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: 409
Estimating annual survival and movement rates of adults within a metapopulation of roseate terns
Several multistratum capture—recapture models were used to test various hypotheses about possible geographic and temporal variation in survival, movement, and recapture/resighting probabilities of 2399 adult Roseate Terns (Sterna dougallii) color—banded from 1988 to 1992 at the sites of the four largest breeding colonies of this species in the northeastern USA. Linear—logistic ultrastructural mode
Authors
Jeffrey A. Spendelow, James D. Nichols, Ian C. T. Nisbet, Helen Hays, Grace Cormons, Joanna Burger, C. Safina, James E. Hines, Michael Gochfeld
Geographic variation in band reporting rates for mallards based on reward banding
We conducted a reward band study on mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) to estimate and test hypotheses about sources of variation in band reporting rate. We banded 25,398 mallards with standard and 100 reward bands (3 mallards banded with standard bands for every reward-banded mallard) during preseason (Jul-Sep), 1988. We used a series of multinomial models to model the resulting 2,776 band recoveries
Authors
J. D. Nichols, R. E. Reynolds, R.J. Blohm, R.E. Trost, J. E. Hines, J.P. Bladen
Spring-summer survival rates of yearling versus adult mallard females
Knowledge of the timing, magnitude, and cause of mortality in wildlife populations is imperative for developing management strategies that protect or improve the status of these populations. Age- and sex-specific population parameter estimates provide the most useful information for this purpose. Numerous studies have provided information about survival rates in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), but
Authors
R. E. Reynolds, R.J. Blohm, J. D. Nichols, J. E. Hines
Overwinter survival of neotropical migratory birds in early-successional and mature tropical forests
Many Neotropical migratory species inhabit both mature and earty-successional forests on their wintering grounds, yet comparisons of survival rates between habitats are lacking. Consequently, the factors affecting habitat suitability for Neotropical migrants and the potential effects of tropical deforestation on migrants are not well understood. We estimated overwinter survival and capture probabi
Authors
C.J. Conway, G. V. N. Powell, J. D. Nichols
Retention of web tags and plasticine-filled leg bands applied to day-old ducklings
A new plasticine-filled leg band was developed for use in banding dayold ducklings. These bands permit inference about early survival that is not possible from banding of older young in standard operations. Two double-marking experiments with web tags and the new leg bands indicated a high retention rate for the leg bands. In contrast, several web tags were lost, permitting an analysis directed
Authors
P. Blums, A. Mednis, J. D. Nichols
On the importance of sampling variance to investigations of temporal variation in animal population size
Our purpose here is to emphasize the need to properly deal with sampling variance when studying population variability and to present a means of doing so. We present an estimator for temporal variance of population size for the general case in which there are both sampling variances and covariances associated with estimates of population size. We illustrate the estimation approach with a series
Authors
W. A. Link, J. D. Nichols
Sources of variation in loss rates of color bands applied to adult roseate terns (Sterna dougallii) in the western North Atlantic
A model-based analysis was done to test several hypotheses concerning the rates of loss of butt-ended color bands placed on adult Roseate Terns (Sterna dougallii) in the western North Atlantic. These birds were captured and color banded from 1987-1991 at four colony sites, and recaptured from 1989-1992 as part of a study of the population dynamics of this species. Two types of color bands, Darvic
Authors
J. A. Spendelow, J. Burger, I.C.T. Nisbet, J. D. Nichols, J. E. Hines, H. Hays, G.D. Cormons, M. Gochfeld
Estimating the number of animals in wildlife populations
No abstract available.
Authors
R.A. Lancia, J. D. Nichols, K. H. Pollock
The 'robust' capture-recapture design allows components of recruitment to be estimated
The 'robust' capture-recapture design (Pollock 1982) allows analyses which combine features of closed population model analyses (Otis et aI., 1978, White et aI., 1982) and open population model analyses (Pollock et aI., 1990). Estimators obtained under these analyses are more robust to unequal catch ability than traditional Jolly-Seber estimators (Pollock, 1982; Pollock et al., 1990; Kendall, 199
Authors
K. H. Pollock, W. L. Kendall, J. D. Nichols
Survival rate estimation in the presence of tag loss using joint analysis of capture-recapture and resighting data
Studies using resightings of marked birds typically make use of readily-observable tags that are not retained as well as metal legbands. We review methods for estimating survival rate with open capture-recapture / resighting models when tag loss is not negligible. All methods rely on data from double-banding studies, usually carried out as part of the resighting study by application of metal legb
Authors
J. D. Nichols, J. E. Hines
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 409
Estimating annual survival and movement rates of adults within a metapopulation of roseate terns
Several multistratum capture—recapture models were used to test various hypotheses about possible geographic and temporal variation in survival, movement, and recapture/resighting probabilities of 2399 adult Roseate Terns (Sterna dougallii) color—banded from 1988 to 1992 at the sites of the four largest breeding colonies of this species in the northeastern USA. Linear—logistic ultrastructural mode
Authors
Jeffrey A. Spendelow, James D. Nichols, Ian C. T. Nisbet, Helen Hays, Grace Cormons, Joanna Burger, C. Safina, James E. Hines, Michael Gochfeld
Geographic variation in band reporting rates for mallards based on reward banding
We conducted a reward band study on mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) to estimate and test hypotheses about sources of variation in band reporting rate. We banded 25,398 mallards with standard and 100 reward bands (3 mallards banded with standard bands for every reward-banded mallard) during preseason (Jul-Sep), 1988. We used a series of multinomial models to model the resulting 2,776 band recoveries
Authors
J. D. Nichols, R. E. Reynolds, R.J. Blohm, R.E. Trost, J. E. Hines, J.P. Bladen
Spring-summer survival rates of yearling versus adult mallard females
Knowledge of the timing, magnitude, and cause of mortality in wildlife populations is imperative for developing management strategies that protect or improve the status of these populations. Age- and sex-specific population parameter estimates provide the most useful information for this purpose. Numerous studies have provided information about survival rates in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), but
Authors
R. E. Reynolds, R.J. Blohm, J. D. Nichols, J. E. Hines
Overwinter survival of neotropical migratory birds in early-successional and mature tropical forests
Many Neotropical migratory species inhabit both mature and earty-successional forests on their wintering grounds, yet comparisons of survival rates between habitats are lacking. Consequently, the factors affecting habitat suitability for Neotropical migrants and the potential effects of tropical deforestation on migrants are not well understood. We estimated overwinter survival and capture probabi
Authors
C.J. Conway, G. V. N. Powell, J. D. Nichols
Retention of web tags and plasticine-filled leg bands applied to day-old ducklings
A new plasticine-filled leg band was developed for use in banding dayold ducklings. These bands permit inference about early survival that is not possible from banding of older young in standard operations. Two double-marking experiments with web tags and the new leg bands indicated a high retention rate for the leg bands. In contrast, several web tags were lost, permitting an analysis directed
Authors
P. Blums, A. Mednis, J. D. Nichols
On the importance of sampling variance to investigations of temporal variation in animal population size
Our purpose here is to emphasize the need to properly deal with sampling variance when studying population variability and to present a means of doing so. We present an estimator for temporal variance of population size for the general case in which there are both sampling variances and covariances associated with estimates of population size. We illustrate the estimation approach with a series
Authors
W. A. Link, J. D. Nichols
Sources of variation in loss rates of color bands applied to adult roseate terns (Sterna dougallii) in the western North Atlantic
A model-based analysis was done to test several hypotheses concerning the rates of loss of butt-ended color bands placed on adult Roseate Terns (Sterna dougallii) in the western North Atlantic. These birds were captured and color banded from 1987-1991 at four colony sites, and recaptured from 1989-1992 as part of a study of the population dynamics of this species. Two types of color bands, Darvic
Authors
J. A. Spendelow, J. Burger, I.C.T. Nisbet, J. D. Nichols, J. E. Hines, H. Hays, G.D. Cormons, M. Gochfeld
Estimating the number of animals in wildlife populations
No abstract available.
Authors
R.A. Lancia, J. D. Nichols, K. H. Pollock
The 'robust' capture-recapture design allows components of recruitment to be estimated
The 'robust' capture-recapture design (Pollock 1982) allows analyses which combine features of closed population model analyses (Otis et aI., 1978, White et aI., 1982) and open population model analyses (Pollock et aI., 1990). Estimators obtained under these analyses are more robust to unequal catch ability than traditional Jolly-Seber estimators (Pollock, 1982; Pollock et al., 1990; Kendall, 199
Authors
K. H. Pollock, W. L. Kendall, J. D. Nichols
Survival rate estimation in the presence of tag loss using joint analysis of capture-recapture and resighting data
Studies using resightings of marked birds typically make use of readily-observable tags that are not retained as well as metal legbands. We review methods for estimating survival rate with open capture-recapture / resighting models when tag loss is not negligible. All methods rely on data from double-banding studies, usually carried out as part of the resighting study by application of metal legb
Authors
J. D. Nichols, J. E. Hines