Pagano, A.M., A.M. Carnahan, C.T. Robbins, M.A. Owen, T. Batson, N. Wagner, A.
Cutting, N. Nicassio-Hiskey, A. Hash, and T.M. Williams. 2018. Energetic costs of
locomotion in bears: Is plantigrade locomotion energetically economical? Journal of
Experimental Biology vol. 221 no. 12 p.1-9. doi: 10.1242/jeb.175372
Anthony M Pagano
Polar bear physiology, ecology, and conservation. Waterfowl population ecology.
Biography
Education and/or Training
Ph.D. 2018 University of California, Santa Cruz Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
M.S. 2007 University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN Wildlife Conservation
B.A. 2002 Northeastern University, Boston, MA Biology and History
Professional Experience
2008 - Present Wildlife Biologist USGS Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
Websites of Interest
Science and Products
Date published: July 13, 2017
Status: Active Polar Bear Research
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are one of 4 marine mammal species managed by the U.S. Department of Interior. The USGS Alaska Science Center leads long–term research on polar bears to inform local, state, national and international policy makers regarding conservation of the species and its habitat. Our studies, ongoing since 1985, are focused on population dynamics, health and...
Attribution: Alaska Science Center
Date published: May 31, 2018
Measures of Oxygen Consumption and Kinematics of Captive Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) and Captive Grizzly Bears (Ursus arctos) while Resting and Walking in a Metabolic Chamber
This dataset contains measures of oxygen consumption and kinematic measures from 2 captive polar bears and 7 captive grizzly bears resting and walking in a metabolic chamber.
Attribution: Alaska Science Center
Date published: May 31, 2018
Tri-axial Accelerometer Data of Captive Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) and Captive Grizzly Bears (Ursus arctos) Resting and Walking on a Treadmill
This dataset contains measures of tri-axial acceleration from 2 captive polar bears and 7 captive grizzly bears resting and walking in a metabolic chamber.
Attribution: Alaska Science Center
Date published: December 31, 2017
Behavior Data from Female Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) Instrumented in the Southern Beaufort Sea with Video Camera Collars by the USGS in April 2014-2016
This dataset contains time-linked behavior data derived from video camera collars on southern Beaufort Sea polar bears. Nine solitary female polar bears were equipped with video-camera collars (Exeye, LLC., Bristow, VA) for 8 - 11 days in April, 2014-2016.
Attribution: Alaska Science Center
Date published: December 31, 2017
Archival Logger Data from Female Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) of the Southern Beaufort Sea by the USGS, April 2014-2016
This dataset contains archival logger data containing measures of tri-axial acceleration and conductivity for 6 female polar bears in the southern Beaufort Sea in April 2014-2016.
Attribution: Alaska Science Center
Date published: December 31, 2017
GPS Location Data from Female Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) Instrumented in the Southern Beaufort Sea with Video Camera Collars equipped with Satellite-linked GPS Receivers by the USGS in April 2014-2016
This dataset contains GPS locations collected by satellite-linked GPS receivers on collars attached to 9 female polar bears that were instrumented in the southern Beaufort Sea in April 2014-2016.
Attribution: Alaska Science Center
Date published: December 31, 2017
Doubly-labeled Water, Deuterium Dilution, Body Mass, and Blood Biochemistry Data from Female Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) in the Southern Beaufort Sea by the USGS in April 2014-2016
This dataset contains specific activity measures of deuterium oxide and oxygen-18, body mass, and blood biochemistry (blood urea nitrogen and creatinine) data for 9 female polar bears without dependent young in the southern Beaufort Sea in April 2014-2016.
Attribution: Alaska Science Center
Date published: December 31, 2017
Resting Metabolic Rates of a Captive Adult Female Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) at the San Diego Zoo.
This dataset contains measures of oxygen consumption from an adult female polar bear resting in a metabolic chamber.
Attribution: Alaska Science Center
Date published: December 31, 2017
Bioelectrical Impedance, Deuterium Dilution, Body Mass, and Morphological Measures of Southern Beaufort Sea Female Polar Bears, Spring 2014-2016
This dataset contains data from the use of bioelectrical impedance analysis and deuterium injection as methods to estimate the body composition of female polar bears in the southern Beaufort Sea subpopulation. Data are provided on bioelectrical impedance resistance measures, the enrichment level of deuterium oxide that was injected and measured in blood samples, and morphological measures....
Attribution: Alaska Science Center
Date published: December 31, 2017
Locations Collected 1985-2015 from Female Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) with Dependent Young Instrumented in the Southern Beaufort Sea with Satellite-linked Transmitters by the USGS
This dataset contains a select subset of Argos and GPS locations collected by satellite data collection systems from collared adult female polar bears that were instrumented in the southern Beaufort Sea between 1985-2015.
Attribution: Alaska Science Center
Year Published: 2018
Spring fasting behavior in a marine apex predator provides an index of ecosystem productivity
The effects of declining Arctic sea ice on local ecosystem productivity are not well understood but have been shown to vary inter-specifically, spatially, and temporally. Because marine mammals occupy upper trophic levels in Arctic food webs, they may be useful indicators for understanding variation in ecosystem productivity. Polar bears (Ursus...
Rode, Karyn D.; Wilson, Ryan R.; Douglas, David C.; Muhlenbruch, Vanessa L; Atwood, Todd C.; Regehr, Eric V.; Richardson, Evan; Pilfold, Nicholas; Derocher, Andrew E.; Durner, George M.; Stirling, Ian; Amstrup, Steven C.; St Martin, Michelle; Pagano, Anthony M.; Simac, Kristin S.Attribution: Alaska Science Center
View Citation
Rode KD, Wilson RR, Douglas DC,
et al. Spring fasting behavior in a marine apex predator
provides an index of ecosystem productivity. Glob Change
Biol. 2017;00:1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13933
Year Published: 2017
Habitat degradation affects the summer activity of polar bears
Understanding behavioral responses of species to environmental change is critical to forecasting population-level effects. Although climate change is significantly impacting species’ distributions, few studies have examined associated changes in behavior. Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) subpopulations have varied in their near-term responses to sea...
Ware, Jasmine V.; Rode, Karyn D.; Bromaghin, Jeffrey F.; Douglas, David C.; Wilson, Ryan R.; Regehr, Eric V.; Amstrup, Steven C.; Durner, George M.; Pagano, Anthony M.; Olson, Jay; Robbins, Charles T.; Jansen, Heiko TAttribution: Alaska Science Center
View Citation
Ware, J.V., Rode, K.D., Bromaghin, J.F., Douglas, D.C., Wilson, R.R., Regehr, E.V., Amstrup, S.C., Durner, G.M., Pagano, A.M., Olson, J., Robbins, C.T., and Jansen, H.T., 2017, Oecologia. vol. 184, no. 1, p. 87-99. doi: 10.1007/s00442-017-3839-y
Year Published: 2017
Performance and retention of lightweight satellite radio tags applied to the ears of polar bears (Ursus maritimus)
BackgroundSatellite telemetry studies provide information that is critical to the conservation and management of species affected by ecological change. Here we report on the performance and retention of two types (SPOT-227 and SPOT-305A) of ear-mounted Argos-linked satellite transmitters (i.e., platform transmitter terminal, or PTT) deployed on...
Wiig, Øystein; Born, Erik W.; Laidre, Kristin L.; Dietz, Rune; Jensen, Mikkel Villum; Durner, George M.; Pagano, Anthony M.; Regehr, Eric V.; St. Martin, Michelle; Atkinson, Stephen N.; Dyck, MarkusAttribution: Alaska Science Center
View Citation
Wiig, Ø., Born, E.W., Laidre, K.L., Dietz, R., Jensen, M.V., Durner, G.M., Pagano, A.M., Regehr, E.V., St. Martin, M., Atkinson, S., and Dyck, M., 2017, Performance and retention of lightweight satellite radio tags applied to the ears of polar bears (Ursus maritimus): Animal Biotelemetry, vol. 5, no. 9, p. 1-11. doi: 10.1186/s40317-017-0124-0
Year Published: 2017
Using tri-axial accelerometers to identify wild polar bear behaviors
Tri-axial accelerometers have been used to remotely identify the behaviors of a wide range of taxa. Assigning behaviors to accelerometer data often involves the use of captive animals or surrogate species, as their accelerometer signatures are generally assumed to be similar to those of their wild counterparts. However, this has rarely been tested...
Pagano, Anthony M.; Rode, Karyn D.; Cutting, A.; Owen, M.A.; Jensen, S.; Ware, J.V.; Robbins, C.T.; Durner, George M.; Atwood, Todd C.; Obbard, M.E.; Middel, K.R.; Thiemann, G.W.; Williams, T.M.Attribution: Alaska Science Center, Advanced Research Computing (ARC)
View Citation
Pagano, A.M., Rode, K.D., Cutting, A., Owen, M.A., Jensen, S., Ware, J.V., Robbins, C.T., Durner, G.M., Atwood, T.C., Obbard, M.E., Middel, K.R., Thiemann, G.W., and Williams, T.M. 2017. Using tri-axial accelerometers to identify wild polar bear behaviors: Endangered Species Research vol. 32, p. 19-33. - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00779
Year Published: 2015
Validation of mercury tip-switch and accelerometer activity sensors for identifying resting and active behavior in bears
Activity sensors are often included in wildlife transmitters and can provide information on the behavior and activity patterns of animals remotely. However, interpreting activity-sensor data relative to animal behavior can be difficult if animals cannot be continuously observed. In this study, we examined the performance of a mercury tip-switch...
Jasmine Ware; Rode, Karyn D.; Pagano, Anthony M.; Bromaghin, Jeffrey F.; Robbins, Charles T.; Joy Erlenbach; Shannon Jensen; Amy Cutting; Nicole Nicassio-Hiskey; Amy Hash; Owen, Megan A.; Heiko JansenAttribution: Alaska Science Center
Year Published: 2014
Long-distance swimming by polar bears (Ursus maritimus) of the southern Beaufort Sea during years of extensive open water
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus Phipps, 1774) depend on sea ice for catching marine mammal prey. Recent sea-ice declines have been linked to reductions in body condition, survival, and population size. Reduced foraging opportunity is hypothesized to be the primary cause of sea-ice-linked declines, but the costs of travel through a deteriorated sea-...
View Citation
Pagano, A. M., G. M. Durner, S. C. Amstrup, K. S. Simac, and G. S. York. 2012. Long-distance swimming by polar bears (Ursus maritimus) of the southern Beaufort Sea during years of extensive open water. Canadian Journal of Zoology 90(5):663-676. doi:10.1139/z2012-033
Year Published: 2014
Effects of capturing and collaring on polar bears: findings from long-term research on the southern Beaufort Sea population
Context: The potential for research methods to affect wildlife is an increasing concern among both scientists and the public. This topic has a particular urgency for polar bears because additional research is needed to monitor and understand population responses to rapid loss of sea ice habitat.Aims: This study used data collected from...
Rode, Karyn D.; Pagano, Anthony M.; Bromaghin, Jeffrey F.; Atwood, Todd C.; Durner, George M.; Simac, Kristin S.; Amstrup, Steven C.Attribution: Alaska Science Center
Year Published: 2014
Using sightability-adjusted brood-pair ratios to estimate waterfowl productivity
Historically, biologists used brood-pair ratios (BPRs) as an index to waterfowl productivity to help guide management decisions and evaluate conservation practices. However, BPRs are biased by imperfect detection probabilities, especially for broods. We conducted roadside surveys for breeding waterfowl pairs on 7–8 study sites in the springs...
Pagano, Anthony M.; Amundson, Courtney L.; Pieron, Matthew R.; Arnold, Todd W.; Kimmel, Timothy C.
Year Published: 2014
Remote biopsy darting and marking of polar bears
Remote biopsy darting of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) is less invasive and time intensive than physical capture and is therefore useful when capture is challenging or unsafe. We worked with two manufacturers to develop a combination biopsy and marking dart for use on polar bears. We had an 80% success rate of collecting a tissue sample with a...
Pagano, Anthony M.; Peacock, Elizabeth L.; McKinney, Melissa A.Attribution: Alaska Science Center
View Citation
Remote biopsy darting and marking of polar bears; 2014; Article; Journal; Marine Mammal Science; Pagano, Anthony M.; Peacock, Elizabeth; McKinney, Melissa A.
Pre-USGS Publications
Pagano, A.M., G.M. Durner, K.D. Rode, T.C. Atwood, S.N. Atkinson, E. Peacock, D.P.
Costa, M.A. Owen, and T.M. Williams. 2018. High-energy, high-fat lifestyle challenges an
Arctic apex predator, the polar bear. Science vol. 359 no. 6375 p. 568-572. doi: 10.1126/science.aan8677
Pagano, A. M., Rode, K. D., Cutting, A., Owen, M. A., Jensen, S., Ware, J. V., Robbins, C. M., Durner, G. M., Atwood, T. C., Obbard, M. E., Middel, K. R., Thiemann, G. W., and Williams, T. M., 2017, Using tri-axial accelerometers to identify wild polar bear behaviors: Endangered Species Research vol. 32 p. 19-33. doi: 10.3354/esr00779
Ware, J. V., Rode, K. D., Bromaghin, J. F., Douglas, D. C. Wilson, R. R., Regehr, E. V., Amstrup, S. C., Durner, G. M., Pagano, A. M., Olson, J. W., Robbins, C. T. and Jansen, H. T., 2017, Habitat degradation affects the summer activity of polar bears: Oecologia vol. 184 no. 1 p. 87-89. doi: 10.1007/s00442-017-3839-y
Wiig, Ø., Born, E. W., Laidre, K. L., Dietz, R., Jensen, M. V., Durner, G. M., Pagano, A. M., Regehr, E. V., St. Martin, M., Atkinson, S. N., and Dyck, M., 2017, Performance and retention of lightweight satellite radio tags applied to the ears of polar bears (Ursus maritimus): Animal Biotelemetry vol. 5 no. 9. doi: 10.1186/s40317-017-0124-0
Sequeira, A.M.M., J.P. Rodríguez, V.M. Eguíluz, R. Harcourt, M. Hindell, D.W. Sims, C.M. Duarte, D.P. Costa, J. Fernández-Gracia, L.C. Ferreira, G.C. Hays, M.R. Heupel, M.G. Meekan, A. Aven, F. Bailleul, A.M.M. Baylis, M.L. Berumen, C.D. Braun, J. Burns, M.J. Caley, R. Campbell, R.H. Carmichael, E. Clua, L.D. Einoder, A. Friedlaender, M.E. Goebel, S.D. Goldsworthy, C. Guinet, J. Gunn, D. Hamer, N. Hammerschlag, M. Hammill, L.A. Hückstädt, N.E. Humphries, M.-A. Lea, A. Lowther, A. Mackay, E. McHuron, J. McKenzie, L. McLeay, C.R. McMahon, K. Mengersen, M.M.C. Muelbert, A. M. Pagano, B. Page, N. Queiroz, P.W. Robinson, S.A. Shaffer, M. Shivji, G.B. Skomal, S.R. Thorrold, S. Villegas-Amtmann, M. Weise, R. Wells, B. Wetherbee, A. Wiebkin, B. Wienecke, and M. Thums. 2018. Convergence of marine megafauna movement patterns in coastal and open oceans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences vol. 115 no. 12 p.3072-3077. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1716137115
Pagano, A.M., K.D. Rode, and S.N. Atkinson. 2017. Evaluating methods to assess the body condition of female polar bears. Ursus vol. 28 no. 2 p.171-181. doi: 10.2192/URSU-D-16-00029.1
Pagano, A. M. and Arnold, T. W., 2009, Detection probabilities for ground-based breeding waterfowl surveys: Journal of Wildlife Management vol. 73 no. 3 p. 392-398. doi: 10.2193/2007-411
Pagano, A. M. and Arnold, T. W., 2009, Estimating detection probabilities of waterfowl broods from ground-based surveys: Journal of Wildlife Management vol. 73 no. 5 p. 686-694. doi: 10.2193/2007-524
Arnold, T. W., Pagano, A. M., Devries, J. H., Emery, R. B., Howerter, D. W., and Joynt, B. L., 2008, Social indices of breeding productivity in parkland mallards: Journal of Wildlife Management vol. 72 no. 1 p. 224-230. doi: 10.2193/2007-035