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: 418
Accumulating evidence in ecology: Once is not enough Accumulating evidence in ecology: Once is not enough
Many published studies in ecological science are viewed as stand-alone investigations that purport to provide new insights into how ecological systems behave based on single analyses. But it is rare for results of single studies to provide definitive results, as evidenced in current discussions of the “reproducibility crisis” in science. The key step in science is the comparison of...
Authors
James D. Nichols, William Kendall, G.Scott Boomer
Confronting uncertainty: Contributions of the wildlife profession to the broader scientific community Confronting uncertainty: Contributions of the wildlife profession to the broader scientific community
Most wildlife professionals are engaged in 1 or both of 2 basic endeavors: science and management. These endeavors are a focus of many other disciplines, leading to widespread sharing of general methodologies. Wildlife professionals have appropriately borrowed and assimilated many methods developed primarily in other disciplines but have also led the development of one class of...
Authors
James D. Nichols
Scale‐dependent effects of isolation on seasonal patch colonisation by two Neotropical freshwater fishes Scale‐dependent effects of isolation on seasonal patch colonisation by two Neotropical freshwater fishes
The metapopulation paradigm has been central to improve the conservation and management of natural populations. However, despite the large number of studies on metapopulation dynamics, the overall support for the relationships on which the paradigm is based has not been strong. Here, we studied the occupancy dynamics of two Neotropical fishes (i.e., Pimelodella gracilis and Leporinus...
Authors
Jerry Penha, Karlo Y. P. Hakamada, James E. Hines, James D. Nichols
Occupancy models for citizen-science data Occupancy models for citizen-science data
Large‐scale citizen‐science projects, such as atlases of species distribution, are an important source of data for macroecological research, for understanding the effects of climate change and other drivers on biodiversity, and for more applied conservation tasks, such as early‐warning systems for biodiversity loss.However, citizen‐science data are challenging to analyse because the...
Authors
Res Altwegg, James D. Nichols
Partitioning global change: Assessing the relative importance of changes in climate and land cover for changes in avian distribution Partitioning global change: Assessing the relative importance of changes in climate and land cover for changes in avian distribution
Understanding the relative impact of climate change and land cover change on changes in avian distribution has implications for the future course of avian distributions and appropriate management strategies. Due to the dynamic nature of climate change, our goal was to investigate the processes that shape species distributions, rather than the current distributional patterns. To this end...
Authors
Matthew J. Clement, James D. Nichols, Jaime A. Collazo, Adam Terando, James E. Hines, Steven G. Williams
Science alive and well in North American wildlife management Science alive and well in North American wildlife management
Artelle et al. (1) entitled a recent article with the provocative claim: “Hallmarks of science missing from North American wildlife management”. Although we agree with some of the concerns and recommendations of Artelle et al. (1), we believe that the article is misleading about the distinction between science and management, the role of science in wise management, and the degree to...
Authors
James D. Nichols, Fred A. Johnson, Byron K. Williams, G. Scott Boomer
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 418
Accumulating evidence in ecology: Once is not enough Accumulating evidence in ecology: Once is not enough
Many published studies in ecological science are viewed as stand-alone investigations that purport to provide new insights into how ecological systems behave based on single analyses. But it is rare for results of single studies to provide definitive results, as evidenced in current discussions of the “reproducibility crisis” in science. The key step in science is the comparison of...
Authors
James D. Nichols, William Kendall, G.Scott Boomer
Confronting uncertainty: Contributions of the wildlife profession to the broader scientific community Confronting uncertainty: Contributions of the wildlife profession to the broader scientific community
Most wildlife professionals are engaged in 1 or both of 2 basic endeavors: science and management. These endeavors are a focus of many other disciplines, leading to widespread sharing of general methodologies. Wildlife professionals have appropriately borrowed and assimilated many methods developed primarily in other disciplines but have also led the development of one class of...
Authors
James D. Nichols
Scale‐dependent effects of isolation on seasonal patch colonisation by two Neotropical freshwater fishes Scale‐dependent effects of isolation on seasonal patch colonisation by two Neotropical freshwater fishes
The metapopulation paradigm has been central to improve the conservation and management of natural populations. However, despite the large number of studies on metapopulation dynamics, the overall support for the relationships on which the paradigm is based has not been strong. Here, we studied the occupancy dynamics of two Neotropical fishes (i.e., Pimelodella gracilis and Leporinus...
Authors
Jerry Penha, Karlo Y. P. Hakamada, James E. Hines, James D. Nichols
Occupancy models for citizen-science data Occupancy models for citizen-science data
Large‐scale citizen‐science projects, such as atlases of species distribution, are an important source of data for macroecological research, for understanding the effects of climate change and other drivers on biodiversity, and for more applied conservation tasks, such as early‐warning systems for biodiversity loss.However, citizen‐science data are challenging to analyse because the...
Authors
Res Altwegg, James D. Nichols
Partitioning global change: Assessing the relative importance of changes in climate and land cover for changes in avian distribution Partitioning global change: Assessing the relative importance of changes in climate and land cover for changes in avian distribution
Understanding the relative impact of climate change and land cover change on changes in avian distribution has implications for the future course of avian distributions and appropriate management strategies. Due to the dynamic nature of climate change, our goal was to investigate the processes that shape species distributions, rather than the current distributional patterns. To this end...
Authors
Matthew J. Clement, James D. Nichols, Jaime A. Collazo, Adam Terando, James E. Hines, Steven G. Williams
Science alive and well in North American wildlife management Science alive and well in North American wildlife management
Artelle et al. (1) entitled a recent article with the provocative claim: “Hallmarks of science missing from North American wildlife management”. Although we agree with some of the concerns and recommendations of Artelle et al. (1), we believe that the article is misleading about the distinction between science and management, the role of science in wise management, and the degree to...
Authors
James D. Nichols, Fred A. Johnson, Byron K. Williams, G. Scott Boomer