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Deb Wilson

Research Associate
Ecosystems & Conservation
Deb Wilson
Phone
+64 3 470 7212
Location
Dunedin
Contact Deb

Research interests

Research interests:

Population dynamics of small mammals and their prey species.

Ecological impacts of invasive mammals and habitat change on native biota.

Estimating the population density of mammals, lizards and birds.


A full list of publications is here: ‪‪Google Scholar citations


Qualifications

British Columbia
PhD Population Ecology
1999

Toronto
MSc Plant Ecology
1993

Waterloo
BMath (Hons)
1978

Publications

Innes JG, Norbury G, Samaniego A, Walker S, Wilson DJ 2023. Rodent management in Aotearoa New Zealand: approaches and challenges to landscape-scale control. Integrative Zoology. WOS:000969147400001 https://doi.org/10.1111/1749-4877.12719

Norbury G, Wilson DJ, Clarke D, Hayman E, Smith J, Howard S 2023. Density-impact functions for invasive house mouse (Mus musculus) effects on indigenous lizards and invertebrates. Biological Invasions 25(3): 801-815. WOS:001047608100009 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-022-02946-9

Woolley CK, Hartley S, Innes JG, Shanahan DF, van Heezik Y, Wilson DJ, Nelson NJ 2023. Conservation of skinks in New Zealand cities. Urban Ecosystems. WOS:001020423000001 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-023-01398-w

Miller KF, Wilson DJ, Hartley S, Innes JG, Fitzgerald NB, Miller P, van Heezik Y 2022. Invasive Urban Mammalian Predators: Distribution and Multi-Scale Habitat Selection. Biology 11(10): 1527. doi:10.3390/biology11101527

Watts C, Innes J, Wilson DJ, Thornburrow D, Bartlam S, Fitzgerald N, Cave V, Smale M, Barker G, Padamsee M 2022. Do mice matter? Impacts of house mice alone on invertebrates, seedlings and fungi at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 46(1). WOS:000759426700022 https://doi.org/10.20417/nzjecol.46.22

Wehi PM, Wilson DJ, Stone C, Ricardo H, Jones C, Jakob-Hoff R, Lyver POB 2021. Managing for cultural harvest of a valued introudced species, the Pacific rat (Rattus exulans) in Aotearoa New Zealand. Pacific Conservation Biology 27(4): 432-441. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1071/PC20094

McAulay JR, Monks JM, Wilson DJ, Seddon PJ 2021. Individual specialists within a generalist niche: variable diet of stoats and implications for conservation. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 45(2). WOS:000684942600005 https://doi.org/10.20420/nzjecol.45.29

Patterson CR, Seddon PJ, Wilson DJ, van Heezik Y 2021. Habitat-specific densities of urban brushtail possums. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 45(2). WOS:000684942600012 https://doi.org/10.20418/nzjecol.45.27

McAulay J, Seddon PJ, Wilson DJ, Monks JM 2020. Stable isotope analysis reveals variable diets of stoats (Mustela erminea) in the alpine zone of New Zealand. New Zealand journal of ecology 44: 3409. https://doi.org/https://dx.doi.org/10.20417/nzjecol.44.16

Ricardo H, Wilson DJ, Wehi PM 2020. Kiore (Rattus exulans) distribution and relative abundance on a small highly modified island. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 47(4): 350-359. WOS:000548020700001 https://doi.org/10.1080/03014223.2020.1785515

Woolley CK, Hartley S, Hitchmough RA, Innes JG, van Heezik Y, Wilson DJ, Nelson NJ 2019. Reviewing the past, present and potential lizard faunas of New Zealand cities. Landscape and Urban Planning 192. WOS:000491627700005 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2019.103647

Wilson DJ, Innes JG, Fitzgerald NB, Bartla S, Watts C, Smale MC 2018. Population dynamics of house mice without mammalian predators and competitors. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 42(2): 1-12. https://doi.org/10.201417/nzjecol.42.25

Wilson DJ, Mulvey RL, Clarke DA, Reardon JT 2017. Assessing and comparing population densities and indices of skinks under three predator management regimes. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 41(1): 84–97. https://doi.org/10.20417/nzjecol.41.7

Wilson DJ, Lyver POB, Greene TC, Whitehead AL, Dugger KM, Karl BJ, Barringer JRF, McGarry R, Pollard AM, Ainley DG 2017. South polar skua breeding populations in the Ross Sea assessed from demonstrated relationship with Adélie Penguin numbers. Polar Biology 40(3): 577–592. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-016-1980-4

Forsyth DM, Wilson DJ, Easdale TA, Kunstler G, Canham CD, Ruscoe WA, Wright EF, Murphy L, Gormley AM, Gaxiola A, Coomes DA 2015. Century-scale effects of invasive deer and rodents on the dynamics of forests growing on soils of contrasting fertility. Ecological Monographs 85(2): 157–180. https://doi.org/10.1890/14-0389.1

Canham CD, Ruscoe WA, Wright EF, Wilson DJ 2014. Spatial and temporal variation in tree seed production and dispersal in a New Zealand temperate rainforest. Ecosphere 5(4): 49. https://doi.org/10.1890/ES13-00384.1

Walker S, Wilson DJ, Norbury G, Monks A, Tanentzap AJ 2014. Complementarity of indigenous flora in shrublands and grasslands in a New Zealand dryland landscape. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 38(2): 230–241.

Walker S, Wilson DJ, Norbury G, Monks A, Tanentzap AJ 2014. Effects of secondary shrublands on bird, lizard and invertebrate faunas in a dryland landscape. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 38(2): 242–256.

Schadewinkel RB, Senior AM, Wilson DJ, Jamieson IG 2014. Effects on South Island robins (Petroica australis) from pest control using aerially applied 1080 poison. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 38(2): 315–321.

Wilson DJ, Norbury G, Walker S 2014. How does woody succession affect population densities of passerine birds in New Zealand drylands? New Zealand Journal of Ecology 38(2): 257–267.

Pickerell GA, O'Donnell CFJ, Wilson DJ, Seddon PJ 2014. How can we detect introduced mammalian predators in non-forest habitats? A comparison of techniques. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 38(1): 86–102.

Dupuch A, Morris DW, Ale SB, Wilson DJ, Moore DE 2014. Landscapes of fear or competition? Predation did not alter habitat choice by Arctic rodents. Oecologia 174(2): 403–412. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-013-2792-7

Krebs CJ, Bilodeau F, Reid D, Gauthier G, Kenney AJ, Gilbert S, Duchesne D, Wilson DJ 2012. Are lemming winter nest counts a good index of population density? Journal of mammalogy 93(1): 87-92. https://doi.org/10.1644/11-mamm-a-137.1

MacKay J, Murphy EC, Anderson SH, Russell JC, Hauber ME, Wilson DJ, Clout MN 2011. A successful mouse eradication explained by site specific population data. In: Veitch CR, Clout MN, Towns DR ed. Proceedings: Island invasives: eradication and management, Gland, Switzerland. Pp. 198–203. http://www.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/edocs/ssc-op-042.pdf

Frank H, Wilson DJ 2011. Distribution, status and conservation measures for lizards in limestone areas of South Canterbury, New Zealand. New Zealand journal of zoology 38(1): 15-28. WOS:000288670100002 https://doi.org/10.1080/03014223.2010.520326

Smith DHV, Moller H, Wilson DJ, Murphy EC 2010. Prey switching by stoats (Mustela erminea): a supplemental food experiment. Wildlife research 37(7): 604-611. ISI:000285392300009 https://doi.org/10.1071/wr10088

Wilson DJ, Lee WG 2010. Primary and secondary resource pulses in an alpine ecosystem : snow tussock grass (Chionochloa spp.) flowering and house mouse (Mus musculus) populations in New Zealand. Wildlife research 37: 89-103.

Clayton RI, Wilson DJ, Dickinson KJM, West CJ 2008. Response of seedling communities to mammalian pest eradication on Ulva Island, Rakiura National Park, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 32(1): 103-107.

Smith DHV, Wilson DJ, Moller H, Murphy EC 2008. Using artificial nests to explore predation by introduced predators inhabiting alpine areas in New Zealand. New Zealand journal of zoology 35: 119-128.

Smith DHV, Wilson DJ, Moller H, Murphy EC, Pickerell G 2008. Stoat density, diet and survival compared between alpine grassland and beech forest habitats. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 32(2): 166-176. WOS:000262033600003

Smith DHV, Wilson DJ, Moller H, Murphy EC 2007. Selection of alpine grasslands over beech forest by stoats (Mustela erminea) in montane southern New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 31(1): 88-97.

Wilson DJ, Efford MG, Brown SJ, Williamson JF, McElrea GJ 2007. Estimating density of ship rats in New Zealand forests by capture-mark-recapture trapping. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 31(1): 47-59.

Wilson DJ, Mulvey RL, Clark RD 2007. Sampling skinks and geckos in artificial cover objects in a dry mixed grassland-shrubland with mammalian predator control. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 31(2): 169-185.

Wilson DJ, Wright EF, Canham CD, Ruscoe WA 2007. Neighbourhood analyses of tree seed predation by introduced rodents in a New Zealand temperate rainforest. Ecography 30(1): 105-119.

Wilson DJ, Grant AD, Parker N 2006. Diet of kakapo in breeding and non-breeding years on Codfish Island (Whenua Hou) and Stewart Island. Notornis 53(1): 80-89.

Wilson DJ, Ruscoe WA, Burrows LE, McElrea LM, Choquenot D 2006. An experimental study of the impacts of understorey forest vegetation and herbivory by red deer and rodents on seedling establishment and species composition in Waitutu Forest, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 30(2): 191-207.

Coomes DA, Allen RB, Bentley WA, Burrows LE, Canham CD, Fagan L, Forsyth DM, Gaxiola-Alcantar A, Parfitt RL, Ruscoe WA, Wardle DA, Wilson DJ, Wright EF 2005. The hare, the tortoise and the crocodile: the ecology of angiosperm dominance, conifer persistence and fern filtering. Journal of ecology 93(5): 918-935.

Ruscoe WA, Wilson D, McElrea L, McElrea G, Richardson SJ 2004. A house mouse (Mus musculus) population eruption in response to rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum) seedfall in southern New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 28(2): 259-265.

Wilson DJ, Lee WG, Webster RA, Allen RB 2003. Effects of possums and rats on seedling establishment at two forest sites in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 27(2): 147-155.

Walker NA, Henry HAL, Wilson DJ, Jefferies RL 2003. The dynamics of nitrogen movement in an Arctic salt marsh in response to goose herbivory: a parameterized model with alternate stable states. Journal of ecology 91(4): 637-650.

Wilson DJ, Bromley RG 2001. Functional and numerical responses of predators to cyclic lemming abundance: effects on loss of goose nests. Canadian journal of zoology 79(3): 525-532.

Wilson DJ, Krebs CJ, Sinclair T 1999. Limitation of collared lemming populations during a population cycle. Oikos 87(2): 382-398.

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Memberships

  • Trustee, Otago Natural History Trust