Travis Steffens

I am an Assistant Professor at the University of Guelph that studies lemurs in Madagascar leveraging a One Health approach. My broad interests include conservation ecology, biogeography, landscape ecology, zoonotic disease transmission, community conservation and international development. My current research is focussed on applying a One Health approach to understanding disease tranmission dynamics between lemurs, humans, and domestic animals.

Publications:

Steffens T.S. and Lehman S.M. (Accepted). Landscape ecology of deforestation processes and lemur biogeography in Madagascar. In GPS and GIS for Primatologists: A Practical Guide to Spatial Analysis. Cambridge University Press.

Steffens T.S. and Lehman S.M. (2019). Species-area relationships of lemurs in a fragmented landscape in Madagascar. American Journal of Primatology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.22972

Steffens T.S. and Lehman S.M. (2018). Lemur Species-specific Metapopulation Responses to Habitat Loss and Fragmentation. PLOS ONE. 13(5):e0195791. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0195791

Steffens T.S. and Lehman S.M. (2016) Factors determining Microcebus abundance in a fragmented landscape. In Evolutionary Biology and Ecology of the Cheirogaleidae. Cambridge University Press. p.447-497. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139871822.026

Behie, A. M., Steffens, T. S., Wyman, T. M., & Pavelka, M. S. (2015). Hurricanes and coastlines: The role of natural disasters in the speciation of howler monkeys. in Taxonomic Tapestries. Behie, A. M., & Oxenham, M. F. (Eds.). ANU Press. p.75-92. http://dx.doi.org/10.22459/TT.05.2015

Valenta, K., Steffens, T. S., Rafaliarison, R. R., Chapman, C. A., & Lehman, S. M. (2015). Seed banks in savanna, forest fragments, and continuous forest edges differ in a tropical dry forest in Madagascar. Biotropica, 47(4), 435-440. https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.12228

Pavelka M.S.M., McGoogan K.C., & Steffens T.S.(2007). Population size and characteristics of Alouatta pigra before and after a major hurricane. International Journal of Primatology, 28, p. 919-929. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-007-9136-6

Peer Reviewed Submitted and In Preparation:

Steffens T.S., Mercado Malabet F.M, & Lehman S.M. (In Review). Lemur species-specific landscape scale responses to habitat loss. American Journal of Primatology

Steffens T.S., Ramsay M.S., & Lehman S.M. (In Review). Enter the matrix: habitat use by Microcebusspp. in a fragmented landscape. Folia Primatologica

Steffens T.S. Aylward M. (In Prep). Lemur distribution and resident attitudes towards changing forest in Ankarafantsika National Park, Madagascar.

Steffens T.S., Abdul H., Rabe H., & Razafitsalama M. (In Prep). Change in resident knowledge and attitudes towards conservation of lemurs following conservation action.

Other Publications:

Epley T.M, Patel E.R., Steffens T.S. (Submitted). Avahi occidentalis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Steffens T.S. (2017) Biogeographic Patterns of Lemur Species Richness and Occurrence in a Fragmented Landscape. Doctoral Thesis Dissertation University of Toronto. TSpace. Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/1807/78733

Steffens T.S.(2017) Sustainable Forest Communities in Madagascar. Far Afield 9(1):32

Steffens T.S.(2015) Madagascar’s Limestone Labyrinth. Far Afield 6(2):19-22

Steffens T.S. (2014) Cape Town Chow Down. The BackBeat Blog.

Steffens T.S. (2014) Beat the Winter Blues. The BackBeat Blog.

Steffens T.S. (2014) Bizarre and Beautiful: Five Amazing Creatures Found Only in Madagascar. Huffington Post The Blog.

Steffens T.S. (2013) The Truth Behind the Movie, Madagascar. The Compass Blog.

Steffens T.S. (2009) When the smoke settles. Nashwaak Review. 22:282-285

Steffens T.S. (2009) Madagascar, Nashwaak Review. 22:285-288

Steffens T.S. (2007) Determining the habitat features associated with the distribution of the black howler monkey (Alouatta pigra) within Belize, Central America. Masters Thesis University of Calgary. Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/1880/102358