Publications

Many freshwater mussel species are critically imperiled, and propagation is essential for species ‘recovery.’ Fungal contamination can negatively affect in vitro propagation of freshwater mussels; thus, we investigated methods of mitigating fungal contamination. Specifically, we tested the effect of medium replacement frequency and antifungal (Amphotericin B) concentrations on risk of...

This study extended a framework based on self-determination theory (SDT) and leisure constraints to study identity salience in lapsed hunters. Self-determination theory suggests that multiple forms of motivation influence levels of self-determination and addresses how social-contextual factors affect satisfaction of needs. Data were drawn from a survey of recently lapsed hunters in...

Consideration of the full annual cycle population dynamics can provide useful insight for conservation efforts, but collecting data needed to estimate demographic parameters is often logistically difficult. For species that breed in remote areas, monitoring is often conducted during migratory stopover or at nonbreeding sites, and the recruitment rate of new breeding adults can be...

Conservation of Arctic fish species is challenging partly due to our limited ability to track fish through time and space, which constrains our understanding of life history diversity and lifelong habitat use. Broad Whitefish (Coregonus nasus) is an important subsistence species for Alaska’s Arctic Indigenous communities, yet little is known about life history diversity, migration...

The proliferation of energy rights-of-way (pipelines and powerlines; ROWs) in the central Appalachian region has prompted wildlife management agencies to consider ways to use these features to manage and conserve at-risk songbird species. However, little empirical evidence exists regarding best management strategies to enhance habitat surrounding ROWs for the songbird community during...

American shad (Alosa sapidissima) are native to the east coast of North America from the St. Johns River, Florida, to the St. Lawrence River region in Canada. Since the 1800s, dams have reduced access to spawning habitat. To assess the impact of dams, we estimated the historically accessed spawning habitat in coastal rivers (485,618 river segments with 21,113 current dams) based on (i)...

Introduction: Throughout their range, bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) populations have seen significant disease-associated declines. Unfortunately, understanding of the underlying epidemiological processes driving the disease dynamics in this species has hindered conservation efforts aimed at improving the health and long-term viability of these populations. Individual response to...

Acoustic data are often used to describe bat activity, including habitat use within the summer reproductive period. These data inform management activities that potentially impact bats, currently a taxa of high conservation concern. To understand the relationship between acoustic and reproductive timing, we sampled big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) and eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis...

This report presents results from a four-year project (2018–2022) to document the effects of small, run-of-river dams and dam removal on water quality (stream temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO)), aquatic macroinvertebrates, and fishes. Temperature and DO are critical water quality parameters that shape biogeochemical processes and biotic assemblages in streams. Macroinvertebrate and...

Grassland birds are among the most globally threatened bird groups due to substantial degradation of native grassland habitats. However, the current network of grassland conservation areas may not be adequate for halting population declines and biodiversity loss. Here, we evaluate a network of grassland conservation areas within Wisconsin, U.S.A., that includes both large Focal...

Wolf harvest season setting is complicated and controversial. State law requires Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MFWP) to both reduce the wolf population and avoid federal relisting under the Endangered Species Act (Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, 2002). Disparate stakeholder groups each have different objectives for wolf management. For instance, big game advocates want to see...

The Sharptooth walking catfish (Clarias gariepinus) is native to parts of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa but is one of the world's most invasive freshwater fish species. The species’ ability to invade is partly due to its ability to breathe atmospheric oxygen, thereby avoiding hypoxia or poor water quality in receiving waterbodies; further, it can crawl over moist land to disperse to...