Understanding how restoration reduces competition for habitat by combining theory, observation, and experiment.

Habitat selection theory enables inferences about species habitat choice across a range of observed population densities. However, it is relatively uncommon to use habitat selection theory in studies of habitat restoration efficacy to understand the effect of restoration on habitat competition. We combined observational density data and resource selection functions to analyze habitat correlations with both habitat selection theory and a mark-recapture experiment to show how habitat restoration can mitigate competition between species with similar habitat preferences.

Unstable population dynamics in obligate co-operators.

Cooperation significantly impacts a species' population dynamics as individuals choose others to associate with based upon fitness opportunities. Models of these dynamics typically assume that individuals can freely move between groups. Such an assumption works well for facultative co-operators (e.