James L Bodkin
Population biology and ecology of marine mammals, population estimation, predator/prey relations, carnivora, coastal marine ecology, marine conservation.
Professional Experience
2013 - Present Research Wildlife Biologist Emeritus, USGS, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
1990 - 2013 Research Wildlife Biologist, USGS, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
1989 - 1990 Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Koyukuk Wildlife Refuge, Galena, AK
1986 - 1989 Fish and Wildlife Biologist, National Ecology Research Center, Santa Cruz, CA
Education and Certifications
M.S. 1986 California Polytechnical University, San Luis Obispo, CA Biology
B.S. 1975 California State University, Long Beach, CA Wildlife Biology
Affiliations and Memberships*
Society for Conservation Biology
American Society of Mammalogy
Society for Marine Mammalogy
The Wildlife Society
Science and Products
Future directions in sea otter research and management
Defining the risk landscape in the context of pathogen pollution: Toxoplasma gondii in sea otters along the Pacific Rim
Size, growth, and density data for shallow-water sea urchins from Mexico to the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, 1956–2016
Timelines and mechanisms of wildlife population recovery following the Exxon Valdez oil spill
Otters, marine
Variation in abundance of Pacific Blue Mussel (Mytilus trossulus) in the Northern Gulf of Alaska, 2006–2015
Gene transcription patterns in response to low level petroleum contaminants in Mytilus trossulus from field sites and harbors in southcentral Alaska
Widespread kelp-derived carbon in pelagic and benthic nearshore fishes
Detecting and inferring cause of change in an Alaska nearshore marine ecosystem
Trade-offs between energy maximization and parental care in a central place forager, the sea otter
Gene transcript profiling in sea otters post-Exxon Valdez oil spill: A tool for marine ecosystem health assessment
Influence of basin- and local-scale environmental conditions on nearshore production in the northeast Pacific Ocean
Science and Products
- Science
- Data
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 136
Future directions in sea otter research and management
The conservation and management of sea otters has benefited from a dedicated research effort over the past 60 years enabling this species to recover from a few thousand in the early 20th century to about 150,000 today. Continued research to allow full, pre-exploitation recovery and restoration of nearshore ecosystems should focus on at least seven key challenges: 1) Defining sea otter populationsAuthorsRandall W. Davis, James L. Bodkin, Heather A. Coletti, Daniel Monson, Shawn E. Larson, Lilian P. Carswell, Linda M. NicholDefining the risk landscape in the context of pathogen pollution: Toxoplasma gondii in sea otters along the Pacific Rim
Pathogens entering the marine environment as pollutants exhibit a spatial signature driven by their transport mechanisms. The sea otter (Enhydra lutris), a marine animal which lives much of its life within sight of land, presents a unique opportunity to understand land–sea pathogen transmission. Using a dataset on Toxoplasma gondii prevalence across sea otter range from Alaska to California, we foAuthorsTristan L. Burgess, M. Tim Tinker, Melissa A. Miller, James L. Bodkin, Michael J. Murray, Justin A. Saarinen, Linda M. Nichol, Shawn E. Larson, Patricia A. Conrad, Christine K. JohnsonSize, growth, and density data for shallow-water sea urchins from Mexico to the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, 1956–2016
Size, growth, and density have been studied for North American Pacific coast sea urchins Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, S. droebachiensis, S. polyacanthus, Mesocentrotus (Strongylocentrotus) franciscanus, Lytechinus pictus, Centrostephanus coronatus, and Arbacia stellata by various workers at diverse sites and for varying lengths of time from 1956 to present. Numerous peer-reviewed publications haAuthorsThomas A Ebert, Louis Barr, James L. Bodkin, Dirk Burcham, Dominique Bureau, Henry Carson, Nancy Caruso, Jennifer E. Caselle, Jeremy Claisse, Sabrina Clemente, Kathryn Davis, Paul Detwiler, John Dixon, David Duggins, John Engle, James Estes, Scott Groth, Benjamin Grupe, Peter Halmay, Kyle Hebert, Jose Carlos Hernandez, Laura J. Jurgens, Peter Kalvass, Michael C. Kenner, Brenda Konar, David Kushner, Lynn Lee, David Leighton, Gabriela Montano-Moctezuma, Eric Munk, Irma Olguin Espinoza, Ben WeitzmanTimelines and mechanisms of wildlife population recovery following the Exxon Valdez oil spill
Research and monitoring activities over the 28 years since the T/V Exxon Valdez ran aground and spilled oil into Prince William Sound, Alaska have led to an improved understanding of how wildlife populations were damaged, as well as the mechanisms and timelines of recovery. A key finding was that for some species, such as harlequin ducks and sea otters, chronic oil spill effects persisted for at lAuthorsDaniel Esler, Brenda E. Ballachey, Craig O. Matkin, Daniel Cushing, Robert Kaler, James L. Bodkin, Daniel Monson, George G. Esslinger, Kimberly A. KloeckerOtters, marine
No abstract available.AuthorsM. Tim Tinker, James L. Bodkin, M. Ben-Davic, J. A. EstesVariation in abundance of Pacific Blue Mussel (Mytilus trossulus) in the Northern Gulf of Alaska, 2006–2015
Mussels are conspicuous and ecologically important components of nearshore marine communities around the globe. Pacific blue mussels (Mytilus trossulus) are common residents of intertidal habitats in protected waters of the North Pacific, serving as a conduit of primary production to a wide range of nearshore consumers including predatory invertebrates, sea ducks, shorebirds, sea otters, humans, aAuthorsJames L. Bodkin, Heather A. Coletti, Brenda E. Ballachey, Daniel Monson, Daniel Esler, Thomas A. DeanGene transcription patterns in response to low level petroleum contaminants in Mytilus trossulus from field sites and harbors in southcentral Alaska
The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill damaged a wide range of natural resources, including intertidal communities, and post-spill studies demonstrated acute and chronic exposure and injury to an array of species. Standard toxicological methods to evaluate petroleum contaminants have assessed tissue burdens, with fewer assays providing indicators of health or physiology, particularly when contaminant levAuthorsLizabeth Bowen, A. Keith Miles, Brenda E. Ballachey, Shannon C. Waters, James L. Bodkin, Mandy Lindeberg, Daniel EslerWidespread kelp-derived carbon in pelagic and benthic nearshore fishes
Kelp forests provide habitat for diverse and abundant fish assemblages, but the extent to which kelp provides a source of energy to fish and other predators is unclear. To examine the use of kelp-derived energy by fishes we estimated the contribution of kelp- and phytoplankton-derived carbon using carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes measured in muscle tissue. Benthic-foraging kelp greenlingAuthorsVanessa R. von Biela, Seth D. Newsome, James L. Bodkin, Gordon H. Kruse, Christian E. ZimmermanDetecting and inferring cause of change in an Alaska nearshore marine ecosystem
Community composition, species abundance, and species distribution are expected to change while monitoring ecosystems over time, and effective management of natural resources requires understanding mechanisms contributing to change. Marine ecosystems in particular can be difficult to monitor, in part due to large, multidimensional spatial scales and complex dynamics. However, within the temperateAuthorsH. A. Coletti, James L. Bodkin, Daniel Monson, Brenda E. Ballachey, T. A. DeanTrade-offs between energy maximization and parental care in a central place forager, the sea otter
Between 1999 and 2014, 126 archival time–depth recorders (TDRs) were used to examine the foraging behavior of southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) off the coast of California, in both resource-abundant (recently occupied, low sea otter density) and resource-limited (long-occupied, high sea otter density) locations. Following predictions of foraging theory, sea otters generally behaved as enAuthorsN M Thometz, M. M. Staedler, Joseph A. Tomoleoni, James L. Bodkin, G.B. Bentall, M. Tim TinkerGene transcript profiling in sea otters post-Exxon Valdez oil spill: A tool for marine ecosystem health assessment
Using a panel of genes stimulated by oil exposure in a laboratory study, we evaluated gene transcription in blood leukocytes sampled from sea otters captured from 2006–2012 in western Prince William Sound (WPWS), Alaska, 17–23 years after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS). We compared WPWS sea otters to reference populations (not affected by the EVOS) from the Alaska Peninsula (2009), KatmaiAuthorsLizabeth Bowen, A. Keith Miles, Brenda E. Ballachey, Shannon C. Waters, James L. BodkinInfluence of basin- and local-scale environmental conditions on nearshore production in the northeast Pacific Ocean
Nearshore marine habitats are productive and vulnerable owing to their connections to pelagic and terrestrial landscapes. To understand how ocean basin- and local-scale conditions may influence nearshore species, we developed an annual index of nearshore production (spanning the period 1972–2010) from growth increments recorded in otoliths of representative pelagic-feeding (Black Rockfish SebastesAuthorsVanessa R. von Biela, Christian E. Zimmerman, Gordon H. Kruse, Franz J. Mueter, Bryan A. Black, David C. Douglas, James L. Bodkin - News
*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