John M. Pearce, Ph.D.
I am the Program Manager for marine and terrestrial ecosystems research at the USGS Alaska Science Center. I also coordinate the USGS Changing Arctic Ecosystems Initiative and provide outreach to the public about our research. I have been a research biologist in Alaska for 25 plus years studying migratory birds, avian disease, and population genetics.
Professional Experience
2011 - Present Associate Center Director for Ecosystems, USGS Alaska Science Center
1999 - 2011 Research Wildlife Biologist, USGS Alaska Science Center
1997 - 1999 Geneticist, USGS Alaska Biological Science Center
1990 - 1997 Biological Science Technician, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and National Biological Service
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. 2008 University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK Biology
M.S. 1996 University of Idaho, Moscow, ID Zoology
B.S. 1990 Lewis and Clark College, Portland, OR Biology
Science and Products
Research Conducted in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) Coastal Plain (1002 Area)
Broad-scale Research Conducted Across the 1002 Area and the NPR-A of Alaska
Sea Duck Research
Dabbling and Diving Duck Research
SYBR green-based real-time reverse transcription-PCR for typing and subtyping of all hemagglutinin and neuraminidase genes of avian influenza viruses and comparison to standard serological subtyping tests
Habitat use and movement patterns of Northern Pintails during spring in northern Japan: the importance of agricultural lands
Glass wool filters for concentrating waterborne viruses and agricultural zoonotic pathogens
Paired serologic and polymerase chain reaction analyses of avian influenza prevalence in Alaskan shorebirds
Interspecies transmission and limited persistence of low pathogenic avian influenza genomes among Alaska dabbling ducks
Evidence for limited exchange of avian influenza viruses between seaducks and dabbling ducks at Alaska Peninsula coastal lagoons
Comparative mitochondrial genetics of North American and Eurasian mergansers with an emphasis on the endangered scaly-sided merganser (Mergus squamatus)
Interspecific exchange of avian influenza virus genes in Alaska: The influence of trans-hemispheric migratory tendency and breeding ground sympatry
Variation in spring migration routes and breeding distribution of northern pintails Anas acuta that winter in Japan
Interspecies transmission and limited persistence of low pathogenic avian influenza genomes among Alaska dabbling ducks
Comparative mitochondrial genetics of North American and Eurasian mergansers with an emphasis on the endangered scaly-sided merganser (Mergus squamatus)
Satellite‐tracking of Northern Pintail Anas acuta during outbreaks of the H5N1 virus in Japan: Implications for virus spread
Science and Products
- Science
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Research Conducted in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) Coastal Plain (1002 Area)
Selected Bibliography of Research Involving USGS and Conducted in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) Coastal Plain (1002 Area) Compiled as of 12/17/2018Broad-scale Research Conducted Across the 1002 Area and the NPR-A of Alaska
Selected Bibliography of Broad-scale Research Involving USGS and Conducted Across the 1002 Area and the NPR-A of Alaska Compiled as of 12/17/2018Sea Duck Research
USGS research on sea ducks is designed to anticipate and address priority information needs of management agencies. Additionally, work is focused on individual species biology, migration and population status and trends because until just recently, very little was known about sea ducks in Alaska.Dabbling and Diving Duck Research
Dabbling and diving ducks, such as mallards, pintails and scaup, are widespread species throughout North America. Additionally, their migratory flyways pass through Asia and North America overlap in Alaska. Population trends of these species are closely tracked through aerial surveys by management agencies. Results from these and other surveys are then used to formulate management actions to... - Data
- Multimedia
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- Publications
Filter Total Items: 81
SYBR green-based real-time reverse transcription-PCR for typing and subtyping of all hemagglutinin and neuraminidase genes of avian influenza viruses and comparison to standard serological subtyping tests
Continuing outbreaks of H5N1 highly pathogenic (HP) avian influenza virus (AIV) infections of wild birds and poultry worldwide emphasize the need for global surveillance of wild birds. To support the future surveillance activities, we developed a SYBR green-based, real-time reverse transcriptase PCR (rRT-PCR) for detecting nucleoprotein (NP) genes and subtyping 16 hemagglutinin (HA) and 9 neuraminAuthorsK. Tsukamoto, P.C. Javier, M. Shishido, D. Noguchi, John M. Pearce, H.-M. Kang, O.M. Jeong, Y.-J. Lee, K. Nakanishi, T. AshizawaHabitat use and movement patterns of Northern Pintails during spring in northern Japan: the importance of agricultural lands
From 2006 to 2009, we marked 198 Northern Pintails (Anas acuta) with satellite transmitters on their wintering areas in Japan to study their migration routes and habitat use in spring staging areas. We hypothesized that the distribution of pintails during spring staging was influenced by patterns of land use and expected that the most frequently used areas would have more agricultural habitat thanAuthorsNoriyuki M. Yamaguchi, Jerry W. Hupp, Paul L. Flint, John M. Pearce, Yusuke Shigeta, Tetsuo Shimada, Emiko N. Hiraoka, Hiroyoshi HiguchiGlass wool filters for concentrating waterborne viruses and agricultural zoonotic pathogens
The key first step in evaluating pathogen levels in suspected contaminated water is concentration. Concentration methods tend to be specific for a particular pathogen group, for example US Environmental Protection Agency Method 1623 for Giardia and Cryptosporidium1, which means multiple methods are required if the sampling program is targeting more than one pathogen group. Another drawback of currAuthorsHana T. Millen, Jordan C. Gonnering, Ryan K. Berg, Susan K. Spencer, William E. Jokela, John M. Pearce, Jackson S. Borchardt, Mark A. BorchardtPaired serologic and polymerase chain reaction analyses of avian influenza prevalence in Alaskan shorebirds
Surveillance has revealed low prevalence of avian influenza viruses (AIV) in shorebirds except Ruddy Turnstones (Arenaria interpres) on the North American Atlantic coast. Similarly, of five species of shorebirds surveyed in Alaska in 2010, Ruddy Turnstones had the highest AIV antibody prevalence; prevalence of AIV RNA was low or zero.AuthorsJohn M. Pearce, Daniel R. Ruthrauff, Jeffrey S. HallInterspecies transmission and limited persistence of low pathogenic avian influenza genomes among Alaska dabbling ducks
The reassortment and geographic distribution of low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) virus genes are well documented, but little is known about the persistence of intact LPAI genomes among species and locations. To examine persistence of entire LPAI genome constellations in Alaska, we calculated the genetic identities among 161 full-genome LPAI viruses isolated across 4 years from five species ofAuthorsAndrew B. Reeves, John M. Pearce, Andrew M. Ramey, Brandt W. Meixell, Jonathan A. RunstadlerEvidence for limited exchange of avian influenza viruses between seaducks and dabbling ducks at Alaska Peninsula coastal lagoons
Avian influenza virus (AIV) prevalence and sequence data were analyzed for Steller's eiders (Polysticta stelleri) to assess the role of this species in transporting virus genes between continents and maintaining a regional viral reservoir with sympatric northern pintails (Anas acuta). AIV prevalence was 0.2% at Izembek Lagoon and 3.9% at Nelson Lagoon for Steller's eiders and 11.2% for northern piAuthorsAndrew M. Ramey, John M. Pearce, Andrew B. Reeves, J. Christian Franson, Margaret R. Petersen, Hon S. IpComparative mitochondrial genetics of North American and Eurasian mergansers with an emphasis on the endangered scaly-sided merganser (Mergus squamatus)
The scaly-sided merganser, Mergus squamatus, is considered one of the most threatened sea duck species in the Palearctic with limited breeding and wintering distribution in China and Russia. To provide information for future conservation efforts, we sequenced a portion of the mitochondrial (mt) DNA control region in four species of mergansers and three additional sea duck taxa to characterize theAuthorsDiana V. Solovyeva, John M. PearceInterspecific exchange of avian influenza virus genes in Alaska: The influence of trans-hemispheric migratory tendency and breeding ground sympatry
The movement and transmission of avian influenza viral strains via wild migratory birds may vary by host species as a result of migratory tendency and sympatry with other infected individuals. To examine the roles of host migratory tendency and species sympatry on the movement of Eurasian low-pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) genes into North America, we characterized migratory patterns and LPAI vAuthorsJohn M. Pearce, Andrew B. Reeves, Andrew M. Ramey, Jerry W. Hupp, Hon S. Ip, M. Bertram, M.J. Petrula, B.D. Scotton, K.A. Trust, Brandt W. Meixell, J.A. RunstadlerVariation in spring migration routes and breeding distribution of northern pintails Anas acuta that winter in Japan
In North America, spring migration routes and breeding distribution of northern pintails Anas acuta vary because some individuals opportunistically nest at mid-latitudes in years when ephemeral prairie wetlands are available, whereas others regularly nest in arctic and sub-arctic regions where wetland abundance is more constant. Less was known about migration routes and breeding distribution of piAuthorsJerry W. Hupp, Noriyuki Yamaguchi, Paul L. Flint, John M. Pearce, Ken-ichi Tokita, Tetsuo Shimada, Andrew M. Ramey, Sergei Kharitonov, Hiroyoshi HiguchiInterspecies transmission and limited persistence of low pathogenic avian influenza genomes among Alaska dabbling ducks
The reassortment and geographic distribution of low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) virus genes are well documented, but little is known about the persistence of intact LPAI genomes among species and locations. To examine persistence of entire LPAI genome constellations in Alaska, we calculated the genetic identities among 161 full-genome LPAI viruses isolated across 4 years from five species ofAuthorsAndrew B. Reeves, John M. Pearce, Andrew M. Ramey, Brandt W. Meixell, J.A. RunstadlerComparative mitochondrial genetics of North American and Eurasian mergansers with an emphasis on the endangered scaly-sided merganser (Mergus squamatus)
The scaly-sided merganser, Mergus squamatus, is considered one of the most threatened sea duck species in the Palearctic with limited breeding and wintering distribution in China and Russia. To provide information for future conservation efforts, we sequenced a portion of the mitochondrial (mt) DNA control region in four species of mergansers and three additional sea duck taxa to characterize theAuthorsD.V. Solovyeva, John M. PearceSatellite‐tracking of Northern Pintail Anas acuta during outbreaks of the H5N1 virus in Japan: Implications for virus spread
We fitted Northern Pintail Anas acuta in Japan with satellite transmitters and monitored their spring migration movements relative to locations where the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus was detected in Whooper Swans Cygnus cygnus in 2008. Pintails were assumed not to be infected with the H5N1 virus at the time they were marked because capture occurred between 2 and 5 months before repAuthorsNoriyuki Yamaguchi, Jerry W. Hupp, Hiroyoshi Higuchi, Paul L. Flint, John M. Pearce - News