David R Smith, Ph.D.
Dave is a Research Statistician (Biology) at the Eastern Ecological Science Center in Kearneysville, WV.
Dave Smith graduated from Colorado State (MS in Fish and Wildlife Biology) and University of Georgia (MS in Statistics and PhD in Forest Resources). Currently, he is a biological statistician at the USGS Leetown Science Center where he focuses on applied quantitative ecology in support of natural resource management and environmental decision making.
His research activities mostly focus on the following topics:
- Adaptive sampling of rare and clustered populations
- Conservation and science of horseshoe crabs in North America and Asia
- Conservation of freshwater mussels
- Application of structured decision making and adaptive management to natural resource management
Science and Products
Decision analysis of barrier placement and targeted removal to control invasive carp in the Tennessee River Basin
Impacts of sediment removal from and placement in coastal barrier island systems
Executive SummaryOn June 24, 2019, Congressman Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources, sent a letter to the directors of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey to request their assistance in answering questions regarding coastal sediment resource management within the Coastal Barrier Resources System as defined by the Coastal Barrier
The contribution of water radiolysis to marine sedimentary life
Using expert knowledge to support Endangered Species Act decision‐making for data‐deficient species
The Long-term effect of bleeding for Limulus amebocyte lysate on annual survival and recapture of tagged horseshoe crabs
A Bayesian framework for assessing extinction risk based on ordinal categories of population condition and projected landscape change
Estimation of vital population rates to assess the relative health of mussel assemblages in the Upper Mississippi River
Addressing disease risk to develop a health program for bighorn sheep in Montana
Introduction to prediction and the value of information
Introduction to structuring decisions
Strategic conservation of an imperiled freshwater mussel, the Dwarf Wedgemussel, in North Carolina
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Decision analysis of barrier placement and targeted removal to control invasive carp in the Tennessee River Basin
Controlling range expansion of invasive carp (specifically Hypophthalmichthys spp.) on the Tennessee River is important to conserve the ecological and economic benefits provided by the river. We collaborated with State and Federal agencies (the stakeholder group) to develop a decision framework and decision support model to evaluate strategies to control carp expansion in the Tennessee River. UsinAuthorsMax Post van der Burg, David R. Smith, Aaron R. Cupp, Mark W. Rogers, Duane ChapmanImpacts of sediment removal from and placement in coastal barrier island systems
Executive SummaryOn June 24, 2019, Congressman Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources, sent a letter to the directors of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey to request their assistance in answering questions regarding coastal sediment resource management within the Coastal Barrier Resources System as defined by the Coastal Barrier
AuthorsJennifer L. Miselis, James G. Flocks, Sara Zeigler, Davina Passeri, David R. Smith, Jill Bourque, Christopher R. Sherwood, Christopher G. Smith, Daniel J. Ciarletta, Kathryn Smith, Kristen Hart, David C. Kazyak, Alicia Berlin, Bianca Prohaska, Teresa Calleson, Kristi YanchisThe contribution of water radiolysis to marine sedimentary life
Water radiolysis continuously produces H2 and oxidized chemicals in wet sediment and rock. Radiolytic H2 has been identified as the primary electron donor (food) for microorganisms in continental aquifers kilometers below Earth’s surface. Radiolytic products may also be significant for sustaining life in subseafloor sediment and subsurface environments of other planets. However, the extent to whicAuthorsJustine F. Sauvage, Ashton F. Flinders, Arthur J. Spivack, Robert Pockalny, Ann G. Dunlea, Chloe H. Anderson, David Smith, Richard W. Murray, Steven D’HondtUsing expert knowledge to support Endangered Species Act decision‐making for data‐deficient species
Many questions relevant to conservation decision making are characterized by extreme uncertainty due to lack of empirical data and complexity of the underlying ecological processes, leading to a rapid increase in the use of structured protocols to elicit expert knowledge. Published ecological applications often employ a modified Delphi method, where experts provide judgments anonymously and mathemAuthorsDaniel Bruce Fitzgerald, David R. Smith, David C. Culver, Daniel Feller, Daniel W. Fong, Jeff Hajenga, Matthew L. Niemiller, Daniel C. Nolfi, Wil D. Orndorff, Barbara Douglas, Kelly O. Maloney, John A. YoungThe Long-term effect of bleeding for Limulus amebocyte lysate on annual survival and recapture of tagged horseshoe crabs
In the U.S., 525,000 horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) per year have been captured during 2013–2017, brought to biomedical facilities, and bled to produce Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL), then mostly released to the area of capture. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission estimates short-term bleeding-induced mortality to be 15% (4% to 30%), resulting in mortality of approximately 78,750AuthorsDavid R. Smith, Joshua Newhard, Conor P. McGowan, C. Alyssa ButlerA Bayesian framework for assessing extinction risk based on ordinal categories of population condition and projected landscape change
Many at-risk species lack standardized surveys across their range or quantitative data capable of detecting demographic trends. As a result, extinction risk assessments often rely on ordinal categories of risk based on explicit criteria or expert elicitation. This study demonstrates a Bayesian approach to assessing extinction risk based on this common data structure, using three freshwater musselAuthorsDaniel Bruce Fitzgerald, Andrew R Henderson, Kelly O. Maloney, Mary Freeman, John A. Young, Amanda E. Rosenberger, David C. Kazyak, David R. SmithEstimation of vital population rates to assess the relative health of mussel assemblages in the Upper Mississippi River
Native freshwater mussels are a guild of benthic, filter feeding invertebrates that perform important ecological functions in rivers. Because of their long lifespans (30–50 years or longer), mussels are slow to respond to human‐induced alterations. Thus, development of sensitive indicators of mussel population responses to river conditions and management would be beneficial. Compared to marine speAuthorsTeresa Newton, Steven J. Zigler, Patricia R. Ries, Mike Davis, David R. SmithAddressing disease risk to develop a health program for bighorn sheep in Montana
No abstract available.AuthorsSarah N. Sells, Michael S. Mitchell, Justin A. GudeIntroduction to prediction and the value of information
Predicting the consequences of alternative actions in terms of the objectives is central to decision making. Modeling in the broadest sense, from simple to complex and based on data or expert judgment, comprises the essential toolkit for making decision-relevant predictions. Gaps in knowledge and the resulting uncertainty can make predictive modeling challenging. Gathering information to addresAuthorsDavid R. SmithIntroduction to structuring decisions
Decision structuring, also known as decision framing, provides the foundation and roadmap for analyzing a decision. For decisions that warrant a systematic approach, structuring begins with identifying the problem for analysis, which sounds simple but can be deceptively difficult because decision problems are often ill-formed at the start. Many have worked on a problem, alone or with others, onlAuthorsDavid R. SmithStrategic conservation of an imperiled freshwater mussel, the Dwarf Wedgemussel, in North Carolina
To be effective, managers of imperiled species must face the unavoidable tradeoff between conservation benefits and constrained budgets and must not be paralyzed by scientific uncertainty. Decision analysis can help meet these challenges when used to develop cost-effective strategies to recover or improve the status of species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, along with state partners, developAuthorsDavid R. Smith, Sarah E McCrae - Software
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