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
Estimation of sex-specific survival from capture-recapture data when sex is not always known Estimation of sex-specific survival from capture-recapture data when sex is not always known
Many animals lack obvious sexual dimorphism, making assignment of sex difficult even for observed or captured animals. For many such species it is possible to assign sex with certainty only at some occasions; for example, when they exhibit certain types of behavior. A common approach to handling this situation in capture-recapture studies has been to group capture histories into those of...
Authors
J.D. Nichols, W. L. Kendall, J.E. Hines, J. A. Spendelow
Occupancy as a surrogate for abundance estimation Occupancy as a surrogate for abundance estimation
In many monitoring programmes it may be prohibitively expensive to estimate the actual abundance of a bird species in a defined area, particularly at large spatial scales, or where birds occur at very low densities. Often it may be appropriate to consider the proportion of area occupied by the species as an alternative state variable. However, as with abundance estimation, issues of
Authors
D.I. MacKenzie, J.D. Nichols
Abundance estimation and conservation biology Abundance estimation and conservation biology
Abundance is the state variable of interest in most population–level ecological research and in most programs involving management and conservation of animal populations. Abundance is the single parameter of interest in capture–recapture models for closed populations (e.g., Darroch, 1958; Otis et al., 1978; Chao, 2001). The initial capture–recapture models developed for partially...
Authors
J.D. Nichols, D.I. MacKenzie
Evolution of quantitative methods for the study and management of avian populations: on the importance of individual contributions Evolution of quantitative methods for the study and management of avian populations: on the importance of individual contributions
The EURING meetings and the scientists who have attended them have contributed substantially to the growth of knowledge in the field of estimating parameters of animal populations. The contributions of David R. Anderson to process modeling, parameter estimation and decision analysis are briefly reviewed. Metrics are considered for assessing individual contributions to a field of inquiry...
Authors
J.D. Nichols
Population dynamics of the California Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis occidentalis): a meta-analysis Population dynamics of the California Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis occidentalis): a meta-analysis
We conducted a meta-analysis to provide a current assessment of the population characteristics of California Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis occidentalis) resident on four study areas in the Sierra Nevada and one study area in southern California. Our meta-analysis followed rigorous a priori analysis protocols, which we derived through extensive discussion during a week-long analysis...
Authors
A.B. Franklin, R. J. Gutierrez, J.D. Nichols, M.E. Seamans, Gary C. White, G.S. Zimmerman, J.E. Hines, T.E. Munton, W.S. LaHaye, J.A. Blakesley, G.N. Steger, B.R. Noon, D.W.H. Shaw, J.J. Keane, T. L. McDonald, S. Britting
Photographic sampling of elusive mammals in tropical forests Photographic sampling of elusive mammals in tropical forests
No abstract available.
Authors
K. U. Karanth, J.D. Nichols, S. Kumar
Estimation of tiger densities in the tropical dry forests of Panna, Central India, using photographic capture-recapture sampling Estimation of tiger densities in the tropical dry forests of Panna, Central India, using photographic capture-recapture sampling
Tropical dry-deciduous forests comprise more than 45% of the tiger (Panthera tigris) habitat in India. However, in the absence of rigorously derived estimates of ecological densities of tigers in dry forests, critical baseline data for managing tiger populations are lacking. In this study tiger densities were estimated using photographic capture–recapture sampling in the dry forests of...
Authors
K.Ullas Karanth, Raghunandan S. Chundawat, James D. Nichols, N. Samba Kumar
On the use of capture-recapture models in mist-net studies On the use of capture-recapture models in mist-net studies
Capture-recapture models provide a statistical framework for estimating population parameters from mist-net data. Although Cormack-Jolly-Seber and related models have recently been used to estimate survival rates of birds sampled with mist nets, we believe that the full potential for use of capture-recapture models has not been realized by many researchers involved in mist-net studies...
Authors
W. L. Kendall, J.R. Sauer, J.D. Nichols, R. Pradel, J.E. Hines
Estimating survival and movement Estimating survival and movement
No abstract available.
Authors
J.D. Nichols, W. L. Kendall, M.C. Runge
Modeling interpopulation dispersal by banner-tailed kangaroo rats Modeling interpopulation dispersal by banner-tailed kangaroo rats
Many metapopulation models assume rules of population connectivity that are implicitly based on what we know about within-population dispersal, but especially for vertebrates, few data exist to assess whether interpopulation dispersal is just within-population dispersal "scaled up." We extended existing multi-stratum mark-release-recapture models to incorporate the robust design...
Authors
J.L. Skvarla, J.D. Nichols, J.E. Hines, P.M. Waser
Occupancy estimation and modeling for rare and elusive populations Occupancy estimation and modeling for rare and elusive populations
No abstract available.
Authors
D.I. MacKenzie, J. Andrew Royle, J.A. Brown, J.D. Nichols
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 417
Estimation of sex-specific survival from capture-recapture data when sex is not always known Estimation of sex-specific survival from capture-recapture data when sex is not always known
Many animals lack obvious sexual dimorphism, making assignment of sex difficult even for observed or captured animals. For many such species it is possible to assign sex with certainty only at some occasions; for example, when they exhibit certain types of behavior. A common approach to handling this situation in capture-recapture studies has been to group capture histories into those of...
Authors
J.D. Nichols, W. L. Kendall, J.E. Hines, J. A. Spendelow
Occupancy as a surrogate for abundance estimation Occupancy as a surrogate for abundance estimation
In many monitoring programmes it may be prohibitively expensive to estimate the actual abundance of a bird species in a defined area, particularly at large spatial scales, or where birds occur at very low densities. Often it may be appropriate to consider the proportion of area occupied by the species as an alternative state variable. However, as with abundance estimation, issues of
Authors
D.I. MacKenzie, J.D. Nichols
Abundance estimation and conservation biology Abundance estimation and conservation biology
Abundance is the state variable of interest in most population–level ecological research and in most programs involving management and conservation of animal populations. Abundance is the single parameter of interest in capture–recapture models for closed populations (e.g., Darroch, 1958; Otis et al., 1978; Chao, 2001). The initial capture–recapture models developed for partially...
Authors
J.D. Nichols, D.I. MacKenzie
Evolution of quantitative methods for the study and management of avian populations: on the importance of individual contributions Evolution of quantitative methods for the study and management of avian populations: on the importance of individual contributions
The EURING meetings and the scientists who have attended them have contributed substantially to the growth of knowledge in the field of estimating parameters of animal populations. The contributions of David R. Anderson to process modeling, parameter estimation and decision analysis are briefly reviewed. Metrics are considered for assessing individual contributions to a field of inquiry...
Authors
J.D. Nichols
Population dynamics of the California Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis occidentalis): a meta-analysis Population dynamics of the California Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis occidentalis): a meta-analysis
We conducted a meta-analysis to provide a current assessment of the population characteristics of California Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis occidentalis) resident on four study areas in the Sierra Nevada and one study area in southern California. Our meta-analysis followed rigorous a priori analysis protocols, which we derived through extensive discussion during a week-long analysis...
Authors
A.B. Franklin, R. J. Gutierrez, J.D. Nichols, M.E. Seamans, Gary C. White, G.S. Zimmerman, J.E. Hines, T.E. Munton, W.S. LaHaye, J.A. Blakesley, G.N. Steger, B.R. Noon, D.W.H. Shaw, J.J. Keane, T. L. McDonald, S. Britting
Photographic sampling of elusive mammals in tropical forests Photographic sampling of elusive mammals in tropical forests
No abstract available.
Authors
K. U. Karanth, J.D. Nichols, S. Kumar
Estimation of tiger densities in the tropical dry forests of Panna, Central India, using photographic capture-recapture sampling Estimation of tiger densities in the tropical dry forests of Panna, Central India, using photographic capture-recapture sampling
Tropical dry-deciduous forests comprise more than 45% of the tiger (Panthera tigris) habitat in India. However, in the absence of rigorously derived estimates of ecological densities of tigers in dry forests, critical baseline data for managing tiger populations are lacking. In this study tiger densities were estimated using photographic capture–recapture sampling in the dry forests of...
Authors
K.Ullas Karanth, Raghunandan S. Chundawat, James D. Nichols, N. Samba Kumar
On the use of capture-recapture models in mist-net studies On the use of capture-recapture models in mist-net studies
Capture-recapture models provide a statistical framework for estimating population parameters from mist-net data. Although Cormack-Jolly-Seber and related models have recently been used to estimate survival rates of birds sampled with mist nets, we believe that the full potential for use of capture-recapture models has not been realized by many researchers involved in mist-net studies...
Authors
W. L. Kendall, J.R. Sauer, J.D. Nichols, R. Pradel, J.E. Hines
Estimating survival and movement Estimating survival and movement
No abstract available.
Authors
J.D. Nichols, W. L. Kendall, M.C. Runge
Modeling interpopulation dispersal by banner-tailed kangaroo rats Modeling interpopulation dispersal by banner-tailed kangaroo rats
Many metapopulation models assume rules of population connectivity that are implicitly based on what we know about within-population dispersal, but especially for vertebrates, few data exist to assess whether interpopulation dispersal is just within-population dispersal "scaled up." We extended existing multi-stratum mark-release-recapture models to incorporate the robust design...
Authors
J.L. Skvarla, J.D. Nichols, J.E. Hines, P.M. Waser
Occupancy estimation and modeling for rare and elusive populations Occupancy estimation and modeling for rare and elusive populations
No abstract available.
Authors
D.I. MacKenzie, J. Andrew Royle, J.A. Brown, J.D. Nichols