Aaron Wirsing

  • Professor
    • : 206-543-1585
  • Visit Aaron's website

    • Aaron J. Wirsing

    • Professor

    Research areas

    A.B., Biology, Bowdoin College
    M.S., Wildlife Resources, University of Idaho
    Ph.D., Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University

    Autumn 2026-27 Admissions: Please reach out to Professor Wirsing to inquire about their ability to admit new students.

    Courses

    • ESRM 350 | Wildlife Biology and Conservation (5) - Autumn
    • ESRM 450 | Wildlife Ecology and Conservation (5) - Winter

    Current sponsored projects

    • A Study of Snow Leopard Ecology in Kyrgyzstan

    • Assessing Wolf-Cougar Interactions and Impacts in Washington

    • Does Anti-predator Behavior Modify Indirect Effects of Top Predators?

    • Interactions between wolves and cougars in NE Washington

    • Using accelerometers to understand the hunting success of cougars in a human-dominated landscape

    Selected publications

    Kilfoil, J. P., G. Krohn, E. E. G. Clua, S. Planes, K. R. Gastrich, M. R. Heithaus, and A. J. Wirsing. 2024. Divergent learning responses to a spatially consistent olfactory stimulus in two reef shark species. Marine Ecology Progress Series 738: 151-160.

    Dedman, S., J. H. Moxley, Y. P. Papastamatiou, M. Braccini, J. E. Caselle, D. D. Chapman, J. E. Cinner, E. M. Dillon, N. K. Dulvy, R. E. Dunn, M. Espinoza, A. R. Harborne, E. S. Harvey, M. R. Heupel, C. Huveneers, N. A. J. Graham, J. T. Ketchum, N. V. Klinard, A. A. Kock, C. G. Lowe, M. A. McNeil, E. M. P. Madin, D. J. McCauley, M. G. Meekan, A. C. Meier, C. A. Simpfendorfer, M. T. Tinker, M. Winton, A. J. Wirsing, M. R. Heithaus. 2024. Ecological roles and importance of sharks in the Anthropocene Ocean. Science 385: eadl2362.

    Kachel, S. M.*, R. Bayrakcismith, Z. Kubanychbekov, R. Kulenbekov, T. McCarthy, B. Weckworth, and A. Wirsing. 2023. Ungulate spatiotemporal responses to contrasting predation risk from wolves and snow leopards. Journal of Animal Ecology 92: 142-157.

    Wirsing, A. J., J. J. Kiszka, A. C. Allen, and M. R. Heithaus. 2022. Ecological roles and importance of sea cows (Order: Sirenia): a review and prospectus. Marine Ecology Progress Series 689: 191-215.

    Dellinger, J. A., C. R. Shores, A. Craig, M. R. Heithaus, W. J. Ripple, and A. J. Wirsing. 2019. ​Habitat use of sympatric prey suggests divergent anti-predator responses to recolonizing gray wolves. Oecologia 189: 487-500.

    Ripple, W. J., C. Wolf, T. M. Newsome, M. Hoffmann, A. J. Wirsing, and D. J. McCauley. 2017. Extinction risk is most acute for the world’s largest and smallest vertebrates. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 114: 10678-10683.

    Newsome, T. C., A. C. Greenville, D. Ćirović, C. R. Dickman, C. N. Johnson, M. Krofel, M. Letnic, W. J. Ripple, E. G. Ritchie, S. Stoyanov, and A. J. Wirsing. 2017. Top predators constrain mesopredator distributions. Nature Communications 8: 15469.

    Wirsing, A. J., M. R. Heithaus, and A. Frid. 2014. Cross-fertilizing aquatic and terrestrial research to understand predator risk effects. WIREs Water 2014.

    Ripple, W. J., J. A. Estes, R. L. Beschta, C. C. Wilmers, E. G. Ritchie, M. Hebblewhite, J. Berger, B. Elmhagen, M. Letnic, M. P. Nelson, O. J. Schmitz, D. W. Smith, A. D. Wallach, and A. J. Wirsing. 2014. Status and ecological effects of the world’s largest carnivores. Science 343: 1241484(2014).

    Wirsing, A. J., K. E. Cameron, and M. R. Heithaus. 2010. Spatial responses to predators vary with prey escape mode.  Animal Behaviour 79: 531-537.