Publications

Data integration methods aim to improve species distribution estimates by incorporating multiple sources of uncertainty across datasets. Two major sources of uncertainty are: (1) variation in sampling effort across space and within datasets, and (2) variation in reliability associated with data collection protocols or timing among datasets. Our goal was to evaluate how different...

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of widespread, environmentally persistent compounds that pose a potential threat to wildlife and human health. Despite recent efforts to reduce the use of long-chain PFAS in industrial practices and commercial/consumer products, the persistence and solubility of PFAS have led to their detection in wildlife on a global scale. Osprey...

The Working Group on American Eel (WGAMEEL) met virtually three times in 2022-2024 to address the five Terms of Reference (ToRs) of its three-year term. The first two ToRs tasked WGAMEEL with listing and evaluating data on American eel landings, abundance indices, and spatial and habitat data and also to describe assessment methods used in Canada and the US. Canada-wide American eel...

Experimental and observational studies of effects of fragmentation on biodiversity and population dynamics have produced mixed results, with some reviews concluding strong evidence of negative effects and others concluding small positive effects. In addition, many factors (e.g., interspecific interactions, edge effects, nutrient cycling) have been identified as potential explanations...

Viruses are the most abundant and diverse organisms on Earth, though only a small portion cause disease. Understanding viral diversity is key to understanding and predicting pathogen emergence and zoonotic spillover. Here, we use meta-transcriptomic sequencing to examine the viral communities in the ileum of 25 Northern Mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos) from various locations across Texas...

Shorebird populations are declining globally but it generally remains unclear how those declines translate to changes at the regional scale. We conducted the first longitudinal surveys of breeding shorebirds in Alaska under the Program for Regional and International Shorebird Monitoring (PRISM), resurveying the Coastal Plain (1002 Area) of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in...

Chinook salmon population declines span their geographic range with climate hypothesized as a major driver. Concerns of warming freshwater temperatures in their northern range gained urgency during 2019 when a heatwave coincided with premature mortality. This study examined heat stress during the 2019 heatwave compared to subsequent years and described water temperatures in western...

Understanding how environmental changes affect the health of organisms and ecosystems is complex, but recent interdisciplinary advances and the recognition of immune function as a dynamic mediator offer exciting progress. Environmental immunotoxicology in teleost fishes is evolving beyond cataloguing stressors towards a mechanistic, integrative framework that leverages omics, in vivo...

Although a few studies have focused on avian gut virome variation in response to environmental stressors, none have assessed virome in relation to the production of chemically intensive crop-based agriculture that alters food resources and detrimentally affects various aspects of avian health and fitness. In this study, we used shotgun metatranscriptomics to assess whether exposure to...

Tidal marshes are considered one of the world's most efficient ecosystems for belowground organic carbon sequestration and hence climate mitigation. Marsh systems are however also vulnerable to degradation due to climate-induced sea level rise, whereby marsh vegetation conversion to open water often follows distinct spatial patterns: levees (i.e. marsh zones  30 m from creeks). Here, we...

Coastal marsh conversion into ponds, which may be triggered by sea-level rise, is considered an important driver of marsh loss and their valuable ecosystem services. Previous studies have focused on the role of wind waves in driving the expansion of interior marsh ponds, through lateral erosion of marsh edges surrounding the ponds. Here, we propose another mechanism between sea-level...

To restore native biodiversity on island ecosystems containing invasive rodents, partial- and whole-island eradications generally rely on broadcast baiting with anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs). This approach can result in bait pellets entering aquatic environments, raising concerns about effects to non-target fish. Salmonids are a dominant group of fishes on many temperate islands...