Eben H Paxton
Specialty: Avian ecology and conservation, demographic modeling, conservation genetics
Research Interests: My research focuses on understanding factors that affect population dynamics – why populations increase or decline over time – and through an understanding of the “why” populations change in size provide natural resource managers information on “how” to maintain healthy populations. My research has focused mainly on birds, mostly endangered species, using field research, modeling, and genetic research to understand population dynamics and identify possible conservation actions to help imperiled populations. My work in Hawai‘i is focused on the native Hawaiian forest birds.
Personal Interests: Hunting, fishing, and lounging at the beach
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. 2008 Biology, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ
M.S. 2000 Biology, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ
B.S. 1991 Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA
Science and Products
Extinction risk and conservation options for Maui Parrotbill, an endangered Hawaiian honeycreeper
Research and management priorities for Hawaiian forest birds
Extreme drought alters frequency and reproductive success of floaters in Willow Flycatchers
Ecological genomics predicts climate vulnerability in an endangered southwestern songbird
The effect of isolation, fragmentation, and population bottlenecks on song structure of a Hawaiian honeycreeper
Rapid colonization of a Hawaiian restoration forest by a diverse avian community
Assessing the potential of translocating vulnerable forest birds by searching for novel and enduring climatic ranges
Program MAMO: Models for avian management optimization-user guide
Survivorship across the annual cycle of a migratory passerine, the willow flycatcher
Altitudinal migration and the future of an iconic Hawaiian honeycreeper in response to climate change and management
Methods for measuring bird-mediated seed rain: Insights from a Hawaiian mesic forest
Movements of four native Hawaiian birds across a naturally fragmented landscape
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 90
Extinction risk and conservation options for Maui Parrotbill, an endangered Hawaiian honeycreeper
Extinction rates for island birds around the world have been historically high. For forest passerines, the Hawaiian archipelago has suffered some of the highest extinction rates and reintroduction is a conservation tool that can be used to prevent the extinction of some of the remaining endangered species. Population viability analyses can be used to assess risks to vulnerable populations and evalAuthorsHanna L. Mounce, Christopher C. Warren, Conor P. McGowan, Eben H. Paxton, J.J. GroombridgeResearch and management priorities for Hawaiian forest birds
Hawai‘i's forest birds face a number of conservation challenges that, if unaddressed, will likely lead to the extinction of multiple species in the coming decades. Threats include habitat loss, invasive plants, non-native predators, and introduced diseases. Climate change is predicted to increase the geographic extent and intensity of these threats, adding urgency to implementation of tractable coAuthorsEben H. Paxton, Megan Laut, John P. Vetter, Steve J. KendallExtreme drought alters frequency and reproductive success of floaters in Willow Flycatchers
Changes in habitat quality, including those caused by extreme events like droughts and floods, could alter costs and benefits of territoriality and thereby the prevalence and reproductive consequences for individuals capable of breeding that do not do so (floaters). We studied floating behavior in a population of Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax traillii extimus) in central Arizona durinAuthorsTad Theimer, Mark K. Sogge, Suzanne N. Cardinal, Scott L. Durst, Eben H. PaxtonEcological genomics predicts climate vulnerability in an endangered southwestern songbird
Few regions have been more severely impacted by climate change in the USA than the Desert Southwest. Here, we use ecological genomics to assess the potential for adaptation to rising global temperatures in a widespread songbird, the willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii), and find the endangered desert southwestern subspecies (E. t. extimus) most vulnerable to future climate change. Highly signifiAuthorsKristin Ruegg, Rachael A. Bay, Eric C. Anderson, James F. Saracco, Ryan J. Harrigan, Mary J. Whitfield, Eben H. Paxton, Thomas B. SmithThe effect of isolation, fragmentation, and population bottlenecks on song structure of a Hawaiian honeycreeper
Little is known about how important social behaviors such as song vary within and among populations for any of the endemic Hawaiian honeycreepers. Habitat loss and non‐native diseases (e.g., avian malaria) have resulted in isolation and fragmentation of Hawaiian honeycreepers within primarily high elevation forests. In this study, we examined how isolation of Hawai'i ‘amakihi (Chlorodrepanis virenAuthorsJoshua M. Pang-Ching, Kristina L. Paxton, Eben H. Paxton, Adam A. Pack, Patrick J. HartRapid colonization of a Hawaiian restoration forest by a diverse avian community
Deforestation of tropical forests has led to widespread loss and extirpation of forest bird species around the world, including the Hawaiian Islands which have experienced a dramatic loss of forests over the last 200–800 years. Given the important role birds play in forest ecosystem functions via seed dispersal and pollination, a bird community's response to forest restoration is an important measAuthorsEben H. Paxton, Stephanie G. Yelenik, Tracy E. Borneman, Eli Rose, Richard J. Camp, Steve J. KendallAssessing the potential of translocating vulnerable forest birds by searching for novel and enduring climatic ranges
Hawaiian forest birds are imperiled, with fewer than half the original >40 species remaining extant. Recent studies document ongoing rapid population decline and pro- ject complete climate-based range losses for the critically endangered Kaua’i endemics ‘akeke’e (Loxops caeruleirostris) and ‘akikiki (Oreomystis bairdi) by end-of-century due to projected warming. Climate change facilitates the upwaAuthorsLucas B. Fortini, Lauren R. Kaiser, Adam E. Vorsino, Eben H. Paxton, James D. JacobiProgram MAMO: Models for avian management optimization-user guide
The following chapters describe the structure and code of MAMO, and walk the reader through running the different components of the program with sample data. This manual should be used alongside a computer running R, so that the reader can copy and paste code into R, observe the output, and follow along interactively. Taken together, chapters 2–4 will allow the user to replicate a simulation studAuthorsAlban Guillaumet, Eben H. PaxtonSurvivorship across the annual cycle of a migratory passerine, the willow flycatcher
Annual survivorship in migratory birds is a product of survival across the different periods of the annual cycle (i.e. breeding, wintering, and migration), and may vary substantially among these periods. Determining which periods have the highest mortality, and thus are potentially limiting a population, is important especially for species of conservation concern. To estimate survival probabilitieAuthorsEben H. Paxton, Scott L. Durst, Mark K. Sogge, Thomas J. Koronkiewicz, Kristina L. PaxtonAltitudinal migration and the future of an iconic Hawaiian honeycreeper in response to climate change and management
Altitudinal movement by tropical birds to track seasonally variable resources can move them from protected areas to areas of increased vulnerability. In Hawaiʻi, historical reports suggest that many Hawaiian honeycreepers such as the ‘I‘iwi (Drepanis coccinea) once undertook seasonal migrations, but the existence of such movements today is unclear. Because Hawaiian honeycreepers are highly susceptAuthorsAlban Guillaumet, Wendy A. Kuntz, Michael D. Samuel, Eben H. PaxtonMethods for measuring bird-mediated seed rain: Insights from a Hawaiian mesic forest
Amount and diversity of bird-dispersed seed rain play important roles in determining forest composition, yet neither is easy to quantify. The complex ecological processes that influence seed movement make the best approach highly context specific. Although recent advances in seed rain theory emphasize quantifying source-specific seed shadows, many ecological questions can be addressed u sing a lesAuthorsEli Rose, Meredith Stewart, Andrew Brinkman, Eben H. Paxton, Stephanie G. YelenikMovements of four native Hawaiian birds across a naturally fragmented landscape
Animals often increase their fitness by moving across space in response to temporal variation in habitat quality and resource availability, and as a result of intra and inter-specific interactions. The long-term persistence of populations and even whole species depends on the collective patterns of individual movements, yet animal movements have been poorly studied at the landscape level. We quantAuthorsJessie L. Knowlton, David J. Flaspohler, Eben H. Paxton, Tadashi Fukami, Christian P. Giardina, Daniel S. Gruner, Erin E. Wilson Rankin - News