Amy Yackel Adams, PhD
Amy Yackel Adams is a Research Ecologist focusing on improving management decisions of invasive reptiles worldwide.
Amy leads a diverse research program with other USGS scientists and various collaborators (NPS, USDA-NWRC, USFWS, DoD, universities, and state agencies) pertaining to early detection and rapid response, biology, ecology, genetics, control tool evaluation, eradication, and quantitative model development to improve adaptive management of invasive reptile species. Yackel Adams’ research areas in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem and Pacific Islands include: 1) Population and vital rate estimation of invasive Burmese Pythons, Veiled Chameleons, and Brown Treesnakes; 2) Estimating the impact of Brown Treesnakes on prey populations; 3) Enhancing early detection of invasive reptiles using new tools; and 4) Development and evaluation of removal and abundance models to inform and optimize eradication efforts.
Education and Certifications
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 and Environmental Studies, University of Montana, 1986
Science and Products
Weather effects on avian breeding performance and implications of climate change
Potential misuse of avian density as a conservation metric
Scented guide ropes as a method to enhance brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis) trap capture success on Guam
Effectiveness of bait tubes for brown treesnake control on Guam
Modelling detectability of kiore (Rattus exulans) on Aguiguan, Mariana Islands, to inform possible eradication and monitoring efforts
Canine detection of free-ranging brown treesnakes on Guam
Are there optimal densities for prairie birds?
Modelling detection probabilities to evaluate management and control tools for an invasive species
The results of nocturnal visual surveys are influenced by lamp properties
Distribution, density, and biomass of introduced small mammals in the southern mariana islands
Evaluating abundance estimate precision and the assumptions of a count-based index for small mammals
Evaluation of trap capture in a geographically closed population of brown treesnakes on Guam
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
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Weather effects on avian breeding performance and implications of climate change
The influence of recent climate change on the world’s biota has manifested broadly, resulting in latitudinal range shifts, advancing dates of arrival of migrants and onset of breeding, and altered community relationships. Climate change elevates conservation concerns worldwide because it will likely exacerbate a broad range of identified threats to animal populations. In the past few decades, grasAuthorsSusan K. Skagen, Amy A. Yackel AdamsPotential misuse of avian density as a conservation metric
: Effective conservation metrics are needed to evaluate the success of management in a rapidly changing world. Reproductive rates and densities of breeding birds (as a surrogate for reproductive rate) have been used to indicate the quality of avian breeding habitat, but the underlying assumptions of these metrics rarely have been examined. When birds are attracted to breeding areas in part by theAuthorsSusan K. Skagen, Amy A. Yackel AdamsScented guide ropes as a method to enhance brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis) trap capture success on Guam
Current methods for controlling the invasive Brown Treesnake (Boiga irregularis) on Guam include a modified minnow trap with a live mouse lure. We investigated the effects on capture success of augmenting these traps with scented guide ropes leading to trap entrances. Initial screening of scent preferences was based on time spent in scented and unscented arms of a Y-maze. Preferences of large andAuthorsL.C. Mason, J. A. Savidge, G.H. Rodda, A. A. Yackel AdamsEffectiveness of bait tubes for brown treesnake control on Guam
A bait tube is a device with which a toxicant inserted in a dead mouse (Mus musculus) can be delivered to invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) with low risk of non-target bait take. We tested two bait tube designs in a 5ha snake enclosure where the identity of virtually every snake is known. Instead of using toxicants, we implanted radio transmitters in small (6.6±1.4 g) and large (21.8±2AuthorsB. Lardner, J. A. Savidge, G.H. Rodda, R.N. Reed, A. A. Yackel Adams, C.S. ClarkModelling detectability of kiore (Rattus exulans) on Aguiguan, Mariana Islands, to inform possible eradication and monitoring efforts
Estimating the detection probability of introduced organisms during the pre-monitoring phase of an eradication effort can be extremely helpful in informing eradication and post-eradication monitoring efforts, but this step is rarely taken. We used data collected during 11 nights of mark-recapture sampling on Aguiguan, Mariana Islands, to estimate introduced kiore (Rattus exulans Peale) density andAuthorsA.A.Y. Adams, J.W. Stanford, A.S. Wiewel, G.H. RoddaCanine detection of free-ranging brown treesnakes on Guam
We investigated canine teams (dogs and their handlers) on Guam as a potential tool for finding invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) in the wild. Canine teams searched a 40 × 40 m forested area for a snake that had consumed a dead mouse containing a radio-transmitter. To avoid tainting the target or target area with human scent, no snake was handled or closely approached prior to searches.AuthorsJulie A. Savidge, James W. Stanford, Robert Reed, Ginger R. Haddock, Amy A. Yackel AdamsAre there optimal densities for prairie birds?
The major forces of food and predation shape fitness-enhancing decisions of birds at all stages of their life cycles. During the breeding season, birds can minimize nest loss due to predation by selecting sites with a lower probability of predation. To understand the environmental and social aspects and consequences of breedingsite selection in prairie birds, we explored variation in nest-survivalAuthorsS. K. Skagen, A.A.Y. AdamsModelling detection probabilities to evaluate management and control tools for an invasive species
For most ecologists, detection probability (p) is a nuisance variable that must be modelled to estimate the state variable of interest (i.e. survival, abundance, or occupancy). However, in the realm of invasive species control, the rate of detection and removal is the rate-limiting step for management of this pervasive environmental problem. For strategic planning of an eradication (removal of eveAuthorsM.T. Christy, A. A. Yackel Adams, G.H. Rodda, J. A. Savidge, C.L. TyrrellThe results of nocturnal visual surveys are influenced by lamp properties
We conducted standardized visual searches at night for brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) and geckos, where we alternated between spotlight and floodlight lamps. Floodlights rendered us 25% more snakes and 71% more geckos than did spotlights. We show data on searcher variability and discuss what might affect the relative benefit of different lamp types. ?? 2009 Brill Academic Publishers.AuthorsB. Lardner, J. A. Savidge, G.H. Rodda, R.N. Reed, A.A.Y. AdamsDistribution, density, and biomass of introduced small mammals in the southern mariana islands
Although it is generally accepted that introduced small mammals have detrimental effects on island ecology, our understanding of these effects is frequently limited by incomplete knowledge of small mammal distribution, density, and biomass. Such information is especially critical in the Mariana Islands, where small mammal density is inversely related to effectiveness of Brown Tree Snake (Boiga irrAuthorsA.S. Wiewel, A.A.Y. Adams, G.H. RoddaEvaluating abundance estimate precision and the assumptions of a count-based index for small mammals
Conservation and management of small mammals requires reliable knowledge of population size. We investigated precision of markrecapture and removal abundance estimates generated from live-trapping and snap-trapping data collected at sites on Guam (n 7), Rota (n 4), Saipan (n 5), and Tinian (n 3), in the Mariana Islands. We also evaluated a common index, captures per unit effort (CPUE), as a predicAuthorsA.S. Wiewel, A.A.Y. Adams, G.H. RoddaEvaluation of trap capture in a geographically closed population of brown treesnakes on Guam
1. Open population mark-recapture analysis of unbounded populations accommodates some types of closure violations (e.g. emigration, immigration). In contrast, closed population analysis of such populations readily allows estimation of capture heterogeneity and behavioural response, but requires crucial assumptions about closure (e.g. no permanent emigration) that are suspect and rarely tested empiAuthorsC.L. Tyrrell, M.T. Christy, G.H. Rodda, A. A. Yackel Adams, A.R. Ellingson, J. A. Savidge, K. Dean-Bradley, R. BischofNon-USGS Publications**
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.**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
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