Publications

Efficient learning about disease dynamics in free-ranging wildlife systems can benefit from active surveillance that is standardized across different ecological contexts. For example, active surveillance that targets specific individuals and populations with standardized sampling across ecological contexts (landscape-scale targeted surveillance) is important for developing a mechanistic

CONTEXT Agrivoltaics—the co-location of solar energy and agricultural production—may reduce land-use competition and boost revenues for landowners. Sheep grazing in solar facilities (i.e., solar grazing/agrivoltaic grazing systems) is increasingly common in agricultural areas. Solar grazing can provide land access to flock owners and support agricultural viability via payments for...

Background: Monitoring genetic parameters is important for setting effective conservation and management strategies, particularly for small, fragmented, and isolated populations. Small, isolated populations face increased rates of genetic drift and inbreeding, which increase extinction risk especially when gene flow is limited. Methods: Here, we applied a Genotyping-in-Thousands by...

Accurate abundance estimates are critical for informed management of wildlife populations. In New Mexico, USA, minimum counts from aerial surveys are the primary basis for management decisions regarding desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis mexicana); therefore, there is a need to assess methods that account for imperfect detection. Common survey methods for large mammals (i.e...

Shifting precipitation regimes driven by global climate change can alter vertebrate behavior and host-symbiont relationships, potentially compromising host resistance to pathogen invasion. In Brazil's Atlantic Forest, a biodiversity hotspot, prior research identified drought as a key factor disrupting the skin microbiome, contributing to a die-off of pumpkin toadlets due to the invasive...

Objective Response efforts to control invasive species frequently require making decisions in the face of substantial uncertainty. Adaptive management, which emphasizes learning during the process of managing, can be useful in cases where uncertainty impedes the decision-making process. Here, we describe how technical and institutional learning led to reformulating decision-making...

Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) were once widespread within sagebrush -grassland ecosystems of western North America, but populations have declined since the mid-1960s. Though sage-grouse were not listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), when examined in 2015, they remain a species of interest and concern. Roughly half of the sage-grouse...

In addition to having cultural, social, and economic significance, large predatory fish affect aquatic communities from the top down and serve as markers of ecosystem health. A focus on large predators is critical for managing ecosystems, conserving species, and guaranteeing the sustainability of aquatic resources. Recreational fishing is inherently biased towards large fish, and anglers...

Objective Understanding how fish populations will respond to management actions is critical for making effective management ­decisions. This study provides important information regarding population demographics for a nonnative, hatchery-implemented population of White Sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus. We investigated the population dynamics of White Sturgeon in the upper Snake River...

Using environmental DNA (eDNA) surveillance methods, we report the first evidence of the persistence of the Chucky Madtom (Noturus crypticus) in Little Chucky Creek, Tennessee, which has been absent from conventional surveys since 2004, and in Dunn Creek, Tennessee, where it was last collected in 1940. This highlights the utility of eDNA for detecting cryptic, rare fish species that may...

We examined the relationship between larval fish numbers and discharge during a high flow event in Bear Creek, Arkansas, a small Ozark stream. Additionally, we examined the relationship between fish numbers and time of day, and the spatial distribution of families and size classes. A total of 3,083 fish from five families were collected. Leuciscidae was the dominant family collected...

The establishment of a reservoir species for zoonotic diseases is concerning for both animal and human health. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2, the coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, has been detected in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the United States. Since its initial detection, various studies have documented circulation and...