Jeffrey Bromaghin, Ph.D.
My research broadly encompasses the development and application of statistical methods and models to improve our understanding of ecological processes that influence the survival, behavior, and reproduction of individual animals, and how individual-animal outcomes ultimately scale upward to shape the dynamics and demographics of entire populations and communities through time and space.
My research involves the development and application of new analytical methods and models to improve our understanding of wildlife population ecology, with a current emphasis on polar bears and other DOI trust species residing in Arctic and sub-Arctic ecosystems. Past work has included nest survival models, applications of genetics in wildlife models, size selectivity and the effects of selective exploitation, animal response to capture and handling, and mark-recapture methodology. Most current research involves the development of mark-recapture and integrated population models to improve our understanding of polar bear population dynamics in a warming Arctic and the use of biotracers (e.g. fatty acids, stable isotopes) to estimate predator diet composition and animal origins and movements. Research products provide valuable information to the public and management authorities from local to international levels, and many have broad applicability that advance the discipline of statistical ecology.
Professional Experience
2009 - Present Research Statistician, U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center
2000 - 2009 Statistician, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Fisheries and Ecological Services, Alaska Region
1990 - 2000 Regional Biometrician, Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game, Commercial Fisheries Division
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. 1991 University of Wyoming Statistics
M.S. 1988 University of Wyoming Statistics
B.S. 1985 University of Alaska Wildlife Management
Affiliations and Memberships*
The International Biometric Society
The Wildlife Society
Ecological Society of America
Honors and Awards
2014 U. S. Geological Survey, Quality step increase for exceptional performance
2014 U. S. Geological Survey, STAR award for special achievement
2012 U. S. Geological Survey, STAR award for special achievement
2012 Stevan Phelps Award, American Fisheries Society (Bromaghin et al., 2011, TAFS 140:235-249)
2011 U. S. Geological Survey, STAR award for special achievement
2010 U. S. Geological Survey, STAR award for special achievement
2007 U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, STAR award for exceptional performance
2007 U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Regional Director’s award for Science Excellence
2004 U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, quality step increase for sustained exceptional performance
2001 U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, STAR award for outstanding performance
1993 Letter of commendation, Alaska Dept. Fish and Game
1992 Deming Award for distinguished graduate program. Dept. of Statistics, University of Wyoming
Science and Products
Effects of capturing and collaring on polar bears: findings from long-term research on the southern Beaufort Sea population
Use of genetic data to infer population-specific ecological and phenotypic traits from mixed aggregations
Plausible combinations: An improved method to evaluate the covariate structure of Cormack-Jolly-Seber mark-recapture models
New insights into the diets of harbor seals in the Salish Sea revealed by quantitative fatty acid signature analysis
Using a genetic mixture model to study phenotypic traits: Differential fecundity among Yukon river Chinook Salmon
A likelihood framework for joint estimation of salmon abundance and migratory timing using telemetric mark-recapture
Science and Products
- Science
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Filter Total Items: 30
Effects of capturing and collaring on polar bears: findings from long-term research on the southern Beaufort Sea population
Context: The potential for research methods to affect wildlife is an increasing concern among both scientists and the public. This topic has a particular urgency for polar bears because additional research is needed to monitor and understand population responses to rapid loss of sea ice habitat.Aims: This study used data collected from polar bears sampled in the Alaska portion of the southern BeauAuthorsKaryn D. Rode, Anthony M. Pagano, Jeffrey F. Bromaghin, Todd C. Atwood, George M. Durner, Kristin S. Simac, Steven C. AmstrupUse of genetic data to infer population-specific ecological and phenotypic traits from mixed aggregations
Many applications in ecological genetics involve sampling individuals from a mixture of multiple biological populations and subsequently associating those individuals with the populations from which they arose. Analytical methods that assign individuals to their putative population of origin have utility in both basic and applied research, providing information about population-specific life histoAuthorsPaul Moran, Jeffrey F. Bromaghin, Michele MasudaPlausible combinations: An improved method to evaluate the covariate structure of Cormack-Jolly-Seber mark-recapture models
Mark-recapture models are extensively used in quantitative population ecology, providing estimates of population vital rates, such as survival, that are difficult to obtain using other methods. Vital rates are commonly modeled as functions of explanatory covariates, adding considerable flexibility to mark-recapture models, but also increasing the subjectivity and complexity of the modeling processAuthorsJeffrey F. Bromaghin, Trent L. McDonald, Steven C. AmstrupNew insights into the diets of harbor seals in the Salish Sea revealed by quantitative fatty acid signature analysis
Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) are an abundant predator along the west coast of North America, and there is considerable interest in their diet composition, especially in regard to predation on valued fish stocks. Available information on harbor seal diets, primarily derived from scat analysis, suggests that adult salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.), Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasii), and gadids predominateAuthorsJeffrey F. Bromaghin, Monique M. Lance, Elizabeth W. Elliott, Steven J. Jeffries, Alejandro Acevedo-Gutiérrez, John M. KennishUsing a genetic mixture model to study phenotypic traits: Differential fecundity among Yukon river Chinook Salmon
Fecundity is a vital population characteristic that is directly linked to the productivity of fish populations. Historic data from Yukon River (Alaska) Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha suggest that length‐adjusted fecundity differs among populations within the drainage and either is temporally variable or has declined. Yukon River Chinook salmon have been harvested in large‐mesh gill‐net fiAuthorsJeffrey F. Bromaghin, D.F. Evenson, T.H. McLain, Blair G. FlanneryA likelihood framework for joint estimation of salmon abundance and migratory timing using telemetric mark-recapture
Many fisheries for Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. are actively managed to meet escapement goal objectives. In fisheries where the demand for surplus production is high, an extensive assessment program is needed to achieve the opposing objectives of allowing adequate escapement and fully exploiting the available surplus. Knowledge of abundance is a critical element of such assessment programs. AbAuthorsJeffrey F. Bromaghin, Kenneth S. Gates, Douglas E. Palmer - Software
*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