Publications

Fish that exhibit high foraging activity or bold behavior can be particularly vulnerable to angling. If these traits are heritable, selection through harvest can drive phenotypic change, eventually rendering a target population less vulnerable to angling and consequently impacting the quality of the fishery. In this study, we used parental-based tags to investigate whether vulnerability...

Diet plasticity is a common behavior exhibited by piscivores to sustain predator biomass when preferred prey biomass is reduced. Invasive piscivore diet plasticity could complicate suppression success; thus, understanding invasive predator consumption is insightful to meeting conservation targets. Here, we determine if diet plasticity exists in an invasive apex piscivore and whether...

The Kirtland’s Warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii) is a formerly endangered habitat specialist that breeds mainly in young jack pine (Pinus banksiana) forests in northern Lower Michigan, USA. The species is conservation-reliant and depends on habitat management. Management actions have primarily focused on creating jack pine plantations, but the species also breeds in red pine (Pinus resinosa...

Obtaining survival estimates on the Interior population of band-tailed pigeons (Patagioenas fasciata) is challenging because they are trap shy, but the joint use of passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags and bands is a potential solution. We investigated the use of PIT tags to passively recapture band-tailed pigeon at 3 locations in New Mexico, USA, to estimate survival. From 2013...

Neotoma magister (Allegheny Woodrat) is a nocturnal, emergent rock-habitat specialist (i.e., inhabits rocky outcrops, boulderfields, and caves). Woodrat populations have declined range-wide due to habitat fragmentation, endoparasites, and interspecific competition. We estimated the diel activity curves of Allegheny Woodrats and assessed the effects of habitat type (exposed rock habitat...

Hatchery programmes are frequently used to supplement inland fisheries, yet achieving successful management outcomes often requires information on stocked versus naturally reproduced fish abundance. Parentage-based tagging – genetically assigning offspring to their parents – has potential to be an effective approach for distinguishing stocked and naturally reproduced fish. However...

We conducted the first assessment of Adélie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) chick survival that accounts for imperfect resighting. We found that when chicks are larger in size when they enter the crèche stage (the period when both parents forage at the same time and chicks are left relatively unprotected), they have a higher probability of survival to fledging. We investigated the...

One of the most important considerations for acoustic telemetry study designs is detection probability between the transmitter and the receiver. Variation in environmental (i.e., wind and flow) and abiotic (i.e., bathymetry) conditions among aquatic systems can lead to differences in detection probability temporally or between systems. In this study we evaluate the effect of distance...

Pacific salmon experience prolonged elevation in corticosteroid hormones during important life history events including migration, reproduction, and senescence. These periods of elevated corticosteroids correspond with changes to immunity and energy metabolism; therefore, fish may be particularly vulnerable to mortality at these times. Recent studies found that stress-induced cortisol...

We reviewed studies of piscivorous colonial waterbird predation on juvenile salmonids to synthesize current knowledge of factors affecting fish susceptibility to avian predators. Specifically, we examined peer-reviewed publications and reports from academic, governmental, and nongovernmental agencies to identify commonalities and differences in susceptibility of salmonids to avian...

Anadromous fishes, such as Pacific salmon, spend portions of their life cycle in freshwater and marine systems, thus rendering them susceptible to a variety of natural and anthropogenic stressors. These stressors operate at different spatiotemporal scales, whereby freshwater conditions are more likely to impact single populations or subpopulations, while marine conditions are more likely...

Introduction: To sustain black bear (Ursus americanus) populations, wildlife managers should understand the coupled socio-ecological systems that influence acceptance capacity for bears. Method: In a study area encompassing a portion of New York State, we spatially matched datasets from three sources: human-bear conflict reports between 2006 and 2018, estimates of local bear density in...