Mark A Ricca
I have spent my USGS career focused on addressing science needs of resource managers and agencies across a wide range of ecosystems by integrating concepts from population, community, and ecosystem ecology.
My experience spans ecological systems ranging from desert wetlands in California to sub-arctic islands in Alaska to rangelands of the American West. I now help facilitate science production for principal investigators at FRESC.
Professional Experience
2019-present: Supervisory Biologist-Research Manager, USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis, OR
2002-2020: Wildlife Biologist, USGS Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon, CA
2000-2002: Biological Science Technician, USGS Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon, CA
1999: Faculty Research Assistant, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
1996-1999: Graduate Research Assistant, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
1994-1996: Field Biologist, California Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento, CA
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA (2013)
M.S., Wildlife Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis OR (2000)
B.S. Wildlife, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA (1995)
Science and Products
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Data for: A conservation planning tool for greater sage-grouse using indices of species distribution, resilience, and resistance
Geospatial data for object-based high-resolution classification of conifers within the geographic range of the Bi-State Distinct Population Segment of greater sage-grouse in California and Nevada
Summary Statistics Data for Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) Nesting and Brood-Rearing Microhabitat in Nevada and California-Spatial Variation in Selection and Survival Patterns, 2009-16
Spatially Explicit Modeling of Annual and Seasonal Habitat for Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) in Nevada and Northeastern California - an Updated Decision-Support Tool for Management
Integrating Spatially Explicit Indices of Abundance and Habitat Quality: An Applied Example for Greater Sage-grouse Management
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Common ravens disrupt greater sage-grouse lekking behavior in the Great Basin, USA
Field methods for translocating female greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) with their broods
Ecological correlates of fecal corticosterone metabolites in female Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrococercus urophasianus)
A customized framework for regional classification of conifers using automated feature extraction
Range-wide greater sage-grouse hierarchical monitoring framework—Implications for defining population boundaries, trend estimation, and a targeted annual warning system
Brood parasitism of greater sage-grouse by California Quail in Idaho
Free-roaming horses disrupt greater sage-grouse lekking activity in the Great Basin
Postfire growth of seeded and planted big sagebrush - Strategic designs for restoring Greater Sage-grouse nesting habitat
Wildfire and the ecological niche: Diminishing habitat suitability for an indicator species within semi‐arid ecosystems
Greater sage-grouse chick killed by Great Basin gopher snake
Broad-scale impacts of an invasive native predator on a sensitive native prey species within the shifting avian community of the North American Great Basin
Integrating ecosystem resilience and resistance into decision support tools for multi-scale population management of a sagebrush indicator species
To request an interview, contact fresc_outreach@usgs.gov or call (541) 750-1030.
Science and Products
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If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Filter Total Items: 17Data for: A conservation planning tool for greater sage-grouse using indices of species distribution, resilience, and resistance
Managers require quantitative yet tractable tools that can identify areas for restoration yielding effective benefits for targeted wildlife species and the ecosystems they inhabit. A spatially explicit conservation planning tool that guides effective sagebrush restoration for sage-grouse can be made more effective by integrating baseline maps describing existing (pre-restoration) habitat suitabiliGeospatial data for object-based high-resolution classification of conifers within the geographic range of the Bi-State Distinct Population Segment of greater sage-grouse in California and Nevada
These products were developed to provide scientific and correspondingly spatially explicit information regarding the distribution and abundance of conifers (namely, singleleaf pinyon (Pinus monophylla), Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma), and western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis)) in Nevada and portions of northeastern California. Encroachment of these trees into sagebrush ecosystems of the GSummary Statistics Data for Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) Nesting and Brood-Rearing Microhabitat in Nevada and California-Spatial Variation in Selection and Survival Patterns, 2009-16
This dataset provides summary statistics of multiple sage-grouse microhabitat characteristics of the Great Basin. These data support the following publication: Coates, P.S., Brussee, B.E., Ricca, M.A., Dudko, J.E., Prochazka, B.G., Espinosa, S.P., Casazza, M.L., and Delehanty, D.J., 2017, Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) nesting and brood-rearing microhabitat in Nevada and CalifoSpatially Explicit Modeling of Annual and Seasonal Habitat for Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) in Nevada and Northeastern California - an Updated Decision-Support Tool for Management
Successful adaptive management hinges largely upon integrating new and improved sources of information as they become available. Updating management tools for greater sage-grouse ( Centrocercus urophasianus, hereafter referred to as sage-grouse) populations, which are indicators for the large-scale health of sagebrush ( Artemisia spp.) ecosystems in the Great Basin of North America, provide a timeIntegrating Spatially Explicit Indices of Abundance and Habitat Quality: An Applied Example for Greater Sage-grouse Management
This study provides timely and highly useful information about greater sage-grouse over a large area of the Great Basin. USGS researchers and their colleagues created a template for combining landscape-scale occurrence or abundance data with habitat selection data in order to identify areas most critical to sustaining populations of species of conservation concern. The template also identifies tho - Publications
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Filter Total Items: 68Common ravens disrupt greater sage-grouse lekking behavior in the Great Basin, USA
Expansion of human enterprise has contributed to increased abundance and distribution of common ravens (Corvus corax; ravens) across sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems within western North America. Ravens are highly effective nest predators of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse), a species of high conservation concern. Sage-grouse population trends are estimated using cAuthorsJoseph Atkinson, Peter S. Coates, Brianne E. Brussee, Ian A. Dwight, Mark A. Ricca, Pat J. JacksonField methods for translocating female greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) with their broods
Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) have experienced considerable range contraction and reduced abundance in response to habitat loss and degradation. Translocation is a conservation action that is often used to reintroduce extirpated populations or augment existing small populations. Translocations have had limited success in restoring viable populations of sage-grouse; a lack of succAuthorsMary Beth Meyerpeter, Kade D. Lazenby, Peter S. Coates, Mark A. Ricca, Steven R. Mathews, Scott C. Gardner, David K. Dahlgren, David J. DelehantyEcological correlates of fecal corticosterone metabolites in female Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrococercus urophasianus)
Measurement of physiological responses can reveal effects of ecological conditions on an animal and correlate with demographic parameters. Ecological conditions for many animal species have deteriorated as a function of invasive plants and habitat fragmentation. Expansion of juniper (Juniperus spp.) trees and invasion of annual grasses into sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems have contributed toAuthorsJordan C. Rabon, Cassandra Nuñez, Peter S. Coates, Mark A. Ricca, Tracey N. JohnsonA customized framework for regional classification of conifers using automated feature extraction
Pinyon and juniper expansion into sagebrush ecosystems is one of the major challenges facing land managers in the Great Basin. Effective pinyon and juniper treatment requires maps that accurately and precisely depict tree location and degree of woodland development so managers can target restoration efforts for early stages of pinyon and juniper expansion. However, available remotely sensed layersAuthorsCali L. Roth, Peter S. Coates, K. Benjamin Gustafson, Michael P. Chenaille, Mark A. Ricca, Erika Sanchez-Chopitea, Michael L. CasazzaRange-wide greater sage-grouse hierarchical monitoring framework—Implications for defining population boundaries, trend estimation, and a targeted annual warning system
Incorporating spatial and temporal scales into greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) population monitoring strategies is challenging and rarely implemented. Sage-grouse populations experience fluctuations in abundance that lead to temporal oscillations, making trend estimation difficult. Accounting for stochasticity is critical to reliably estimate population trends and investigate variaAuthorsPeter S. Coates, Brian G. Prochazka, Michael S. O'Donnell, Cameron L. Aldridge, David R. Edmunds, Adrian P. Monroe, Mark A. Ricca, Gregory T. Wann, Steve E. Hanser, Lief A. Wiechman, Michael P. ChenailleBrood parasitism of greater sage-grouse by California Quail in Idaho
We describe a case of brood parasitism of a Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, sage-grouse) nest by California Quail (Callipepla californica; hereafter, quail) in southwestern Idaho during 2019. We observed one quail egg in the parasitized nest; the egg partially hatched, but the chick was dead upon the final nest check. Of the 6 sage-grouse eggs in the nest, only 2 hatchedAuthorsJordan C. Rabon, Sarah E McIntire, Peter S. Coates, Mark A. Ricca, Tracey N. JohnsonFree-roaming horses disrupt greater sage-grouse lekking activity in the Great Basin
Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, sage-grouse) and free-roaming horses (Equus caballus) co-occur within large portions of sagebrush ecosystems within the Great Basin of western North America. In recent decades, sage-grouse populations have declined substantially while concomitant free-roaming horse populations have increased drastically. Although multiple studies have repoAuthorsDiana A. Munoz, Peter S. Coates, Mark A. RiccaPostfire growth of seeded and planted big sagebrush - Strategic designs for restoring Greater Sage-grouse nesting habitat
Wildfires change plant community structure and impact wildlife habitat and population dynamics. Recent wildfire‐induced losses of big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) in North American shrublands are outpacing natural recovery and leading to substantial losses in habitat for sagebrush‐obligate species such as Greater Sage‐grouse. Managers are considering restoration strategies that include plantinAuthorsDavid A. Pyke, Robert K. Shriver, Robert Arkle, David Pilliod, Cameron L. Aldridge, Peter S. Coates, Matthew Germino, Julie A. Heinrichs, Mark A. Ricca, Scott ShaffWildfire and the ecological niche: Diminishing habitat suitability for an indicator species within semi‐arid ecosystems
Globally accelerating frequency and extent of wildfire threatens the persistence of specialist wildlife species through direct loss of habitat and indirect facilitation of exotic invasive species. Habitat specialists may be especially prone to rapidly changing environmental conditions because their ability to adapt lags behind the rate of habitat alteration. As a result, these populations may becoAuthorsShawn T. O'Neil, Peter S. Coates, Brianne E. Brussee, Mark A. Ricca, Shawn P. Espinosa, Scott C. Gardner, David J DelahantyGreater sage-grouse chick killed by Great Basin gopher snake
Despite extensive range overlap between Great Basin gopher snakes (Pituophis catenifer deserticola) and Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) within sagebrush ecosystems, there are few documented predator–prey interactions between these species. Although gopher snakes have been observed preying on nests of other prairie grouse, studies that used video-monitoring at sage-grouse nests founAuthorsSarah E McIntire, Jordan C. Rabon, Peter S. Coates, Mark A. Ricca, Tracey N. JohnsonBroad-scale impacts of an invasive native predator on a sensitive native prey species within the shifting avian community of the North American Great Basin
Human enterprise has modified ecosystem processes through direct and indirect alteration of native predators’ distribution and abundance. For example, human activities subsidize food, water, and shelter availability to generalist predators whose subsequent increased abundance impacts lower trophic-level prey species. The common raven (Corvus corax; hereafter, raven) is an avian predator, native toAuthorsPeter S. Coates, Shawn O'Neil, Brianne E. Brussee, Mark A. Ricca, Pat J. Jackson, Jonathan B. Dinkins, Kristy B. Howe, Ann M. Moser, Lee J. Foster, David J DelahuntyIntegrating ecosystem resilience and resistance into decision support tools for multi-scale population management of a sagebrush indicator species
Imperiled sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems of western North America are experiencing unprecedented conservation planning efforts. Advances in decision-support tools operationalize concepts of ecosystem resilience by quantitatively linking spatially explicit variation in soil and plant processes to outcomes of biotic and abiotic disturbances. However, failure to consider higher trophic-level fAuthorsMark A. Ricca, Peter S. Coates - News
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