Adrianne Brand
Adrianne Brand is a wildlife biologist with the Northeast Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (NEARMI).
With a focus on threats and declines in amphibians populations, NEARMI seeks to better understand the factors contributing to changes in amphibian populations and provide information to resource managers on the status of amphibians on DOI lands in the region. The scope of work includes conducting annual monitoring surveys, carrying out research projects, and working with land managers to better inform natural resource decision making for both rare and common species.
Professional Experience
05/2009 – present Wildlife Biologist, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Turners Falls, MA
08/2006 - 12/2008 Graduate Research/Teaching Assistant, Towson University, Towson, MD
05/2005 – 08/2006 Field/Research Technician – West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
05/2004 – 08/2004 Biology Intern, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Lewisburg, WV
Education and Certifications
2008 M.S. – Biology, Towson University, Towson, MD 21252.
2006 B.S. - Wildlife and Fisheries Resources & B.S. - Environmental Protection, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
Science and Products
Estimating occurrence, prevalence, and detection of amphibian pathogens: Insights from occupancy models
Quantifying climate sensitivity and climate-driven change in North American amphibian communities
Evidence that climate sets the lower elevation range limit in a high‐elevation endemic salamander
Two-species occupancy modeling accounting for species misidentification and nondetection
Range position and climate sensitivity: The structure of among-population demographic responses to climatic variation
Design tradeoffs in long-term research for stream salamanders
Climate-mediated competition in a high-elevation salamander community
Plethodon cinerius (eastern red-backed salamander) movement
Potential reduction in terrestrial salamander ranges associated with Marcellus shale development
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 21
Estimating occurrence, prevalence, and detection of amphibian pathogens: Insights from occupancy models
Understanding the distribution of pathogens across landscapes and their prevalence within host populations is a common aim of wildlife managers. Despite the need for unbiased estimates of pathogen occurrence and prevalence for planning effective management interventions, many researchers fail to account for imperfect pathogen detection. Instead raw data are often reported, which may lead to ineffeAuthorsB. A. Mosher, Adrianne Brand, ANM Wiewel, D. A. W. Miller, MT Gray, Debra L. Miller, Evan H. Campbell GrantQuantifying climate sensitivity and climate-driven change in North American amphibian communities
Changing climate will impact species’ ranges only when environmental variability directly impacts the demography of local populations. However, measurement of demographic responses to climate change has largely been limited to single species and locations. Here we show that amphibian communities are responsive to climatic variability, using >500,000 time-series observations for 81 species across 8AuthorsDavid A.W. Miller, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Erin L. Muths, Staci M. Amburgey, M. J. Adams, Maxwell B. Joseph, J. Hardin Waddle, Pieter T.J. Johnson, Maureen E. Ryan, Benedikt R. Schmidt, Daniel L. Calhoun, Courtney L. Davis, Robert N. Fisher, David M. Green, Blake R. Hossack, Tracy A.G. Rittenhouse, Susan C. Walls, Larissa L. Bailey, Sam S. Cruickshank, Gary M. Fellers, Thomas A. Gorman, Carola A. Haas, Ward Hughson, David S. Pilliod, Steven J. Price, Andrew M. Ray, Walter Sadinski, Daniel Saenz, William J. Barichivich, Adrianne B. Brand, Cheryl S. Brehme, Rosi Dagit, Katy S. Delaney, Brad M. Glorioso, Lee B. Kats, Patrick M. Kleeman, Christopher Pearl, Carlton J. Rochester, Seth P. D. Riley, Mark F. Roth, Brent SigafusByEcosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Species Management Research Program, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Southwest Biological Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Wetland and Aquatic Research CenterEvidence that climate sets the lower elevation range limit in a high‐elevation endemic salamander
A frequent assumption in ecology is that biotic interactions are more important than abiotic factors in determining lower elevational range limits (i.e., the “warm edge” of a species distribution). However, for species with narrow environmental tolerances, theory suggests the presence of a strong environmental gradient can lead to persistence, even in the presence of competition. The relative impoAuthorsEvan H. Campbell Grant, Adrianne B. Brand, Stephan F. J. De Wekker, Temple R. Lee, John E. B. WoffordTwo-species occupancy modeling accounting for species misidentification and nondetection
In occupancy studies, species misidentification can lead to false‐positive detections, which can cause severe estimator biases. Currently, all models that account for false‐positive errors only consider omnibus sources of false detections and are limited to single‐species occupancy.However, false detections for a given species often occur because of the misidentification with another, closely relaAuthorsThierry Chambert, Evan H. Campbell Grant, David A. W. Miller, James D. Nichols, Kevin P. Mulder, Adrianne B. BrandRange position and climate sensitivity: The structure of among-population demographic responses to climatic variation
Species’ distributions will respond to climate change based on the relationship between local demographic processes and climate and how this relationship varies based on range position. A rarely tested demographic prediction is that populations at the extremes of a species’ climate envelope (e.g., populations in areas with the highest mean annual temperature) will be most sensitive to local shiftsAuthorsStaci M. Amburgey, David A. W. Miller, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Tracy A. G. Rittenhouse, Michael F. Benard, Jonathan L. Richardson, Mark C. Urban, Ward Hughson, Adrianne B. Brand, Christopher J. Davis, Carmen R. Hardin, Peter W. C. Paton, Christopher J. Raithel, Rick A. Relyea, A. Floyd Scott, David K. Skelly, Dennis E. Skidds, Charles K. Smith, Earl E. WernerDesign tradeoffs in long-term research for stream salamanders
Long-term research programs can benefit from early and periodic evaluation of their ability to meet stated objectives. In particular, consideration of the spatial allocation of effort is key. We sampled 4 species of stream salamanders intensively for 2 years (2010–2011) in the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Maryland, USA to evaluate alternative distributions of sampling locatiAuthorsAdrianne B. Brand, Evan H. Campbell GrantClimate-mediated competition in a high-elevation salamander community
The distribution of the federally endangered Shenandoah Salamander (Plethodon shenandoah) is presumed to be limited by competition with the Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus). In particular, the current distribution of P. shenandoah is understood to be restricted to warmer and drier habitats because of interspecific interactions. These habitats may be particularly sensitive to climate chanAuthorsEric A. Dallalio, Adrianne B. Brand, Evan H. Campbell GrantPlethodon cinerius (eastern red-backed salamander) movement
Lungless salamanders (family Plethodontidae) are relatively sedentary and are presumed to have limited dispersal ability (Marsh et al. 2004. Ecology 85:3396–3405). Site fidelity in Plethodontidae is high, and individuals displaced 90 m return to home territories (Kleeberger and Werner 1982. Copeia 1982:409–415). Individuals defend territories (Jaeger et al. 1982. Anim. Behav. 30:490–496) and femalAuthorsSean Sterrett, Adrianne B. Brand, William R. Fields, Rachel A. Katz, Evan H. Campbell GrantPotential reduction in terrestrial salamander ranges associated with Marcellus shale development
Natural gas production from the Marcellus shale is rapidly increasing in the northeastern United States. Most of the endemic terrestrial salamander species in the region are classified as ‘globally secure’ by the IUCN, primarily because much of their ranges include state- and federally protected lands, which have been presumed to be free from habitat loss. However, the proposed and ongoing developAuthorsAdrianne B. Brand, Amber N. M. Wiewel, Evan H. Campbell Grant - News