I am a behavioural ecologist with a particular fascination for marine mammals. My research interests lie at the interface of animal behaviour and distribution, population ecology and evolutionary biology and how to apply this information to better manage the conservation of wild populations and their associated environments. Addressing these questions requires quantitative and interdisciplinary approaches. Thus, I use an integrative approach involving field-intensive ecological and behavioural work coupled with ecological modelling and molecular analyses.

25. Codilean AT, Munack H, Saktura WM, Cohen TJ, Jacobs Z, Ulm S, Hesse PP, Heyman J, Peters KJ, Gillespie R, Williams AN, Saktura RBK, Rui X (2022). OCTOPUS Database v.2. Earth System Science Data 14: 3695-3713. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3695-2022

24. Peters KJ, Bury SJ, Hinton B, Betty EL, Casano-Bally D, Parra GJ, Stockin KA (2022). Too close for comfort? Isotopic niche segregation in New Zealand’s odontocetes. Biology 11(8):1179. https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/11/8/1179

23. Peters KJ, Stockin KA, Saltré F (2022). On the rise: Climate change in New Zealand will cause sperm and blue whales to seek higher latitudes. Ecological Indicators 142: 109235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.109235

22. Palmer E, Alexander A, Liggins L, Guerra M, Bury SJ, Hendriks H, Stockin KA, Peters KJ (2022). A piece of the puzzle: analyses of recent strandings and historical records reveal new genetic and ecological insights on New Zealand sperm whales. Marine Ecology Progress Series 690: 201-217. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps14051

21. Parra GJ, Wojtkowiak Z, Peters KJ, Cagnazzi D (2022). Isotopic niche overlap between sympatric Australian snubfin and humpback dolphins. Ecology and Evolution 12(5): e8937. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8937

20. Parra GJ, Bilgmann K, Peters KJ, Möller LM (2022). Corrigendum: Abundance and potential biological removal of short-beaked common dolphins subject to fishery-impacts in South Australian Waters: implications for conservation and management. Frontiers in Marine Science 784. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.913726/full

19. Kleindorfer S, Colombelli-Négrel D, Common LK, O'Connor JA, Peters KJ, Katsis AC, Dudaniec RY, Sulloway FJ, Adreani NM (2022). Functional traits and foraging behaviour: avian vampire fly larvae change the beak and fitness of their Darwin’s finch hosts. Functional Ecology 36(7): 1806-1817. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14061

18. Llewelyn J, Strona G, McDowell MC, Johnson CN, Peters KJ, Stouffer DB, de Visser SN, Saltré F, Bradshaw CJA (2021). Sahul’s megafauna were vulnerable to plant-community changes due to their position in the trophic network. Ecography. https//doi.org/10.1111/ecog.06089

17. Peters KJ, Saltré F, Friedrich T, Jacobs Z, Wood R, McDowell MC, Ulm S, Bradshaw CJA (2021). Addendum: FosSahul 2.0, an updated database for the Late Quaternary fossil records of Sahul. Scientific Data 8 (133).https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-021-00918-7

16. Parra GJ, Bilgmann K, Peters KJ, Möller LM (2021). Abundance and potential biological removal of short-beaked common dolphins subject to fishery-impacts in South Australian Waters: implications for conservation and management. Frontiers in Marine Science 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.617075

15. Peters KJ & Stockin KA (2021). Cetacean sighting records in the New Caledonia Basin, Tasman Sea, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research.1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/00288330.2020.1867201

14. Peters KJ, Bury SJ, Betty EL, Parra GJ, Tezanos Pinto G, Stockin KA (2020). Foraging ecology of the common dolphin Delphinus delphis revealed by stable isotope analysis. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 652:173-186. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13482

13. Common LK, O’Connor JA, Dudaniec RY, Peters KJ, Kleindorfer S (2020). Evidence for rapid downward fecundity selection in an ectoparasite (Philornis downsi) with earlier host mortality in Darwin’s finches. Journal of Evolutionary Biology33:524-533. https://doi.org/10.1111/jeb.13588>

12. Peters KJ, Saltré F, Friedrich T, Jacobs Z, Wood R, McDowell MC, Ulm S, Bradshaw CJA (2019). FosSahul 2.0, an updated database for the Late Quaternary fossil records of Sahul. Scientific Data 6 (272). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-019-0267-3.

11. Saltré F, Chadoeuf J, Peters KJ, Friedrich T, McDowell, MC, Timmermann A, Ulm S, Bradshaw CJA (2019). Climate-human interaction associated with southeast Australian megafauna-extinction patterns. Nature Communications 10:5311. https://doi.org/ 10.1038/s41467-019-13277-0

10. Shabani F, Ahmadi M, Peters KJ, Haberle S, Champreux A, Saltré F, Bradshaw CJA (2019). Climate-driven shifts in the distribution of koala browse species from the Last Interglacial to the near future. Ecography42:1587-1599. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.04530

9. Kleindorfer S, Custance G, Peters KJ, Sulloway FJ (2019). Introduced parasite changes host phenotype, mating signal and hybridisation risk: Philornis downsi effects on Darwin’s finch song. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 286:1904. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.0461

8. Bilgmann K, Parra GJ, Holmes L, Peters KJ, Jonsen ID, Möller LM (2019). Abundance estimates and habitat preferences of bottlenose dolphins reveal the importance of two gulfs in South Australia. Scientific Reports 9:8044. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-44310-3

7. Peters KJ, Evans C, Aguirre JD, Kleindorfer S (2019). Genetic admixture predicts parasite intensity: evidence for increased hybrid performance in Darwin’s tree finches. Royal Society Open Science 6 (4): 181616. https://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsos.181616

6.Peters KJ & Kleindorfer S (2018). Avian population trends in Scalesia forest on Floreana Island (2004-2013): Acoustical surveys cannot detect hybrids of Darwin's Tree Finches (Camarhynchus spp.). Bird Conservation International 28: 319-335. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270916000630

5.Peters KJ, Myers S, Dudaniec RY, O’Connor JA, Kleindorfer S (2017). Females drive asymmetrical introgressive hybridization from rare to common species in Darwin’s tree finches. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 30 (11): 1940-1952. https://doi.org/10.1111/jeb.13167

4. Kleindorfer S, Peters KJ, Hohl L, Sulloway F (2016). Flight behavior of an introduced parasite affects its Galapagos Island hosts: Philornis downsi and Darwin’s finches. In: Biological Invasions and Animal Behavior (Eds. J. Weis and D. Sol), Cambridge University Press, pp. 158-179.

3.Peters KJ & Kleindorfer S (2015). Divergent foraging behavior in a hybrid zone: Darwin’s tree finches (Camarhynchus spp.) on Floreana Island. Current Zoology 61 (1): 181–190. https://doi.org/10.1093/czoolo/61.1.181

2. Kleindorfer S, Peters KJ, Custance G, Dudaniec RY, O’Connor JA (2014). Changes in Philornis infestation behavior threaten Darwin’s finch survival. Current Zoology 60 (4): 542–550. https://doi.org/10.1093/czoolo/60.4.542

1. Peters KJ, Parra GJ, Skuza PP, Möller LM (2013). Effects of boat based tourism on the behavior, response and group structure of southern Australian bottlenose dolphins. Marine Mammal Science 29 (4): E484–E497. DOI: 10.1111/mms.12003