Erin Muths, PhD
Dr. Erin Muths is a Research Zoologist at the Fort Collins Science Center who specializes in amphibian demography, disease ecology and conservation.
Dr. Muths holds a doctorate in Zoology from the University of Queensland, Australia. Since joining the USGS in 1995, she has studied amphibians in Colorado and around the world. Dr. Muths specializes in amphibian demography, disease ecology and conservation. Current research projects include reintroductions of boreal toads in Rocky Mountain National Park, demography of chorus frog and boreal toad populations in Colorado and Wyoming, and salamander disease and occurrence in the desert southwest and Mexico. She is on several graduate student committees at Colorado State University, the University of Colorado and at the CCMB Laboratory for Conservation of Endangered Species in Hyderabad, India.
Professional Experience
U.S. Geological Survey - Biological Resources Division Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, April 1995 - present
University of Queensland Brisbane, Australia; Southwest Queensland, Australia, Ph.D. research, June 1991 - January 1995
Archbold Biological Station Lake Placid, FL, Research Intern, October 1990 - March 1991
Kansas State University, Division of Biology Manhattan, KS, Master's Research, Research Assistant, August 1988 - May 1990
Smithsonian Institution, Conservation Research Center Front Royal, VA, Intern, December 1987 - March 1988
Affiliations and Memberships*
USGS Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative - Principle Investigator, Southern Rocky Mountains, 2000 - present
The Society for Conservation Biology, 1989 – 2011
The American Society of Mammalogists, 1994 – 2002
Colorado Boreal Toad Recovery Team, 1996 – present
Society for Northwestern Vertebrate Biology 1997 – 2007
Research Associate – Denver Zoological Foundation, 1998 – present
Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, 1999 – present; SW PARC – Steering Committee, 2008 – 2011
Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, 2000 – 2014; representative to joint Herpetological Education Committee, 2017 – 2020; Committee chair 2020
Co-Editor, Journal of Herpetology, 2010 – 2015; Section Editor, Journal of Herpetology, 2014 – present
American Society of Ichthyologists & Herpetologists, 2002 – present
Herpetologists’ League 2007 – present; Executive Council 2007 – 2011; Chair, EE Williams Research Grant Committee, 2009-2010
Science and Products
Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) not detected in an intensive survey of wild North American amphibians
Informing amphibian conservation efforts with abundance-based metapopulation models
A synthesis of evidence of drivers of amphibian declines
Amphibian population declines: 30 Years of progress in confronting a complex problem
Effects of snowpack, temperature, and disease on the demography of a wild population of amphibians
Survival estimates for the invasive American bullfrog
Determinants and consequences of dispersal in vertebrates with complex life cycles: a review of pond-breeding amphibians
Highly variable rates of survival to metamorphosis in wild boreal toads (Anaxyrus boreas boreas)
Conservation decisions under pressure: Lessons from an exercise in rapid response to wildlife disease
A statistical forecasting approach to metapopulation viability analysis
Testing theoretical metapopulation conditions with genotypic data from Boreal Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris maculata)
Drought-mediated extinction of an arid-land amphibian: Insights from a spatially explicit dynamic occupancy model
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 147
Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) not detected in an intensive survey of wild North American amphibians
The salamander chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans [Bsal]) is causing massive mortality of salamanders in Europe. The potential for spread via international trade into North America and the high diversity of salamanders has catalyzed concern about Bsal in the U.S. Surveillance programs for invading pathogens must initially meet challenges that include low rates of occurrence on the lAuthorsHardin Waddle, Daniel A. Grear, Brittany Mosher, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Michael J. Adams, Adam R. Backlin, William Barichivich, Adrianne B. Brand, Gary M. Bucciarelli, Daniel L. Calhoun, Tara Chestnut, Jon M. Davenport, Andrew E. Dietrich, Robert N. Fisher, Brad Glorioso, Brian J. Halstead, Marc P Hayes, R. Ken Honeycutt, Blake R. Hossack, Patrick M. Kleeman, Julio A. Lemos-Espinal, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Robert W. Atkinson, Erin L. Muths, Christopher Pearl, Katherine Richgels, Charles W Robinson, Mark F. Roth, Jennifer Rowe, Walter Sadinski, Brent H. Sigafus, Iga Stasiak, Samuel Sweet, Susan C. Walls, Gregory J Watkins-Colwell, C. LeAnn White, Lori A Williams, Megan E. WinzelerInforming amphibian conservation efforts with abundance-based metapopulation models
Science-based management strategies are needed to halt or reverse the global decline of amphibians. In many cases, sound management requires reliable models built using monitoring data. Historically, monitoring and statistical modeling efforts have focused on estimating occupancy using detection–nondetection data. Spatial occupancy models are useful for studying colonization–extinction dynamics, bAuthorsPaige E Howell, Blake R. Hossack, Erin L. Muths, Brent H. Sigafus, Richard B. ChandlerA synthesis of evidence of drivers of amphibian declines
Early calls for robust long-term time series of amphibian population data, stemming from discussion following the first World Congress of Herpetology, are now being realized after 25 yr of focused research. Inference from individual studies and locations have contributed to a basic consensus on drivers of amphibian declines. Until recently there were no large-scale syntheses of long-term time seriAuthorsEvan H. Grant, D. A. W. Miller, Erin L. MuthsAmphibian population declines: 30 Years of progress in confronting a complex problem
In 1989, it dawned on participants at the First World Congress of Herpetology that observed declines in amphibian populations might actually be global in scope and unprecedented in severity. Three decades of research since then has produced an enormous increase in our knowledge of amphibian ecology and appreciation of the complexity of possible causes for amphibian population declines. In SeptembeAuthorsDavid M. Green, Michael J Lannoo, David LesBarreres, Erin L. MuthsEffects of snowpack, temperature, and disease on the demography of a wild population of amphibians
Understanding the demographic consequences of interactions among pathogens, hosts, and weather conditions is critical in determining how amphibian populations respond to disease and in identifying site-specific conservation actions that can be developed to bolster persistence of amphibian populations. We investigated population dynamics in Boreal Toads (Anaxyrus boreas) relative to abiotic (fall tAuthorsErin L. Muths, Blake R. Hossack, Evan H. Grant, David Pilliod, Brittany A. MosherSurvival estimates for the invasive American bullfrog
American bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus) are significant invaders in many places and can negatively impact native species. Despite their impact and wide distribution, little is known about their demography. We used five years of capture mark-recapture data to estimate annual apparent survival of post-metamorphic bullfrogs in a population on the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in their inAuthorsPaige E. Howell, Erin L. Muths, Brent H. Sigafus, Blake R. HossackDeterminants and consequences of dispersal in vertebrates with complex life cycles: a review of pond-breeding amphibians
Dispersal is a central process in ecology and evolution. It strongly influences the dynamics of spatially structured populations, by affecting population growth rate and local colonization-extinction processes. Dispersal can also influence evolutionary processes because it determines rates and patterns of gene flow in spatially structured populations and is closely linked to local adaptation. ForAuthorsH Cayuela, V Valenzuela-Sanchez, L Teulier, I Martinez-Solano, J Lena, J Merila, Erin L. Muths, R Shine, L Quay, M Denoel, J Clobert, B. SchmidtHighly variable rates of survival to metamorphosis in wild boreal toads (Anaxyrus boreas boreas)
Life history theory suggests that long‐lived, pond‐breeding amphibians should have low and highly variable early life‐stage survival rates, but this theoretical expectation is often untested and the causes of variation are usually unknown. We evaluated the impact of hydroperiod, presence of a pathogen (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis [Bd]), presence of a potential predator (cutthroat trout OncorhycAuthorsJohn G. Crockett, Larissa L. Bailey, Erin L. MuthsConservation decisions under pressure: Lessons from an exercise in rapid response to wildlife disease
Novel outbreaks of emerging pathogens require rapid responses to enable successful mitigation. We simulated a 1‐day emergency meeting where experts were engaged to recommend mitigation strategies for a new outbreak of the amphibian fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans . Despite the inevitable uncertainty, experts suggested and discussed several possible strategies. However, their recoAuthorsStefano Canessa, Annemarieke Spitzen-van der Sluijs, Tariq Stark, Bryony E. Allen, Phillip J. Bishop, Molly Bletz, Cheryl J. Briggs, Dave Daversa, Matthew J. Gray, Richard Griffiths, Reid N. Harris, Xavier Harrison, Jason T. Hoverman, Phillip Jervis, Erin L. Muths, Deanna H. Olson, Stephen J, Price, Corinne L. Richards-Zawacki, Jacques Robert, Goncalo M. Rosa, Ben C. Scheele, B. Schmidt, Trenton W. J. GarnerA statistical forecasting approach to metapopulation viability analysis
Conservation of at‐risk species is aided by reliable forecasts of the consequences of environmental change and management actions on population viability. Forecasts from conventional population viability analysis (PVA) are made using a two‐step procedure in which parameters are estimated, or elicited from expert opinion, and then plugged into a stochastic population model without accounting for paAuthorsPaige E. Howell, Blake R. Hossack, Erin L. Muths, Brent Sigafus, A Chenevert-Steffler, Richard B. ChandlerTesting theoretical metapopulation conditions with genotypic data from Boreal Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris maculata)
The metapopulation concept has far-reaching implications in ecology and conservation biology. Hanski’s criteria operationally define metapopulations, yet testing them is hindered by logistical and financial constraints inherent to the collection of long-term demographic data. Hence, ecologists and conservationists often assume metapopulation existence for dispersal-limited species that occupy patcAuthorsS. M. Billerman, B. R. Jesmer, A. G. Watts, P. Schlichting, M. Fortin, W. C. Funk, P. Hapeman, Erin L. Muths, M. MurphyDrought-mediated extinction of an arid-land amphibian: Insights from a spatially explicit dynamic occupancy model
Understanding how natural and anthropogenic processes affect population dynamics of species with patchy distributions is critical to predicting their responses to environmental changes. Despite considerable evidence that demographic rates and dispersal patterns vary temporally in response to an array of biotic and abiotic processes, few applications of metapopulation theory have sought to exploreAuthorsErin R Zylstra, Don E. Swann, Blake R. Hossack, Robert J SteidlNon-USGS Publications**
Muths, E. 2015. Dust jacket blurb for book Salamandria by S. Trauth and J. Trauth. Mockingbird Lane Press.Muths, E. 1999. Dwarf shrew found in Rocky Mountain National Park. Park Science 19(1): 25.Muths, E., and L.A. Hinds. 1996. Circulating levels of prolactin and progesterone in a wild population of red kangaroos (Macropus rufus) Marsupialia: Macropodidae. General and Comparative Endocrinology. 101: 317-3.Muths, E., and O.J. Reichman. 1996. Kangaroo rat bone compared to white rat bone after short-term disuse and exercise. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. 114A(4): 355-3.Muths, E. 1996. Milk composition in a field population of red kangaroos, Macropus rufus (Desmarest) (Macropodidae: Marsupialia). Australian Journal of Zoology. 44: 165-1.
Muths, E. 1991. Substrate Discrimination in Burying Beetles, Nicrophorus orbicollis (Coleoptera: Silphidae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society. 64(4): 447-450.**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
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*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