Graham, L., A.A. Yackel Adams, and E.A. Odell. 1999. Devaluation of non-experiments in the current ecological paradigm. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 26(4): 1002-1006.
Amy Yackel Adams, Ph.D.
Amy Yackel Adams is a Research Ecologist at the Fort Collins Science Center.
Biography
Amy began working for the USGS while obtaining her master and doctorate degrees in ecology starting in 1997. She is a research ecologist and principal investigator for the Invasive Reptile Program, and studies population biology with a focus on applied research of invasive organisms (snakes, lizards, small mammals). Yackel Adams’ recent research has focused on detectability of Brown Treesnakes, quantifying the impact of Brown Treesnakes on lizard populations, enhancing rapid response detection of invasive species, modeling rapid response search duration, and population estimation of small mammals in the Pacific.
Education
- PhD, Ecology, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, 2005
- MS, Ecology, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, 1999
- BS, Resource Conservation, Forestry, University of Montana, 1986
Science and Products
Date published: December 14, 2020
Status: Active Biology, Impacts and Control of Invasive Reptiles in the Pacific
Research on Guam has led to development and validation of numerous effective control tools, including the advancement of reptile control to support native species recovery.
Date published: December 19, 2016
Status: Active Hierarchical Models for Estimation of Population Parameters
The Challenge: Much of wildlife research consists of the description of variation in data. Some of the variation results from spatial and temporal change in populations, while some results from biologically irrelevant sampling variation induced by the process of data collection. Distinguishing relevant from irrelevant variation is the first task of statistical analysis, but the job does not...
Contacts: William Link, Ph.D., Amy Yackel Adams, Ph.D.
Date published: December 4, 2016
Status: Active Biology, Impacts and Control of Invasive Reptiles in the Everglades
Invasive species are considered to be second only to habitat degradation in terms of negative impacts on the Earth’s ecosystems, and our scientists make up a significant proportion of the global expertise in the rapidly-growing problem of invasive reptiles.
Date published: December 2, 2016
Status: Active USGS Everglades Research Offices - Florida
The Daniel Beard Center in Everglades National Park provides the base for most of the field work done on the control of invasive reptiles by USGS Fort Collins Science Center staff. The team works in Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge, and other parts of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem focusing on, among other species of concern,...
Date published: December 1, 2016
Status: Active USGS Brown Treesnake Laboratory and Rapid Response Facility - Guam
USGS scientists and staff associated with the Brown Treesnake Project are co-located at the Guam National Wildlife Refuge at the northern end of Guam in the western Pacific Ocean. Project staff work on developing and testing control tools for invasive brown treesnakes, as well as understanding their impacts on Guam's ecosystems. Project staff also lead the multi-agency Brown Treesnake Rapid...
Date published: July 7, 2016
Status: Active Ecology and Control of Invasive Reptiles in Florida
This project involves ongoing development of tools for the detection and capture of invasive reptiles in Florida, with an emphasis on Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) and Black and white tegu lizards (Salvator merianae). The goals are to reduce the risk of reptile invasions in high-value resources such as Everglades National Park and the Florida Keys, to access early detection methods of...
Date published: July 6, 2016
Status: Active Brown Treesnake Rapid Response Team
Brown Treesnakes continue to cause major problems for the ecology, economy, and quality of life on Guam. Our scientists conduct research on this snake species, including control tool development and testing, ecological impacts, and early detection methods. We hold Brown Treesnake Rapid Response Team training courses on Guam throughout the year to develop the skills needed to effectively...
Date published: July 6, 2016
Status: Active Control and Landscape-Scale Suppression of the Invasive Brown Treesnake
The Brown Treesnake is a highly destructive reptile species that has extirpated many native species of birds, bats, and lizards from the U.S. Territory of Guam. For more than two decades branch scientists with the Invasive Reptile Project have developed, validated, and tested the feasibility of Brown Treesnake control and suppression at various spatial scales.
Date published: July 3, 2016
Status: Active Giant Constrictor Snakes in Florida: A Sizeable Research Challenge
Since the mid-1990s, several species of non-native, giant constrictor snakes, such as Burmese pythons and boa constrictors, have surfaced in localities throughout southern Florida. Several are known or suspected to be breeding and appear to be spreading northward. Increasingly, media and other reports of sightings or encounters with these animals have emphasized the dangers they could impose...
Contacts: Amy Yackel Adams, Ph.D., Bryan Falk, Ph.D.
Attribution: Invasive Species Program, Fort Collins Science Center
Date published: December 28, 2020
Salvator merianae trapping in Georgia, USA
Argentine Giant Tegu lizard (Salvator merianae) trap effort and count data collected in southern Georgia, USA in 2019. Non-target species associated with the traps were also documented, as were type of bait used and condition of the traps during trap checks.
Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center
Date published: October 18, 2017
Dataset: Forest growth in and around an ungulate enclosure on Northern Guam, 2005-2011
On an island largely devoid of native vertebrate seed dispersers, we monitored forest succession for seven years following ungulate exclusion from a 5-hectare area and adjacent plots with ungulates still present.
Year Published: 2021
Using enclosed Y-mazes to assess chemosensory behavior in reptiles
Reptiles utilize a variety of environmental cues to inform and drive animal behavior such as chemical scent trails produced by food or conspecifics. Decrypting the scent-trailing behavior of vertebrates, particularly invasive species, enables the discovery of cues that induce exploratory behavior and can aid in the development of valuable basic...
Parker, M. Rockwell; Currylow, Andrea Faye; Tillman, Eric A.; Robinson, Charlotte J.; Josimovich, Jillian Maureen; Bukovich, Isabella M.G.; Nazarian, Lauren A.; Nafus, Melia G.; Kluever, Bryan M.; Yackel Adams, Amy A.Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2021
Locally abundant, endangered Mariana swiftlets impact the abundance, behavior, and body condition of an invasive predator
Invasive predators are known to have negative consumptive and non-consumptive effects on native species, but few examples show how the abundance of native prey may influence an established invasive predator. We compared invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis; BTS) found in caves occupied by endangered Mariana swiftlets (Aerodramus bartschi)...
Klug, Page E.; Yackel Adams, Amy A.; Siers, Shane R.; Brindock, Kevin M; Mosher, Stephen M.; Mazurek, MJ; Pitt, William C.; Reed, RobertAttribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2020
Evidence for an established population of tegu lizards Salvator merianae in southeastern Georgia, USA
Documenting emergence of invasive species in new areas is vital to understanding spatiotemporal patterns of invasions, propagule pressure, and the risk of establishment. Salvator merianae (Argentine Giant Tegu) has established multiple unconnected populations in southern and Central Florida, and additional sightings have been reported elsewhere in...
Haro, Daniel; McBrayer, Lance; Jenson, John B; Gillis, James; Bonewell, Lea R.; Nafus, Melia Gail; Greiman, Stephen E.; Reed, Robert; Yackel Adams, Amy A.Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2020
Validating deployment of aerially delivered toxic bait cartridges for control of invasive brown treesnakes
Aerial application of management tools can provide a cost‐effective means to conserve or control wildlife populations at the landscape scale. Large spatial scales, however, present difficulties when assessing in situ reliability and integrity of the devices themselves. We demonstrate application of a distance‐sampling density estimation...
Goetz, Scott Michael; Yackel Adams, Amy A.; Siers, Shane SAttribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2020
Behavior, size, and body condition predict susceptibility to management and reflect post-treatment frequency shifts in an invasive snake
Foraging behavior can have population-level effects that are of interest for wildlife management. For invasive species, foraging behavior has been tied to establishment ability and rate of spread and is generally of import in understanding invasion biology. A major method for controlling invasive vertebrates is using food-based baits as...
Nafus, Melia G.; Yackel Adams, Amy A.; Boback, S. M.; Siers, SR; Reed, RobertAttribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2020
Landscape dominance of introduced herpetofauna on an oceanic island
Habitat loss and fragmentation can negatively impact native wildlife and facilitate establishment of introduced species. On islands, introduced species are a primary cause of extinction and can alter community membership through predation or competition for resources. Consequently, elucidating the distribution of introduced and native species can...
Hileman, Eric Thomas; Eichelberger, Bradley A.; Liske-Clark, Jill; Barnhart, Patrick D; Reed, Robert; Yackel Adams, Amy A.; Nafus, Melia G.Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2020
Use of visual surveys and radiotelemetry reveals sources of detection bias for a cryptic snake at low densities
Transect surveys are frequently used to estimate distribution and abundance of species across a landscape, yet a proportion of individuals present will be missed because either they were out of view and unavailable for detection or they were available but not detected because the surveyors missed them. These situations lead to availability and...
Boback, SM; Nafus, Melia G.; Yackel Adams, Amy A.; Reed, RobertAttribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2019
Genomic pedigree reconstruction identifies predictors of mating and reproductive success in an invasive vertebrate
The persistence of an invasive species is influenced by its reproductive ecology, and a successful control program must operate on this premise. However, the reproductive ecology of invasive species may be enigmatic due to factors that also limit their management, such as cryptic coloration and behavior. We explored the mating and reproductive...
Levine, Brenna A; Douglas, Marlis R; Yackel Adams, Amy A.; Lardner, Bjorn; Reed, Robert; Savidge, Julie A.; Douglas, Michael EAttribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2019
Contact rates with nesting birds before and after invasive snake removal: Estimating the effects of trap-based control
Invasive predators are responsible for almost 60% of all vertebrate extinctions worldwide with the most vulnerable faunas occurring on islands. The brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis) is a notorious invasive predator that caused the extirpation or extinction of most native forest birds on Guam. The success of avian reintroduction efforts on...
Yackel Adams, Amy A.; Nafus, Melia G.; Klug, Page; Lardner, Bjorn; Mazurek, M.J.; Savidge, Julie A.; Reed, RobertAttribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2019
Do observer fatigue and taxon-bias compromise visual encounter surveys for small vertebrates?
Context. Visual encounter surveying is a standard animal inventory method, modifications of which (e.g. distance sampling and repeated count surveys) are used for modelling population density. However, a variety of factors may bias visual survey counts.Aims. The aim of the present study was to evaluate three observer-related biases: (1)...
Lardner, Bjorn; Yackel Adams, Amy A.; Knox, Adam J; Savidge, Julie A.; Reed, RobertAttribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2018
Analysis of population change and movement using robust design removal data
In capture-mark-reencounter studies, Pollock’s robust design combines methods for open populations with methods for closed populations. Open population features of the robust design allow for estimation of rates of death or permanent emigration, and closed population features enhance estimation of population sizes. We describe a similar design,...
Link, William A.; Converse, Sarah J.; Yackel Adams, Amy A.; Hostetter, Nathan J.
Year Published: 2018
Habitat type and structure affect trap capture success of an invasive snake across variable densities
Detection represents an important limitation of accurately estimating population size, abundance, and habitat suitability for wildlife, which can be especially true for cryptic animals. Moreover, for reptiles, juveniles are often less likely to be detected than later life stages. In the case of invasive species, preventing false negatives early in...
Nafus, Melia G.; Yackel Adams, Amy A.; Klug, Page E.; Rodda, Gordon H.Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
Nafus MG, Yackel Adams AA, Klug PE, and Rodda GH. (2018) Habitat type and structure affect trap capture success of an invasive snake. Ecosphere, 9: e02339.
Pre-USGS Publications
Date published: February 11, 2021
Next Generation of Women in Science
As part of International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Fort Collins Science Center scientists volunteered to pass along personal and professional advice to the next generation of women and girls in science.
Date published: December 11, 2020
Fort Collins Science Center Ecologist Interviewed for National Geographic, NPR
Research ecologist Dr. Amy Yackel Adams was recently interviewed on the invasive tegu lizard for National Geographic and NPR’s Here & Now.