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Patuxent's Key Products: October-December 2019

February 14, 2020

Selected recent Patuxent products, sent to the North Atlantic & Appalachian Region quarterly.

This article is part of the 2020 Patuxent Science & News Volume 5 Issue 1 Newsletter

Eastern Towhee
Eastern towhee; Howard County Nature Conservancy, Maryland  (Credit: William A Link, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. Public domain.)

Modeling spatially and temporally complex range dynamics when detection is imperfect

In this paper, we develop a dynamic occupancy model that uses a spatial generalized additive model to estimate non-linear spatial variation in occupancy not accounted for by environmental covariates. We demonstrate the utility of this approach by modeling long-term range dynamics of 10 eastern North American birds using data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey. We anticipate this framework will be particularly useful for modeling species’ distributions over large spatial scales and for quantifying range dynamics over long temporal scales.

Rushing, C. R., J. A. RoyleD. J. Ziolkowski, and K. L. Pardieck.  2019.  Estimating spatially and temporally complex range dynamics when detection is imperfect.  Scientific Reports 9:art 12805.  doi:10.1038/s41598-019-48851-5

 

Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber)
Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber) (Credit: Lindsey Perkurny, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. Public domain.)

 

 

Overview of emerging amphibian pathogens and modeling advances for conservation-related decisions

One of the leading causes of global amphibian decline is emerging infectious disease. In this review, we summarize the disease ecology of four major emerging amphibian infectious agents: chytrids, ranaviruses, trematodes, and Perkinsea. We outline three topics of general interest in disease ecology: (i) the relationship between biodiversity and disease risk, (ii) individual, species, or environmental transmission heterogeneity, and (iii) pathogen coinfections. Finally, we identify specific knowledge gaps impeding the success of conservation-related decisions for disease mitigation and the future of amphibian conservation success.

DiRenzo, G. V. and E. H. C. Grant.  2019.  Overview of emerging amphibian pathogens and modeling advances for conservation-related decisions.  Biological Conservation 236:474-484.  doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2019.05.034

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