Mark Hipfner
Research Associate, Simon Fraser University; and
Seabird Population Biologist, Canadian Wildlife Service, Pacific andYukon Region
RR#1 5421 Robertson Road
Delta, British Columbia, V4K 3N2
Phone: (604) 940-4720
Fax: (604) 946-7022
Education
2000PhD, BiopsychologyMemorial University of Newfoundland
1996 MSc, Biology University of Ottawa
1986 BSc, Wildlife Biology University of Guelph
Research interests
Since 1989, I have conducted research on many aspects of seabird biology and marine ecology in Alaska, Canada's eastern Arctic, Newfoundland and Labrador, and British Columbia. Research topics that have been of particular interest include: (1) the evolutionary ecology of the Alcidae; (2) parental investment decisions, especially related to egg production; (3) causes and consequences of variation in egg size and composition, both within and among species; (4) factors affecting offspring growth and development, and their consequences for condition at time of nest departure; and (5) the ecological and demographic responses of seabird populations to changes in environmental conditions. Since 2001, I have directed the Centre for Wildlife Ecology's seabird research and monitoring program at Triangle Island, BC. This research program aims to integrate pure and applied science to provide a more thorough understanding of seabird biology, linking processes operating at the individual level with processes operating at the population level. The ultimate goal is to enable enactment of effective conservation strategies for marine wildlife. Follow the link to learn more about Triangle Island and the CWE's seabird research program, including former and current graduate student projects.
Link to Triangle Island Seabird Research and Monitoring Program
Some recent publications
Hipfner, J.M., K. Charleton and W.E. Davies. In press. Rates and consequences of relaying in Cassin’s auklets and rhinoceros auklets breeding in a seasonal environment. Journal of Avian Biology.
Gaston, A.J., K. Woo and J.M. Hipfner. 2003. Trends in forage fish populations in northern Hudson Bay since 1981, as determined from the diet of nestling Thick-billed Murres Uria lomvia. Arctic 56: 227-233.
Hipfner, J.M., A.J. Gaston, G.R. Herzberg, J.T. Brosnan and A.E. Storey. 2003. Egg composition in relation to female age and relaying: constraints on egg production in Thick-billed Murres. Auk 120: 645-657.
Gaston, A.J., J.M. Hipfner and D.G. Campbell. 2002. Heat and mosquitoes cause mortality and breeding failure in an arctic-nesting seabird. Ibis 144: 185-191.
Hipfner, J.M. and A.J. Gaston. 2002. Growth of Thick-billed Murre chicks in relation to parental experience and hatching date. Auk 119: 827-832.
Hipfner, J.M. 2001. Fitness-related consequences of relaying in an arctic seabird: survival of offspring to recruitment age. Auk 118: 1076-1080.
Hipfner, J.M., A.J. Gaston and A.E. Storey. 2001. Nest-site safety predicts the relative investment made in first and replacement eggs by two long-lived seabirds. Oecologia 129: 234-242.
Bryant, R., I.L. Jones and J.M. Hipfner. 1999. Responses to changes in prey availability by Common Murres and Thick-billed Murres at the Gannet Islands, Labrador. Canadian Journal of Zoology 77: 1278-1287.
Hipfner, J.M. and A.J. Gaston. 1999. Timing of nest departure in the Thick-billed Murre and Razorbill: tests of Ydenberg’s model. Ecology 80: 587-596.
Hipfner, J.M. and A.J. Gaston. 1999. The relationship between egg size and posthatching development in the Thick-billed Murre. Ecology 80: 1289-1297.
Hipfner, J.M., A.J. Gaston, D.L. Martin and I.L. Jones. 1999. Seasonal declines inreplacement egg-layings in a long-lived, arctic seabird: costs of late breeding or variation in female quality? Journal of Animal Ecology 68: 988-998.
Birds of North America accounts
Hipfner, J.M. and G. Chapdelaine. 2002. Razorbill (Alca torda). In The Birds of North America, No. 635 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.
Gaston, A.J. and J.M. Hipfner. 2000. Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia). In The Birds of North America, No. 497 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.