Assistant Unit Leader - New Mexico Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Research Interests
James' research interests are primarily in wildlife-habitat relationships, population ecology, and the influence of management practices on native wildlife species. He is interested in using a rigorous scientific approach to address both basic and applied questions related to wildlife ecology, conservation and management. In general, his research interests focus on understanding the effects of environmental heterogeneity on habitat selection, resource use, movements and the landscape-level distribution of mammals and birds. Specifically he is interested in studies on how spatial and temporal variation in habitat characteristics, resources and constraints on resource use (e.g., predation risk) influence the movement, habitat selection and distribution of wildlife. Furthermore, he is interested in determining how habitat selection, at the local and landscape scales, is related to demographic rates and population dynamics, including the relationships between habitat quality and metapopulation dynamics. Another area of research involves the influence of natural resource management activities on wildlife and he works with government agencies to assess the implications of current and future land use and management practices on conservation of wildlife populations and communities.
Teaching Interests
James has been fortunate to have had the opportunity to teach a range of courses and gain teaching experiences with diverse groups of students at both U.S. and international universities. His experiences include teaching courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level and include courses in Wildlife Management, Field Methods for Wildlife and Conservation, Quantitative Biology, Wildlife -habitat Relationships, and Population and Community Ecology. His teaching interests include courses in large mammal ecology and conservation, wildlife-habitat relationships, field methods, and wildlife conservation and management.
Professional Experience
Assistant Unit Leader, New Mexico Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 2010-
Education and Certifications
Ph D University of Arizona 2006
MS California State University-Sacramento 2001
BS Colorado State University 1997
Science and Products
Webinar: Foraging Decisions and Populations Dynamics: Ungulates under a Warmer Climate
Evaluating Adaptations of Desert Bighorn Sheep to Climate Change in the Southwestern U.S.
The Impacts of Drought on Fish and Wildlife in the Southwestern U.S.
The Effects of Drought on Southwestern Pronghorns
The Effects of Drought on Desert Bighorn Sheep
Science and Products
- Science
Webinar: Foraging Decisions and Populations Dynamics: Ungulates under a Warmer Climate
View this webinar to learn how scientists are exploring the impacts of climate change on ungulates in the Southwest.Evaluating Adaptations of Desert Bighorn Sheep to Climate Change in the Southwestern U.S.
In the southwestern U.S., climate change is expected to increase the frequency of extreme droughts and cause an overall decrease in precipitation and increase in temperatures. These changes could impact a wide range of species in the region, even those adapted to living in arid environments. It’s possible that some species may be able to adapt to changing conditions by migrating to new locations o...The Impacts of Drought on Fish and Wildlife in the Southwestern U.S.
Species that inhabit the arid Southwest are adapted to living in hot, dry environments. Yet the increasing frequency and severity of drought in the region may create conditions that even these hardy species can’t survive. This project examined the impacts of drought in the southwestern U.S. on four of the region’s iconic species: desert bighorn sheep, American pronghorn, scaled quail, and Rio Gran...The Effects of Drought on Southwestern Pronghorns
The antelope-like pronghorn is the fastest land animal in North America and has the longest land migration in the continental U.S—in fact, the species has been dubbed “the true marathoners of the American West”. While pronghorns are numerous in parts of their range, such as Wyoming and northern Colorado, they are endangered in others, such as the Sonoran Desert. In the arid Southwest, pronghorn pThe Effects of Drought on Desert Bighorn Sheep
Native to the southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico, the desert bighorn sheep is known for its ability to adapt to harsh, arid environments. However, this does not mean the species is immune to the effects of drought. In fact, the fragmented and isolated distribution of the desert mountain ranges that they inhabit means that they can’t follow distant rain storms without traversing broad valley... - Data
- Publications