Ironside, K. 2015. Inferring behavior from GPS data: challenges and successes modeling behavior of a large solitary carnivore. Dissertation, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ.
Kirsten E Ironside, Ph.D. (Former Employee)
Science and Products
Date published: December 21, 2017
Status: Active Mountain Lions of the Intermountain West
The presence of top predators is considered an indication of ecosystem health and can play a vital role in ecosystem functioning by promoting biodiversity, and can contribute to regulating prey species abundance, and herbivory. In the intermountain west, the largest mammalian predator and obligate carnivore is the mountain lion, Puma concolor. This elusive and wide-ranging predator...
Contacts: Kirsten E Ironside, Ph.D.
Date published: December 8, 2016
Status: Active Predation of Desert Bighorn Sheep by Mountain Lions in Grand Canyon National Park
Desert bighorn sheep populations in the southwestern United States are subject to non-native disease outbreaks, habitat loss, and genetic isolation that can threaten their long-term sustainability. In some regions of the southwest, mountain lion predation on desert bighorn sheep has been found to be the primary source of mortality. Grand Canyon National Park is home to one of the largest...
Contacts: Kirsten E Ironside, Ph.D.
Date published: December 8, 2016
Status: Active Wildlife use of Highway Underpasses in Southern California
As a result of growing human populations, many areas have become urbanized and highly developed, leaving natural native habitats fragmented across the landscape. In southern California many of the remaining patches on native habitat are bisected by major, multi-lane highway systems. Threats to the long-term sustainability of native wildlife populations include genetic isolation, where...
Contacts: Kirsten E Ironside, Ph.D., Erin Boydston
Year Published: 2019
Connectivity of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) populations in southern California: A genetic survey of a mobile ungulate in a highly fragmented urban landscape
Urbanization is a substantial force shaping the genetic and demographic structure of natural populations. Urban development and major highways can limit animal movements, and thus gene flow, even in highly mobile species. Characterizing varying species responses to human activity and fragmentation is important for maintaining genetic continuity in...
Fraser, Devaughn; Ironside, Kirsten E.; Wayne, Robert K.; Boydston, Erin E.Attribution: Southwest Biological Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2018
Climatically driven changes in primary production propagate through trophic levels
Climate and land‐use change are the major drivers of global biodiversity loss. Their effects are particularly acute for wide‐ranging consumers, but little is known about how these factors interact to affect the abundance of large carnivores and their herbivore prey. We analyzed population densities of a primary and secondary consumer (mule deer,...
Stoner, David C.; Sexton, Joseph O.; Choate, David M.; Nagol, Jyothy; Bernales, Heather H.; Sims, Steven A.; Ironside, Kirsten E.; Longshore, Kathleen M.; Edwards, Thomas C.Attribution: Cooperative Research Units
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Stoner, D.C., Sexton, J.O., Choate, D.M., Nagol, J., Bernales, H.H., Sims, S.A., Ironside, K.E., Longshore, K.M., and Edwards Jr., T.C., 2018, Climatically driven changes in primary production propagate through trophic levels: Global Change Biology, online, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14364.
Year Published: 2018
Geomorphometry in landscape ecology: Issues of scale, physiography, and application
Topographic measures are frequently used in a variety of landscape ecology applications, in their simplest form as elevation, slope, and aspect, but increasingly more complex measures are being employed. We explore terrain metric similarity with changes in scale, both grain and extent, and examine how selecting the best measures is sensitive to...
Ironside, Kirsten E.; Mattson, David J.; Arundel, Terence R.; Theimer, Tad; Holton, Brandon; Peters, Michael; Edwards, Thomas C.; Hansen, Jered R.Attribution: Southwest Biological Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2018
Southern Rockies Landscape Conservation Cooperative unit watershed erosion potential prioritization for check-dam installation
Changes in land-use practices and the extirpation (local extinction) of beaver populations in the early 20th century during European settlement are believed to have resulted in many changes in how streams in the Western United States function. Some of the negative changes that have resulted include stream channelization, soil erosion, changing...
Ironside, Kirsten E.Attribution: Southwest Biological Science Center, Ecosystems
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Ironside, K.E., 2018, Southern Rockies Landscape Conservation Cooperative unit watershed erosion potential prioritization for check-dam installation: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2018–1127, 15 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20181127.
Year Published: 2018
Spatial distribution of estuarine diamond-backed terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) and risk analysis from commercial blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) trapping at the Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex, USA
The diamond-backed terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) is a small estuarine turtle distributed along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the USA. Terrapin populations are declining throughout their range and one of the main causes is mortality by drowning as bycatch in commercially-fished blue crab (Callinetes sapidus) traps (aka pots). We conducted head...
Lovich, Jeffrey E.; Thomas, Meagan; Ironside, Kirsten E.; Yackulic, Charles B.; Puffer, Shellie R.Attribution: Southwest Biological Science Center, Ecosystems
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Lovich, J.E., Thomas, M., Ironside, K., Yackulic, C., and Puffer, S.R., 2018, Spatial distribution of estuarine diamond-backed terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) and risk analysis from commercial blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) trapping at the Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex, USA: Ocean and Coastal Management, v. 157, p. 160-167, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2018.02.012.
Year Published: 2017
Quantifying animal movement for caching foragers: the path identification index (PII) and cougars, Puma concolor
Relocation studies of animal movement have focused on directed versus area restricted movement, which rely on correlations between step-length and turn angles, along with a degree of stationarity through time to define behavioral states. Although these approaches may work well for grazing foraging strategies in a patchy landscape, species that do...
Ironside, Kirsten E.; Mattson, David J.; Theimer, Tad; Jansen, Brian; Holton, Brandon; Arundel, Terence R.; Peters, Michael; Sexton, Joseph O.; Edwards, Thomas C.Attribution: Southwest Biological Science Center, Ecosystems
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Ironside, K.E., Mattson, D.J., Theimer, T., Jansen, B., Holton, B., Arundel, T., Peters, M., Sexton, J.O., and Edwards Jr., T.C., 2017, Quantifying animal movement for caching foragers: The path identification index (PII) and cougars, Puma concolor: Movement Ecology, v. (online), https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-017-0115-z.
Year Published: 2017
Is GPS telemetry location error screening beneficial?
The accuracy of global positioning system (GPS) locations obtained from study animals tagged with GPS monitoring devices has been a concern as to the degree it influences assessments of movement patterns, space use, and resource selection estimates. Many methods have been proposed for screening data to retain the most accurate positions for...
Ironside, Kirsten E.; Mattson, David J.; Arundel, Terence R.; Hansen, Jered R.Attribution: Southwest Biological Science Center, Ecosystems
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Ironside, K.E., Mattson, D.J., Arundel, T.R., and Hansen, J.R., 2017, Is GPS telemetry location error screening beneficial?: Wildlife Biology, v. (online), http://dx.doi.org/10.2981/wlb.00229.
Year Published: 2017
Variable terrestrial GPS telemetry detection rates: Addressing the probability of successful acquisitions
Studies using global positioning system (GPS) telemetry rarely result in 100% fix success rates (FSR), which may bias datasets because data loss is systematic rather than a random process. Previous spatially explicit models developed to correct for sampling bias have been limited to small study areas, a small range of data loss, or were study-area...
Ironside, Kirsten E.; Mattson, David J.; Choate, David; Stoner, David; Arundel, Terence R.; Hansen, Jered R.; Theimer, Tad; Holton, Brandon; Jansen, Brian; Sexton, Joseph O.; Longshore, Kathleen M.; Edwards, Thomas C.; Peters, MichaelAttribution: Southwest Biological Science Center, Ecosystems
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Ironside, K.E., Mattson, D.J., Choate, D., Stoner, D., Arundel, T.R., Hansen, J., Theimer, T.C., Holton, B., Jansen, B.D., Sexton, J.O., Longshore, K., Edwards, T.C., Jr., and Peters, M., 2017, Variable terrestrial GPS telemetry detection rates--Addressing the probability of successful acquisitions: Wildlife Society Bulletin, 2017, early online view, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wsb.758/epdf and
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/wsb.758.
Year Published: 2016
Identifying bird and reptile vulnerabilities to climate change in the southwestern United States
Current and future breeding ranges of 15 bird and 16 reptile species were modeled in the Southwestern United States. Rather than taking a broad-scale, vulnerability-assessment approach, we created a species distribution model (SDM) for each focal species incorporating climatic, landscape, and plant variables. Baseline climate (1940–2009) was...
Hatten, James R.; Giermakowski, J. Tomasz; Holmes, Jennifer A.; Nowak, Erika M.; Johnson, Matthew J.; Ironside, Kirsten E.; van Riper, Charles; Peters, Michael; Truettner, Charles; Cole, Kenneth L.Attribution: Southwest Biological Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center, Ecosystems, Land Resources, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Fisheries Program, Columbia River Research Laboratory (CRRL)
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Hatten, J.R., Giermakowski, J.T., Holmes, J.A., Nowak, E.M., Johnson, M.J., Ironside, K.E., van Riper, Charles, III, Peters, Michael, Truettner, Charles, and Cole, K.L., 2016, Identifying bird and reptile vulnerabilities to climate change in the Southwestern United States: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2016-1085, 76 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ofr20161085.
Year Published: 2016
Available data support protection of the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher under the Endangered Species Act
Zink (2015) argued there was no evidence for genetic, morphological, or ecological differentiation between the federally endangered Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) and other Willow Flycatcher subspecies. Using the same data, we show there is a step-cline in both the frequency of a mtDNA haplotype and in...
Theimer, Tad C.; Smith, Aaron D.; Mahoney, Sean M.; Ironside, Kirsten E.Attribution: Southwest Biological Science Center, Ecosystems
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Theimer, T.C., Smith, A.D., Mahoney, S.M., and Ironside, K.E., 2016, Available data support protection of the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher under the Endangered Species Act: The Condor, vol. 118, p. 289-299, http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1650/CONDOR-15-71.1 and http://dx.doi.org/10.1650/CONDOR-15-71.1.
Year Published: 2014
Projecting climate effects on birds and reptiles of the Southwestern United States
We modeled the current and future breeding ranges of seven bird and five reptile species in the Southwestern United States with sets of landscape, biotic (plant), and climatic global circulation model (GCM) variables. For modeling purposes, we used PRISM data to characterize the climate of the Western United States between 1980 and 2009 (baseline...
van Riper, Charles; Hatten, James R.; Giermakowski, J. Tomasz; Mattson, David; Holmes, Jennifer A.; Johnson, Matthew J.; Nowak, Erika M.; Ironside, Kirsten; Peters, Michael; Heinrich, Paul; Cole, K.L.; Truettner, C.; Schwalbe, Cecil R.Attribution: Southwest Biological Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center, Ecosystems, Wildlife Program
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Projecting climate effects on birds and reptiles of the Southwestern United States; 2014; OFR; 2014-1050; van Riper, Charles, III; Hatten, James R.; Giermakowski, J. Tomasz; Mattson, David; Holmes, Jennifer A.; Johnson, Matthew J.; Nowak, Erika M.; Ironside, Kirsten; Peters, Michael; Heinrich, Paul; Cole, K.L.; Truettner, C.; Schwalbe, Cecil R.
Year Published: 2011
Past and ongoing shifts in Joshua tree distribution support future modeled range contraction
The future distribution of the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) is projected by combining a geostatistical analysis of 20th-century climates over its current range, future modeled climates, and paleoecological data showing its response to a past similar climate change. As climate rapidly warmed ;11 700 years ago, the range of Joshua tree contracted...
Cole, Kenneth L.; Ironside, Kirsten; Eischeid, Jon K.; Garfin, Gregg; Duffy, Phil; Toney, ChrisAttribution: Southwest Biological Science Center, Ecosystems
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Past and ongoing shifts in Joshua tree distribution support future modeled range contraction; 2011; Article; Journal; Ecological Applications; Cole, Kenneth L.; Ironside, Kirsten; Eischeid, Jon; Garfin, Gregg; Duffy, Phil B.; Toney, Chris
Pre-USGS Publications
Cole, K., K. Ironside, and N. Cobb. 2013. Post-glacial plant migrations are similar to historic and ongoing dispersal and succession. Quaternary International 310:230.
Cole, K. L., J. Fisher, K. Ironside, J. Mead, and P. Koehler. 2013. The biogeographic histories of Pinus edulis and Pinus monophylla over the last 50,000 years. Quaternary International 310:96-110.
Downscaling climate projections to model ecological change on topographically diverse landscapes of the arid Southwestern United States
Garfin, G.M., J.K. Eischeid, M. Lenart, K.L. Cole, K. Ironside, and N.S. Cobb. 2010. Downscaling climate projections to model ecological change on topographically diverse landscapes of the arid Southwestern United States. In: The Colorado Plateau IV: Shaping Conservation Through Science and Management (van Riper, C., III, B. F. Wakeling, and T. D. Sisk, Eds). University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ. 368 pp.
The Frame project—a collaborative modeling approach to natural resource management at Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
Turner, C., W. Romme, J. Chew, M. Miller, G. Leavesley, L. Floyd-Hanna, G. San Miguel, N. Cobb, R. Zirbes, R. Viger, and K. Ironside. 2008. The Frame project—a collaborative modeling approach to natural resource management at Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado. The Colorado Plateau III: Integrating Research and Resources Management for Effective Conservation, 23-41.
Modeling Future Plant Distributions on the Colorado Plateau: An Example Using Pinus edulis
Cole, K. L., K. E. Ironside, S. Arundel, P. Duffy, and J. Shaw. 2008. Modeling Future Plant Distributions on the Colorado Plateau: An Example Using Pinus edulis. In, van Riper, C., and Sogge, M., eds., The Colorado Plateau III: Cultural, Biological, and Physical Research: Tucson, University of Arizona Press.