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
Filter Total Items: 17
Filter Total Items: 38
Habitat characterization around standard brown treesnake traps on Guam, 2004 - 2017 Habitat characterization around standard brown treesnake traps on Guam, 2004 - 2017
Data were collected in association with locations of standard brown treesnake traps on Guam at location prior to suppression or control efforts and after control had occurred. In all cases study sites were closed or semi-closed populations of brown treesnakes. Habitat data focused on type and structure of the habitat within 10-m of the trap.
Dataset: Passive restoration following ungulate removal in a highly disturbed tropical wet forest devoid of native seed dispersers Dataset: Passive restoration following ungulate removal in a highly disturbed tropical wet forest devoid of native seed dispersers
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. The study site was in northern Guam on Andersen Air Force Base (1337N, 14451E) and situated on a coralline limestone plateau. We established 22 plots and six 0.25-m2 subplots to...
Filter Total Items: 96
Tools for increasing visual encounter probabilities for invasive species removal: A case study of brown treesnakes Tools for increasing visual encounter probabilities for invasive species removal: A case study of brown treesnakes
Early detection and rapid response (EDRR) are essential to identifying and decisively responding to the introduction or spread of an invasive species, thus avoiding population establishment and improving the probability of achieving eradication. However, detection can be challenging at the onset of a species invasion as low population densities can reduce detection probability and...
Authors
Staci M. Amburgey, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Beth Gardner, Bjorn Lardner, Sarah J. Converse
Olfactory lures in predator control do not increase predation risk to birds in areas of conservation concern Olfactory lures in predator control do not increase predation risk to birds in areas of conservation concern
Context: Lethal control of predators is often undertaken to protect species of conservation concern. Traps are frequently baited to increase capture efficacy, but baited traps can potentially increase predation risk by attracting predators to protected areas. This is especially important if targeted predators can escape capture due to low trap success. Snake traps using live mouse lures...
Authors
Page E. Klug, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Robert Reed
Female persistence during toxicant treatment predicts survival probability of offspring in invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) Female persistence during toxicant treatment predicts survival probability of offspring in invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis)
Assessing the long-term efficacy of control methods is a critical component of invasive species management. For example, if traits related to control have significant heritability or are influenced by maternal effects, control methods may lose efficacy over time. The potential for these effects can be evaluated via parent/offspring survival analysis, which concomitantly recasts adaptive...
Authors
Brenna A Levine, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Marlis Douglas, Michael Douglas, Melia Gail Nafus
Foraging behavior in a generalist snake (brown treesnake, Boiga irregularis) with implications for avian reintroduction and recovery Foraging behavior in a generalist snake (brown treesnake, Boiga irregularis) with implications for avian reintroduction and recovery
Broad foraging classifications, such as generalist or specialist forager, are generally beneficial for population management in defining expectations of typical behavior. However, better understanding as to how individual variance in behavior interfaces with management actions, such as control of an invasive predator (such as brown treesnakes; Boiga irregularis) responsible for...
Authors
Melia G. Nafus, Peter X. Xiong, Eben H. Paxton, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Scott Michael Goetz
Thermal stability of an adaptable, invasive ectotherm: Argentine giant tegus in the Greater Everglades ecosystem, USA Thermal stability of an adaptable, invasive ectotherm: Argentine giant tegus in the Greater Everglades ecosystem, USA
Invasive species globally threaten biodiversity and economies, but the ecophysiological mechanisms underlying their success are often understudied. For those alien species that also exhibit high phenotypic plasticity, such as habitat generalists, adaptations in response to environmental pressures can take place relatively quickly. The Argentine giant tegu (Salvator merianae; tegu) is a...
Authors
Andrea Faye Currylow, Michelle Collier, Emma B. Hanslowe, Bryan G. Falk, Brian S. Cade, Sarah E. Moy, Alejandro Grajal-Puche, Frank N. Ridgley, Robert Reed, Amy A. Yackel Adams
Brown treesnake mortality after aerial application of toxic baits Brown treesnake mortality after aerial application of toxic baits
Quantitative evaluation of control tools for managing invasive species is necessary to assess overall effectiveness and individual variation in treatment susceptibility. Invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) on Guam have caused severe ecological and economic effects, pose a risk of accidental introduction to other islands, and are the greatest impediment to the reestablishment of
Authors
Scott Michael Goetz, Eric T. Hileman, Melia G. Nafus, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Amanda R Bryant, Robert Reed, Shane R. Siers
Non-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.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 17
Filter Total Items: 38
Habitat characterization around standard brown treesnake traps on Guam, 2004 - 2017 Habitat characterization around standard brown treesnake traps on Guam, 2004 - 2017
Data were collected in association with locations of standard brown treesnake traps on Guam at location prior to suppression or control efforts and after control had occurred. In all cases study sites were closed or semi-closed populations of brown treesnakes. Habitat data focused on type and structure of the habitat within 10-m of the trap.
Dataset: Passive restoration following ungulate removal in a highly disturbed tropical wet forest devoid of native seed dispersers Dataset: Passive restoration following ungulate removal in a highly disturbed tropical wet forest devoid of native seed dispersers
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. The study site was in northern Guam on Andersen Air Force Base (1337N, 14451E) and situated on a coralline limestone plateau. We established 22 plots and six 0.25-m2 subplots to...
Filter Total Items: 96
Tools for increasing visual encounter probabilities for invasive species removal: A case study of brown treesnakes Tools for increasing visual encounter probabilities for invasive species removal: A case study of brown treesnakes
Early detection and rapid response (EDRR) are essential to identifying and decisively responding to the introduction or spread of an invasive species, thus avoiding population establishment and improving the probability of achieving eradication. However, detection can be challenging at the onset of a species invasion as low population densities can reduce detection probability and...
Authors
Staci M. Amburgey, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Beth Gardner, Bjorn Lardner, Sarah J. Converse
Olfactory lures in predator control do not increase predation risk to birds in areas of conservation concern Olfactory lures in predator control do not increase predation risk to birds in areas of conservation concern
Context: Lethal control of predators is often undertaken to protect species of conservation concern. Traps are frequently baited to increase capture efficacy, but baited traps can potentially increase predation risk by attracting predators to protected areas. This is especially important if targeted predators can escape capture due to low trap success. Snake traps using live mouse lures...
Authors
Page E. Klug, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Robert Reed
Female persistence during toxicant treatment predicts survival probability of offspring in invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) Female persistence during toxicant treatment predicts survival probability of offspring in invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis)
Assessing the long-term efficacy of control methods is a critical component of invasive species management. For example, if traits related to control have significant heritability or are influenced by maternal effects, control methods may lose efficacy over time. The potential for these effects can be evaluated via parent/offspring survival analysis, which concomitantly recasts adaptive...
Authors
Brenna A Levine, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Marlis Douglas, Michael Douglas, Melia Gail Nafus
Foraging behavior in a generalist snake (brown treesnake, Boiga irregularis) with implications for avian reintroduction and recovery Foraging behavior in a generalist snake (brown treesnake, Boiga irregularis) with implications for avian reintroduction and recovery
Broad foraging classifications, such as generalist or specialist forager, are generally beneficial for population management in defining expectations of typical behavior. However, better understanding as to how individual variance in behavior interfaces with management actions, such as control of an invasive predator (such as brown treesnakes; Boiga irregularis) responsible for...
Authors
Melia G. Nafus, Peter X. Xiong, Eben H. Paxton, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Scott Michael Goetz
Thermal stability of an adaptable, invasive ectotherm: Argentine giant tegus in the Greater Everglades ecosystem, USA Thermal stability of an adaptable, invasive ectotherm: Argentine giant tegus in the Greater Everglades ecosystem, USA
Invasive species globally threaten biodiversity and economies, but the ecophysiological mechanisms underlying their success are often understudied. For those alien species that also exhibit high phenotypic plasticity, such as habitat generalists, adaptations in response to environmental pressures can take place relatively quickly. The Argentine giant tegu (Salvator merianae; tegu) is a...
Authors
Andrea Faye Currylow, Michelle Collier, Emma B. Hanslowe, Bryan G. Falk, Brian S. Cade, Sarah E. Moy, Alejandro Grajal-Puche, Frank N. Ridgley, Robert Reed, Amy A. Yackel Adams
Brown treesnake mortality after aerial application of toxic baits Brown treesnake mortality after aerial application of toxic baits
Quantitative evaluation of control tools for managing invasive species is necessary to assess overall effectiveness and individual variation in treatment susceptibility. Invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) on Guam have caused severe ecological and economic effects, pose a risk of accidental introduction to other islands, and are the greatest impediment to the reestablishment of
Authors
Scott Michael Goetz, Eric T. Hileman, Melia G. Nafus, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Amanda R Bryant, Robert Reed, Shane R. Siers
Non-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.