Dean Biggins, PhD
Dr. Biggins is a scientist emeritus at the Fort Collins Science Center.
Dr. Biggins has been interested in grassland ecology since 1981. Within that broad topic his research has involved varied themes, including aspects of behavioral ecology, predator-prey relationships, and ecology of wildlife diseases. Most of his investigations have been motivated by their application to conservation and recovery of federally listed species. In that context, Dr. Biggins has worked at field study sites from Montana to Chihuahua, Mexico, as well as in Inner Mongolia and the Tibetan Plateau. Research has involved students at various universities (in CA, CO, ID, NM, MI, MO, TX, WY, France, and China). Taxa of interest have been carnivores (e.g., black-footed ferrets, Siberian polecats, badgers, weasels, coyotes, foxes), rodents, arthropods (fleas, ticks), and bacteria (Yersinia pestis). His present research emphasis is on ecology of plague, including its hosts and vectors, concentrating on maintenance of plague and its chronic effects on wildlife populations and ecosystems during inter-epizootic periods.
Professional Experience
Scientist Emeritus, U.S. Geological Survey, 2019 - Present
Adjunct Faculty, Department of Biology, Colorado State University, 2002-present
Research Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey, 1996-2019
Research Wildlife Biologist, National Biological Service, 1993-1996
Research Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1976-1993
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Zoology, Colorado State University, 2000
M.S., Wildlife Biology, University of Montana, 1975
B.S., Wildlife Management, Humboldt State University, 1968
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Society of Mammalogists, 1989 to present
Honors and Awards
2012—Aldo Leopold Award, American Society of Mammalogists
2005—Science Excellence Award of the Year, USGS, Biolo
2004—Conservationist of the Year, Denver Zoological Foundation
1998—Special Recognition Award, Black-footed Ferret Recovery Implementation Team
Science and Products
Plague management of prairie dog colonies: Degree and duration of deltamethrin flea control
Resistance to deltamethrin in prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) fleas in the field and in the laboratory
Plague in a colony of Gunnison's prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni) despite three years of infusions of burrows with 0.05% deltamethrin to kill fleas
Evolution, natural history, and conservation of black-footed ferrets
Factors influencing uptake of sylvatic plague vaccine baits by prairie dogs
Grooming behaviors of black-tailed prairie dogs are influenced by flea parasitism, conspecifics, and proximity to refuge
Paltry past-precipitation: Predisposing prairie dogs to plague?
Sylvatic plague vaccine partially protects prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) in field trials
Plague cycles in two rodent species from China: Dry years might provide context for epizootics in wet years
Droughts may increase susceptibility of prairie dogs to fleas: Incongruity with hypothesized mechanisms of plague cycles in rodents
Factors that affect parasitism of black-tailed prairie dogs by fleas
Interactions among American badgers, black-footed ferrets, and prairie dogs in the grasslands of western North America
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 119
Plague management of prairie dog colonies: Degree and duration of deltamethrin flea control
Plague is a flea-borne disease of mammalian hosts. On the grasslands of western North America, plague stifles populations of Cynomys spp. prairie dogs (PDs). To manage plague, PD burrows are treated with 0.05% deltamethrin dust that can suppress flea numbers and plague transmission. Here, we evaluate the degree and duration of deltamethrin flea control with three PD species at six sites across fouAuthorsDavid Austin Eads, Dean E. BigginsResistance to deltamethrin in prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) fleas in the field and in the laboratory
Sylvatic plague poses a substantial risk to black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) and their obligate predator, the black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes). The effects of plague on prairie dogs and ferrets are mitigated using a deltamethrin pulicide dust that reduces the spread of plague by killing fleas, the vector for the plague bacterium. In portions of Conata Basin, Buffalo Gap NatioAuthorsDavid A. Eads, Dean E. Biggins, Jonathan Bowser, Janet McAllister, Randall Griebel, Eddie Childers, Travis M. Livieri, Cristi Painter, Lindsey Sterling Krank, Kristy BlyPlague in a colony of Gunnison's prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni) despite three years of infusions of burrows with 0.05% deltamethrin to kill fleas
At Valles Caldera National Preserve in New Mexico, US, infusing Gunnison's prairie dog (Cynomys gunnisoni) burrows with an insecticide dust containing 0.05% deltamethrin killed fleas which transmit bubonic plague. The reduction in the number of fleas per prairie dog was significant and dramatic immediately after infusions, with a suggestion that the reduction persisted for as long as 12 mo. DespitAuthorsJohn L. Hoogland, Dean E. Biggins, Nathaniel Blackford, David Eads, Dustin Long, Mariana Rivera Rodriguez, Lauren M. Ross, Sarah Tobey, Emma M. WhiteEvolution, natural history, and conservation of black-footed ferrets
No abstract available.AuthorsDean E. Biggins, David A. EadsFactors influencing uptake of sylvatic plague vaccine baits by prairie dogs
Sylvatic plague vaccine (SPV) is a virally vectored bait-delivered vaccine expressing Yersinia pestis antigens that can protect prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) from plague and has potential utility as a management tool. In a large-scale 3-year field trial, SPV-laden baits containing the biomarker rhodamine B (used to determine bait consumption) were distributed annually at a rate of approximately 100–AuthorsRachel C. Abbott, Robin E. Russell, Katherine Richgels, Daniel W. Tripp, Marc R. Matchett, Dean E. Biggins, Tonie E. RockeGrooming behaviors of black-tailed prairie dogs are influenced by flea parasitism, conspecifics, and proximity to refuge
Grooming is a common animal behavior that aids in ectoparasite defense. Ectoparasites can stimulate grooming, and natural selection can also favor endogenous mechanisms that evoke periodic bouts of “programmed” grooming to dislodge or kill ectoparasites before they bite or feed. Moreover, grooming can function as a displacement or communication behavior. We compared the grooming behaviors of adultAuthorsDavid A. Eads, Dean E. Biggins, Samantha L. EadsPaltry past-precipitation: Predisposing prairie dogs to plague?
The plague bacterium Yersinia pestis was introduced to California in 1900 and spread rapidly as a sylvatic disease of mammalian hosts and flea vectors, invading the Great Plains in the United States by the 1930s to 1940s. In grassland ecosystems, plague causes periodic, devastating epizootics in colonies of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus), sciurid rodents that create and maintainAuthorsDavid Eads, Dean E. BigginsSylvatic plague vaccine partially protects prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) in field trials
Sylvatic plague, caused by Yersinia pestis, frequently afflicts prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.), causing population declines and local extirpations. We tested the effectiveness of bait-delivered sylvatic plague vaccine (SPV) in prairie dog colonies on 29 paired placebo and treatment plots (1–59 ha in size; average 16.9 ha) in 7 western states from 2013 to 2015. We compared relative abundance (using caAuthorsTonie E. Rocke, Daniel W. Tripp, Robin E. Russell, Rachel C. Abbott, Katherine Richgels, Marc R. Matchett, Dean E. Biggins, Randall Griebel, Greg Schroeder, Shaun M. Grassel, David R. Pipkin, Jennifer Cordova, Adam Kavalunas, Brian Maxfield, Jesse T. Boulerice, Michael W. MillerPlague cycles in two rodent species from China: Dry years might provide context for epizootics in wet years
Plague, a rodent-associated, flea-borne zoonosis, is one of the most notorious diseases in history. Rates of plague transmission can increase when fleas are abundant. Fleas commonly desiccate and die when reared under dry conditions in laboratories, suggesting fleas will be suppressed during droughts in the wild, thus reducing the rate at which plague spreads among hosts. In contrast, fleas mightAuthorsDavid A. Eads, Dean E. Biggins, Lei Xu, Qiyong LiuDroughts may increase susceptibility of prairie dogs to fleas: Incongruity with hypothesized mechanisms of plague cycles in rodents
Plague is a reemerging, rodent-associated zoonosis caused by the flea-borne bacterium Yersinia pestis. As a vector-borne disease, rates of plague transmission may increase when fleas are abundant. Fleas are highly susceptible to desiccation under hot-dry conditions; we posited that their densities decline during droughts. We evaluated this hypothesis with black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicAuthorsDavid A. Eads, Dean E. Biggins, Dustin H. Long, Kenneth L. Gage, Michael F. AntolinFactors that affect parasitism of black-tailed prairie dogs by fleas
Fleas (Insecta: Siphonaptera) are hematophagous ectoparasites that feed on vertebrate hosts. Fleas can reduce the fitness of hosts by interfering with immune responses, disrupting adaptive behaviors, and transmitting pathogens. The negative effects of fleas on hosts are usually most pronounced when fleas attain high densities. In lab studies, fleas desiccate and die under dry conditions, suggestinAuthorsDavid A. Eads, John L. HooglandInteractions among American badgers, black-footed ferrets, and prairie dogs in the grasslands of western North America
American badgers (Taxidea taxus) and black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) sometimes occur sympatrically within colonies of prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) in the grasslands of western North America. From the perspective of a simplified food web, badgers are consumers of ferrets and, to a greater extent, prairie dogs; ferrets are specialized consumers of prairie dogs; and prairie dogs are consumersAuthorsDavid A. Eads, Dean E. Biggins, Shaun M. Grassel, Travis M. Livieri, Daniel S. Licht
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government