Eastern Ecological Science Center
Publications
Experimental evaluation of spatial capture–recapture study design
A principal challenge impeding strong inference in analyses of wild populations is the lack of robust and long-term data sets. Recent advancements in analytical tools used in wildlife science may increase our ability to integrate smaller data sets and enhance the statistical power of population estimates. One such advancement, the development of...
Fleming, Jillian Elizabeth; Campbell Grant, Evan H.; Sterrett, Sean C; Sutherland, Chris
Optimization of salt marsh management at the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey, through use of structured decision making
Structured decision making is a systematic, transparent process for improving the quality of complex decisions by identifying measurable management objectives and feasible management actions; predicting the potential consequences of management actions relative to the stated objectives; and selecting a course of action that maximizes the total...
Neckles, Hilary A.; Lyons, James E.; Nagel, Jessica L.; Adamowicz, Susan C.; Mikula, Toni; Castelli, Paul M.; Rettig, Virginia Evaluation of regulatory action and surveillance as preventive risk-mitigation to an emerging global amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal)
The emerging amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) is a severe threat to global urodelan (salamanders, newts, and related taxa) biodiversity. Bsal has not been detected, to date, in North America, but the risk is high because North America is one of the global hotspots for urodelan biodiversity. The North American...
Grear, Daniel A.; Mosher, Brittany A.; Richgels, Katherine; Campbell Grant, Evan H. Local fruit availability and en route wind conditions are poor predictors of bird abundance and composition during fall migration in coastal Yucatán Peninsula
In migratory stopover habitats, bird abundance and composition change on a near daily basis. On any given day, the local bird community should reflect local environmental conditions but also the environments that birds encountered previously along their migratory route. For example, during fall migration, the coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in...
Feldman, Richard E; Celis-Murillo, Antonio; Deppe, Jill L.; Dorantes-Euan, Alfredo
Decision analysis of barrier placement and targeted removal to control invasive carp in the Tennessee River Basin
Controlling range expansion of invasive carp (specifically Hypophthalmichthys spp.) on the Tennessee River is important to conserve the ecological and economic benefits provided by the river. We collaborated with State and Federal agencies (the stakeholder group) to develop a decision framework and decision support model to evaluate strategies to...
van der Burg, Max Post; Smith, David R.; Cupp, Aaron R.; Rogers, Mark W.; Chapman, Duane C. Cohort strength and body size in co-occurring salmonids in a small stream network: Variation in space and time
Trout and salmon commonly coexist in stream networks. Exploring similarities and differences among species can help explain coexistence and invasive ability. Here, we describe spatial distribution, cohort strengths and size-at-age of three co-occurring species in a small stream network. Spatial distributions varied dramatically among species;...
Letcher, Benjamin; Nislow, Keith H.; O'Donnell, Matthew; Whiteley, Andrew R.; Coombs, Jason A.; Dubreuil, Todd L. A decision-analytical framework for developing harvest regulations
The development of harvest regulations for fish or wildlife is a complex decision that needs to weigh multiple objectives, consider a set of alternative regulatory options, integrate scientific understanding about the population dynamics of the harvested species as well as the human response to regulations, account for uncertainty, and provide an...
Pope, Kevin L.; Powell, Larkin A.; Runge, Michael C. Atlantic sturgeon status and movement ecology in an extremely small spawning habitat: The Nanticoke River-Marshyhope Creek, Chesapeake Bay
Biotelemetry of Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus has exposed spawning behaviors in ever-smaller estuaries, surprising for the NW Atlantic’s largest anadromous species. Small estuary — the Nanticoke River and Marshyhope Creek (Chesapeake Bay) — spawning-run adults and their habitat affinities are described based upon...
Secor, D.H.; O'Brien, M.H.P.; Coleman, N.; Horne, A.; Park, I.; Kazyak, David; Bruce, D. G.; Stence, C A socio-ecological imperative for broadening participation in coastal and estuarine research and management
For most of the scientific disciplines associated with coastal and estuarine research, workforce representation does not match the demographics of communities we serve, especially for Black, Hispanic or Latino, and Indigenous peoples. This essay provides an overview of this inequity and identifies how a scientific society can catalyze...
Harris, Lora A.; Grayson, Treda; Neckles, Hilary A.; Emrich, Christopher T; Lewis, Kristy A; Grimes, Kristin W.; Williamson, Shanna; Garza, Corey; Whitcraft, Christine R; Beseres Pollack, Jennifer; Talley, Drew M; Fertig, Benjamin; Palinkas, Cindy M; Park, Susan; Vaudrey, Jamie MP; Fitzgerald, Allison M; Quispe, Johnny Quantifying slopes as a driver of forest to marsh conversion using geospatial techniques: Application to Chesapeake Bay coastal-plain, USA
Coastal salt marshes, which provide valuable ecosystem services such as flood mitigation and carbon sequestration, are threatened by rising sea level. In response, these ecosystems migrate landward, converting available upland into salt marsh. In the coastal-plain surrounding Chesapeake Bay, United States, conversion of coastal forest to salt...
Molino, Grace Damore; Defne, Zafer; Aretxabaleta, Alfredo; Ganju, Neil Kamal; Carr, Joel A. Activity patterns of anadromous fish below a tide gate: Observations from high‐resolution imaging sonar
The construction of dams and tide gates on waterways has altered the physical structure of many coastal, estuarine, and freshwater systems. These changes have come at a cost to fish populations, most notably diadromous species, which rely on connectivity between marine and freshwater systems. These anthropogenic structures can have direct effects...
Rillahan, Christopher B.; Derrick Alcott; Castro-Santos, Theodore R.; He, Pingguo Weighing the unknowns: Value of information for biological and operational uncertainty in invasion management
The management of biological invasions is a worldwide conservation priority. Unfortunately, decision-making on optimal invasion management can be impeded by lack of information about the biological processes that determine invader success (i.e. biological uncertainty) or by uncertainty about the effectiveness of candidate interventions (i.e....
Li, Shou-Li; Keller, Joseph; Runge, Michael C.; Shea, Katriona