Publications

Estimating how close a species is to its upper thermal limits (i.e., warming tolerance, a thermal sensitivity index) and how that proximity changes across space enables spatially explicit identification of species with increased extinction risk as temperatures increase. Yet, thermal sensitivity is often difficult to calculate because it is the result of many traits. We aimed to...

Monitoring biodiversity changes over large spatiotemporal scales is critical for effective ecosystem conservation and management. This study investigates the potential of environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to enhance national-scale biomonitoring of freshwater diversity by leveraging discarded filters associated with routine water quality sampling from the U.S. Geological Survey's...

Globally, inland fisheries are important sources of food, particularly for some communities where fishing is socially or culturally important or where local community economics require families to find cheap sources of food. However, little information specific to subsistence inland fisheries and their dependent communities is available for the United States, especially for non...

The majority of raptor species reside in the tropics, yet very little is known about their movement ecology. However, quantifying movement behavior can provide otherwise elusive information on resource needs, habitat selection, and ecological constraints, which is important for understanding ecological patterns and the management of species of conservation concern. On the Island of Hawai...

Rangeland fires can quickly change the structure of wildlife habitat and cause changes that persist for years to decades. To facilitate habitat recovery, postfire restoration actions often involve sowing seeds of native and nonnative perennial grasses and shrubs. Empirical information on whether such restoration activities are effective and how wildlife will respond is unknown. We...

Global conservation targets include protecting genetic diversity within species. Yet few studies have assessed whether protected areas (PAs) include genetically diverse populations across species globally. A first step is understanding the availability of population genetic data that could be used in these assessments. We surveyed georeferenced population-level nuclear (as opposed to...

The pervasive presence of pentachlorophenol (PCP) in aquatic-benthic ecosystems poses a threat to organisms. However, the toxicological mechanisms of PCP in benthic organisms are limited. In this study, Tegillarca granosa, a representative bivalve species, was treated with environmentally relevant concentrations of PCP (1, 10, and 100 μg/kg) and positive control for 28 days via sediment...

Introduction In 2021, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) published Circular 1490 titled, “Integrated Science for the Study of Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in the Environment: A Strategic Science Vision for the U.S. Geological Survey” (Tokranov and others, 2021). Circular 1490 was created to be a resource for USGS scientists prioritizing and planning research...

Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) are large constricting snakes native to Southeast Asia that have invaded the Greater Everglades Ecosystem in South Florida, USA. Pythons have caused precipitous declines in native mammals and are exceedingly difficult to detect using traditional methods such as scout snakes, detection dogs, and visual surveys. Live mammal lures have previously been...

Wood boring ambrosia beetles play a central role in the spread of Ceratocystis wilt of ‘ōhi‘a, a fungal disease caused by Ceratocystis lukuohia that kills the bioculturally important ‘ōhiʻa (Metrosideros polymorpha) tree. Beetles contribute to the spread of the disease by extruding fungus-infected wood particles (frass). Disease mitigation can benefit from knowledge of ambrosia beetle...

Conservation entails cultural practices shaped by our worldviews, values, beliefs, and priorities for our interactions with nature. These inform how we categorize which species we want to occur in which landscapes. In Western conservation organizations, conceptualizations of species ‘belonging’ typically align with a dichotomy of native versus introduced species. This is a cultural...

Remote Pacific islands (RPI) are characterized by ecological isolation, diverse endemic species, and vulnerability to invasive organisms due to globalization-driven connectivity. Among these species, Aedes albopictus, a highly invasive vector of flaviviruses, has spread extensively across the RPI via human-mediated dispersal, posing significant health and economic burdens. While the...