Matt Betts

Co-Principal Investigator

I study the ways that landscape composition and pattern influence animal behavior, species distributions and ecosystem function. As humans are one of the primary drivers of landscape characteristics globally, much of my work is applied and focused on management and conservation. However, understanding mechanisms is key to generalization, so a central part of my research program is basic in nature and links landscape ecology to behavioral and population ecology. The complexity of ecological systems requires powerful tools that extend beyond ecology into other disciplines - particularly mathematics and computer science. Members of my lab engage actively in such interdisciplinary collaborations.