Mark Ford, PhD
Unit Leader - Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Mark leads research on endangered, threatened, and species of greatest conservation need as well as high-profile game species in the eastern U.S.
Mark and his graduate students lead research on bat habitat use, distribution, population ecology, response to land management and post-White-nose Syndrome sampling methods (endangered Indiana bat, endangered gray bat and threatened northern long-eared bat throughout the mid-Atlantic and Northeast). His team also studies the Appalachian northern flying squirrel, elk, white-tailed deer, spruce-fir ecology, energy and wildlife, and prescribed burning (fire).Mark and his graduate students lead research on bat habitat use, distribution, population ecology, response to land management and post-White-nose Syndrome sampling methods (endangered Indiana bat, endangered gray bat and threatened northern long-eared bat throughout the mid-Atlantic and Northeast). His team also studies the Appalachian northern flying squirrel, elk, white-tailed deer, spruce-fir ecology, energy and wildlife, and prescribed burning (fire).
Professional Experience
Pathogen-mediated competition explains remnant bat community responses to white-nose syndrome.
Analytical assessments in support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 3-bat species status assessment.
Monitoring and modeling tree bat occurrence using acoustics on structures off the Mid-Atlantic coast—implications for offshore wind development.
White-nose syndrome and environmental correlates to landscape-scale bat presence.
Bat activity patterns relative to temporal and weather in a temperate coastal environment.
Demography of the Appalachian spotted skunk.
Predicted spatial distribution of the Eastern spotted skunk in Virginia using detection and non-detection records.
Forecasting the distribution of a bat reveals future response to climate change and habitat.
Northern long-eared bat day-roost loss in the Central Appalachian Mountains following prescribed burning (fire).
Fire, land cover and temperature drivers of bat activity in the winter.
White-nose syndrome-related changes to Mid-Atlantic bat in urban and rural areas.
Spatial habitat shared by behavior of Northern flying squirrels. Spatial (habitat shared by several species).
Education and Certifications
PhD Forest Resources, University of Georgia, 1994
MS Wildlife Ecology, Mississippi State University, 1989
BS Wildlife & Fisheries Science, University of Tennessee,1987
Certified Wildlife Biologist, The Wildlife Society, 1998
Abstracts and Presentations
An update on mid-Atlantic/Northeast Hub activities and estimates of species occupancy, detection and survey effort requirements with recommendations to support the North American Bat Monitoring Program from Maine. 2022 Northeast Bat Working Group. Manchester, New Hampshire. Jan. 12-14, 2022.
Broad-scale geographic and temporal assessment of northern long-eared bat maternity colony-landscape association. 2022 Northeast Bat Working Group, Manchester, New Hampshire, January 12-14, 2022
Post-white nose syndrome population structure of northern long-eared bats in the eastern United States. 2022 Northeast Bat Working Group, Manchester, New Hampshire, January 12-14, 2022.
An update on acoustic sampling level of effort for the Indiana, northern long-eared, little brown and tri-colored bats. 2022 Northeast Bat Working Group. Manchester, New Hampshire, Jan. 12-14, 2022.
Fall migration, oceanic movement and site residency patterns of migratory bats on the mid-Atlantic Coast with emphasis on eastern red bats.
Advancing a framework in increase community support for utility-scale solar photovoltaics. Solar Power and Wildlife/Natural Resources Symposium, Dec 1-3, 2021.
Predation and disease limit population recovery of a cryptic small carnivore, the Appalachian spotted skunk. 28th Annual Meeting of the Wildlife Society, Nov. 1-5, 2021.
Science and Products
Using the Virginia Northern Flying Squirrel to Guide Resilient Restoration of Red Spruce in the Central Appalachians
High elevation red spruce forests are among the most iconic and visited natural communities in the High Alleghenies of the Central Appalachian Mountains. These ecosystems provide many services such as clean water and carbon sequestration, as well as habitat for species of high conservation concern, i.e., the eastern brook trout, the northern goshawk, and the northern flying squirrel. However, wide
Pre- and post-White-nose Syndrome Bat Capture Models
These data are the collection of generalized linear mixed models run for AIC comparison of the pre- and post-White-nose Syndrome bat mist-net captures and percent juveniles in capture by year, time since White-nose Syndrome at collection set, U.S Fish and Wildlife Service designated geographic units, states or NABAT grid cell, collection site mean temperature, collection site temperature range and
Point Location of Myotis septentrionalis Echolocation Passes in Eastern North Carolina and Virginia
These data are the location and date of collection of endangered northern long-eared bat Myotis septentrionalis echolocation passes when the automated bat identification software assessed species presence at a maximum likelihood estimator p-value of less than or equal to 0.05 consistent with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service monitoring guideline standards.
Mid-Atlantic Coast, Lasiurus borealis Movement and Migration
The data in the CSV file named RSF is a detailed dataset used to run the models testing relationships between movement behavior and atmospheric conditions. This dataset includes: detection date and rounded hour, status (0 or 1) showing if over-water movement occurring within nine hours was detected, number of hours since sunset, site ID of area weather station, Motus tag ID, wind speed , Temperatu
Sample locations 2022 SARS-CoV-2 testing in little brown bats
The potential introduction of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, into North American bat populations is of interest to wildlife managers due to recent declines of several species. Populations of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) have collapsed due to white-nose syndrome (WNS), a disease caused by the introduction and spread of the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destr
Bat Detector Type Comparison Data from Fort Knox, Kentucky
These data are night level totals of bat calls by species and phonic group recorded at Fort Knox, Kentucky during the summer of 2017. Data contain recordings from zero-crossing frequency division and full spectrum receiving units.
Acoustic Parameters Collected in an Anechoic Chamber
Synthetic bat call parameters recorded in an anecolic chamber using full spectrum receivers. Data were then converted to zero-crossing format to measure parameters such as minimum, average and maximum frequency, number of echoes and number of correctly identified files
Roost selection for Northern Long-eared Bats (Myotis septentrionalis) in Wisconsin
These data represent characteristics of trees used by Northern long-eared bats as roosts at three sites in Wisconsin, as well as characteristics of surrounding trees to compare characteristics of used versus available trees.
Activity patterns of cave-dwelling bat species during pre-hibernation swarming and post-hibernation emergence in the central Appalachians
Bat activity around known hibernacula in Virginia and West Virginia portion of the central Appalachians during the fall swarm and spring emergence, 2015-2017
Activity patterns in regional and long-distance migrant bat species during the fall and spring along ridgelines in the central Appalachians, 2015-2017
Data contain zero-crossing, frequency acoustic detector locations, date to hour, species of bats recorded and identified and various wind and precipitation values associated with either day or hour for ridges, sideslopes and valleys at 5 locations in western Virginia's Appalachian Mountains.
Filter Total Items: 66
Disentangling genetic diversity of Myotis septentrionalis: population structure, demographic history, and effective population size
Myotis septentrionalis (Northern Long-eared Bat) has recently suffered a >90% decline in population size in North America due to white-nose syndrome (WNS). We assessed genetic diversity, population structure, current effective population size, and demographic history of M. septentrionalis distributed across the United States to determine baseline levels pre-WNS. We analyzed RADseq data from 81 ind
Authors
Jenna R. Grimshaw, Deahn M. Donner, Roger W. Perry, W. Mark Ford, Alex Silvis, Carlos J. Garcia, Richard D. Stevens, David A. Ray
Seasonal activity patterns of northern long-eared bats at hibernacula in western Virginia
Understanding the relationships of biotic and abiotic factors to seasonal activity at hibernacula is important for the conservation of bats impacted by white-nose syndrome (WNS). Research on the relative and probable activity patterns of the federally endangered northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) primarily has focused on summer maternity colonies, whereas surveys at hibernacula have
Authors
Jesse L. De La Cruz, Richard J. Reynolds, Wil Orndorff, Thomas Malabad, Katarina Kosič Ficco, Karen E. Powers, W. Mark Ford
Seasonal activity patterns of northern long-eared bats on the coastal Mid-Atlantic
Conservation of bats declining from white-nose syndrome (WNS) impacts requires an understanding of both temporal and landscape-level habitat relationships. Traditionally, much of the research on bat ecology has focused on behavior of summer maternity colonies within species’ distribution cores, including that of the endangered northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis). To further our knowle
Authors
Jesse L. De La Cruz, Nicholas J. Kalen, Elaine L. Barr, Emily D. Thorne, Alexander Silvis, Richard J. Reynolds, W. Mark Ford
Second guessing the maximum likelihood estimator values for bat surveys
TThe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service allows acoustical surveys and automated identification software to determine the presence of the endangered northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) and Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis). Analytical software is required to assess presence probability on a site-night basis using a maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) that accounts for interspecific bat misclassi
Authors
W. Mark Ford, Jesse L. De La Cruz, Emily D. Thorne, Alexander Silvis, Michael P. Armstrong, R. Andrew King
Home range size and resource use by eastern spotted skunks in Virginia
Throughout much of the eastern U.S., many forested ecosystems have lost large amounts of core forest areas due to land-use change, isolating wildlife in forest fragments. The eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius) is considered a species of conservation concern in Virginia, where populations are restricted to spatially disjunct forest patches in the central Appalachian Mountains. We caught and
Authors
Emily D. Thorne, Michael L. Fies, W. Mark Ford
Survival, cause-specific mortality, and population growth of white-tailed deer in western Virginia
Understanding the role of recruitment in population dynamics of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is important for management. In the central Appalachian Mountains, deer are part of a largely forested ecosystem that supports 3 carnivore species thought to be capable of influencing white-tailed deer recruitment: black bears (Urus americanus), coyotes (Canis latrans), and bobcats (Lynx rufu
Authors
Garrett B. Clevinger, W. Mark Ford, Marcella J. Kelly, Robert S. Alonso, Randy W. DeYoung, Nelson W. Lafon, Michael J. Cherry
Fall migration, oceanic movement, and site residency patterns of eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis) on the mid-Atlantic Coast
Along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States, eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis) are present during fall mating and migration, though little is currently known about most aspects of bat migration. To reveal migration patterns, and understand drivers of over-water flight, we captured and radio-tagged 115 eastern red bats using novel technology, and subsequently tracked and described their mo
Authors
Michael C. True, Katherine M. Gorman, Hila Taylor, Richard J. Reynolds, W. Mark Ford
Network analysis of a northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) maternity colony in a suburban forest patch
Many bat species are highly social, forming groups of conspecifics, particularly during the maternity season. In temperate North America, these social groups are typically comprised of closely related individuals or individuals that share some common trait (i.e. reproductive state or shared hibernacula from the previous winter). In the summer, when bats use forests for day-roosts, these social gro
Authors
Katherine M. Gorman, Elaine L. Barr, Tomás Nocera, W. Mark Ford
Activity patterns of Allegheny Woodrats (Neotoma magister) and two potential competitors in Virginia
Neotoma magister (Allegheny Woodrat) is a nocturnal, emergent rock-habitat specialist (i.e., inhabits rocky outcrops, boulderfields, and caves). Woodrat populations have declined range-wide due to habitat fragmentation, endoparasites, and interspecific competition. We estimated the diel activity curves of Allegheny Woodrats and assessed the effects of habitat type (exposed rock habitat/cave-exteri
Authors
Karen E. Powers, Emily D. Thorne, Logan R. Platt, Kayla M. Nelson Anderson, Logan M. Van Meter, Chris M. Wozniak, Richard J. Reynolds, W. Mark Ford
Oral Sampling of little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) maternity colonies for SARS-CoV-2 in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, USA
The potential introduction of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, into North American bat populations is of interest to wildlife managers due to recent disease-mediated declines of several species. Populations of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) have collapsed due to white-nose syndrome (WNS), a disease caused by the introduction and spread of the fungal pathogen Pseud
Authors
Megan L. Moran, William Boyd, Jesse L. De La Cruz, Andrea S. Bertke, W. Mark Ford
Statistical assessment on determining local presence of rare bat species
Surveying cryptic, sparsely distributed taxa using autonomous recording units, although cost-effective, provides imperfect knowledge about species presence. Summertime bat acoustic surveys in North America exemplify the challenges with characterizing sources of uncertainty: observation error, inability to census populations, and natural stochastic variation. Statistical uncertainty, if not conside
Authors
Kathryn M. Irvine, Katharine M. Banner, Christian Stratton, W. Mark Ford, Brian Reichert
Effects of environmental clutter on synthesized chiropteran echolocation signals in an anechoic chamber
Ultrasonic bat detectors are useful for research and monitoring purposes to assess occupancy and relative activity of bat communities. Environmental “clutter” such as tree boles and foliage can affect the recording quality and identification of bat echolocation calls collected using ultrasonic detectors. It can also affect the transmission of calls and recognition by bats when using acoustic lure
Authors
Samuel R. Freeze, Masoud Shirazi, Nicole Abaid, W. Mark Ford, Alexander Silvis, Dawn Hakkenberg
Science and Products
Using the Virginia Northern Flying Squirrel to Guide Resilient Restoration of Red Spruce in the Central Appalachians
High elevation red spruce forests are among the most iconic and visited natural communities in the High Alleghenies of the Central Appalachian Mountains. These ecosystems provide many services such as clean water and carbon sequestration, as well as habitat for species of high conservation concern, i.e., the eastern brook trout, the northern goshawk, and the northern flying squirrel. However, wide
Pre- and post-White-nose Syndrome Bat Capture Models
These data are the collection of generalized linear mixed models run for AIC comparison of the pre- and post-White-nose Syndrome bat mist-net captures and percent juveniles in capture by year, time since White-nose Syndrome at collection set, U.S Fish and Wildlife Service designated geographic units, states or NABAT grid cell, collection site mean temperature, collection site temperature range and
Point Location of Myotis septentrionalis Echolocation Passes in Eastern North Carolina and Virginia
These data are the location and date of collection of endangered northern long-eared bat Myotis septentrionalis echolocation passes when the automated bat identification software assessed species presence at a maximum likelihood estimator p-value of less than or equal to 0.05 consistent with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service monitoring guideline standards.
Mid-Atlantic Coast, Lasiurus borealis Movement and Migration
The data in the CSV file named RSF is a detailed dataset used to run the models testing relationships between movement behavior and atmospheric conditions. This dataset includes: detection date and rounded hour, status (0 or 1) showing if over-water movement occurring within nine hours was detected, number of hours since sunset, site ID of area weather station, Motus tag ID, wind speed , Temperatu
Sample locations 2022 SARS-CoV-2 testing in little brown bats
The potential introduction of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, into North American bat populations is of interest to wildlife managers due to recent declines of several species. Populations of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) have collapsed due to white-nose syndrome (WNS), a disease caused by the introduction and spread of the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destr
Bat Detector Type Comparison Data from Fort Knox, Kentucky
These data are night level totals of bat calls by species and phonic group recorded at Fort Knox, Kentucky during the summer of 2017. Data contain recordings from zero-crossing frequency division and full spectrum receiving units.
Acoustic Parameters Collected in an Anechoic Chamber
Synthetic bat call parameters recorded in an anecolic chamber using full spectrum receivers. Data were then converted to zero-crossing format to measure parameters such as minimum, average and maximum frequency, number of echoes and number of correctly identified files
Roost selection for Northern Long-eared Bats (Myotis septentrionalis) in Wisconsin
These data represent characteristics of trees used by Northern long-eared bats as roosts at three sites in Wisconsin, as well as characteristics of surrounding trees to compare characteristics of used versus available trees.
Activity patterns of cave-dwelling bat species during pre-hibernation swarming and post-hibernation emergence in the central Appalachians
Bat activity around known hibernacula in Virginia and West Virginia portion of the central Appalachians during the fall swarm and spring emergence, 2015-2017
Activity patterns in regional and long-distance migrant bat species during the fall and spring along ridgelines in the central Appalachians, 2015-2017
Data contain zero-crossing, frequency acoustic detector locations, date to hour, species of bats recorded and identified and various wind and precipitation values associated with either day or hour for ridges, sideslopes and valleys at 5 locations in western Virginia's Appalachian Mountains.
Filter Total Items: 66
Disentangling genetic diversity of Myotis septentrionalis: population structure, demographic history, and effective population size
Myotis septentrionalis (Northern Long-eared Bat) has recently suffered a >90% decline in population size in North America due to white-nose syndrome (WNS). We assessed genetic diversity, population structure, current effective population size, and demographic history of M. septentrionalis distributed across the United States to determine baseline levels pre-WNS. We analyzed RADseq data from 81 ind
Authors
Jenna R. Grimshaw, Deahn M. Donner, Roger W. Perry, W. Mark Ford, Alex Silvis, Carlos J. Garcia, Richard D. Stevens, David A. Ray
Seasonal activity patterns of northern long-eared bats at hibernacula in western Virginia
Understanding the relationships of biotic and abiotic factors to seasonal activity at hibernacula is important for the conservation of bats impacted by white-nose syndrome (WNS). Research on the relative and probable activity patterns of the federally endangered northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) primarily has focused on summer maternity colonies, whereas surveys at hibernacula have
Authors
Jesse L. De La Cruz, Richard J. Reynolds, Wil Orndorff, Thomas Malabad, Katarina Kosič Ficco, Karen E. Powers, W. Mark Ford
Seasonal activity patterns of northern long-eared bats on the coastal Mid-Atlantic
Conservation of bats declining from white-nose syndrome (WNS) impacts requires an understanding of both temporal and landscape-level habitat relationships. Traditionally, much of the research on bat ecology has focused on behavior of summer maternity colonies within species’ distribution cores, including that of the endangered northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis). To further our knowle
Authors
Jesse L. De La Cruz, Nicholas J. Kalen, Elaine L. Barr, Emily D. Thorne, Alexander Silvis, Richard J. Reynolds, W. Mark Ford
Second guessing the maximum likelihood estimator values for bat surveys
TThe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service allows acoustical surveys and automated identification software to determine the presence of the endangered northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) and Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis). Analytical software is required to assess presence probability on a site-night basis using a maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) that accounts for interspecific bat misclassi
Authors
W. Mark Ford, Jesse L. De La Cruz, Emily D. Thorne, Alexander Silvis, Michael P. Armstrong, R. Andrew King
Home range size and resource use by eastern spotted skunks in Virginia
Throughout much of the eastern U.S., many forested ecosystems have lost large amounts of core forest areas due to land-use change, isolating wildlife in forest fragments. The eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius) is considered a species of conservation concern in Virginia, where populations are restricted to spatially disjunct forest patches in the central Appalachian Mountains. We caught and
Authors
Emily D. Thorne, Michael L. Fies, W. Mark Ford
Survival, cause-specific mortality, and population growth of white-tailed deer in western Virginia
Understanding the role of recruitment in population dynamics of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is important for management. In the central Appalachian Mountains, deer are part of a largely forested ecosystem that supports 3 carnivore species thought to be capable of influencing white-tailed deer recruitment: black bears (Urus americanus), coyotes (Canis latrans), and bobcats (Lynx rufu
Authors
Garrett B. Clevinger, W. Mark Ford, Marcella J. Kelly, Robert S. Alonso, Randy W. DeYoung, Nelson W. Lafon, Michael J. Cherry
Fall migration, oceanic movement, and site residency patterns of eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis) on the mid-Atlantic Coast
Along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States, eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis) are present during fall mating and migration, though little is currently known about most aspects of bat migration. To reveal migration patterns, and understand drivers of over-water flight, we captured and radio-tagged 115 eastern red bats using novel technology, and subsequently tracked and described their mo
Authors
Michael C. True, Katherine M. Gorman, Hila Taylor, Richard J. Reynolds, W. Mark Ford
Network analysis of a northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) maternity colony in a suburban forest patch
Many bat species are highly social, forming groups of conspecifics, particularly during the maternity season. In temperate North America, these social groups are typically comprised of closely related individuals or individuals that share some common trait (i.e. reproductive state or shared hibernacula from the previous winter). In the summer, when bats use forests for day-roosts, these social gro
Authors
Katherine M. Gorman, Elaine L. Barr, Tomás Nocera, W. Mark Ford
Activity patterns of Allegheny Woodrats (Neotoma magister) and two potential competitors in Virginia
Neotoma magister (Allegheny Woodrat) is a nocturnal, emergent rock-habitat specialist (i.e., inhabits rocky outcrops, boulderfields, and caves). Woodrat populations have declined range-wide due to habitat fragmentation, endoparasites, and interspecific competition. We estimated the diel activity curves of Allegheny Woodrats and assessed the effects of habitat type (exposed rock habitat/cave-exteri
Authors
Karen E. Powers, Emily D. Thorne, Logan R. Platt, Kayla M. Nelson Anderson, Logan M. Van Meter, Chris M. Wozniak, Richard J. Reynolds, W. Mark Ford
Oral Sampling of little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) maternity colonies for SARS-CoV-2 in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, USA
The potential introduction of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, into North American bat populations is of interest to wildlife managers due to recent disease-mediated declines of several species. Populations of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) have collapsed due to white-nose syndrome (WNS), a disease caused by the introduction and spread of the fungal pathogen Pseud
Authors
Megan L. Moran, William Boyd, Jesse L. De La Cruz, Andrea S. Bertke, W. Mark Ford
Statistical assessment on determining local presence of rare bat species
Surveying cryptic, sparsely distributed taxa using autonomous recording units, although cost-effective, provides imperfect knowledge about species presence. Summertime bat acoustic surveys in North America exemplify the challenges with characterizing sources of uncertainty: observation error, inability to census populations, and natural stochastic variation. Statistical uncertainty, if not conside
Authors
Kathryn M. Irvine, Katharine M. Banner, Christian Stratton, W. Mark Ford, Brian Reichert
Effects of environmental clutter on synthesized chiropteran echolocation signals in an anechoic chamber
Ultrasonic bat detectors are useful for research and monitoring purposes to assess occupancy and relative activity of bat communities. Environmental “clutter” such as tree boles and foliage can affect the recording quality and identification of bat echolocation calls collected using ultrasonic detectors. It can also affect the transmission of calls and recognition by bats when using acoustic lure
Authors
Samuel R. Freeze, Masoud Shirazi, Nicole Abaid, W. Mark Ford, Alexander Silvis, Dawn Hakkenberg