A new research program led by marine ecologist John Volpe and grad student Stefania Gorgopa is a great opportunity for scuba divers to get involved as citizen scientists. The UVic researchers are turning to the local sport diving community for help conducting surveys of marine fish populations around Victoria and the Gulf Islands.
Tracking the salmon-eating habits of grizzly and black bears for nearly two decades has revealed some surprising results for UVic geography PhD candidate and Raincoast scientist Megan Adams. She hopes the study will inform land-use managers on how the bear-salmon system goes well beyond the coastal areas into interior habitats of BC.
Growing up in some of BC's most beautiful landscapes—from the snow-covered peaks in Whistler to the shores of the Salish Sea in Victoria—inspired Keegan Meyers to develop a deep appreciation for the natural world.
An alarming decline of the ring-tailed lemur in Madagascar has researchers calling for quick action before this iconic primate goes extinct. UVic anthropologist and primatologist Lisa Gould co-authored the new study and estimates no more than 2,000 to 2,400 ring-tailed lemurs remain in the wild.
A research group at the University of Victoria can now detect the presence of invasive species in water or soil using environmental DNA—giving humans a better chance at defending the ecological balance of delicate habitat.
In a recent issue of the journal Biology Letters, UVic biologist Rana El-Sabaawi leads a paper that cautions against using guppies as a form of mosquito control, saying the method is not only ineffective, but also causes severe ecological damage.
Wouldn't it be great if we could take a scoop of water from a pond and tell if an invasive species has recently been there? A research group at UVic can now do just that by measuring the DNA that every organism leaves behind.
An endangered Indigenous language and an endangered West Coast wildlife icon stand to benefit from the work of two new Banting Postdoctoral Fellows at UVic. Valued at $70,000 per year for two years, the fellowships are intended to groom Canada's next generation of research leaders.
This summer UVic geographer Phil Dearden assisted an international research team with the placement of the first-ever satellite tracking tag on a tiger shark in the Philippines' Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park—a UNESCO world heritage site—and is now tracking its movements in real time. Sharks play a crucial role in marine biodiversity and the new research will have significant impact on shark conservation in Southeast Asia and the Philippines.
An international research team recently placed the first ever satellite tracking tag on a tiger shark in one of the world's most pristine reefs—the UNESCO world heritage site, Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, which teems with marine life and draws scuba divers from around the world—and is now tracking its movements in real time. University of Victoria geographer Phil Dearden is assisting this project, which is led by the Tubbataha Management Office (TMO) and the marine conservation group Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute Philippines (LAMAVE).
MacGillivray spent his childhood in Kamloops, playing hockey and discussing the finer points of science with his parents. Inspired by his experiences and conversations his father, who works as a science teacher, MacGillivray started at UVic as an undergraduate biology student, with the idea of being a wildlife veterinarian.
Take a virtual tour from seaweeds and sea stars to wolves and eagles, with a new digital field guide. The guide provides experts and amateurs with a tool to identify over 700 species in the Great Bear Rainforest to help deepen our appreciation of the biodiversity along BC’s central coast.
From seaweeds and sea stars to wolves and eagles, a new app provides experts and amateurs with a tool to identify over 700 species in the Great Bear Rainforest to help deepen our appreciation of the biodiversity along BC’s central coast. The guide for phone, computer and tablet is a collaborative project developed by UVic's Brian Starzomski and including grad studentChanda Brietzke and alumna Kelly Fretwell.
In an article published today in the prestigious journal Nature, an international team of scientists co-led by University of Victoria biologist Ben Koop describes how the Atlantic salmon genome—that’s the complete set of its genes—has made a full backup copy of itself.
Salmon possess an unusual genetic feature that’s of great interest to evolutionary scientists and fisheries managers alike, as described in a UVic research article published in Nature.
Majestic and mysterious, whales continue to fascinate researchers and nature lovers, but how whales live in the ocean’s depths is largely unknown. Now, the University of Victoria is on a mission to deepen our knowledge of rare and threatened baleen whales and help protect them from ship strikes. Over the next three weeks, a two-metre underwater ocean glider equipped with acoustic sensors, sonar and hydrophones will allow researchers to track whale movements by listening to and recording their sounds along the shelf break in Clayoquot Canyon.
