David Smith
Biography
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
Publications
Smith, D. R., and T. J. Robinson. 2015. Horseshoe crab spawning activity in Delaware Bay, USA after harvest reduction: a mixed-model analysis. Estuaries and Coasts DOI:10.1007/s12237-015-9961-3[Link]
Smith, D. R., S. E. McRae, T. Augspurger, J. A. Radcliffe, R. B. Nichols, C. B. Eads, T. Savidge, and A. E. Bogan. 2015. Developing a conservation strategy to maximize persistence of an endangered freshwater mussel species while considering management effectiveness and cost. Freshwater Science (in press)
McGowan, C. P., J. E. Lyons, and D. R. Smith. 2015. Developing consensus objectives with multiple stakeholders: adaptive management of horseshoe crabs and red knots in Delaware Bay Environmental Management [Link]
Smith, D. R., C. Snyder, N. Hitt, and P. Geissler. 2014. Monitoring for threshold-dependent decisions. In Ecological thresholds in natural resource management, ed. G. R. Guntenspergen. 87-100. New York: Springer.
Hitt, N.P. and D. R. Smith. 2014. Threshold-dependent sample size requirements for selenium in stream fish. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management [Link]
Smith, D. R., C. P. McGowan, J. P. Daily, J. D. Nichols, J. A. Sweka, and J. E. Lyons. 2013. Evaluating a multi-species adaptive management framework: must uncertainty impede effective decision-making? Journal of Applied Ecology DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12145 [Link]
Smith, D. R., C. D. Snyder, N. P. Hitt, S. P. Faulkner, and J. A. Young. 2012. Shale gas extraction and brook trout: scaling best management practices to anticipate cumulative effects. Environmental Practice 14(4):366-381. [Link]
Smith, D. R., N. L. Jackson, K. L. Nordstrom, R. G. Weber. 2011. Beach characteristics mitigate effects of onshore wind on horseshoe crab spawning: implications for matching with shorebird migration in Delaware Bay. Animal Conservation 14:575-584. [Link]
Smith, D. R., J. T. Rogala, B. R. Gray, S. J. Zigler, and T. J. Newton. 2011. Evaluation of single and two-stage adaptive sampling designs for estimation of density and abundance of freshwater mussels in a large river. Rivers Research and Applications 27:122-133. [Link]
Smith, D. R., L. J. Brousseau, M. T. Mandt, and M. J. Millard. 2010. Age and sex specific migration timing and frequency of horseshoe crab spawning in Delaware Bay: insights from a large-scale radio telemetry array. Current Zoology 56(5):563-574. [Download File]
Smith, D. R., M. T. Mandt, and P. D. M. Macdonald. 2009. Proximate causes of sexual size dimorphism in horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) of the Delaware Bay. Journal of Shellfish Research 28:405-417. [Link]
Smith, D. R., M. J. Millard, and R. Carmichael. 2009. Comparative status and assessment of Limulus polyphemus with emphasis on the New England and Delaware Bay populations. Pages 361-386 In J. T. Tanacredi, M. L. Botton, and D. R. Smith, editors. Biology and conservation of Horseshoe Crabs. Springer, NY [Link]
Selected books, monographs, and chapters
Smith, D. R., Y. Lei, C. A. Walter, and J. A. Young. 2012. Incorporating predicted species distribution in conventional and adaptive sampling designs. Pages 381-396 in R. A. Gitzen, et al. (ed.) Design and Analysis of Long-term Ecological Monitoring Studies. Cambridge
Tanacredi, J. T., M. L. Botton, and D. R. Smith, editors. 2009. The Biology and Conservation of Horseshoe Crabs. Springer, NY.
Smith, D. R., J. A. Brown, and N. C. H. Lo. 2004. Application of adaptive cluster sampling to biological populations. Pages 77-122 In W. L. Thompson, editor. Sampling rare or elusive species: Concepts, designs, and techniques for estimating population parameters. Island Press, Covelo, CA
Strayer, D. L. and Smith, D. R. 2003. A guide to sampling freshwater mussel populations. American Fisheries Society Monograph No. 8
Selected papers in refereed journals or symposia
Daily, J. P., N. P. Hitt, D. R. Smith, and C. D. Snyder. 2012. Experimental and environmental factors affect spurious detection of ecological thresholds. Ecology 93:17-23.
McGowan, C. P., J. E. Hines, J. D. Nichols, J. E. Lyons, D. R. Smith, P. W. Atkinson, N. A. Clark, M. Dey, P. M. Gonzalez, L. J. Niles, K. S. Kalasz, and W. Kendall. 2011. Linking red knot survival to the timing and abundance of horseshoe crab spawning in Delaware Bay. Ecosphere 2(6): art69
McGowan, C. P., D. R. Smith, J. A. Sweka, J. Martin, and J. D. Nichols. 2011. Multi-species modeling for adaptive management of horseshoe crabs and red knots in the Delaware Bay. Natural Resource Modeling 24:117-156.
Jackson, N. L., K. F. Nordstrom, S. Saini, and D. R. Smith. 2010. Effects of nourishment on the form and function of an estuarine beach. Ecological Engineering 36:1709-1718. doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2010.07.016
Blomquist SM, Johnson TD, Smith DR, Call GP, Miller BN, Thurman WM, McFadden JE, Parkin MJ, Boomer GS. 2010. Structured decision-making and rapid prototyping to plan a management response to an invasive species. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 1(1):19–32;e1944–687X.doi:10.3996/JFWM-025
Salehi, M., M. Moradi, J. A. Brown, and D. R. Smith. 2010. Efficient estimators for adaptive stratified sequential sampling. Journal of Statistical Computation and Simulation 80:1163-1179.
Jackson, N. L, D. R. Smith, and K. F. Nordstrom. 2008. Physical and chemical changes in the foreshore of an estuarine beach: implications for viability and development of horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) eggs. Marine Ecology Progress Series.355:209-218.
Smith, D. R. 2007. Effect of horseshoe crab spawning density on nest disturbance and exhumation of eggs: a simulation study. Estuaries and Coasts 30(2):287-295.
Sweka, J. A., D. R. Smith, and M. J. Millard. 2007. An age-structured population model for horseshoe crabs in the Delaware Bay area to assess harvest and egg availability for shorebirds. Estuaries and Coasts 30(2):277-286.
Jackson, N.L., D.R. Smith, R. Tiyarattanachi, and K.F. Nordstrom.2007. Evaluation of a small sediment nourishment on an estuarine beach to enhance habitat suitability for horseshoe crabs. Geomorphology 89:172-185.
Smith, D. R., M. J. Millard, S. Eyler. 2006. Abundance of adult horseshoe crabs in Delaware Bay estimated from a large-scale mark-recapture study. Fishery Bulletin 104(3):456-464.
Smith, D. R., and S. F. Michels. 2006. Seeing the elephant: importance of spatial and temporal coverage in a large-scale volunteer-based program to monitor horseshoe crabs. Fisheries 31(10):485-491.
Nordstrom, K. F., N. L. Jackson, D. R. Smith, and R. G. Weber. 2006. Transport of horseshoe crab eggs by waves and swash on an estuarine beach: implications for foraging shorebirds. Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science. 70:438-448.
Pooler, P. S. and D. R. Smith. 2005. Optimal sampling design for estimating spatial distribution and abundance of a freshwater mussel population. Journal of North American Benthological Society 24(3):525-537.
Science and Products
Introduction 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...
Smith, David R. Introduction 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...
Smith, David R. Strategic 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...
Smith, David R.; McCrae, Sarah E
A decision framework to analyze tide-gate options for restoration of the Herring River Estuary, Massachusetts
The collective set of decisions involved with the restoration of degraded wetlands is often more complex than considering only ecological responses and outcomes. Restoration is commonly driven by a complex interaction of social, economic, and ecological factors representing the mandate of resource stewards and the values of stakeholders. The...
Smith, David R.; Eaton, Mitchell J.; Gannon, Jill J.; Smith, Timothy P.; Derleth, Eric L.; Katz, Jonathan; Bosma, Kirk F.; Leduc, Elise Geographic-specific capture-recapture models reveal contrasting migration and survival rates of adult horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus)
American horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) have varied migration patterns and harvesting pressure throughout their range, potentially leading to regional differences in population dynamics. Here, a multi-state mark–recapture model was used to estimate annual survival and exchange rates of adult horseshoe crabs across three geographic regions in...
Bopp, Justin J.; Sclafani, Matthew; Smith, David R.; McKown, Kim; Sysak, Rachel; Cerrato, Robert Long-term population dynamics of dreissenid mussels (Dreissena polymorpha and D. rostriformis): A cross-system analysis
Dreissenid mussels (including the zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha and the quagga mussel D. rostriformis) are among the world's most notorious invasive species, with large and widespread ecological and economic effects. However, their long‐term population dynamics are poorly known, even though these dynamics are critical to...
Strayer, David L.; Adamovich, Boris V.; Rita Adrian; Aldridge, David C.; Csilla Balogh; Lyubov E. Burlakova; Hannah Fried-Petersen; László G.-Tóth; Amy L. Hetherington; Thomas S. Jones; Alexander Y. Karatayev; Jacqueline B. Madill; Oleg A. Makarevich; Marsden, J. Ellen; André L. Martel; Dan Minchin; Thomas F. Nalepa; Ruurd Noordhuis; Timothy J. Robinson; Lars G. Rudstam; Astrid N. Schwalb; Smith, David R.; Alan D. Steinman; Jonathan M. Jeschke Linkages between hydrology and seasonal variations of nutrients and periphyton in a large oligotrophic subalpine lake
Periphyton is important to lake ecosystems, contributing to primary production, nutrient cycling, and benthic metabolism. Increases in periphyton growth in lakes can be indicative of changes in water quality, shifts in ecosystem structure, and increases in nutrient fluxes. In oligotrophic lakes, conservationists are interested in characterizing...
Niswonger, Richard G.; Smith, David; Rosenberry, Donald O.; Sudeep Chandra; Naranjo, Ramon C.; Niswonger, Richard G.; Smith, David; Rosenberry, Donald O.; Chandra, Sudeep Temporal evaluation of estrogenic endocrine disruption markers in smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) reveals seasonal variability in intersex
A reconnaissance project completed in 2009 identified intersex and elevated plasma vitellogenin in male smallmouth bass inhabiting the Missisquoi River, VT. In an attempt to identify the presence and seasonality of putative endocrine disrupting chemicals or other factors associated with these observations, a comprehensive reevaluation was...
Iwanowicz, Luke R.; Pinkney, A.E.; Guy, C.P.; Major, A.M.; Munney, K.; Blazer, Vicki S.; Alvarez, David; Walsh, Heather L.; Sperry, Adam J.; Sanders, Lakyn R.; Smith, D.R. Development of a species status assessment process for decisions under the U.S. Endangered Species Act
Decisions under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) require scientific input on the risk that the species will become extinct. A series of critiques on the role of science in ESA decisions have called for improved consistency and transparency in species risk assessments and clear distinctions between science input and policy application. To...
Smith, David R.; Allan, Nathan L.; McGowan, Conor P.; Szymankski, Jennifer A.; Oetker, Susan R.; Bell, Heather M. Optimization of decision rules for hydroelectric operation to reduce both eel mortality and unnecessary turbine shutdown: A search for a win-win solution
Worldwide populations of freshwater eels have declined with one of the contributing causes related to mortality during passage through hydropower turbines. An inherent trade‐off underlies turbine management where the competing demand for more hydropower comes at the expense of eel survival. A win–win solution exists when an option performs better...
Smith, David R.; Paul L. Fackler; Sheila M. Eyler; Laura Villegas Ortiz; Welsh, Stuart A. Group inverse sampling: An economical approach to inverse sampling
Inverse sampling is an adaptive design in the sense that the final sampling effort during a search for rare events will depend on what is found during the survey. Conventional inverse sampling (CIS) designs successively select individual sampling units to find, for example, the k th rare event. In real sampling situations, use of successive one‐by...
Panahbehagh, Bardia; Smith, David R. Developing a landscape‐scale, multi‐species, and cost‐efficient conservation strategy for imperilled aquatic species in the Upper Tennessee River Basin, USA
Strategic conservation of imperilled species faces several major challenges including uncertainty in species response to management actions, budgetary constraints that limit options, and the need to scale expected conservation benefits from local to landscape levels and from single to multiple species.A structured decision‐making process was...
Smith, David R.; Butler, Robert S.; Jones, Jess W; Gatenby, Catherine M; Hylton, Roberta; Parkin, Mary; Schulz, Cindy