Maria C Dzul, PhD
Maria develops models to estimate abundance and assess environmental drivers of fish population dynamics in the Grand Canyon ecosystem.
Maria’s research interests include: 1) evaluating links between floods, temperature, and life history of fishes, 2) developing approaches for integrating detections from autonomous PIT antennas into mark-recapture models to improve estimation of survival, movement, and abundance, 3) using population models to guide decision making, and 4) alternative life history strategies and partial migration in fishes.
Professional Experience
Current: Fish Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center
Education and Certifications
2003 – B.S., Biology, University of Michigan
2011 – M.S., Wildlife Ecology, Iowa State University
2021 – PhD, Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University
Science and Products
Humpback chub spring and fall capture histories in the Little Colorado River, 2009-2019 Humpback chub spring and fall capture histories in the Little Colorado River, 2009-2019
These data were compiled to examine rates of skipped migration in adult humpback chub that spawn in the Little Colorado River (LCR). These data include mark-recapture information from the lower 13.56 kilometers of the LCR and from the Colorado River, from river kilometer 105.5-145.7 downstream of Glen Canyon Dam. Data also include detections from a multiplexer array (MUX) that is located...
Marginalizing Bayesian population models - data for examples in the Grand Canyon region, southeastern Arizona, western Oregon USA - 1990-2015 Marginalizing Bayesian population models - data for examples in the Grand Canyon region, southeastern Arizona, western Oregon USA - 1990-2015
These data were compiled here to fit various versions of Bayesian population models and compare their performance, primarily the time required to make inferences using different softwares and versions of code. The humpback chub data were collected by US Geological Survey and US Fish and Wildlife service in the Colorado and Little Colorado Rivers from April 2009 to October 2017. Adult...
Continuous Detection PIT Array Data & Model Continuous Detection PIT Array Data & Model
These data represent a set of capture histories of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss or RBT) captured in the Colorado River (CR) and(or) detected on the multiplexer array in the Little Colorado River (LCR). Capture trips to the Colorado River occurred in April 2012, July 2012, September 2012, January 2013, April 2013, July 2013, September 2013, January 2014, April 2014, July 2014, and...
Filter Total Items: 20
Vital rates of a burgeoning population of Humpback Chub in western Grand Canyon Vital rates of a burgeoning population of Humpback Chub in western Grand Canyon
The Colorado River ecosystem has experienced habitat alterations and non-native species invasions, and as a result, many of its native species have experienced extirpations, abundance declines, and range constrictions. Despite these pitfalls, Humpback Chub, Gila cypha, have persisted and, in the last 10-15 years, expanded their range to become abundant in western Grand Canyon, a river...
Authors
Maria C. Dzul, Charles Yackulic, Mariah Aurelia Giardina, David R. Van Haverbeke, Michael D. Yard
Proceedings of the Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Reporting Meeting to the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program Proceedings of the Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Reporting Meeting to the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program
(Hartwell) This report is prepared primarily to account for work conducted and products delivered in FY 2022 by GCMRC and to inform the Technical Work Group of science conducted by GCMRC and its cooperators in support of the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (GCDAMP). It includes a summary of accomplishments, modifications to work plans, results, and recommendations related to...
Authors
David J. Topping, Paul E. Grams, Emily C. Palmquist, Joel B. Sankey, Helen C. Fairley, Bridget Deemer, Charles Yackulic, Theodore Kennedy, Anya Metcalfe, Maria C. Dzul, David Ward, Mariah Aurelia Giardina, Lucas Bair, Thomas M. Gushue, Caitlin M. Andrews, Ronald E. Griffiths, David J. Dean, Keith Kohl, Michael J Moran, Nicholas Voichick, Thomas A. Sabol, Laura A. Tennant, Kimberly Dibble, Michael C. Runge
Incorporating antenna detections into abundance estimates of fish Incorporating antenna detections into abundance estimates of fish
Autonomous passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag antennas are commonly used to detect fish marked with PIT tags but cannot detect unmarked fish, creating challenges for abundance estimation. Here we describe an approach to estimate abundance from paired physical capture and antenna detection data in closed and open mark-recapture models. Additionally, for open models, we develop an...
Authors
Maria C. Dzul, Charles Yackulic, William L. Kendall, Dana L. Winkelman, Mary M Conner, Michael D. Yard
Assessing the population impacts and cost‐effectiveness of a conservation translocation Assessing the population impacts and cost‐effectiveness of a conservation translocation
Managers often move, or translocate, organisms into habitats that are assumed to be suitable, however the consequences of these translocations are usually not rigorously assessed. Robust assessment of these management experiments should consider impacts to both donor and recipient populations and compare the cost‐effectiveness of translocations to other actions.Here we evaluate...
Authors
Charles B. Yackulic, David R. Van Haverbeke, Maria C. Dzul, Lucas S. Bair, Kirk L. Young
Partial migration and spawning movements of humpback chub in the Little Colorado River are better understood using data from autonomous PIT tag antennas Partial migration and spawning movements of humpback chub in the Little Colorado River are better understood using data from autonomous PIT tag antennas
Choosing whether or not to migrate is an important life history decision for many fishes. Here we combine data from physical captures and detections on autonomous passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag antennas to study migration in an endangered fish, the humpback chub (Gila cypha). We develop hidden Markov mark-recapture models with and without antenna detections and find that the...
Authors
Maria C. Dzul, William Louis Kendall, Charles Yackulic, Dana L. Winkelman, David Randall Van Haverbeke, Michael D. Yard
Changes in prey, turbidity, and competition reduce somatic growth and cause the collapse of a fish population Changes in prey, turbidity, and competition reduce somatic growth and cause the collapse of a fish population
Somatic growth exerts strong control on patterns in the abundance of animal populations via effects on maturation, fecundity, and survival rates of juveniles and adults. In this paper, we quantify abiotic and biotic drivers of rainbow trout growth in the Colorado River, AZ, and the resulting impact on spatial and temporal variation in abundance. Inferences are based on approximately 10...
Authors
Josh Korman, Michael D. Yard, Maria C. Dzul, Charles Yackulic, Michael Dodrill, Bridget Deemer, Theodore Kennedy
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Humpback chub spring and fall capture histories in the Little Colorado River, 2009-2019 Humpback chub spring and fall capture histories in the Little Colorado River, 2009-2019
These data were compiled to examine rates of skipped migration in adult humpback chub that spawn in the Little Colorado River (LCR). These data include mark-recapture information from the lower 13.56 kilometers of the LCR and from the Colorado River, from river kilometer 105.5-145.7 downstream of Glen Canyon Dam. Data also include detections from a multiplexer array (MUX) that is located...
Marginalizing Bayesian population models - data for examples in the Grand Canyon region, southeastern Arizona, western Oregon USA - 1990-2015 Marginalizing Bayesian population models - data for examples in the Grand Canyon region, southeastern Arizona, western Oregon USA - 1990-2015
These data were compiled here to fit various versions of Bayesian population models and compare their performance, primarily the time required to make inferences using different softwares and versions of code. The humpback chub data were collected by US Geological Survey and US Fish and Wildlife service in the Colorado and Little Colorado Rivers from April 2009 to October 2017. Adult...
Continuous Detection PIT Array Data & Model Continuous Detection PIT Array Data & Model
These data represent a set of capture histories of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss or RBT) captured in the Colorado River (CR) and(or) detected on the multiplexer array in the Little Colorado River (LCR). Capture trips to the Colorado River occurred in April 2012, July 2012, September 2012, January 2013, April 2013, July 2013, September 2013, January 2014, April 2014, July 2014, and...
Filter Total Items: 20
Vital rates of a burgeoning population of Humpback Chub in western Grand Canyon Vital rates of a burgeoning population of Humpback Chub in western Grand Canyon
The Colorado River ecosystem has experienced habitat alterations and non-native species invasions, and as a result, many of its native species have experienced extirpations, abundance declines, and range constrictions. Despite these pitfalls, Humpback Chub, Gila cypha, have persisted and, in the last 10-15 years, expanded their range to become abundant in western Grand Canyon, a river...
Authors
Maria C. Dzul, Charles Yackulic, Mariah Aurelia Giardina, David R. Van Haverbeke, Michael D. Yard
Proceedings of the Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Reporting Meeting to the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program Proceedings of the Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Reporting Meeting to the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program
(Hartwell) This report is prepared primarily to account for work conducted and products delivered in FY 2022 by GCMRC and to inform the Technical Work Group of science conducted by GCMRC and its cooperators in support of the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (GCDAMP). It includes a summary of accomplishments, modifications to work plans, results, and recommendations related to...
Authors
David J. Topping, Paul E. Grams, Emily C. Palmquist, Joel B. Sankey, Helen C. Fairley, Bridget Deemer, Charles Yackulic, Theodore Kennedy, Anya Metcalfe, Maria C. Dzul, David Ward, Mariah Aurelia Giardina, Lucas Bair, Thomas M. Gushue, Caitlin M. Andrews, Ronald E. Griffiths, David J. Dean, Keith Kohl, Michael J Moran, Nicholas Voichick, Thomas A. Sabol, Laura A. Tennant, Kimberly Dibble, Michael C. Runge
Incorporating antenna detections into abundance estimates of fish Incorporating antenna detections into abundance estimates of fish
Autonomous passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag antennas are commonly used to detect fish marked with PIT tags but cannot detect unmarked fish, creating challenges for abundance estimation. Here we describe an approach to estimate abundance from paired physical capture and antenna detection data in closed and open mark-recapture models. Additionally, for open models, we develop an...
Authors
Maria C. Dzul, Charles Yackulic, William L. Kendall, Dana L. Winkelman, Mary M Conner, Michael D. Yard
Assessing the population impacts and cost‐effectiveness of a conservation translocation Assessing the population impacts and cost‐effectiveness of a conservation translocation
Managers often move, or translocate, organisms into habitats that are assumed to be suitable, however the consequences of these translocations are usually not rigorously assessed. Robust assessment of these management experiments should consider impacts to both donor and recipient populations and compare the cost‐effectiveness of translocations to other actions.Here we evaluate...
Authors
Charles B. Yackulic, David R. Van Haverbeke, Maria C. Dzul, Lucas S. Bair, Kirk L. Young
Partial migration and spawning movements of humpback chub in the Little Colorado River are better understood using data from autonomous PIT tag antennas Partial migration and spawning movements of humpback chub in the Little Colorado River are better understood using data from autonomous PIT tag antennas
Choosing whether or not to migrate is an important life history decision for many fishes. Here we combine data from physical captures and detections on autonomous passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag antennas to study migration in an endangered fish, the humpback chub (Gila cypha). We develop hidden Markov mark-recapture models with and without antenna detections and find that the...
Authors
Maria C. Dzul, William Louis Kendall, Charles Yackulic, Dana L. Winkelman, David Randall Van Haverbeke, Michael D. Yard
Changes in prey, turbidity, and competition reduce somatic growth and cause the collapse of a fish population Changes in prey, turbidity, and competition reduce somatic growth and cause the collapse of a fish population
Somatic growth exerts strong control on patterns in the abundance of animal populations via effects on maturation, fecundity, and survival rates of juveniles and adults. In this paper, we quantify abiotic and biotic drivers of rainbow trout growth in the Colorado River, AZ, and the resulting impact on spatial and temporal variation in abundance. Inferences are based on approximately 10...
Authors
Josh Korman, Michael D. Yard, Maria C. Dzul, Charles Yackulic, Michael Dodrill, Bridget Deemer, Theodore Kennedy
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.