Ellen O. Aikens
Zoology & Physiology
Assistant Professor
Education:
PhD in Ecology, University of Wyoming
BS in Biology and Environmental Studies, Ursinus College
Areas of focus: Animal movement, migration, environmental data science, ungulates, raptors, spatial ecology.
Background and Expertise
Dr. Ellen O. Aikens is a quantitative wildlife ecologist whose research is rooted in applied data science. Ellen holds a joint appointment with the School of Computing and the Haub School. A primary goal of Ellen’s research is to produce knowledge that advances ecological understanding, while also addressing critical conservation and management issues. Her research merges animal tracking, remote sensing, and field research to gain insights into the resource and habitat requirements of wildlife. This approach helps to define critical habitat for wildlife, understand wildlife responses to environmental change, and plan large landscape conservation efforts. Much of her current research focuses on highly mobile species, including migratory mammals and birds.
Selected publications
Aikens EO, E Nourani, W Fiedler, M Wikelski and A Flack (2024). Learning shapes the development of migratory behavior. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 121 (12), e2306389121. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2306389121
Aikens EO, I Bontekoe, L Blumenstiel, A Schlicksupp, and A Flack (2022). Viewing animal migration through a social lens. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 37(11): 985-996. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2022.06.008
Aikens EO, Wyckoff TB, H Sawyer, and MJ Kauffman (2022). Industrial energy development decouples ungulate migration from the green wave. Nature Ecology and Evolution 6(11):1733–1741. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-022-01887-9
Aikens EO, A Mysterud, JA Merkle, F Cagnacci, IM Rivrud, M Hebblewhite, MA Hurley, W Peters, S Bergen, J De Groeve, SPH Dwinnell, B Gehr, M Heurich, AJM Hewison, A Jarnemo, P Kjellander, M Kröschel, A Licoppe, JDC Linnell, EH Merrill, AD Middleton, N Morellet, L Neufeld, AC Ortega, KL Parker, L Pedrotti, KM Proffitt, S Said, H Sawyer, BM Scurlock, J Signer, P Stent, P Šustr, T Szkorupa, KL Monteith and MJ Kauffman (2020). Wave-like patterns of plant phenology determine ungulate movement tactics. Current Biology 30(17): 3444-3449.e4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.06.032
Aikens EO, KL Monteith, JA Merkle, SPH Dwinnell, GL Fralick, MJ Kauffman (2020). Drought reshuffles plant phenology and impedes green-wave surfing for a migratory ungulate. Global Change Biology 26: 4215– 4225. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15169
Aikens EO, MJ Kauffman, JA Merkle, SPH Dwinnell, GL Fralick, KL Monteith (2017). The greenscape shapes surfing of resource waves in a large migratory herbivore. Ecology Letters 20(6): 741-750. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.12772
