Publications

We retrospectively compiled a database of 6,727 live, wild Agassiz's desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) and evaluated them for clinical signs of trauma to shell and limbs at 50 sites in the Mojave and Colorado (western Sonoran) deserts of California, USA, spanning the years 1977–2006. Our objectives were to 1) identify tortoises with severe trauma to shell, limbs, and gular horns...

Background Wildfire is an increasingly important driver of changes within sagebrush (Artemisia spp. L.) ecosystems of the western USA, often resulting in increased spread of exotic annual grasses, such as cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.), and subsequent losses of native vegetation and wildlife habitat. Fuel breaks— areas of land treated to reduce or redistribute fuel loads — are widely...

Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, sage-grouse) populations have declined across their range, resulting in high conservation concerns among state and federal wildlife managers. While interspecific nest parasitism by chukar (Alectoris chukar) on sage-grouse nests has been observed previously, the parasitic effects benefiting or harming the reproduction of either...

The San Francisco Bay supports thousands of breeding waterbirds annually and hosts large populations of American avocets (Recurvirostra americana), black-necked stilts (Himantopus mexicanus), and Forster’s terns (Sterna forsteri). These three species have relied largely on former commercial salt ponds in south San Francisco Bay, which provide wetland foraging habitat and island nesting...

We assembled and annotated a chromosome-level reference genome for the Western Spadefoot, Spea hammondii (Anura, Scaphiopodidae) representing one of only three amphibians included in the California Conservation Genomics Project (CCGP). Spea hammondii is a vernal pool breeding anuran native to California and northwestern Baja California which has undergone both range contractions and...

Accelerating sea-level rise (SLR) is poised to reshape coastal environments over the coming decades, providing a challenge to land managers who need actionable information. Mangroves have an innate ability to keep pace with some SLR but may drown under the higher rates projected by the end of the century. Understanding local mangrove resilience to SLR requires understanding of historic...

The availability of inundated wetlands, near upland nesting habitats, during the brood-rearing period is critical to dabbling duck brood survival and population recruitment. Yet, in some breeding areas, wetland habitats often are drained or dry out during the waterfowl breeding season, which can limit the habitat available for ducklings. In a brackish marsh (Suisun Marsh, California, USA...

Winter body condition is an important driver of survival, reproductive output, and overall population health in waterfowl. Diving duck species use distinct habitats, exploit unique resources, and can collectively provide an integrated index of winter habitat quality. The San Francisco Bay (SFB) is the largest estuary on the west coast of North America, serving as critical wintering...