A. Keith Miles
Keith Miles is the Center Director of the Western Ecological Research Center.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
- Community ecology
- Contaminants
- Cumulative effects
- Ecotoxicology
- Invertebrate ecology
- Marine mammal ecology
- Nearshore marine ecology
Professional Experience
Research Biologist, USGS, Western Ecological Research Center, Jun 1997-present
Graduate Faculty, Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California, Davis, Jan 1998-present
Research Biologist, National Biological Service, Davis, California, Oct 1993-Jun 1997
Research Biologist, USFWS, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, Maryland, Jul 1986-Oct 1993
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Wildlife Ecology, Oregon State University 1987
M.S., Wildlife Biology, Oregon State University 1976
B.S., Zoology, Howard University 1972
Affiliations and Memberships*
Ecological Society of America
Estuarine Research Federation
Northern California Chapter of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
Pacific Estuarine Research Society
The Wildlife Soc
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 111
Development and utility of a gene transcription panel for desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) Development and utility of a gene transcription panel for desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni)
Respiratory disease is a key factor impacting the success of the ongoing conservation and recovery of wild sheep populations (WAFWA 2017). Although the primary pathogens involved in the bighorn sheep pneumonia complex have been identified, the wide variability in herd response following infection is not well understood (Cassirer et al. 2018). The response of populations infected with...
Authors
Lizabeth Bowen, Kathleen Longshore, Peregrine Wolff, Shannon C. Waters-Dynes, A. Keith Miles, Mike Cox, Sarah Bullock
Using gene transcription to assess ecological and anthropological stressors in brown bears Using gene transcription to assess ecological and anthropological stressors in brown bears
Increasingly, population- and ecosystem-level health assessments are performed using sophisticated molecular tools. Advances in molecular technology enable the identification of synergistic effects of multiple stressors on the individual physiology of different species. Brown bears (Ursus arctos) are an apex predator; thus, they are ideal candidates for detecting potentially ecosystem...
Authors
Lizabeth Bowen, A. Keith Miles, Shannon C. Waters-Dynes, Dave Gustine, Kyle Joly, Grant V. Hilderbrand
Gene transcription patterns in response to low level petroleum contaminants in Mytilus trossulus from field sites and harbors in southcentral Alaska Gene transcription patterns in response to low level petroleum contaminants in Mytilus trossulus from field sites and harbors in southcentral Alaska
The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill damaged a wide range of natural resources, including intertidal communities, and post-spill studies demonstrated acute and chronic exposure and injury to an array of species. Standard toxicological methods to evaluate petroleum contaminants have assessed tissue burdens, with fewer assays providing indicators of health or physiology, particularly when...
Authors
Lizabeth Bowen, A. Keith Miles, Brenda E. Ballachey, Shannon C. Waters-Dynes, James L. Bodkin, Mandy Lindeberg, Daniel Esler
Coupling gene-based and classic veterinary diagnostics improves interpretation of health and immune function in the Agassiz’s desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) Coupling gene-based and classic veterinary diagnostics improves interpretation of health and immune function in the Agassiz’s desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)
The analysis of blood constituents is a widely used tool to aid in monitoring of animal health and disease. However, classic blood diagnostics (i.e. hematologic and plasma biochemical values) often do not provide sufficient information to determine the state of an animal’s health. Field studies on wild tortoises and other reptiles have had limited success in drawing significant...
Authors
K. Kristina Drake, Lizabeth Bowen, Rebecca L. Lewison, Todd C. Esque, Kenneth Nussear, Josephine Braun, Shannon C. Waters-Dynes, A. Keith Miles
Cessation of oil exposure in harlequin ducks after the Exxon Valdez oil spill: Cytochrome P4501A biomarker evidence Cessation of oil exposure in harlequin ducks after the Exxon Valdez oil spill: Cytochrome P4501A biomarker evidence
The authors quantified hepatic hydrocarbon-inducible cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) expression, as ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity, in wintering harlequin ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) captured in Prince William Sound, Alaska (USA), during 2011, 2013, and 2014 (22–25 yr following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill). Average EROD activity was compared between birds from areas...
Authors
Daniel Esler, Brenda E. Ballachey, Lizabeth Bowen, A. Keith Miles, Rian D. Dickson, John D. Henderson
Southern sea otter range expansion and habitat use in the Santa Barbara Channel, California Southern sea otter range expansion and habitat use in the Santa Barbara Channel, California
The re-colonization of the Santa Barbara channel by sea otters brings these ESA-listed marine mammals closer to active oil and gas production facilities, shipping lanes and naturally occurring oil and gas seeps. However, the degree to which sea otters may actually be affected by human-caused oil spills or exposure to natural oil seeps is currently unknown. Between 2012 and 2014, the U.S
Authors
M. Tim Tinker, Joseph A. Tomoleoni, Nicole LaRoche, Lizabeth Bowen, A. Keith Miles, Mike Murray, Michelle Staedler, Zachary Randell
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 111
Development and utility of a gene transcription panel for desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) Development and utility of a gene transcription panel for desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni)
Respiratory disease is a key factor impacting the success of the ongoing conservation and recovery of wild sheep populations (WAFWA 2017). Although the primary pathogens involved in the bighorn sheep pneumonia complex have been identified, the wide variability in herd response following infection is not well understood (Cassirer et al. 2018). The response of populations infected with...
Authors
Lizabeth Bowen, Kathleen Longshore, Peregrine Wolff, Shannon C. Waters-Dynes, A. Keith Miles, Mike Cox, Sarah Bullock
Using gene transcription to assess ecological and anthropological stressors in brown bears Using gene transcription to assess ecological and anthropological stressors in brown bears
Increasingly, population- and ecosystem-level health assessments are performed using sophisticated molecular tools. Advances in molecular technology enable the identification of synergistic effects of multiple stressors on the individual physiology of different species. Brown bears (Ursus arctos) are an apex predator; thus, they are ideal candidates for detecting potentially ecosystem...
Authors
Lizabeth Bowen, A. Keith Miles, Shannon C. Waters-Dynes, Dave Gustine, Kyle Joly, Grant V. Hilderbrand
Gene transcription patterns in response to low level petroleum contaminants in Mytilus trossulus from field sites and harbors in southcentral Alaska Gene transcription patterns in response to low level petroleum contaminants in Mytilus trossulus from field sites and harbors in southcentral Alaska
The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill damaged a wide range of natural resources, including intertidal communities, and post-spill studies demonstrated acute and chronic exposure and injury to an array of species. Standard toxicological methods to evaluate petroleum contaminants have assessed tissue burdens, with fewer assays providing indicators of health or physiology, particularly when...
Authors
Lizabeth Bowen, A. Keith Miles, Brenda E. Ballachey, Shannon C. Waters-Dynes, James L. Bodkin, Mandy Lindeberg, Daniel Esler
Coupling gene-based and classic veterinary diagnostics improves interpretation of health and immune function in the Agassiz’s desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) Coupling gene-based and classic veterinary diagnostics improves interpretation of health and immune function in the Agassiz’s desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)
The analysis of blood constituents is a widely used tool to aid in monitoring of animal health and disease. However, classic blood diagnostics (i.e. hematologic and plasma biochemical values) often do not provide sufficient information to determine the state of an animal’s health. Field studies on wild tortoises and other reptiles have had limited success in drawing significant...
Authors
K. Kristina Drake, Lizabeth Bowen, Rebecca L. Lewison, Todd C. Esque, Kenneth Nussear, Josephine Braun, Shannon C. Waters-Dynes, A. Keith Miles
Cessation of oil exposure in harlequin ducks after the Exxon Valdez oil spill: Cytochrome P4501A biomarker evidence Cessation of oil exposure in harlequin ducks after the Exxon Valdez oil spill: Cytochrome P4501A biomarker evidence
The authors quantified hepatic hydrocarbon-inducible cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) expression, as ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity, in wintering harlequin ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) captured in Prince William Sound, Alaska (USA), during 2011, 2013, and 2014 (22–25 yr following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill). Average EROD activity was compared between birds from areas...
Authors
Daniel Esler, Brenda E. Ballachey, Lizabeth Bowen, A. Keith Miles, Rian D. Dickson, John D. Henderson
Southern sea otter range expansion and habitat use in the Santa Barbara Channel, California Southern sea otter range expansion and habitat use in the Santa Barbara Channel, California
The re-colonization of the Santa Barbara channel by sea otters brings these ESA-listed marine mammals closer to active oil and gas production facilities, shipping lanes and naturally occurring oil and gas seeps. However, the degree to which sea otters may actually be affected by human-caused oil spills or exposure to natural oil seeps is currently unknown. Between 2012 and 2014, the U.S
Authors
M. Tim Tinker, Joseph A. Tomoleoni, Nicole LaRoche, Lizabeth Bowen, A. Keith Miles, Mike Murray, Michelle Staedler, Zachary Randell
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government