James Nichols, Ph.D.
Dr. Jim Nichols conducts research on animal population dynamics and management
Recent Accomplishments
Education
- B.S. Wake Forest University, Biology, 1971
- M.S. Louisiana State University, Wildlife Management, 1973
- Ph.D. Michigan State University, Wildlife Ecology, 1976
Professional Studies/Experience
- Adaptive management and assessment of habitat changes on migratory birds
- Development of models of mallard population dynamics for adaptive harvest management
- Development of methods to estimate parameters associated with animal population dynamics
- Statistical methods for species richness estimation
- Technical Assistance -Tiger Monitoring and Population Research
- Development of methods for estimating patch occupancy and patch-dynamic parameters from detection-nondetection survey data
- Development of methods to estimate species richness and community-dynamic parameters from species list data
Mentorship/Outreach
Professional societies/affiliations/committees/editorial boardsScientific/Oral Presentations, Abstracts
Honors, awards, recognition, elected offices
- 2005 - U.S. Presidential Rank Award (Meritorious Senior Professional)
- 2004 - U.S. Geological Survey Meritorious Service Award
- 2004 - IFAS Scholar Award, University of Florida
- 1998 - Promoted to Senior Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey
- 1991 - The George W. Snedecor Award of the American Statistical Association
- 1991 - The Wildlife Society's Wildlife Publication Award for Monograph
- 1984 - Southeastern Section of the Wildlife Society, Outstanding Publication Award
Scientific/Oral Presentations, Abstracts
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 417
Structured decision making as a proactive approach to dealing with sea level rise in Florida Structured decision making as a proactive approach to dealing with sea level rise in Florida
Sea level rise (SLR) projections along the coast of Florida present an enormous challenge for management and conservation over the long term. Decision makers need to recognize and adopt strategies to adapt to the potentially detrimental effects of SLR. Structured decision making (SDM) provides a rigorous framework for the management of natural resources. The aim of SDM is to identify...
Authors
J. Martin, P.L. Fackler, James D. Nichols, B. C. Lubow, Mitchell J. Eaton, Michael C. Runge, Bradley Stith, Catherine A. Langtimm
An adaptive-management framework for optimal control of hiking near golden eagle nests in Denali National Park An adaptive-management framework for optimal control of hiking near golden eagle nests in Denali National Park
Unintended effects of recreational activities in protected areas are of growing concern. We used an adaptive-management framework to develop guidelines for optimally managing hiking activities to maintain desired levels of territory occupancy and reproductive success of Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in Denali National Park (Alaska, U.S.A.). The management decision was to restrict...
Authors
Julien Martin, Paul L. Fackler, James D. Nichols, Michael C. Runge, Carol L. McIntyre, Bruce L. Lubow, Maggie C. McCluskie, Joel A. Schmutz
Counting India's wild tigers reliably Counting India's wild tigers reliably
No abstract available.
Authors
K. Ullas Karanth, Arjun M. Gopalaswamy, N. Samba Kumar, Mohan Delampady, James D. Nichols, John Seidensticker, Barry R. Noon, Stuart L. Pimm
Camera traps in animal ecology and conservation: What's next? Camera traps in animal ecology and conservation: What's next?
No abstract available.
Authors
James D. Nichols, Allan F. O’Connell, K. Ullas Karanth
Exploring sensitivity of a multistate occupancy model to inform management decisions Exploring sensitivity of a multistate occupancy model to inform management decisions
1. Dynamic occupancy models are often used to investigate questions regarding the processes that influence patch occupancy and are prominent in the fields of population and community ecology and conservation biology. Recently, multistate occupancy models have been developed to investigate dynamic systems involving more than one occupied state, including reproductive states, relative...
Authors
A.W. Green, L.L. Bailey, J.D. Nichols
Estimation of demographic parameters in a tiger population from long-term camera trap data Estimation of demographic parameters in a tiger population from long-term camera trap data
Chapter 7 (Karanth et al.) illustrated the use of camera trapping in combination with closed population capture–recapture (CR) models to estimate densities of tigers Panthera tigris. Such estimates can be very useful for investigating variation across space for a particular species (e.g., Karanth et al. 2004) or variation among species at a specific location. In addition, estimates of...
Authors
K. Ullas Karanth, James D. Nichols
Inference for occupancy and occupancy dynamics Inference for occupancy and occupancy dynamics
This chapter deals with the estimation of occupancy as a state variable to assess the status of, and track changes in, species distributions when sampling with camera traps. Much of the recent interest in occupancy estimation and modeling originated from the models developed by MacKenzie et al. (2002, 2003), although similar methods were developed independently (Azuma et al. 1990; Bayley...
Authors
Allan F. O’Connell, Larissa L. Bailey
Use of the superpopulation approach to estimate breeding population size: An example in asynchronously breeding birds Use of the superpopulation approach to estimate breeding population size: An example in asynchronously breeding birds
Many populations of animals are fluid in both space and time, making estimation of numbers difficult. Much attention has been devoted to estimation of bias in detection of animals that are present at the time of survey. However, an equally important problem is estimation of population size when all animals are not present on all survey occasions. Here, we showcase use of the...
Authors
K.A. Williams, P. C. Frederick, James D. Nichols
Conservation in the face of climate change: The roles of alternative models, monitoring, and adaptation in confronting and reducing uncertainty Conservation in the face of climate change: The roles of alternative models, monitoring, and adaptation in confronting and reducing uncertainty
The broad physical and biological principles behind climate change and its potential large scale ecological impacts on biota are fairly well understood, although likely responses of biotic communities at fine spatio-temporal scales are not, limiting the ability of conservation programs to respond effectively to climate change outside the range of human experience. Much of the climate...
Authors
M.J. Conroy, Michael C. Runge, James D. Nichols, K.W. Stodola, R.J. Cooper
Climate change, uncertainty, and natural resource management Climate change, uncertainty, and natural resource management
Climate change and its associated uncertainties are of concern to natural resource managers. Although aspects of climate change may be novel (e.g., system change and nonstationarity), natural resource managers have long dealt with uncertainties and have developed corresponding approaches to decision-making. Adaptive resource management is an application of structured decision-making for...
Authors
J.D. Nichols, M.D. Koneff, P.J. Heglund, M. G. Knutson, M.E. Seamans, J. E. Lyons, J.M. Morton, M.T. Jones, G.S. Boomer, B. Kenneth Williams
Hierarchical spatial capture-recapture models for estimating density from trapping arrays Hierarchical spatial capture-recapture models for estimating density from trapping arrays
No abstract available.
Authors
J. Andrew Royle, B. Gardner
Estimating tiger abundance from camera trap data: Field surveys and analytical issues Estimating tiger abundance from camera trap data: Field surveys and analytical issues
Automated photography of tigers Panthera tigris for purely illustrative purposes was pioneered by British forester Fred Champion (1927, 1933) in India in the early part of the Twentieth Century. However, it was McDougal (1977) in Nepal who first used camera traps, equipped with single-lens reflex cameras activated by pressure pads, to identify individual tigers and study their social and...
Authors
K. Ullas Karanth, James D. Nichols
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 417
Structured decision making as a proactive approach to dealing with sea level rise in Florida Structured decision making as a proactive approach to dealing with sea level rise in Florida
Sea level rise (SLR) projections along the coast of Florida present an enormous challenge for management and conservation over the long term. Decision makers need to recognize and adopt strategies to adapt to the potentially detrimental effects of SLR. Structured decision making (SDM) provides a rigorous framework for the management of natural resources. The aim of SDM is to identify...
Authors
J. Martin, P.L. Fackler, James D. Nichols, B. C. Lubow, Mitchell J. Eaton, Michael C. Runge, Bradley Stith, Catherine A. Langtimm
An adaptive-management framework for optimal control of hiking near golden eagle nests in Denali National Park An adaptive-management framework for optimal control of hiking near golden eagle nests in Denali National Park
Unintended effects of recreational activities in protected areas are of growing concern. We used an adaptive-management framework to develop guidelines for optimally managing hiking activities to maintain desired levels of territory occupancy and reproductive success of Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in Denali National Park (Alaska, U.S.A.). The management decision was to restrict...
Authors
Julien Martin, Paul L. Fackler, James D. Nichols, Michael C. Runge, Carol L. McIntyre, Bruce L. Lubow, Maggie C. McCluskie, Joel A. Schmutz
Counting India's wild tigers reliably Counting India's wild tigers reliably
No abstract available.
Authors
K. Ullas Karanth, Arjun M. Gopalaswamy, N. Samba Kumar, Mohan Delampady, James D. Nichols, John Seidensticker, Barry R. Noon, Stuart L. Pimm
Camera traps in animal ecology and conservation: What's next? Camera traps in animal ecology and conservation: What's next?
No abstract available.
Authors
James D. Nichols, Allan F. O’Connell, K. Ullas Karanth
Exploring sensitivity of a multistate occupancy model to inform management decisions Exploring sensitivity of a multistate occupancy model to inform management decisions
1. Dynamic occupancy models are often used to investigate questions regarding the processes that influence patch occupancy and are prominent in the fields of population and community ecology and conservation biology. Recently, multistate occupancy models have been developed to investigate dynamic systems involving more than one occupied state, including reproductive states, relative...
Authors
A.W. Green, L.L. Bailey, J.D. Nichols
Estimation of demographic parameters in a tiger population from long-term camera trap data Estimation of demographic parameters in a tiger population from long-term camera trap data
Chapter 7 (Karanth et al.) illustrated the use of camera trapping in combination with closed population capture–recapture (CR) models to estimate densities of tigers Panthera tigris. Such estimates can be very useful for investigating variation across space for a particular species (e.g., Karanth et al. 2004) or variation among species at a specific location. In addition, estimates of...
Authors
K. Ullas Karanth, James D. Nichols
Inference for occupancy and occupancy dynamics Inference for occupancy and occupancy dynamics
This chapter deals with the estimation of occupancy as a state variable to assess the status of, and track changes in, species distributions when sampling with camera traps. Much of the recent interest in occupancy estimation and modeling originated from the models developed by MacKenzie et al. (2002, 2003), although similar methods were developed independently (Azuma et al. 1990; Bayley...
Authors
Allan F. O’Connell, Larissa L. Bailey
Use of the superpopulation approach to estimate breeding population size: An example in asynchronously breeding birds Use of the superpopulation approach to estimate breeding population size: An example in asynchronously breeding birds
Many populations of animals are fluid in both space and time, making estimation of numbers difficult. Much attention has been devoted to estimation of bias in detection of animals that are present at the time of survey. However, an equally important problem is estimation of population size when all animals are not present on all survey occasions. Here, we showcase use of the...
Authors
K.A. Williams, P. C. Frederick, James D. Nichols
Conservation in the face of climate change: The roles of alternative models, monitoring, and adaptation in confronting and reducing uncertainty Conservation in the face of climate change: The roles of alternative models, monitoring, and adaptation in confronting and reducing uncertainty
The broad physical and biological principles behind climate change and its potential large scale ecological impacts on biota are fairly well understood, although likely responses of biotic communities at fine spatio-temporal scales are not, limiting the ability of conservation programs to respond effectively to climate change outside the range of human experience. Much of the climate...
Authors
M.J. Conroy, Michael C. Runge, James D. Nichols, K.W. Stodola, R.J. Cooper
Climate change, uncertainty, and natural resource management Climate change, uncertainty, and natural resource management
Climate change and its associated uncertainties are of concern to natural resource managers. Although aspects of climate change may be novel (e.g., system change and nonstationarity), natural resource managers have long dealt with uncertainties and have developed corresponding approaches to decision-making. Adaptive resource management is an application of structured decision-making for...
Authors
J.D. Nichols, M.D. Koneff, P.J. Heglund, M. G. Knutson, M.E. Seamans, J. E. Lyons, J.M. Morton, M.T. Jones, G.S. Boomer, B. Kenneth Williams
Hierarchical spatial capture-recapture models for estimating density from trapping arrays Hierarchical spatial capture-recapture models for estimating density from trapping arrays
No abstract available.
Authors
J. Andrew Royle, B. Gardner
Estimating tiger abundance from camera trap data: Field surveys and analytical issues Estimating tiger abundance from camera trap data: Field surveys and analytical issues
Automated photography of tigers Panthera tigris for purely illustrative purposes was pioneered by British forester Fred Champion (1927, 1933) in India in the early part of the Twentieth Century. However, it was McDougal (1977) in Nepal who first used camera traps, equipped with single-lens reflex cameras activated by pressure pads, to identify individual tigers and study their social and...
Authors
K. Ullas Karanth, James D. Nichols