Assistant Unit Leader - Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
After a brief post-doctoral period with Dr. Craig Benkman at the University of Wyoming in 2007, Anna joined the faculty at the University of Wyoming as a Research Scientist in 2008. She was hired as the Assistant Unit Leader for Wildlife at the Wyoming Unit in 2011. Anna’s work has focused on understanding the mechanisms underlying animal habitat selection at multiple spatial scales, the contexts under which habitat choices are adaptive, life history strategies including parental care behaviors, and the influence of anthropogenic habitat change on non-game wildlife.
Research Interests
Anna and her graduate students are currently conducting research on songbirds, small mammals, reptiles and amphibians in a wide variety of systems in Wyoming. The common threads throughout the lab’s projects are wildlife-habitat relationships and the influence of human-induced habitat changes such as loss, fragmentation and alteration of remaining patches on non-game wildlife species. Current projects are focused on effects of energy development, roads, the recent mountain pine beetle infestation of lodgepole pine forests and climate change. Every project is designed to address critical informational needs for the state but students are also encouraged to add a conceptual focus to their work that advances the state of knowledge in the field.
Teaching Interests
Dr. Chalfoun will be teaching a graduate-level course on animal habitat selection and a special topics graduate discussion course during alternating fall semesters.
Education and Certifications
Ph D University of Montana 2006
MS University of Missouri 2000
BA Smith College 1995
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 23
Livestock grazing, climatic variation, and breeding phenology jointly shape disease dynamics and survival in a wild amphibian
Wildlife responses to infectious disease can be influenced by environmental stressors that alter host-pathogen dynamics. We investigated how livestock grazing, climatic variation, and breeding phenology influence disease prevalence and annual survival in boreal toad (Anaxyrus boreas boreas) populations challenged with Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a fungal pathogen implicated in global amph
U.S. Geological Survey science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative—2018 annual report
The Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) was established in 2007 as a collaborative interagency partnership to develop and implement science-based conservation actions. During the past 11 years, partners from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), State and Federal land management agencies, universities, and the public have collaborated to implement a long-term (more than 10 years) science-bas
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Core Research Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Fort Collins Science Center, Nebraska Water Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Core Research Center
Informed breeding dispersal following stochastic changes to patch quality in a pond-breeding amphibian
The unidirectional movement of animals between breeding patches (i.e. breeding dispersal) has profound implications for the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of spatially structured populations. In spatiotemporally variable environments, individuals are expected to adjust their dispersal decisions according to information gathered on the environmental and/or social cues that reflect the fitness
Infection status as the basis for habitat choices in a wild amphibian
Animals challenged with disease may select specific habitat conditions that help prevent or reduce infection. Whereas preinfection avoidance of habitats with a high risk of disease exposure has been documented in both captive and free-ranging animals, evidence of switching habitats after infection to support the clearing of the infection is limited to laboratory experiments. The extent to which wi
The abundance of Greater Sage-Grouse as a proxy for the abundance of sagebrush-associated songbirds in Wyoming, USA
Surrogate-species concepts are prevalent in animal conservation. Such strategies advocate for conservation by proxy, wherein one species is used to represent other taxa to obtain a conservation objective. The efficacy of such approaches has been rarely assessed empirically, but is predicated on concordance between the surrogate and sympatric taxa in distribution, abundance, and ecological requirem
Behavioural plasticity modulates temperature-related constraints on foraging time for a montane mammal
Contemporary climate change is altering temperature profiles across the globe. Increasing temperatures can reduce the amount of time during which conditions are suitable for animals to engage in essential activities, such as securing food. Behavioural plasticity, the ability to alter behaviour in response to the environment, may provide animals with a tool to adjust to changes in the availability
Mechanisms underlying increased nest predation in natural gas fields: a test of the mesopredator release hypothesis
Anthropogenic activities are changing landscapes and the context in which predator–prey dynamics evolved, thereby altering key ecological processes and community structure. Yet, the specific mechanisms underlying such changes are rarely understood. We tested whether a mesopredator release explained increased rodent density and concomitant predation of songbird nests near natural gas development. F
Black-tailed prairie dog, Cynomys ludovicianus (Sciuridae), metapopulation response to novel sourced conspecific signals
Aggregation of territorial individuals within a species can be facilitated via conspecific signals, wherein settlement implies habitat suitability, ease of resource acquisition and/or increased predator detection. The black-tailed prairie dog is a colonial small mammal with alarm vocalizations that confer benefits via group vigilance against predators and increased foraging time. Although prairie
U.S. Geological Survey science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative—2017 annual report
The Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) was established in 2008 to address the scientific and conservation questions associated with land use changes because of energy development and other factors in southwest Wyoming. Over the past decade, partners from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), State and Federal land management agencies, universities, and the public have collaborated to implem
Novel landscape elements within natural gas fields increase densities but not fitness of an important songbird nest predator
Identifying the elements within human-altered landscapes most associated with population and community changes is critical for conservation and management of sensitive species. We investigated which features of habitat change from natural gas development best explained the density of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus), an important nest predator of declining sagebrush-obligate songbirds. During 20
Non-target effects on songbirds from habitat manipulation for Greater Sage-Grouse: Implications for the umbrella species concept
The “umbrella species” concept is a conservation strategy in which creating and managing reserve areas to meet the needs of one species is thought to benefit other species indirectly. Broad-scale habitat protections on behalf of an umbrella species are assumed to benefit co-occurring taxa, but targeted management actions to improve local habitat suitability for the umbrella species may produce uni
Raptor nest-site use in relation to the proximity of coalbed methane development
Raptor nest–site use in relation to the proximity of coalbed–methane development. Energy development such as coalbed–methane (CBM) extraction is a major land use with largely unknown consequences for many animal species. Some raptor species may be especially vulnerable to habitat changes due to energy development given their ecological requirements and population trajectories. Using 12,977 observa
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 23
Livestock grazing, climatic variation, and breeding phenology jointly shape disease dynamics and survival in a wild amphibian
Wildlife responses to infectious disease can be influenced by environmental stressors that alter host-pathogen dynamics. We investigated how livestock grazing, climatic variation, and breeding phenology influence disease prevalence and annual survival in boreal toad (Anaxyrus boreas boreas) populations challenged with Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a fungal pathogen implicated in global amphU.S. Geological Survey science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative—2018 annual report
The Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) was established in 2007 as a collaborative interagency partnership to develop and implement science-based conservation actions. During the past 11 years, partners from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), State and Federal land management agencies, universities, and the public have collaborated to implement a long-term (more than 10 years) science-basByEcosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Core Research Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Fort Collins Science Center, Nebraska Water Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Core Research CenterInformed breeding dispersal following stochastic changes to patch quality in a pond-breeding amphibian
The unidirectional movement of animals between breeding patches (i.e. breeding dispersal) has profound implications for the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of spatially structured populations. In spatiotemporally variable environments, individuals are expected to adjust their dispersal decisions according to information gathered on the environmental and/or social cues that reflect the fitnessInfection status as the basis for habitat choices in a wild amphibian
Animals challenged with disease may select specific habitat conditions that help prevent or reduce infection. Whereas preinfection avoidance of habitats with a high risk of disease exposure has been documented in both captive and free-ranging animals, evidence of switching habitats after infection to support the clearing of the infection is limited to laboratory experiments. The extent to which wiThe abundance of Greater Sage-Grouse as a proxy for the abundance of sagebrush-associated songbirds in Wyoming, USA
Surrogate-species concepts are prevalent in animal conservation. Such strategies advocate for conservation by proxy, wherein one species is used to represent other taxa to obtain a conservation objective. The efficacy of such approaches has been rarely assessed empirically, but is predicated on concordance between the surrogate and sympatric taxa in distribution, abundance, and ecological requiremBehavioural plasticity modulates temperature-related constraints on foraging time for a montane mammal
Contemporary climate change is altering temperature profiles across the globe. Increasing temperatures can reduce the amount of time during which conditions are suitable for animals to engage in essential activities, such as securing food. Behavioural plasticity, the ability to alter behaviour in response to the environment, may provide animals with a tool to adjust to changes in the availabilityMechanisms underlying increased nest predation in natural gas fields: a test of the mesopredator release hypothesis
Anthropogenic activities are changing landscapes and the context in which predator–prey dynamics evolved, thereby altering key ecological processes and community structure. Yet, the specific mechanisms underlying such changes are rarely understood. We tested whether a mesopredator release explained increased rodent density and concomitant predation of songbird nests near natural gas development. FBlack-tailed prairie dog, Cynomys ludovicianus (Sciuridae), metapopulation response to novel sourced conspecific signals
Aggregation of territorial individuals within a species can be facilitated via conspecific signals, wherein settlement implies habitat suitability, ease of resource acquisition and/or increased predator detection. The black-tailed prairie dog is a colonial small mammal with alarm vocalizations that confer benefits via group vigilance against predators and increased foraging time. Although prairieU.S. Geological Survey science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative—2017 annual report
The Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) was established in 2008 to address the scientific and conservation questions associated with land use changes because of energy development and other factors in southwest Wyoming. Over the past decade, partners from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), State and Federal land management agencies, universities, and the public have collaborated to implemNovel landscape elements within natural gas fields increase densities but not fitness of an important songbird nest predator
Identifying the elements within human-altered landscapes most associated with population and community changes is critical for conservation and management of sensitive species. We investigated which features of habitat change from natural gas development best explained the density of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus), an important nest predator of declining sagebrush-obligate songbirds. During 20Non-target effects on songbirds from habitat manipulation for Greater Sage-Grouse: Implications for the umbrella species concept
The “umbrella species” concept is a conservation strategy in which creating and managing reserve areas to meet the needs of one species is thought to benefit other species indirectly. Broad-scale habitat protections on behalf of an umbrella species are assumed to benefit co-occurring taxa, but targeted management actions to improve local habitat suitability for the umbrella species may produce uniRaptor nest-site use in relation to the proximity of coalbed methane development
Raptor nest–site use in relation to the proximity of coalbed–methane development. Energy development such as coalbed–methane (CBM) extraction is a major land use with largely unknown consequences for many animal species. Some raptor species may be especially vulnerable to habitat changes due to energy development given their ecological requirements and population trajectories. Using 12,977 observa