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
Toxic elements and organochlorines in harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardsi), Kodiak, Alaska, USA
PCB exposure in sea otters and harlequin ducks in relation to history of contamination by the Exxon Valdez oil spill
Temporal and spatial distributions of sediment mercury at salt pond wetland restoration sites, San Francisco Bay, CA, USA
Invertebrate mercury bioaccumulation in permanent, seasonal, and flooded rice wetlands within California's Central Valley
Cytochrome P4501A biomarker indication of oil exposure in harlequin ducks up to 20 years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill
Effects of urbanization on carnivore species distribution and richness
Salton Sea Ecosystem Monitoring Project
Organochlorine contaminants in fishes from coastal waters west of Amukta Pass, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, USA
Dietary flexibility in three representative waterbirds across salinity and depth gradients in salt ponds of San Francisco Bay
Use of a nesting platform by Gull-billed Terns and Black Skimmers at the Salton Sea, California
Potential effects of mercury on threatened California black rails
Mercury correlations among six tissues for four waterbird species breeding in San Francisco Bay, California, USA
Science and Products
- Science
- Data
- Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 113
Toxic elements and organochlorines in harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardsi), Kodiak, Alaska, USA
Marine and estuarine habitats near urban or industrialized regions are vulnerable to contaminated runoff. Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardsi), which occur throughout much of the northern hemisphere, are useful mammalian biomonitors because they feed, reproduce, and rest near or on shore and are high-level trophic consumers. They have often been monitored for contaminants in Europe (WagemannAuthorsA.K. Miles, D.G. Calkins, N. C. CoonPCB exposure in sea otters and harlequin ducks in relation to history of contamination by the Exxon Valdez oil spill
Exposure to contaminants other than petroleum hydrocarbons could confound interpretation of Exxon Valdez oil spill effects on biota at Prince William Sound, Alaska. Hence, we investigated polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in blood of sea otters and harlequin ducks sampled during 1998. PCB concentrations characterized by lower chlorinated congeners were highest in sea otters from the unoiled area, wAuthorsMark A. Ricca, A. Keith Miles, Brenda E. Ballachey, James L. Bodkin, Daniel Esler, Kimberly A. TrustTemporal and spatial distributions of sediment mercury at salt pond wetland restoration sites, San Francisco Bay, CA, USA
Decommissioned agricultural salt ponds within south San Francisco Bay, California, are in the process of being converted to habitat for the benefit of wildlife as well as water management needs and recreation. Little is known of baseline levels of contaminants in these ponds, particularly mercury (Hg), which has a well established legacy in the Bay. In this study we described spatial and short-terAuthorsA. Keith Miles, M.A. RiccaInvertebrate mercury bioaccumulation in permanent, seasonal, and flooded rice wetlands within California's Central Valley
We examined methylmercury (MeHg) bioavailability in four of the most predominant wetland habitats in California's Central Valley agricultural region during the spring and summer: white rice, wild rice, permanent wetlands, and shallowly-flooded fallow fields. We sampled MeHg and total mercury (THg) concentrations in two aquatic macroinvertebrate taxa at the inlets, centers, and outlets of four replAuthorsJoshua T. Ackerman, A. Keith Miles, Collin A. Eagles-SmithCytochrome P4501A biomarker indication of oil exposure in harlequin ducks up to 20 years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill
Hydrocarbon-inducible cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) expression was measured, as ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity, in livers of wintering harlequin ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) captured in areas of Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA, oiled by the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill and in birds from nearby unoiled areas, during 2005 to 2009 (up to 20 years following the spill). The present work repAuthorsDaniel Esler, Kimberly A. Trust, Brenda E. Ballachey, Samuel A. Iverson, Tyler L. Lewis, Daniel Rizzolo, Daniel M. Mulcahy, A. Keith Miles, Bruce R. Woodin, John J. Stegeman, John D. Henderson, Barry W. WilsonEffects of urbanization on carnivore species distribution and richness
Urban development can have multiple effects on mammalian carnivore communities. We conducted a meta-analysis of 7,929 photographs from 217 localities in 11 camera-trap studies across coastal southern California to describe habitat use and determine the effects of urban proximity (distance to urban edge) and intensity (percentage of area urbanized) on carnivore occurrence and species richness in naAuthorsMiguel A. Ordenana, Kevin R. Crooks, Erin E. Boydston, Robert N. Fisher, Lisa M. Lyren, Shalene Siudyla, Christopher D. Haas, Sierra Harris, Stacie A. Hathaway, Greta M. Turschak, A. Keith Miles, Dirk H. Van VurenSalton Sea Ecosystem Monitoring Project
The Salton Sea is critically important for wintering and breeding waterbirds, but faces an uncertain future due to water delivery reductions imposed by the Interstate and Federal Quantification Settlement Agreement of 2003. The current preferred alternative for wetland restoration at the Salton Sea is saline habitat impoundments created to mitigate the anticipated loss of wetland habitat. In 2006,AuthorsA. Keith Miles, Mark A. Ricca, Anne Meckstroth, Sarah E. SpringOrganochlorine contaminants in fishes from coastal waters west of Amukta Pass, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, USA
Organochlorines were examined in liver and stable isotopes in muscle of fishes from the western Aleutian Islands, Alaska, in relation to islands or locations affected by military occupation. Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus), Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis), and rock greenling (Hexagrammos lagocephalus) were collected from nearshore waters at contemporary (decommissioned) and historicalAuthorsA. Keith Miles, Mark A. Ricca, Robert G. Anthony, James A. EstesDietary flexibility in three representative waterbirds across salinity and depth gradients in salt ponds of San Francisco Bay
Salt evaporation ponds have existed in San Francisco Bay, California, for more than a century. In the past decade, most of the salt ponds have been retired from production and purchased for resource conservation with a focus on tidal marsh restoration. However, large numbers of waterbirds are found in salt ponds, especially during migration and wintering periods. The value of these hypersaline wetAuthorsJohn Y. Takekawa, A.K. Miles, D. C. Tsao-Melcer, D. H. Schoellhamer, S. Fregien, N.D. AthearnUse of a nesting platform by Gull-billed Terns and Black Skimmers at the Salton Sea, California
In 2006, we constructed an elevated nesting platform at the Salton Sea, California, and monitored its use by Gull-billed Terns and Black Skimmers over three subsequent breeding seasons. Black Skimmers were the first to colonize the platform with a total of five nests in 2006. In 2007 Gull-billed Terns colonized the platform with a total of 28 nests and the number of Black Skimmer nests increased tAuthorsKathy C. Molina, Mark A. Ricca, A. Keith Miles, Christian SchonemanPotential effects of mercury on threatened California black rails
San Francisco Bay (SFB) estuary sediments contain high levels of mercury (Hg), and tidal marsh resident species may be vulnerable to Hg contamination. We examined Hg concentrations in California black rails, a threatened waterbird species that inhabits SFB tidal salt marshes. We captured 127 black rails during the prebreeding and postbreeding seasons and examined the influence of site, sex, and yeAuthorsDanika C. Tsao, A. Keith Miles, John Y. Takekawa, Isa WooMercury correlations among six tissues for four waterbird species breeding in San Francisco Bay, California, USA
Despite a large body of research concerning mercury (Hg) in birds, no single tissue has been used consistently to assess Hg exposure, and this has hampered comparisons across studies. We evaluated the relationships of Hg concentrations among tissues in four species of waterbirds (American avocets [Recurvirostra americana], black-necked stilts [Himantopus mexicanus], Caspian terns [Hydroprogne caspAuthorsCollin A. Eagles-Smith, Joshua T. Ackerman, T.L. Adelsbach, John Y. Takekawa, A.K. Miles, R.A. Keister - News
*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