Dinger, E.C., Sarr, D.A., Mohren, S., R., Irvine, K.M., Stanley, C.E., 2013. Integrated aquatic community and water quality monitoring of wadeable streams in the Klamath Network: Narrative and standard operating procedures: Natural Resource Report. NPS/KLMN/NRR—2013/669, National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. Published Report-2195825
Kathi Irvine, Ph.D.
Biography
Education
PhD. Statistics. Oregon State University
MS. Statistics. Oregon State University; MS. Ecology and Environmental Sciences. University of Maine
BS. Biology. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Research Interest
I am a Research Statistician with the U.S. Geological Survey at the Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center in Bozeman, Montana. Prior to finding my home in the federal system in 2011, I was an assistant professor at Montana State University (2008-2010). Since receiving my PhD in Statistics from Oregon State University in 2007, I have collaborated with ecologists and biologists charged with monitoring natural resources on federal and state lands. My team provides statistical support for monitoring programs led by the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and state agencies. Our work involves development of survey design and analysis strategies for a variety of plants, animals, and other indicators. We currently support monitoring of whitebark pine in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, upland plant communities throughout the Western US, and bats across North America.
My applied statistical research involves developing analytical approaches for ordinal data and bat acoustic surveys that better link the ecological and observation process within a Bayesian framework, applications of causal analysis, investigating spatial sampling designs, and model-assisted methods for status and trend analyses. I mentor statistics students and support graduate research assistants at Montana State University (MSU). Several of my students have participated in writing peer-reviewed papers during their time at MSU. I encourage students interested in ecological statistics to contact me for possible graduate research assistantships, paid summer work, and other opportunities.
Related Projects:
Science and Products
Year Published: 2014
Predicting foundation bunchgrass species abundances: Model-assisted decision-making in protected-area sagebrush steppe
Foundation species are structurally dominant members of ecological communities that can stabilize ecological processes and influence resilience to disturbance and resistance to invasion. Being common, they are often overlooked for conservation but are increasingly threatened from land use change, biological invasions, and over-exploitation. The...
Rodhouse, Thomas J.; Irvine, Kathryn M.; Sheley, Roger L.; Smith, Brenda S.; Hoh, Shirley; Esposito, Daniel M.; Mata-Gonzalez, RicardoAttribution: Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
Rodhouse, T. J., K. M. Irvine, R. L. Sheley, B. S. Smith, S. Hoh, D. M. Esposito, and R. Mata-Gonzalez. 2014.
Predicting foundation bunchgrass species abundances: model-assisted decision-making in protected-area sagebrush
steppe. Ecosphere 5(9):108. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/ES14-00169.1
Year Published: 2014
Demographic monitoring and population viability analysis of two rare beardtongues from the Uinta Basin
Energy development, in combination with other environmental stressors, poses a persistent threat to rare species endemic to energy-producing regions of the western United States. Demographic analyses of monitored populations can provide key information on the natural dynamics of threatened plant and animal populations and how these dynamics might...
McCaffery, Rebecca M.; Reisor, Rita; Irvine, Kathryn M.; Brunson, JessiAttribution: Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2014
Evaluation of a combined macrophyte–epiphyte bioassay for assessing nutrient enrichment in the Portneuf River, Idaho, USA
We describe and evaluate a laboratory bioassay that uses Lemna minor L. and attached epiphytes to characterize the status of ambient and nutrient-enriched water from the Portneuf River, Idaho. Specifically, we measured morphological (number of fronds, longest surface axis, and root length) and population-level (number of plants and dry mass)...
Ray, Andrew M.; Mebane, Christopher A.; Raben, Flint; Irvine, Kathryn M.; Marcarelli, Amy M.Attribution: Idaho Water Science Center, Water Resources
View Citation
Evaluation of a combined macrophyte–epiphyte bioassay for assessing nutrient enrichment in the Portneuf River, Idaho, USA; 2014; Article; Journal; Environmental Monitoring and Assessment; Ray, Andrew M.; Mebane, Christopher A.; Raben, Flint; Irvine, Kathryn M.; Marcarelli, Amy M.
Year Published: 2014
Meteorological variables associated with deep slab avalanches on persistent weak layers
Deep slab avalanches are a particularly challenging avalanche forecasting problem. These avalanches are typically difficult to trigger, yet when they are triggered they tend to propagate far and result in large and destructive avalanches. For this work we define deep slab avalanches as those that fail on persistent weak layers deeper than 0.9m (3...
Marienthal, Alex; Hendrikx, Jordy; Birkeland, Karl; Irvine, Kathryn M.Attribution: Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2014
Statistical assessment on a combined analysis of GRYN-ROMN-UCBN upland vegetation vital signs
As of 2013, Rocky Mountain and Upper Columbia Basin Inventory and Monitoring Networks have multiple years of vegetation data and Greater Yellowstone Network has three years of vegetation data and monitoring is ongoing in all three networks. Our primary objective is to assess whether a combined analysis of these data aimed at exploring correlations...
Irvine, Kathryn M.; Rodhouse, Thomas J.Attribution: Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
Irvine KM and Rodhouse TJ. 2014. Statistical assessment on a combined analysis of GRYN-ROMN-UCBN upland vegetation vital signs. Natural Resource Report. NPS/UCBN/NRR—2014/855. Fort Collins, Colorado
Year Published: 2014
Summary of preliminary step-trend analysis from the Interagency Whitebark Pine Long-termMonitoring Program—2004-2013
In mixed and dominant stands, whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) occurs in over two million acres within the six national forests and two national parks that comprise the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). Currently, whitebark pine, an ecologically important species, is impacted by multiple ecological disturbances; white pine blister rust (...
Legg, Kristin; Shanahan, Erin; Daley, Rob; Irvine, Kathryn M.Attribution: Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
Greater Yellowstone Whitebark Pine Monitoring Working Group. 2014. Summary of preliminary step-trend analysis from the Interagency Whitebark Pine Long-term Monitoring Program—2004-2013: Prepared for the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team. Natural Resource Data Series NPS/GRYN/NRDS—2014/600. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado.
Year Published: 2013
Response of Yellowstone grizzly bears to changes in food resources: A synthesis. Final report to the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee and Yellowstone Ecosystem Subcommittee
The Yellowstone grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) was listed as a threatened species in 1975 (Federal Register 40 FR:31734-31736). Since listing, recovery efforts have focused on increasing population size, improving habitat security, managing bear mortalities, and reducing bear-human conflicts. The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC; partnership...
van Manen, Frank T.; Costello, Cecily M.; Haroldson, Mark A.; Bjornlie, Daniel D.; Ebinger, Michael R.; Gunther, Kerry A.; Mahalovich, Mary Frances; Thompson, Daniel J.; Higgs, Megan D.; Irvine, Kathryn M.; Legg, Kristin; Tyers, Daniel B.; Landenburger, Lisa; Cain, Steven L.; Frey, Kevin L.; Aber, Bryan C.; Schwartz, Charles C.Attribution: Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team. 2013. Response of Yellowstone grizzly bears to changes in food resources: a synthesis. Report to the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee and Yellowstone Ecosystem Subcommittee. Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team, U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Bozeman, Montana, USA
Year Published: 2013
A comparison of adaptive sampling designs and binary spatial models: A simulation study using a census of Bromus inermis
Commonly in environmental and ecological studies, species distribution data are recorded as presence or absence throughout a spatial domain of interest. Field based studies typically collect observations by sampling a subset of the spatial domain. We consider the effects of six different adaptive and two non-adaptive sampling designs and choice of...
Irvine, Kathryn M.; Thornton, Jamie; Backus, Vickie M.; Hohmann, Matthew G.; Lehnhoff, Erik A.; Maxwell, Bruce D.; Michels, Kurt; Rew, LisaAttribution: Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
(2013)A comparison of adaptive sampling designs and
binary spatial models : a simulation study using
a census of Bromus inermis. Environmetrics.
Year Published: 2013
Female elk contacts are neither frequency nor density dependent
Identifying drivers of contact rates among individuals is critical to understanding disease dynamics and implementing targeted control measures. We studied the interaction patterns of 149 female elk (Cervus canadensis) distributed across five different regions of western Wyoming over three years, defining a contact as an approach within one body...
Cross, Paul C.; Creech, Tyler G.; Ebinger, Michael R.; Manlove, Kezia R.; Irvine, Kathryn M.; Henningsen, John C.; Rogerson, Jared D.; Scurlock, Brandon M.; Creely, ScottAttribution: Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
Cross, PC, TG Creech, MR Ebinger, K Manlove, K Irvine, J Henningsen, J Rogerson, BM Scurlock, & S Creel. 2013. Female elk contacts are neither frequency nor density dependent. Ecology 94(9): 2076-2086.
Year Published: 2013
The effects of pulse pressure from seismic water gun technology on Northern Pike
We examined the efficacy of sound pressure pulses generated from a water gun for controlling invasive Northern Pike Esox lucius. Pulse pressures from two sizes of water guns were evaluated for their effects on individual fish placed at a predetermined random distance. Fish mortality from a 5,620.8-cm3 water gun (peak pressure source...
Gross, Jackson A.; Irvine, Kathryn M.; Wilmoth, Siri K.; Wagner, Tristany L.; Shields, Patrick A; Fox, Jeffrey R.Attribution: Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
Jackson A. Gross , Kathryn M. Irvine , Siri Wilmoth , Tristany L. Wagner , Patrick A. Shields & Jeffrey R.
Fox (2013) The Effects of Pulse Pressure from Seismic Water Gun Technology on Northern Pike, Transactions of the American
Fisheries Society, 142:5, 1335-1346
Year Published: 2013
Vegetation of natural and artificial shorelines in Upper Klamath Basin’s fringe wetlands
The Upper Klamath Basin (UKB) in northern California and southern Oregon supports large hypereutrophic lakes surrounded by natural and artificial shorelines. Lake shorelines contain fringe wetlands that provide key ecological services to the people of this region. These wetlands also provide a context for drawing inferences about how differing...
Ray, Andrew M.; Irvine, Kathryn M.; Hamilton, Andy S.Attribution: Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
Ray, A.M., Irvine, K.M., Hamilton, A.S. (2013) Vegetation of natural and artificial shorelines in Upper Klamath Basin’s fringe wetlands. Wetland Science & Practice 30 (1): 10-21
Year Published: 2012
Environmental fate model for ultra-low-volume insecticide applications used for adult mosquito management
One of the more effective ways of managing high densities of adult mosquitoes that vector human and animal pathogens is ultra-low-volume (ULV) aerosol applications of insecticides. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency uses models that are not validated for ULV insecticide applications and exposure assumptions to perform their human and...
Schleier, Jerome J.; Peterson, Robert K.D.; Irvine, Kathryn M.; Marshall, Lucy M.; Weaver, David K.; Preftakes, Collin J.Attribution: Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
Environmental fate model for ultra-low-volume insecticide applications used for adult mosquito management; 2012; Article; Journal; Science of the Total Environment; Schleier, Jerome J. III; Peterson, Robert K. D.; Irvine, Kathryn M.; Marshall, Lucy M.; Weaver, David K.; Preftakes, Collin J.
Pre-USGS Publications
Maxwell, B., Backus, V., Hohmann, M.G., Irvine, K.M., Lawrence, P., Lehnhoff, E., Rew, L., 2012, Comparison of transect-based standard and adaptive sampling methods for invasive plant species, Invasive plant science and management, v. 5, p. 178-193.
Rodhouse, Vierling, Irvine 2011. A practical sampling design for acoustic surveys of bats. Journal of Wildlife Management. Vol. 75, No. 5 (July 2011), pp. 1094-1102
Irvine, K. M., Gitelman, A.I., 2011, Graphical Spatial Models: A New View on Interpreting Spatial Pattern, Environmental and Ecological Statistics, v. 18 no. 3, p. 447-469. DOI: 10.1007/s10651-010-0146-8
Irvine, K. M., Dinger, E., Sarr, D., 2011, A power Analysis for multivariate tests of temporal trend in species composition, Ecology, v. 92, no. 10, p. 1879-188
Starkey, E.N., Rodhouse, T.J., Dicus, G.H., Garrett, L.K., Irvine, K.M., Archer, E.K., 2011, Upper Columbia Basin Network riparian condition monitoring protocol: Narrative version 1.0: Natural Resource Report. NPS/UCBN/NRR—2011/463. National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science, Fort Collins, Colorado, Published Report-2180551.
Starkey, E.N., Rodhouse, T.J., Dicus, G.H., Garrett, L.K., Irvine, K.M., Archer, E.K., 2011, Upper Columbia Basin Network Stream Channel Characteristics Monitoring Protocol: Narrative Version 1.0: Natural Resource Report, NPS/UCBN/NRR—2011/340, National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. Published Report-2170010
Irvine, K. M., and T. J. Rodhouse. 2010. Power Analysis for Trend in Ordinal Cover classes: Implications for Long-Term Vegetation Monitoring, Journal of Vegetation Science, v. 21, p. 1152-1161.
Rodhouse, T. J., Beever, E., Garrott, L. K. , Irvine, K.M., Munts, M., Ray, C., Shardlow, M. R, 2010, Distribution of the Lava Beds Pika (Ochotona Princeps Goldmani): Conservation Implications from the Range Periphery, Journal of Mammology, v. 91, p. 1287-1299.
Stephens J.L., Mohren, S.R., Alexander, J.D., Sarr, D.A., Irvine, K.M., 2010, Klamath Network Landbird Monitoring Protocol, Natural Resource Report, NPS/KLMN/NRR—2010/187, National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado, Published Report-664359.
Tarasoff, C. S., Ball, D. A. , Mallory-Smith, C. A. , Pypker, T. G., Irvine, K.M., 2010, Site Characteristics Associated with Nuttall's and Weeping Alkaligrass in Northeastern Oregon, Northwest Science, v. 84, p. 351-360
Yeo J.J., Rodhouse, T.J., Dicus, G.H., Irvine, K.M., Garrett, L.K., 2009, Upper Columbia Basin Network Sagebrush Steppe Vegetation Monitoring Protocol: Narrative and Standard Operating Procedures (Appendix to Narrative) Version 1.0: Natural Resource Report. NPS/UCBN/NRR—2009/142, National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado, Published Report-662446.
Wollenberg, E., Rischer, R., Dorr, M., Irvine, K.M., Pereira,C., Stevens, J.F., 2008, Chemodiversity of Exudate Flavonoids in Cassinia and Ozothamnus(Asteraceae Gnaphalieae), Verlag der Zeitschrift fur Natirforschung, Tubingen, v. 63c, p. 731-739.
Chung-MacCoubrey, A., Truitt, R.E., Caudill, C.C., Rodhouse, T.J., Irvine, K.M., Siderius, J.R., Chang, V.K., 2008, Mojave Desert Network Vital Signs Monitoring Plan, Natural Resource Report, NPS/MOJN/NRR—2008/057, National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. Published Report-660400.
Rodhouse, T.J., Wilson, M.V., Irvine, K.M., Steinhorst, R.K., Dicus, G.H., Garrett L.K., Lyon, J.W., 2007, Camas Lily Monitoring Protocol Narrative and Standard Operating Procedures: Upper Columbia Basin Network: Version 1.0, October 2007, Natural Resource Report, NPS/UCBN/NRR—2007/011, National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado, Published Report-651079.