James Cain, III, PhD (Former Employee)
Science and Products
Evaluating Adaptive Capacity of Desert Bighorn Sheep to Climate Change: Identifying Genetic Links to Climate Adaptations Evaluating Adaptive Capacity of Desert Bighorn Sheep to Climate Change: Identifying Genetic Links to Climate Adaptations
Natural selection may result in local adaptation to different environmental conditions across the range of a species. Understanding local adaptation, in turn, informs management decisions such as translocation to restore locally-extinct populations. We used a landscape genomics approach to detect genetic signatures of selection related to climatic variation among desert bighorn sheep...
Extreme precipitation variability, forage quality and large herbivore diet selection in arid environments Extreme precipitation variability, forage quality and large herbivore diet selection in arid environments
Nutritional ecology forms the interface between environmental variability and large herbivore behaviour, life history characteristics, and population dynamics. Forage conditions in arid and semi-arid regions are driven by unpredictable spatial and temporal patterns in rainfall. Diet selection by herbivores should be directed towards overcoming the most pressing nutritional limitation (i...
Filter Total Items: 69
Effects of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, abundance, and environmental conditions on bighorn sheep lamb:ewe ratios and adult survival in New Mexico Effects of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, abundance, and environmental conditions on bighorn sheep lamb:ewe ratios and adult survival in New Mexico
Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae is a primary causative agent responsible for initiating polymicrobial pneumonia in bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis). Infections of bighorn sheep populations are typically characterized by initial all-age epizootics followed by long-term periods of repressed juvenile (lamb) survival. Populations of bighorn sheep in New Mexico, USA, were thought to be free of this...
Authors
Colton J. Padilla, Caitlin Q. Ruhl, James W. Cain, Matthew E. Gompper
Neonate morphometrics and lambing season characteristics of desert bighorn sheep Neonate morphometrics and lambing season characteristics of desert bighorn sheep
Desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) populations often occur in remote areas at low densities, leading to gaps in knowledge of life history. In November 2011, we translocated 11 female desert bighorn sheep from the Fra Cristobal Mountains and 9 from Red Rock Wildlife Management Area (RRWMA) to the Peloncillo Mountains in southwestern New Mexico. In December 2012, we captured 21 adult...
Authors
Grace L. Parikh, Rebekah C. Karsch, James W. Cain, Eric M. Rominger, Elise J. Goldstein
Ecological and social drivers of Mexican wolf home range size across spatiotemporal scales Ecological and social drivers of Mexican wolf home range size across spatiotemporal scales
Elucidating factors influencing home range size is fundamental to the ecology and management of wildlife species, particularly those of conservation concern, because they can provide insight into how species utilize and interact with their environment. Variation in home range size can be related to intraspecific competition and social organization, energetic requirements in relation to...
Authors
Evelyn Lichwa-Schneringer, James W. Cain, Ho Yi Wan, Genevieve Fuller, Cyrenea Millberry, Micaela Szykman Gunther
Biological feasibility of introducing bighorn sheep to the Jicarilla Apache Nation Biological feasibility of introducing bighorn sheep to the Jicarilla Apache Nation
The biological feasibility of introducing Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis) to the Dulce area of the Jicarilla Apache Nation (JAN) depends on availability and condition of potential habitat and the potential for disease risk, as pneumonia is the largest current threat to wild sheep populations. We modeled quality and quantity of potential bighorn sheep habitat...
Authors
Cara J. Thompson, James W. Cain
Abiotic and demographic drivers of flea parasitism on deer mice in a recovering mixed-conifer forest a decade postfire Abiotic and demographic drivers of flea parasitism on deer mice in a recovering mixed-conifer forest a decade postfire
With the intensity and frequency of wildfires increasing rapidly, the need to study the ecological effects of these wildfires is also growing. An understudied aspect of fire ecology is the effect fires have on parasite–host interactions, including ectoparasites that might be pathogen vectors. Although some studies have examined the impacts of fire on ticks, studies on other ectoparasites
Authors
Colton J. Padilla, Jessica T. Martin, James W. Cain, Matthew E. Gompper
Behavioral trade-offs and multitasking by elk in relation to predation risk from Mexican gray wolves Behavioral trade-offs and multitasking by elk in relation to predation risk from Mexican gray wolves
Predator non-consumptive effects (NCE) can alter prey foraging time and habitat use, potentially reducing fitness. Prey can mitigate NCEs by increasing vigilance, chewing-vigilance synchronization, and spatiotemporal avoidance of predators. We quantified the relationship between Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) predation risk and elk (Cervus canadensis) behavior. We conducted...
Authors
Zachary J. Farley, Cara J. Thompson, Scott T. Boyle, Nicole M. Tatman, James W. Cain
Science and Products
Evaluating Adaptive Capacity of Desert Bighorn Sheep to Climate Change: Identifying Genetic Links to Climate Adaptations Evaluating Adaptive Capacity of Desert Bighorn Sheep to Climate Change: Identifying Genetic Links to Climate Adaptations
Natural selection may result in local adaptation to different environmental conditions across the range of a species. Understanding local adaptation, in turn, informs management decisions such as translocation to restore locally-extinct populations. We used a landscape genomics approach to detect genetic signatures of selection related to climatic variation among desert bighorn sheep...
Extreme precipitation variability, forage quality and large herbivore diet selection in arid environments Extreme precipitation variability, forage quality and large herbivore diet selection in arid environments
Nutritional ecology forms the interface between environmental variability and large herbivore behaviour, life history characteristics, and population dynamics. Forage conditions in arid and semi-arid regions are driven by unpredictable spatial and temporal patterns in rainfall. Diet selection by herbivores should be directed towards overcoming the most pressing nutritional limitation (i...
Filter Total Items: 69
Effects of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, abundance, and environmental conditions on bighorn sheep lamb:ewe ratios and adult survival in New Mexico Effects of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, abundance, and environmental conditions on bighorn sheep lamb:ewe ratios and adult survival in New Mexico
Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae is a primary causative agent responsible for initiating polymicrobial pneumonia in bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis). Infections of bighorn sheep populations are typically characterized by initial all-age epizootics followed by long-term periods of repressed juvenile (lamb) survival. Populations of bighorn sheep in New Mexico, USA, were thought to be free of this...
Authors
Colton J. Padilla, Caitlin Q. Ruhl, James W. Cain, Matthew E. Gompper
Neonate morphometrics and lambing season characteristics of desert bighorn sheep Neonate morphometrics and lambing season characteristics of desert bighorn sheep
Desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) populations often occur in remote areas at low densities, leading to gaps in knowledge of life history. In November 2011, we translocated 11 female desert bighorn sheep from the Fra Cristobal Mountains and 9 from Red Rock Wildlife Management Area (RRWMA) to the Peloncillo Mountains in southwestern New Mexico. In December 2012, we captured 21 adult...
Authors
Grace L. Parikh, Rebekah C. Karsch, James W. Cain, Eric M. Rominger, Elise J. Goldstein
Ecological and social drivers of Mexican wolf home range size across spatiotemporal scales Ecological and social drivers of Mexican wolf home range size across spatiotemporal scales
Elucidating factors influencing home range size is fundamental to the ecology and management of wildlife species, particularly those of conservation concern, because they can provide insight into how species utilize and interact with their environment. Variation in home range size can be related to intraspecific competition and social organization, energetic requirements in relation to...
Authors
Evelyn Lichwa-Schneringer, James W. Cain, Ho Yi Wan, Genevieve Fuller, Cyrenea Millberry, Micaela Szykman Gunther
Biological feasibility of introducing bighorn sheep to the Jicarilla Apache Nation Biological feasibility of introducing bighorn sheep to the Jicarilla Apache Nation
The biological feasibility of introducing Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis) to the Dulce area of the Jicarilla Apache Nation (JAN) depends on availability and condition of potential habitat and the potential for disease risk, as pneumonia is the largest current threat to wild sheep populations. We modeled quality and quantity of potential bighorn sheep habitat...
Authors
Cara J. Thompson, James W. Cain
Abiotic and demographic drivers of flea parasitism on deer mice in a recovering mixed-conifer forest a decade postfire Abiotic and demographic drivers of flea parasitism on deer mice in a recovering mixed-conifer forest a decade postfire
With the intensity and frequency of wildfires increasing rapidly, the need to study the ecological effects of these wildfires is also growing. An understudied aspect of fire ecology is the effect fires have on parasite–host interactions, including ectoparasites that might be pathogen vectors. Although some studies have examined the impacts of fire on ticks, studies on other ectoparasites
Authors
Colton J. Padilla, Jessica T. Martin, James W. Cain, Matthew E. Gompper
Behavioral trade-offs and multitasking by elk in relation to predation risk from Mexican gray wolves Behavioral trade-offs and multitasking by elk in relation to predation risk from Mexican gray wolves
Predator non-consumptive effects (NCE) can alter prey foraging time and habitat use, potentially reducing fitness. Prey can mitigate NCEs by increasing vigilance, chewing-vigilance synchronization, and spatiotemporal avoidance of predators. We quantified the relationship between Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) predation risk and elk (Cervus canadensis) behavior. We conducted...
Authors
Zachary J. Farley, Cara J. Thompson, Scott T. Boyle, Nicole M. Tatman, James W. Cain