Tyler Jessen

I am a PhD Candidate in the ACS lab broadly interested in understanding the effects of environmental change on wildlife populations. My current research focuses on coastal mountain goats of British Columbia. Mountain goats are an iconic alpine species with significant cultural value for coastal First Nations that is vulnerable to climate change and other stressors. In collaboration with the Kitasoo-Xai’xais First Nation, I am investigating the conservation status and drivers of change in coastal goat populations. I am interested in coupling non-invasive research techniques with Indigenous Knowledge to generate research that is locally meaningful and globally relevant.

My research is made possible by the support from the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation, BC Parks, Raincoast Conservation Foundation, and a NSERC Vanier scholarship. I hold a M.Sc. from the University of Calgary, and a B.Sc. and B.A. from the University of California at Santa Cruz.

Publications:

Barrueto, M., Jessen, T. D., Diepstraten, R., & Musiani, M. (2023). Density and genetic diversity of grizzly bears at the northern edge of their distribution. Ecosphere (Washington, D.C)14(6). Open Access.

Jessen, T.D., Service, C., Poole, K., Burton, C., Bateman, A. Paquet, P.C., and Darimont, C.T. (2022). Indigenous peoples as sentinels of change in human-wildlife relationships: mountain goat conservation status in Kitasoo/Xai’xais Territory. Conservation Science and Practice, 4(4). Open Access.

Jessen, T.D., Ban, N.C., Claxton, N.X., and Darimont, C.T. (2022) Contributions of Indigenous Knowledge to ecological and evolutionary understanding. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment20(2), 93–101. Open Access.

Diepstraten, R., Jessen, T.D., Fauville, C., and Musiani, M. (2018). Does climate change and plant phenology research neglect the arctic tundra? Biosphere 9(9), e02362. Open Access.

Fauvelle, C. Diepstraten, R. and Jessen, T.D. (2017). A meta-analysis of home range studies in the context of trophic levels: Implications for policy-based conservation. PLoS ONE 12(3): e0173361. Open Access.

Jessen, T.D., Wang, Y. and Wilmers C.C. (2017). Habitat fragmentation alters competitive dynamics of an invasive tree squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis. Biological Invasions 20(3), 607-618. Open Access.