.

    Other Interests:

    Family dynamics, communication, etymology, travel, rituals, positivism, hiking, reforestation, hunting, wilderness survival, berry, plant and rock picking.

    Contact
    Yisa Ginath Yuh

    Yisa Ginath Yuh (he/him)

    Postdoctoral Fellow

    Research Interests:

    Climate change and sustainability, biodiversity monitoring and conservation, landscape ecology, ecological modeling, GIS and Remote Sensing applications.

    Current focus:

    Integratingpredictions from species distribution modeling into conservation planning in southeastern Canada.
    Other Interests:

    Soccer, volleyball, handball, traveling, reading, making new discoveries, and socializing.

    Contact
    Zoe Mozola

    Zoe Mozola (she/her)

    NSERC USRA Summer Student

    Research Interests:

    Evolutionary ecology, amphibian conservation, morphology, ecotoxicology.

    Current focus:

    Fluctuating asymmetry as a measure of stress in amphibians.
    Other Interests:

    Camping, reading, traveling, making art (with great love and lesser skill), bouldering, weightlifting, and playing video games.

    Contact
  • Lab Alumni and Others

    Join the lab!
  • Publications

    For full list see Google Scholar Profile; Lab members indicated with *

    Bergman JC*, Finn KJ*, Lee-Yaw JA (2024) Study extent influences the predictions and performance of species distribution models: A case study of six amphibian species at the edge of their geographic distributions in western Canada. Biodiversity and Conservation, 33: 4295-4318. Link

    Hargreaves AL, J Ensing, O Rahn, F Oliviera, J Burkiewicz, J Lafond, S Haeussler, B Best, K Lazda, H Slinn, E Martin, M Carlson, T Sformo, E Dawson-Glass, M Chuiffo, Y Vargas-Rodriguez, C García-Jiménez, I Gomes, S Klemet-N’Guessan, L Paolucci, S Joly, K Mehltreter, J Muñoz, C Buono, J Brodie, A Rodriguez-Campbell, T Veen, B Freeman, Lee-Yaw JA, J Camilo Muñoz, A Paquette, J Butler, E Suaréz (2024) Latitudinal gradients in predation persist in urban environments. Nature Ecology & Evolution. Link

    Finn KJ*, Bergman JC*, Lee-Yaw JA (2024) Deciding where to put them: sensitivity tests and independent evaluation are critical when using species distribution models to inform conservation translocations. Journal of Applied Ecology, 61: 713-732. Link

    Lee-Yaw JA, McCune JL, Pironon S, Sheth SN (2022) Species distribution models rarely predict the biology of real populations. Ecography, e05877. Link *runner up E4 award; most downloaded Ecography paper in 2022.

    Justen H, Lee-Yaw JA, Delmore K (2021) Reduced habitat suitability and landscape connectivity in a songbird migratory divide. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 30: 2043-2056. Link

    Wang S, Ore M, Mikkelsen EK, Lee-Yaw JA, Toews DPL, Rohwer S, Irwin DE (2021) Signatures of mitonuclear coevolution in a warbler species complex. Nature Communications, 12, 4279. Link

    Bontrager M, Usui T, Lee-Yaw JA, Anstett D, Branch HA, Hargreaves AL, Muir CD, Angert AL (2021) Adaptation across geographic ranges is consistent with strong selection in marginal climates and legacies of range expansion. Evolution, 75: 1316-1333. Link

    Miller TEX, Angert AL, Brown CD, Lee-Yaw JA, Lewis M, Lutscher F, Marculis NG, Melbourne BA, Shaw AK, Szűs M, Tabares U, Weiss-Lehman C, Williams JL (2020) Eco-evolutionary dynamics of range expansion. Ecology, doi: 10.1002/ecy.3139 Link

    Roesti M, Anstett DN, Freeman B, Lee-Yaw JA, Schluter D, Chavarie L, Rolland J, Holzman R (2020) Pelagic fish predation is stronger at temperate latitudes than at the equator. Nature Communications, doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-15335-4 Link

    Lee-Yaw JA, Grassa CJ, Joly S, Andrew RL, Rieseberg LH (2019) An evaluation of alternative explanations for widespread cytonuclear discordance in annual sunflowers (Helianthus). New Phytologist, doi:10.1111/nph.15386 Link
    ​
    ​Freeman BG, Lee-Yaw JA, Sunday J, Hargreaves AL (2018) Expanding, shifting, and shrinking: The impact of global warming on species' elevational distributions. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 27: 1268-1276. Link

    Lee-Yaw JA, Fracassetti M, Willi Y (2018) Environmental marginality and geographic range limits: a case study with Arapidopsis lyrata ssp. lyrata. Ecography, 41: 622-634. ​Link

    ​Lee-Yaw JA, Kharouba HK, Bontrager M, Mahony C, Csergő AM, Noreen AME, Li Q, Schuster R, Angert AL (2016) A synthesis of transplant experiments and ecological niche models suggests that range limits are often niche limits. Ecology Letters, 19: 710-722. ​Link

  • Thank you to our funders!

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Lee-Yaw Lab

Department of Biology

University of Ottawa

 

30 Marie Curie

Ottawa, ON

K1N 9B4

 

Contact

jleeyaw[at]uottawa[dot]ca

J.A. Lee-Yaw © 2023

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