Publications

Determining the characteristics of non-native plants that can successfully establish and spread is central to pressing questions in invasion ecology. Evidence suggests that some non-native species establish and spread in new environments because they possess characteristics (functional traits) that allow them to either successfully compete with native residents or fill previously...

Humpback chub (Gila cypha Miller 1946), found only in the Colorado River Basin, was one of the first species to be given full protection under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Habitat alterations, such as changes in flow and water temperature caused by dams, and the introduction of nonnative fish have contributed to population declines in humpback chub and other native fish. These...

The key to Upland Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda) management is providing grasslands of various heights with few shrubs. In general, Upland Sandpipers forage within short vegetation and nest and rear broods within taller vegetation. Upland Sandpipers have been reported to use habitats with less than (

The key to Wilson’s Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor) management is providing wetland complexes containing suitable wetland characteristics (that is, open water, emergent vegetation, and open shoreline) and upland habitat (native grassland or tame hayland) throughout the breeding season. Wilson’s Phalaropes have been reported to use habitats with 15–32 centimeters (cm) average vegetation...

Keys to Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus) management include providing large, open, level to gently rolling grasslands with short vegetation, and tailoring grazing regimes to local conditions. Long-billed Curlews have been reported to use habitats with 3–75 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, less than or equal to 27 cm visual obstruction reading, 20–71 percent grass cover...

The key to Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus) management is maintaining sparsely vegetated grasslands. Grasslands can be made suitable for breeding Mountain Plovers by preserving large prairie dog (Cynomys species) towns, conducting prescribed burns, or implementing heavy grazing in some situations. Mountain Plovers have been reported to use habitats with 2–38 centimeters average...

Keys to Willet (Tringa semipalmata inornata) management include providing large expanses of native grasslands and wetland complexes. Wetland complexes should contain a diversity of wetland sizes and classes, such as ephemeral, temporary, seasonal, semipermanent, and permanent wetlands, as well as intermittent streams. Willets use wetlands of various salinities. Willets require short...

Keys to Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa) management include providing large expanses of short, sparsely to moderately vegetated landscapes that include native grasslands and wetland complexes. Optimal wetland complexes should contain a diversity of wetland classes and sizes, such as ephemeral, temporary, seasonal, semipermanent, permanent, and alkali wetlands, as well as intermittent...

Keys to American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus) management include protecting wetlands and adjacent uplands and maintaining idle upland habitat. American Bitterns have been reported to use habitats with 30–203 centimeters (cm) average vegetation height, 44–99 cm visual obstruction reading, and less than 91 cm water depth.

Neonicotinoid insecticides are highly water soluble with relatively long half-lives, which allows them to move into and persist in aquatic ecosystems. However, little is known of the impacts of neonicotinoids on non-target vertebrates, especially at sublethal concentrations. We evaluated the effects of the neonicotinoid clothianidin on the behavior of southern leopard frog tadpoles (Rana

Species distributions are determined by the interaction of multiple biotic and abiotic factors, which produces complex spatial and temporal patterns of occurrence. As habitats and climate change due to anthropogenic activities, there is a need to develop species distribution models that can quantify these complex range dynamics. In this paper, we develop a dynamic occupancy model that...

Population density is an important component of wildlife management decisions, but can be difficult to estimate directly for an itinerant, wide‐ranging species such as the American black bear (Ursus americanus ). In South Carolina, USA, where there has been growth in black bear populations and bear–human‐conflict reports during the past several decades, managers need robust estimates of...