We conduct research in community
ecology, restoration ecology, and conservation biology
in the School of
Environmental Studies at the University of Victoria.
Broadly, this research takes three forms, but focuses
on the determinants of local diversity in light of
climate change. In particular, we work
in the field, conducting experiments and observational
studies to look at changes in community pattern and
structure of alpine plant communities in the Coast
Mountains of southwestern British Columbia and the
bog/tundra habitats from low to high elevation on the
Central Coast, with support from the Hakai Beach
Institute on Calvert Island. We
also do lab and field-based
microcosm experiments (typically with moss and their
associated microarthropods, see here,
but also with other useful systems) to test the
effects of warming and landscape change on speciose
communities. Finally,
we conduct meta-analyses of large data sets, especially
with regard to trophic structure and diversity
sampling issues. One of our main goals is to
have interesting experimental field work balanced with
rigorous analysis of available datasets.
B.M. Starzomski. In press. Novel ecosystems and climate
change. In: Hobbs, R.J., E.S. Higgs and C. Hall (eds). Novel
Ecosystems: when and how do we intervene in the new
ecological world order? Blackwell.
Hulvey, K.B., L.M. Hallett, R.J. Standish, B.M. Starzomski,
K.N. Suding S.D. Murphy, P. Kennedy, C.R. Nelson, M.R.
Gardener. In press. Incorporating Novel Ecosystems into
Management Frameworks. In: Hobbs, R.J., E.S. Higgs and C.
Hall (eds). Novel Ecosystems: when and how do we intervene
in the new ecological world order? Blackwell.
L.M. Hallett, R.J. Standish, K.B. Hulvey, M.R. Gardener,
K.N. Suding, B.M. Starzomski, S.D. Murphy, J.A. Harris, C.R.
Nelson. In press. Towards a conceptual framework for the
management of novel ecosystems. In: Hobbs, R.J., E.S. Higgs
and C. Hall (eds). Novel Ecosystems: when and how do we
intervene in the new ecological world order?
Blackwell.
B.M. Starzomski In press. Clarity, confusion, and idea
refining in ecology. Ideas in Ecology and Evolution.
Straka, J. R., and B. M. Starzomski. 2012. Reply to
Bortolus: what’s in a name? Trends in Ecology &
Evolution. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2012.08.003.
B.M. Starzomski. 2012. Indicators of Ecosystem Change.
Encyclopedia of Quality of Life Research. Springer.
B.M. Starzomski. 2012. Climate change and the conservation
of BC’s leading-edge species at risk. Pacific Institute for
Climate Solutions Briefing Note 2012-40.
Harper, K.A., K.P. Lewis, D.L. De Fields, R.K. Danby, A.
Trant, B.M. Starzomski, R. Savidge, L. Hermanutz. 2011.
Changes in the spatial pattern of trees across the
forest-tundra ecotone at treeline sites across Canada.
Canadian Journal of Forest Research
Silver, R.S., N. K. Dawe, B.M. Starzomski, K. L. Parker, D.
W. Nagorsen. 2011. A tribute to Ian McTaggart-Cowan,
1910-2010, O.C., O.B.C., PhD, LL.D, F.R.S.C. Canadian
Field-Naturalist B: 367-383.
Starzomski, B.M., D.
Suen, and D.S. Srivastava 2010. Predation and
facilitation determine chironomid emergence in a
bromeliad-insect food web. Ecological Entomology 35: 53-60.
-Featured on Dr. Carin Bondar's 'Paper
of the week'
Gibson, S.Y., R.C. van der Marel, and B.M. Starzomski 2009.
Climate change and conservation of leading-edge peripheral
populations. Conservation
Biology. 23: 1369-1373. doi: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01375.x
Starzomski, B.M., and C.D. Brown. 2009. Ecology, evolution
and genetics join together on Canada's east coast. Biology
Letters. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2009.0489.
Thompson, R.M., Starzomski, B., Hemberg, M. and Shurin, J.
2009. The ubiquity of omnivory. Verhandlungen Internationale
Vereinigung für theoretische und angewandte Limnologie
30(5): 761–764. pdf
Starzomski, B.M., R.L. Parker and D.S. Srivastava.
2008. On the relationship between regional and local
species richness: a test of saturation theory. Ecology
89: 1921-1930. pdf
Ngai, J.T., K. Kirby, B. Gilbert, B.M. Starzomski**, A.J.D.
Pelletier, and R. Connor. 2008. The effects of land-use
change on larval insect communities in Costa Rican
bromeliads. Ecoscience. 15(2): 160-168. ** order of
first four authors assigned randomly pdf
Vellend, M., Lilley, P. and B.M. Starzomski. 2008. Using
subsets of taxa in biodiversity sampling. Journal of Applied
Ecology. 45: 161-169. pdf
Starzomski, B.M. and D.S. Srivastava. 2007. Landscape
geometry determines community response to disturbance.
Oikos 116: 690-699. pdf
Thompson, R., M. Hemberg, B.M. Starzomski, and J. Shurin.
2007. Trophic levels and trophic tangles: the prevalence of
omnivory in real food webs. Ecology 88:
612-617. pdf
Starzomski, B.M. 2007. A review of population and landscape
research in the greater Kejimkujik Ecosystem. Parks
Canada Agency.
Thompson, R.M. and B.M. Starzomski. 2007. What
does biodiversity do? A review for policy-makers and
managers. Biodiversity and Conservation 16: 1359-1378
pdf
Starzomski, B.M., B.J. Cardinale, J.A. Dunne, M.J. Hillery,
C.A. Holt, M.A. Krawchuk, M. Lage, S. McMahon, and M. C.
Melnychuk. 2004. Contemporary visions of progress in
ecology, and thoughts for the future. Ecology and
Society 9(1):14 [online] http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol9/iss1/art14/index.html
Starzomski, B.M. and Bondrup-Nielsen, S. 2002.
Analysis of movement dynamics and consequences for
metapopulation structure of the forked fungus beetle,
Bolitotherus cornutus (Tenebrionidae). Ecoscience
9(1):20-27. pdf
Starzomski, B. and Bondrup-Nielsen, S. 2002.
Self-organization in ecosystem structure and function:
implications for environmental management. In: Eds.
Bondrup-Nielsen, S., Munro, N.W.P., Nelson, G., Willison,
N.W.P., Herman, T.B. and P. Eagles. Managing Protected Areas
in a Changing World. Proceedings of the Fourth International
Conference on Science and the Management of Protected Areas.
Published by Science and the Management of Protected Areas
Association. pp. 505-514.
Rael, R. and B. Starzomski. 2004. Integrating food web
structure and dynamics: effects of targeted
extinction. Proceedings of the Complex Systems Summer
School, Santa Fe Institute, June 2004.
