Student contractor and amphibian research technician, Claire Netto, is handling a salamander captured at Wendell State Forest in Wendell, MA. This salamander is one of many being monitored by the Northeast Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (NEARMI) using mark-recapture techniques.
Jill Fleming
Jill is a Wildlife Biologist located at USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center at Conte Anadromous Fish Laboratory in Turners Falls, MA.
Jill joined the Northeast Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (NEARMI) research team in 2016 with a background in field biology. She completed her MS degree in 2018 at the University of Massachusetts where she focused on spatial ecology of terrestrial salamanders and mark-recapture research methods. Jill is especially interested in the relationships of amphibian populations to their broader ecosystems and their utility a natural resource management tool. Her role in NEARMI includes the collection of data in the field, coordination with partners, data management and analysis, and research reporting.
Professional Experience
February 2018-Present - US Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center - Wildlife Biologist
April 2016-February 2018 - University of Massachusetts, Amherst - Research Assistant
March 2015-October 2015 - US Fish and Wildlife Service, Eastern Massachusetts Refuge Complex - Biological Field Assistant
Education and Certifications
MS, 2018, University of Massachusetts, Environmental Conservation
BS, 2014, University of New Hampshire, Wildlife and Conservation Biology
Science and Products
Collaborative Project to Understand Red-backed Salamander Population Dynamics and Climate Change Adaptation
Northeast Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative
Monitoring Vernal Pool Amphibians in the Northeast
Assessing Amphibian Disease Risk in the Northeast
Mercury concentrations in amphibian tissues across the United States, 2016-2021
Data from: ''Evaluating the effect of expert elicitation techniques on population status assessment in the face of large uncertainty''
Data from a national survey for the amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans
Student contractor and amphibian research technician, Claire Netto, is handling a salamander captured at Wendell State Forest in Wendell, MA. This salamander is one of many being monitored by the Northeast Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (NEARMI) using mark-recapture techniques.
Broad-scale assessment of methylmercury in adult amphibians
Mercury (Hg) is a toxic contaminant that has been mobilized and distributed worldwide and is a threat to many wildlife species. Amphibians are facing unprecedented global declines due to many threats including contaminants. While the biphasic life history of many amphibians creates a potential nexus for methylmercury (MeHg) exposure in aquatic habitats and subsequent health effects, the broad-scal
Range-wide population projections for Northern Red-Bellied Cooters (Pseudemys rubriventris)
Evaluating the effect of expert elicitation techniques on population status assessment in the face of large uncertainty
Experimental evaluation of spatial capture–recapture study design
A latent process model approach to improve the utility of indicator species
Moving from decision to action in conservation science
Science and Products
- Science
Collaborative Project to Understand Red-backed Salamander Population Dynamics and Climate Change Adaptation
In 2013, the Salamander Population and Adaptation Research Network started as a partnership between researchers at Penn State University and the USGS Northeast Amphibian and Research Monitoring Initiative with the intention of creating a research network to address climate adaptation and population dynamics across multiple scales. Our goals are to understand impacts of land use and climate change...Northeast Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Eastern Ecological Science Center is home to the Northeast Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (NEARMI), one of 7 ARMI regions across the United States. NEARMI works on public lands in thirteen states from Maine to Virginia, including many National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges.Monitoring Vernal Pool Amphibians in the Northeast
In 2004, the Northeast Amphibian Research Monitoring Initiative (NE ARMI) in collaboration with National Park Service and US Fish and Wildlife Service initiated a region-wide study on the distribution of vernal pools and estimate the proportion of pools that were occupied by pool-associated amphibians (specifically, wood frogs, Lithobates sylvaticus , and spotted salamanders, Ambystoma maculatum )...Assessing Amphibian Disease Risk in the Northeast
Disease in amphibian populations can have a range of effects, from devastating declines following introduction of a novel pathogen to recurring breakout events on a landscape. Elucidating mechanisms underlying the effects of diseases on amphibian populations is crucial to help managers make appropriate decisions to achieve management goals for amphibians. - Data
Mercury concentrations in amphibian tissues across the United States, 2016-2021
Comma-separated values (.csv) file containing data related to amphibian sampling across the United States between 2016 and 2021. Data files contain mercury concentrations in amphibian and dragonfly tissues, mercury concentrations in sediment, as well as amphibian morphometrics, and habitat and climate characteristics where the samples were collected.Data from: ''Evaluating the effect of expert elicitation techniques on population status assessment in the face of large uncertainty''
The dataset contains estimates (low, estimate, high) of 12 population parameters for the wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) from the literature and experts.Data from a national survey for the amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans
This dataset provides the results of a national survey of the conterminous U.S. for the salamander chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative from May 2014 to August 2017. Sites were sampled by capturing amphibians by hand or by traps or nets that were then swabbed individually using methods that prev - Multimedia
Amphibian Research Technician Captures Salamander
Student contractor and amphibian research technician, Claire Netto, is handling a salamander captured at Wendell State Forest in Wendell, MA. This salamander is one of many being monitored by the Northeast Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (NEARMI) using mark-recapture techniques.
Student contractor and amphibian research technician, Claire Netto, is handling a salamander captured at Wendell State Forest in Wendell, MA. This salamander is one of many being monitored by the Northeast Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (NEARMI) using mark-recapture techniques.
- Publications
Broad-scale assessment of methylmercury in adult amphibians
Mercury (Hg) is a toxic contaminant that has been mobilized and distributed worldwide and is a threat to many wildlife species. Amphibians are facing unprecedented global declines due to many threats including contaminants. While the biphasic life history of many amphibians creates a potential nexus for methylmercury (MeHg) exposure in aquatic habitats and subsequent health effects, the broad-scal
AuthorsBrian J. Tornabene, Blake R. Hossack, Brian J. Halstead, Collin Eagles-Smith, Michael J. Adams, Adam R. Backlin, Adrianne Brand, Colleen Emery, Robert N. Fisher, Jillian Elizabeth Fleming, Brad Glorioso, Daniel A. Grear, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Patrick M. Kleeman, David Miller, Erin L. Muths, Christopher Pearl, Jennifer Rowe, Caitlin Teresa Rumrill, J. Hardin Waddle, Megan Winzeler, Kelly L. SmallingByEcosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Contaminant Biology, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Western Ecological Research Center (WERC), Wetland and Aquatic Research CenterRange-wide population projections for Northern Red-Bellied Cooters (Pseudemys rubriventris)
Northern Red-Bellied Cooters (Pseudemys rubriventris) have a disjunct distribution with a relictual population in southeastern Massachusetts and a larger range across the mid-Atlantic United States. The relictual population is currently listed with protections under the U.S. Endangered Species Act but the status of the population in the remainder of the species' range has not been assessed, and thAuthorsJillian Elizabeth Fleming, Jennifer F. Moore, Hardin Waddle, Julien Martin, Evan H. Campbell GrantEvaluating the effect of expert elicitation techniques on population status assessment in the face of large uncertainty
Population projection models are important tools for conservation and management. They are often used for population status assessments, for threat analyses, and to predict the consequences of conservation actions. Although conservation decisions should be informed by science, critical decisions are often made with very little information to support decision-making. Conversely, postponing decisionAuthorsJennifer F. Moore, Julien Martin, Hardin Waddle, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Jillian Elizabeth Fleming, Eve Bohnett, Thomas S.B. Akre, Donald J. Brown, Michael T. Jones, Jessica R. Meck, Kevin J. Oxenrider, Anthony Tur, Lisabeth L. Willey, Fred A JohnsonExperimental evaluation of spatial capture–recapture study design
A principal challenge impeding strong inference in analyses of wild populations is the lack of robust and long-term data sets. Recent advancements in analytical tools used in wildlife science may increase our ability to integrate smaller data sets and enhance the statistical power of population estimates. One such advancement, the development of spatial capture–recapture (SCR) methods, explicitlyAuthorsJillian Elizabeth Fleming, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Sean C Sterrett, Chris SutherlandA latent process model approach to improve the utility of indicator species
The state of an ecosystem is governed by dynamic biotic and abiotic processes, which can only be partially observed. Costs associated with measuring each component limit the feasibility of comprehensive assessments of target ecosystems. Instead, indicator species are recommended as a surrogate index. While this is an attractive concept, indicator species have rarely proven to be an effective toolAuthorsJillian Elizabeth Fleming, Chris Sutherland, Sean C Sterrett, Evan H. Campbell GrantMoving from decision to action in conservation science
Biodiversity loss is a major threat to the integrity of ecosystems and is projected to worsen, yet the path to successful conservation remains elusive. Decision support frameworks (DSFs) are increasingly applied by resource managers to navigate the complexity, uncertainty, and differing socio-ecological objectives inherent to conservation problems. Most published conservation research that uses DSAuthorsAlexander Wright, Riley F Bernard, Brittany A. Mosher, Katherine O'Donnell, Taylor Braunagel, Graziella V. DiRenzo, Jillian Elizabeth Fleming, Charles Shafer, Adrianne B. Brand, Elise F. Zipkin, Evan H. Campbell Grant