Recent Publications: October-December 2019

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  December 11, 2019

  Evaluating legacy effects of hyperabundant white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in forested stands of Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks, New York

  Executive SummaryWhite-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are among the most impactful herbivores in the eastern United States. Legacy forest effects, those accrued from intense herbivory over time, manifest as low seedling regeneration, high cover of plant species that are infrequently browsed by deer, presence or expansion of nonnative or invasive plant species, few herbaceous species, and dim

  Authors

  Chellby R. Kilheffer, H. Brian Underwood, Donald J. Leopold, Rachel Guerrieri

  By

  Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center

  November 21, 2019

  A rapid assessment method for ground layer coastal vegetation

  We aim to test a rapid ecological assessment method to monitor regenerating coastal vegetation without sacrificing accuracy. We estimated species frequency in vegetation plots using traditional point intercept methods. We also tested a rapid, digital method to take high-resolution digital photographs of plots. We navigated among plot locations using a sub-meter Differential Global Positioning Syst

  Authors

  Chellby R. Kilheffer, Jordan Raphael, Lindsay Ries, H. Brian Underwood

  By

  Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center

  October 23, 2019

  Effects of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) exclusion on plant recovery in overwash fans after a severe coastal storm

  We documented the impacts of a hyper-abundant deer population on dune vegetation recovering from severe storm surge on a barrier island through use of permanent plots and a repeated measures analysis. Three years after landfall of the storm, vegetation cover was dominated by American beachgrass, Ammophila breviligulata, though we observed twelve plant species among plots surveyed. We documented si

  Authors

  Chellby R. Kilheffer, Jordan Raphael, Lindsay Ries, H. Brian Underwood

  By

  Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center

  October 6, 2019

  Deer do not affect short-term rates of vegetation recovery in overwash fans on Fire Island after Hurricane Sandy

  1. Coastal resilience is threatened as storm-induced disturbances become more frequent and intense with anticipated changes in weather patterns. After severe storms, rapid recovery of vegetation, especially that of dune-stabilizing plants, is a fundamental property of coastal resilience. Herbivores may affect resilience by selectively foraging palatable plant species in disturbed areas. Knowledge

  Authors

  Chellby R. Kilheffer, H. Brian Underwood, Jordan Raphael, Lindsay Ries, Shannon Farrell, Donald J. Leopold

  By

  Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center

  September 4, 2019

  Adult survival of common eiders in Maine

  Although most species of sea ducks are poorly studied, much is known about the population dynamics of the American race of Somateria mollissma dresseri (Common Eider). Although Common Eiders typically have high adult survival and low recruitment rates, their populations in Maine have declined since the early 1990s. Wildlife managers hypothesized this decline was due to reduced adult survival; ther

  Authors

  R. B. Allen, Daniel McAuley, G. Zimmerman

  By

  Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Bird Banding Laboratory

  August 29, 2019

  Water velocity regulates macro-consumer herbivory on the benthic macrophyte Podostemum ceratophyllum Michx.

  1) Macrophytes influence aquatic ecosystems by increasing habitat complexity and providing trophic resources for aquatic fauna. While herbivory on freshwater macrophytes is widely documented in lakes, low-velocity riverine habitats, the influence of herbivory on macrophytes in higher-velocity habitats has rarely been examined. 2) We investigated the hypothesis that high water velocity can reduc

  Authors

  James L Wood, Jon W Skaggs, Caitlin C Conn, Mary Freeman

  By

  Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center

  August 12, 2019

  Eviction notice: Observation of a Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) usurping an active Least Tern (Sternula antillarum) Nest

  Although nest usurpation is common in some species and orders of birds, usurpation has rarely been reported for Sterninae. We observed a Sterna hirundo (Common Tern) egg in an active Sternula antillarum(Least Tern) nest with a complete clutch in a mixed-species Sterninae colony in Chesapeake Bay, MD, in May 2018. Based on observations from a game camera following usurpation, Common Terns incubated

  Authors

  Georgia J. Riggs, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Kayla M. Harvey, Dimitri A. Pappas, Jennifer L. Wall, Peter C. McGowan, Carl R. Callahan, Craig A. Koppie, Diann Prosser

  By

  Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center

  August 12, 2019

  Confronting models with data: The challenges of estimating disease spillover

  For pathogens known to transmit across host species, strategic investment in disease control requires knowledge about where and when spillover transmission is likely. One approach to estimating spillover is to directly correlate observed spillover events with covariates. An alternative is to mechanistically combine information on host density, distribution, and pathogen prevalence to predict where

  Authors

  Paul C. Cross, Diann Prosser, Andrew M. Ramey, Ephraim M. Hanks, Kim M. Pepin

  By

  Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Alaska Science Center

  August 8, 2019

  Promoting change in common tern (Sterna hirundo) nest site selection to minimize construction related disturbance

  With dramatic declines in waterbird populations around the globe, wildlife managers have taken great care to minimize disturbance to breeding waterbird colonies. However, sometimes disturbance cannot be avoided and other actions must be considered. During the 2017 breeding season, a colony of Sterna hirundo (Common terns) were deterred from a historic nesting site due to concerns that nearby resto

  Authors

  Peter C. McGowan, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Carl C. Callahan, William Schultz, Jennifer L. Wall, Diann Prosser

  By

  Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center

  August 1, 2019

  Proactive management of amphibians: Challenges and opportunities

  Delaying species management reduces the chance of successful recovery, increases the risk of extinction, and can be expensive. Acting before major declines are realized affords access to a greater suite of cost-effective management actions to sustain populations, reducing the likelihood of declines warranting protected status. It is clear that reactive management approaches are not sufficient for

  Authors

  SC Sterrett, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Katz R, Adrianne Brand, William R. Fields, Dietrich A, Hocking D, Foreman T, Wiewel A

  By

  Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center

  July 25, 2019

  Towards recovery of an endangered island endemic: Distributional and behavioral responses of Key Largo woodrats associated with exotic predator removal

  Exotic predators create novel ecological contexts for native species, particularly when prey exhibit predator naïve behaviors. Population recovery of island endemic species following predator eradication has been documented broadly, but studies examining mammalian prey behavioral responses to exotic predator removal are less common. The Key Largo woodrat (Neotoma floridana smalli) is an endangered

  Authors

  Michael V. Cove, Theodore Simons, Beth Gardner, Allan F. O'Connell

  By

  Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center

  July 24, 2019

  The bee fauna of coastal Napatree Point and two inland sites in southern Rhode Island

  We surveyed the bee fauna at Napatree Point, a coastal barrier beach in southwestern Rhode Island, using bee-bowl and netting samples, and compared results to bee-bowl samples at 2 inland sites. We collected a total of 53 species and morphospecies at Napatree Point, including 5 likely Rhode Island state records and several coastal dune and sand-nesting species that were not found inland. The compa

  Authors

  Aya Rothwell, Howard S. Ginsberg

  By

  Ecosystems Mission Area, Eastern Ecological Science Center