Seminar 9: Using Cameras and AI to Study Ecological Cascades and Global Change Biology

Speaker: Matthew Luskin Abstract: Four big questions in global change biology – and key threats for tropical rainforest community ecology – are the importance of: (1) trophic cascades, or the secondary food web impacts following carnivore declines; (2) deforestation and agricultural expansion, including the indirect effects such as fragmentation and edges; (3) protected areas effectiveness; and (4) climate change. In the first part of this talk, I will present four case studies from Asia using camera traps to study these topics and their impacts on multiple wildlife and/or tree populations (often both). In the second part of this talk, I will explain how The Wildlife Observatory of Australia is equipping Australia to autonomously monitor wildlife using camera traps and AI. I will also outline future research priorities and set an agenda for the datasets and quantitative skills required to address them. Brief Bio: Dr Matthew Luskin is a quantitative ecologist focusing on wildlife, plant-animal interactions, and food webs. He is the Director of the Wildlife Observatory of Australia (WildObs) and an Associate Professor at the University of Queensland. Matthew has a BA in Economics and Geography from UCLA and a PhD in Environmental Science from UC Berkeley. Before moving to Australia, he spent 10 years in the field in Asia with the National Geographic Society, the Smithsonian Institution, and multiple institutions in Singapore. More information about his lab and projects can be found at www.ecologicalcascades.com.