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Kristin Berry

Dr. Kristin Berry has been working as a Wildlife Biologist for the Western Ecological Research Center since 1993.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

  • Behavioral ecology of vertebrates
  • Conservation biology
  • Cumulative effects
  • Desert Ecology
  • Ecotoxicology
  • Environmental impacts
  • Invasive species ecology
  • Monitoring methodology
  • Natural areas and preserves
  • Population biology
  • Species/Population management
  • Threatened and endangered species


 

 

Professional Experience

  • Research Wildlife Biologist, Station Mgr., USGS, Western Ecological Science Center, Box Springs Field Station, Riverside, CA, Feb 1997-Present

  • Research Wildlife Biologist, USGS, Western Ecological Science Center, Riverside Field Station, Riverside, CA, Nov 1993-Feb 1997

  • Staff Supervisor and Research Scientist, Research Branch, Desert Biology US Bureau of Land Management, Riverside, CA, 1988-1993

  • Leader: Desert Tortoise Res. & Monitoring Prog., US Bureau of Land Mgt., Riverside, CA, 1983-1988

  • Coordinator: Research, Studies, and Monitoring, US Bureau of Land Management, Riverside, CA, 1980-1983

  • Staff Leader for Wildlife, CA Desert Plan Prog., US Bureau of Land Management, Riverside, CA, 1974-1980

Education and Certifications

  • Ph.D., Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 1972

  • M.A., Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 1968

  • B.A., Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 1964

Affiliations and Memberships*

  • American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists

  • Ecological Society of America

  • Herpetologists' League

  • Research Society of America, Sigma Xi

  • Society for Conservation Biology

  • Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles

  • Southern California Academy of Sciences

Science and Products

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A photo of a hatching desert tortoise.

Relocating and Augmenting Desert Tortoise Populations

As resource managers balance the needs of humans and wildlife, WERC’s Dr. Berry provides the necessary science to inform decisions on shared lands. Visit the “Science” tab to delve into specific projects.
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)
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Relocating and Augmenting Desert Tortoise Populations

As resource managers balance the needs of humans and wildlife, WERC’s Dr. Berry provides the necessary science to inform decisions on shared lands. Visit the “Science” tab to delve into specific projects.
Learn More
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Desert Tortoise on road WERC

Human Influence on Desert Tortoise Habitats

The deserts of the Southwest are under increasing pressure from growing human communities. The spread of cities, agricultural fields, grazing livestock, power plants, and other forms of human development in the past and present have affected the region’s natural resources, including its wildlife. WERC’s Dr. Kristin Berry is studying the response of threatened desert tortoises to changing habitats...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Land Management Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)
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Human Influence on Desert Tortoise Habitats

The deserts of the Southwest are under increasing pressure from growing human communities. The spread of cities, agricultural fields, grazing livestock, power plants, and other forms of human development in the past and present have affected the region’s natural resources, including its wildlife. WERC’s Dr. Kristin Berry is studying the response of threatened desert tortoises to changing habitats...
Learn More
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Image: A Desert Tortoise in the Mojave Desert

Ecology and Biology of Desert Tortoises

WERC wildlife biologist Dr. Kristin Berry has more than forty years of experience studying Agassiz’s desert tortoise. As the lead on several USGS projects, Dr. Berry continues to lend her expertise to investigating the status, genetics, and behavior of Agassiz’s tortoise populations in the Mojave Desert.
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)
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Ecology and Biology of Desert Tortoises

WERC wildlife biologist Dr. Kristin Berry has more than forty years of experience studying Agassiz’s desert tortoise. As the lead on several USGS projects, Dr. Berry continues to lend her expertise to investigating the status, genetics, and behavior of Agassiz’s tortoise populations in the Mojave Desert.
Learn More
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Close-up of an Agassiz's desert tortoise with tortoise looking towards camera. Tortoise is on a rocky, arid hill slope.

Epidemiology of Infectious and Other Diseases in Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise

Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) was listed as threatened in 1990 under the Endangered Species Act. WERC’s Dr. Kristin Berry leads studies on the cause of diseases in populations of Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise across the Mojave and western Sonoran deserts in southern California.
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Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)
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Epidemiology of Infectious and Other Diseases in Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise

Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) was listed as threatened in 1990 under the Endangered Species Act. WERC’s Dr. Kristin Berry leads studies on the cause of diseases in populations of Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise across the Mojave and western Sonoran deserts in southern California.
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Box Springs Field Station

Box Springs Field Station

Deserts in the southwestern United States are experiencing rapid changes due to human activities. The growth of human populations and development of cities and towns affect adjacent rare, threatened, and endangered species and their associated ecosystems in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts of southeastern California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah, and western Arizona.
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)
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Box Springs Field Station

Deserts in the southwestern United States are experiencing rapid changes due to human activities. The growth of human populations and development of cities and towns affect adjacent rare, threatened, and endangered species and their associated ecosystems in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts of southeastern California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah, and western Arizona.
Learn More
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Screen pic of Morafkai handout

Kristin Berry Publication Briefs

Dr. Kristin Berry's publication briefs summarize significant research articles and reports of note. Organized from oldest to newest.
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Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)
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Kristin Berry Publication Briefs

Dr. Kristin Berry's publication briefs summarize significant research articles and reports of note. Organized from oldest to newest.
Learn More

Demographic and Movement Data for Adult Desert Tortoises Translocated from Fort Irwin, 2008-2018

This database contains demographic and movement variables for 158 adult Agassiz's desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) translocated from the National Training Center (NTC), Fort Irwin, in the central Mojave Desert, California, in spring of 2008 and monitored through fall of 2018. The tortoises, fitted with radio transmitters, were translocated to plots south of Fort Irwin and followed monthly unt
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Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

Demography and Habitat of Desert Tortoises at the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area, Western Mojave Desert, California (1978 - 2014)

A long-term research project was conducted on Agassiz's desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) at a 7.77 square kilometer plot at the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area, Western Mojave Desert, California, USA. The plot included tortoise populations and habitat both inside and outside the protective fence at the Research Natural Area. Databases used in the research and publications from the resea
By
Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)
Animated image of tortoise falling on its back link
The Heat is On: Desert Tortoises and Survival (Full video)
Filter Total Items: 93

Variations in climate drive behavior and survival of small desert tortoises

In the Mojave Desert, timing and amounts of precipitation profoundly affect availability of water and annual plant foods necessary for the threatened Agassiz’s desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) to survive, especially during prolonged droughts. As part of recovery actions to increase declining populations, we translocated 83 juvenile and young desert tortoises raised in head-start pens for 4–10
Authors
Kristin H. Berry, Jeremy S Mack, Kemp M. Anderson
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

Techniques for restoring damaged Mojave and western Sonoran ecosystems, including those for threatened desert tortoises and Joshua trees

Ecological restoration has potential for contributing to conservation activities for threatened Mojave desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) and Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia, Y. jaegeriana) and their broader ecosystems in the Mojave and western Sonoran deserts. To be effective, restoration actions deployed strategically need to halt and reverse habitat degradation, replenish or enhance resources
Authors
Scott R Abella, Kristin H. Berry, Stefanie Ferrazzano
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

Bilateral palpebral reduction and concurrent mycoplasmosis in a wild Agassiz's desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)

A wild Agassiz's desert tortoise, Gopherus agassizii, with bilateral eyelid reduction and plaques of tissue covering the superior surface of both corneas was examined in the field and subsequently submitted to the University of Florida for diagnostics. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), from a swab of both corneas, was positive for Mycoplasma agassizii. Two months later, the tortoise was euthanatize
Authors
Elliott R. Jacobson, Kristin H. Berry, Dennis E Brooks, John F. Roberts
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

Drivers of survival of translocated tortoises

Translocation of animals, especially for threatened and endangered species, is a currently popular but very challenging activity. We translocated 158 adult Agassiz's desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii), a threatened species, from the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, in the central Mojave Desert in California, USA, to 4 plots as part of a long-distance, hard-release, mitigation-driven transl
Authors
Jeremy S Mack, Kristin H. Berry
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

A novel herpesvirus detected in 3 different species of chelonians

Herpesviruses are found in free-living and captive chelonian populations, often in association with morbidity and mortality. To date, all known chelonian herpesviruses fall within the subfamily Alphaherpesvirinae. We detected a novel herpesvirus in 3 species of chelonians: a captive leopard tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis) in western TX, USA; a steppe tortoise (Testudo [Agrionemys] horsfieldii) fo
Authors
John M. Winter, James F. X. Wellehan, Kathleen Apakupakul, Jamie Palmer, Maris Brenn-White, Kali Standorf, Kristin H. Berry, April L. Childress, Pete Koplos, Michael M. Garner, Sharon L. Deem
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

Development of demographic models to analyze populations with multi-year data—Using Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) as a case study

We developed a model for analyzing multi-year demographic data for long-lived animals and used data from a population of Agassiz’s desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) at the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area in the western Mojave Desert of California as a case study. The study area was 7.77 square kilometers and included two locations: inside and outside the fenced boundary. The wildlife-perm
Authors
Kristin H. Berry, Julie L. Yee
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

Gopherus agassizii

A provisional Red List Assessment of the widespread Desert Tortoise, Gopherus agassizii (sensu lato), was performed at a Desert Tortoise Council workshop in 2010 and updated by the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (TFTSG) in 2011, at which time the Mojave Desert subpopulation, now considered G. agassizii (sensu stricto) following taxonomic analysis and splitting into three sepa
Authors
Kristin H. Berry, L. J. Allison, A. M. McLuckie, M. Vaughn, R. W. Murphy
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

Feral burros and other influences on desert tortoise presence in the western Sonoran Desert

Across the globe, conflicting priorities exist in how land and resources are managed. In the American West, conflicts are common on public lands with historical mandates for multiple uses. We explored the impacts of multiple uses of land in a case study of Agassiz's Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii), a federally threatened species, in the western Sonoran Desert. The tortoise has declined for m
Authors
Kristin H. Berry, Julie L. Yee, Lisa L. Lyren
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

The catastrophic decline of tortoises at a fenced natural area

Agassiz’s desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), a threatened species of the southwestern United States, has severely declined to the point where 76% of populations in critical habitat (Tortoise Conservation Areas) are below viability. The potential for rapid recovery of wild populations is low because females require 12–20 years to reach reproductive maturity and produce few eggs annually. We repo
Authors
Kristin H. Berry, Julie L. Yee, Timothy A. Shields, Laura Stockton
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)

Refining genetic boundaries for Agassiz’s desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) in the western Sonoran Desert: The influence of the Coachella Valley on gene flow among populations in southern California

Understanding the influence of geographic features on the evolutionary history and population structure of a species can assist wildlife managers in delimiting genetic units (GUs) for conservation and management. Landscape features including mountains, low elevation depressions, and even roads can influence connectivity and gene flow among Agassiz’s desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) populations
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Taylor Edwards, Kristin H. Berry, Shellie R. Puffer, Kristy L. Cummings, Ennen Joshua R., Mickey Agha, Rachel Woodard, Kathleen D. Brundige, Robert W. Murphy
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Southwest Biological Science Center

Turtles and tortoises are in trouble

Turtles and tortoises (chelonians) have been integral components of global ecosystems for about 220 million years and have played important roles in human culture for at least 400,000 years. The chelonian shell is a remarkable evolutionary adaptation, facilitating success in terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. Today, more than half of the 360 living species and 482 total taxa (species a
Authors
C.B. Stanford, J.B. Iverson, A.G.J. Rhodin, P.P. van Dijk, R.A. Mittermeier, G. Kuchling, Kristin H. Berry, A. Bertolero, K.A. Bjorndal, T.E.G. Blanck, K. A. Buhlmann, R.L. Burke, J.D. Congdon, T. Diagne, T. Edwards, C.C. Eisemberg, J.R. Ennen, G. Forero-Medina, M. Frankel, U. Fritz, N. Gallego-Garcia, A. Georges, J.W Gibbons, S. Gong, E.V. Goode, H.T. Shi, H. Hoang, M.D. Hofmeyr, B.D Horne, R. Hudson, J.O. Juvik, R.A. Kiester, P.V. Koval, M.-A. Lea, P.V. Lindeman, Jeffrey E. Lovich, L. Luiselli, T.E.M. McCormack, G.A. Meyer, V.P. Paez, K. Platt, S.G. Platt, P.C.H. Pritchard, H.R. Quinn, W.M. Roosenburg, J.A. Seminoff, H.B. Shaffer, R. Spencer, J.U. Van Dyke, R.C. Vogt, A.D. Walde
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Southwest Biological Science Center

An uncertain future for a population of desert tortoises experiencing human impacts

We evaluated the status of a population of Mojave Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii), a threatened species, in the El Paso Mountains of the northwestern Mojave Desert in California, USA. The study area lies north of and adjacent to a designated critical habitat unit for the species, is adjacent to a state park, and is a short distance from the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area. We randomly
Authors
Kristin H. Berry, Julie L. Yee, Lisa L. Lyren, Jeremy S Mack
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)
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At the Lab Bench, Amid the Island Fog, and Under the Desert Sun, WERC Women Scientists Lean In

Like women researchers in other organizations and other scientific disciplines, women PI’s at USGS must manage unique career challenges, while...

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New Species of Desert Tortoise, Genetic Study Says

The desert tortoise -- that slow-footed shelled sentinel of America's desert southwest -- is actually comprised of two distinct species, according to ...

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Science and Products

*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government