Grant Gilchrist
Current research and/or projects
Contributing to Environment Canada's mandate to ensure wildlife is conserved and protected
- Population dynamics of sea ducks and pelagic seabirds in the Eastern Arctic and West Greenland in relation to harvest, avian disease, sea ice, and climate change
- Research of foraging behaviour, diet, endogenous reserve dynamics, and predator-prey relationships
- Surveys of seabird distribution in both summer and winter to identity key marine habitats in the Arctic
- Studies that focus on harvest and ecological knowledge of marine birds by Aboriginal peoples. Important to ensure sustainable harvest, as well as incorporating Aboriginal needs into the conservations and management strategies of northern Canada and Greenland
Professional activities / interests
Canadian representative, Circumpolar Seabird Group (CBIRD), part of the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) Agreement
Member, Sea Duck Joint Venture Scientific Technical Committee (North American Waterfowl Management Plan)
Chair, Northern Studies Trust Committee, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Conducting and supervising wildlife research at Carleton, other universities, and as a Network Investigator in the ArcticNet Network of Centres of Excellence Program (currently overseeing Ph.D. and 2 M.Sc. students, and 3 Post Doctoral Research Associates)
Education and awards
Ph.D. Zoology, University of British Columbia, 1995
Contributing author, Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, 2005
Key publications
Gilliland, S., H.G. Gilchrist, R.F. Rockwell, G.J. Robertson, J.P. Savard, F.R. Merkel and A. Mosbech. 2008. Evaluating the harvest of northern common eiders in Greenland and Canada. Wildlife Biology. In press.
Heath, J.P., H.G. Gilchrist and R.C. Ydenberg. 2007. Diving by common eiders foraging in an Arctic polynya under variable current velocities: field tests of theoretical dive cycle models. Animal Behavior 73(5): 877-844.
Robertson, G.J., H.G. Gilchrist and M.L. Mallory. 2007. Colony dynamics and persistence of Ivory Gulls breeding in Canada. Avian Conservation and Ecology - Ecologie et Conservation des Oiseaux 2(2):8.
Gaston, A.J., H.G. Gilchrist and J.M. Hipfner. 2005. Climate change, ice conditions and reproduction in an Arctic nesting marine bird: the thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia, L.). J. Animal Ecology 74(5): 832-841. [doi:10.1111/j.1365-2656.2005.00982.x]
Gilchrist, H.G. and M.L. Mallory. 2005. Declines in the abundance and distribution of the ivory gull (Pagophila ebernea) in Arctic Canada. Biological Conservation 121: 303-309.
Gilchrist, H.G., M.L. Mallory and F.R. Merkel. 2005. Can Local Ecological Knowledge contribute to wildlife management? Case studies of migratory birds. Ecology and Society 10:(1) 20.
Contact
Research facility
Expertise
Affiliations
Adjunct Professor, Biological Sciences, Carleton University
Adjunct Professor, Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology, Memorial University
Honorary Research Associate, University of New Brunswick