Brent Patterson

Research Scientist

Wildlife Research & Development Section
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
Trent Faculty Webpage

Background:

I have been a Field Research Scientist with the OMNR, and an adjunct professor at Trent University, since August 2001. Prior to this I worked for 3 years as a biologist for the Government of Nunavut in the central Canadian Arctic where I studied caribou, muskox, and wolverines. I cut my teeth as a wildlife biologist leading an assessment of the effects of logging and coyote predation on deer populations in Nova Scotia from 1992-97.

Research Area:

My present areas of concentration focus on understanding the population dynamics of wolves, moose and white-tailed deer. For more information about projects I am working on visit my Trent University web site.

Graduate Education:

M.Sc. Acadia University, 1995
Ph.D. University of Saskatchewan, 1999

Cross-Appointments:

Watershed Ecosystems Graduate Studies, Trent University
Zoology Department, University of Guelph

Graduate Students

I supervise graduate students (Trent University) or serve on graduate student committees through cross-appointments. Students interested in graduate opportunities should check the Trent University web site .

Publications

Mills, K.J., B.R. Patterson, and D.L. Murray. Unbiased estimation of early survival and movements in eastern wolf pups. Submitted to Journal of Wildlife Management, September 2006.
Crawshaw, G.J., Mills, K.J., Mosley, C., and B.R. Patterson. Field Implantation of Intraperitoneal radiotransmitters in Eastern Wolf (Canis Lycaon) Pups Using Inhalation Anesthesia With Sevoflurane. Submitted to Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, August 2006.
Nagy, J.A, Veitch, A., Branigan, M., Zittlau, K., Larter, N., Cooley, D., Patterson, B.R., and C. Strobeck. Defining herds within the range of "Bluenose” barrenground caribou. Submitted to Journal of Wildlife Management, Dec 2004.
Kyle, C.J., Johnson, A.R. Patterson, B.R., P.J. Wilson, and B.N. White. The conspecific nature of eastern and red wolves: conservation and management implications. Conservation Genetics 8: In Press
Patterson, B.R., and D.L. Murray. In Review. Flawed Population Viability Analysis Can Lead To Misleading Population Status Assessment: A Case Study For Wolves In Algonquin Park, Canada. Submitted to Biological Conservation, February 2007.
Argue, A., K.J. Mills, and B.R. Patterson. In Review. Behavioural response of eastern wolves (Canis lycaon) to disturbance at homesites and its effects on pup survival.
Mills, K.J., B.R. Patterson, and D.L. Murray. In Review. Unbiased estimation of early survival and movements in eastern wolf pups.
Crawshaw, G.J., K.J. Mills, C. Mosley, and B.R. Patterson. Field implantation of intraperitoneal radiotransmitters in Eastern Wolf (Canis Lycaon) pups using inhalation anesthesia with sevoflurane. Journal of Wildlife Diseases, in press.
Vors, L.S., J.A. Schaefer, B.A. Pond, A.R. Rodgers, and B.R. Patterson. 2007. Woodland caribou extirpation and anthropogenic landscape disturbance in Ontario. Journal of Wildlife Management 71: 1249-1256.
Heisey, D.M., and B.R. Patterson. 2006. A review of methods to estimate cause-specific mortality in presence of competing risks. Journal of Wildlife Management 70(6):1544-1555. Sample data and SPLUS code from Heisey and Patterson
Murray, D.L., and B.R. Patterson. 2006. Wildlife Survival Estimation: Recent Advances and Future Directions. Journal of Wildlife Management 70(6):1499-1503.
Mills, K.J., B.R. Patterson, and D.L. Murray. 2006. Effects of variable sampling frequencies on gps transmitter efficiency and estimated wolf home range size and movement distance. Wildlife Society Bulletin 34(5):1463-1469.
Kyle, C.J., Johnson, A.R. Patterson, B.R., P.J. Wilson, K. Shami, S. Grewal, and B.N. White. 2006. Genetic Nature of Eastern Wolves: past, present and future. Conservation Genetics 7: 273-287.
Chappell, D.E., R.A. Van Den Bussche, J. Krizan, and B.R. Patterson. 2004. Contrasting levels of genetic differentiation among populations of wolverines (Gulo gulo) from northern Canada revealed by nuclear and mitochondrial loci. Conservation Genetics 5:759-767.
Muntz, E.M. and B.R. Patterson. 2004. Evidence for the Use of Vocalization to Coordinate the Killing of a White-Tailed Deer by Eastern Coyotes. Canadian Field Naturalist 118:278-280.
Patterson, B.R., N.W.S. Quinn, E.F. Becker, and D.B. Meier. 2004. Estimating wolf densities in forested areas using network sampling of tracks in snow. Wildlife Society Bulletin 32: 938-947.
Patterson, B.R., Olsen, B., and D.O. Joly. 2004. Population estimate for the Bluenose-east caribou herd using post calving photography. Arctic 57: 47-58.
Patterson, B.R., and F. Messier. 2003. Age and condition of deer killed by coyotes in Nova Scotia. Canadian Journal of Zoology 81:1894-1891.
Joly, D.O. and B.R. Patterson. 2003. Use of selection indices to model the functional response of predators. Ecology 84: 1634-1639.
Smith, P.A., Schaefer, J.A., and B.R. Patterson. 2002. Variation at high latitudes: the geography of body size and cranial morphology of the muskox, Ovibos moschatus. Journal of Biogeography 29: 1089-1094.
Patterson, B.R., MacDonald, B.A., Lock, B.A., Anderson, D.A., and L.K. Benjamin. 2002. Proximate Factors limiting population growth of white-tailed deer in Nova Scotia. Journal of Wildlife Management 66: 511-521.
Patterson, B.R., and V.A. Power. 2002. Contributions of forage competition, harvest, and climate fluctuation to changes in population growth of northern white-tailed deer. Oecologia 130:62-71.
Patterson, B. R., and F. Messier. 2001. Social organization and space-use of coyotes in Eastern Canada relative to prey distribution and abundance. Journal of Mammalogy 82:463-477.
Patterson, B.R., Benjamin, L.K., and F. Messier. 2000. Winter nutritional condition of eastern coyotes in relation to prey density. Canadian Journal of Zoology 78:420-427.
Patterson, B.R., and F. Messier. 2000. Factors Influencing Killing Rates of White-Tailed Deer by Coyotes in Eastern Canada. Journal of Wildlife Management 64:721-732.
Patterson, B.R., Bondrup-Nielsen, S., and F. Messier. 1999. Daily movements and activity patterns of the coyote in Nova Scotia. Canadian Field-Naturalist 113:251-257.
Patterson, B.R., Benjamin, L.K., and F. Messier. 1998. Prey Switching and the Feeding Habits of Eastern Coyotes in Relation to Snowshoe Hare and White-Tailed Deer Densities. Canadian Journal of Zoology 76:1885-1897.
Patterson, B.R. 1994. Surplus killing of white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus, by coyotes, Canis latrans, in Nova Scotia. Canadian Field-Naturalist 108: 484-487.

Contact Info:

Brent.Patterson at ontario.ca
Tel: 705-755-1553
Fax: 705-755-1559
Office Location: Trent University, Peterborough Ontario

Mailing Address:

Wildlife Research and Development Section
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
Trent University
2140 East Bank Drive
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada K9J 7B8

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