Unit Leader - Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Matt has worked on topics that include the management and recovery of peregrine falcons, habitat quality and fidelity of North Pacific whale species, the effects of range management on carnivores in southern Africa, the dynamics of elk populations, and interactions among wolves, elk and aspen.
Only Matt's five most recent publications are shown here. For more information about Matt, including a full publications list, visit his profile page on the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit web site.
Education
- University of Montana 2004
- University of California, Santa Cruz 2003
- Ph D University of California, Santa Cruz 2003
- BA University of Oregon 1992
Research Interests
Matt and his graduate students are conducting studies on elk, wolves, moose, deer, and bighorn sheep in Wyoming, addressing the influence of habitat condition, predation, human disturbance, and energy development on these species. Matt’s research combines work on animal physiology, behavior and demography to better understand population- and landscape-level processes. A primary focus of this work is to provide timely information to agency biologists charged with managing Wyoming’s wildlife.
Teaching Interests
Matt teaches graduate courses in quantitative analysis of spatial wildlife data, community ecology of wildlife, and migration ecology.
Science and Products
Wyoming Migration Initiative: Ungulate Migration in the West
Contributions to the development of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Sagebrush Conservation Strategy
Using Genetic Analyses To Inform On-The-Ground Conservation for Multiple Sagebrush-Associated Wildlife Species
Webinar: Ungulates and Climate Change: an Examination of the Potential Impacts
Linking Mule Deer Migration to Spring Green-Up in Wyoming
Seasonal movements of mule deer and pronghorn in Wyoming, 2014-2021
Pronghorn Migration and Resource Selection Near Wind Energy Facilities in Wyoming, 2010-2012 and 2018-2020
Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States, Volume 3
Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States, Volume 2
Seasonal Resource Selection by Pronghorn near Wind Energy Facilities in Wyoming, 2010-2012 and 2018-2020
Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States, Volume 1
Wind-energy development alters pronghorn migration at multiple scales
Ungulate migrations of the western United States, volume 3
Ungulate migrations of the western United States, volume 2
Variable effects of wind-energy development on seasonal habitat selection of pronghorn
Causes, consequences, and conservation of ungulate migration
U.S. Geological Survey science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative—2018 annual report
Body size and digestive system shape resource selection by ungulates: A cross-taxa test of the forage maturation hypothesis
Life-history theory provides a framework for detecting resource limitation: A test of the Nutritional Buffer Hypothesis
Short-term responses to a human-altered landscape do not affect fat dynamics of a migratory ungulate
Functional connectivity in a continuously distributed, migratory species as revealed by landscape genomics
Mapping out a future for ungulate migrations
Emerging perspectives on resource tracking and animal movement ecology
World's Longest Mule Deer Migration: Red Desert to Hoback
In 2016, researchers in Wyoming discovered the world's longest migration of mule deer. A doe fitted with a GPS tracking collar migrated 242 miles one way. She is known as Deer 255. Each summer, she lives in the heart of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, but travels far into Wyoming's sagebrush sea and high desert ecosystem for winter.
Science and Products
- Science
Wyoming Migration Initiative: Ungulate Migration in the West
Advancing the conservation and understanding of Wyoming's migratory hooved animals (mule deer, elk, pronghorn, etc.). The Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit is led by USGS federal researchers. The Wyoming Migration Initiative is a University of Wyoming’s Zoology and Physiology Department-based collaborative of biologists, photographers, mapmakers, and writers working to research...Contributions to the development of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Sagebrush Conservation Strategy
USGS scientists are contributing to the development of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Sagebrush Conservation Strategy, a strategy intended to provide guidance so that efforts to conserve the iconic greater sage-grouse can be expanded to the entire sagebrush biome to benefit the people and wildlife that depend on it.Using Genetic Analyses To Inform On-The-Ground Conservation for Multiple Sagebrush-Associated Wildlife Species
Recent analyses of greater sage-grouse genetics have delineated areas of key genetic connectivity for this species and provided a prioritization tool for conservation and restoration of habitats essential for genetic exchange.Webinar: Ungulates and Climate Change: an Examination of the Potential Impacts
View this webinar for more information about the effects of climate change on moose, mule deer, and elk in Wyoming.Linking Mule Deer Migration to Spring Green-Up in Wyoming
Each year, plants and animals undergo certain life cycle events, such as breeding or flowering. These phenological events are linked to weather and climate, and as temperature and precipitation patterns have changed, some spring events are occurring earlier. These changes in plant phenology can have cascading effects on wildlife such as elk, moose, and mule deer, which depend on plants for food. I - Data
Seasonal movements of mule deer and pronghorn in Wyoming, 2014-2021
USGS scientists evaluated the utility of hidden Markov movement models to characterize seasonal movements of mule deer (Odecoileus hemionus) and pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) that were tracked with GPS collars in Wyoming, USA, during 2014-2021. Data include step lengths and turning angles for individual animals at daily time-steps throughout the tracking period. Models demonstrated distinct sePronghorn Migration and Resource Selection Near Wind Energy Facilities in Wyoming, 2010-2012 and 2018-2020
USGS scientists evaluated movement and resource selection during seasonal migrations by pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) that were tracked with GPS collars near wind-energy facilities in the Shirley Basin, Wyoming, USA, in 2010-2012 and 2018-2020. Data include values of environmental variables and proximity to wind turbines at used and available locations for analyses of pronghorn selection of roUngulate Migrations of the Western United States, Volume 3
This is the data archive for the publication Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States, Volume 3 (Kauffman et al. 2022) and includes the collection of GIS map files that are mapped and described in the report. These map files are meant to provide a common spatial representation of the mapped migrations. This data release provides the means for ungulate migrations to be mapped and planned foUngulate Migrations of the Western United States, Volume 2
This is the data archive for the publication Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States, Volume 2 (Kauffman et al. 2022) and includes the collection of GIS map files that are mapped and described in the report. These map files are meant to provide a common spatial representation of the mapped migrations. This data release provides the means for ungulate migrations to be mapped and planned foSeasonal Resource Selection by Pronghorn near Wind Energy Facilities in Wyoming, 2010-2012 and 2018-2020
Wind energy represents an important alternative to oil and gas extraction to meet increasing energy demands, but it has the potential to disrupt wildlife populations. Because behavioral adjustments, such as altered habitat selection, are a primary way that long-lived species respond to novel disturbances, USGS scientists evaluated effects of wind energy development on pronghorn (Antilocapra americUngulate Migrations of the Western United States, Volume 1
This is the data archive for the publication Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States, Volume 1 (Kauffman et al. 2020) and includes the collection of GIS map files that are mapped and described in the report. These map files are meant to provide a common spatial representation of the mapped migrations. This data release provides the means for ungulate migrations to be mapped and planned fo - Publications
Filter Total Items: 77
Wind-energy development alters pronghorn migration at multiple scales
Migration is a critical behavioral strategy necessary for population persistence and ecosystem functioning, but migration routes have been increasingly disrupted by anthropogenic activities, including energy development. Wind energy is the world's fastest growing source of electricity and represents an important alternative to hydrocarbon extraction, but its effects on migratory species beyond birAuthorsMegan Cochran Milligan, Aaron Johnston, Jeffery L. Beck, Kaitlyn L. Taylor, Embere Hall, Lee Knox, Teal Cufaude, Cody Wallace, Geneva W. Chong, Matthew KauffmanUngulate migrations of the western United States, volume 3
Ungulates (hooved mammals) have a broad distribution across the western United States and play an important role in maintaining predator-prey dynamics, affecting vegetation communities, and providing economic benefits to regional communities through tourism and hunting. Throughout the diverse landscapes they occupy, many ungulate populations undertake seasonal migrations to exploit spatially and tAuthorsMatthew Kauffman, Blake Lowrey, Jodi Berg, Scott Bergen, Doug Brimeyer, Patrick Burke, Teal Cufaude, James W. Cain III, Jeffrey Cole, Alyson Courtemanch, Michelle Cowardin, Julie Cunningham, Melia DeVivo, Jennifer Diamond, Orrin Duvuvuei, Julien Fattebert, Joanna Ennis, Darby Finley, Jessica Fort, Gary Fralick, Eric Freeman, Jeff Gagnon, Julie Garcia, Emily Gelzer, Morgan Graham, Jacob Gray, Evan Greenspan, L. Embere Hall, Curtis Hendricks, Andy Holland, Brian Holmes, Katey Huggler, Mark A. Hurley, Emily Jeffreys, Aran Johnson, Lee Knox, Kevin Krasnow, Zack Lockyer, Hannah Manninen, Mike McDonald, Jennifer L. McKee, James Meacham, Jerod Merkle, Barb Moore, Tony W. Mong, Clayton Nielsen, Brendan Oates, Kim Olsen, Daniel Olson, Lucas Olson, Matt Pieron, Jake Powell, Annemarie Prince, Kelly Proffitt, Craig Reddell, Corinna Riginos, Robert Ritson, Sierra Robatcek, Shane Roberts, Hall Sawyer, Cody Schroeder, Jessie Shapiro, Nova Simpson, Scott Sprague, Alethea Steingisser, Nicole Tatman, Benjamin Turnock, Cody Wallace, Laura WolfUngulate migrations of the western United States, volume 2
Migration is widespread across taxonomic groups and increasingly recognized as fundamental to maintaining abundant wildlife populations and communities. Many ungulate herds migrate across the western United States to access food and avoid harsh environmental conditions. With the advent of global positioning system (GPS) collars, researchers can describe and map the year-round movements of ungulateAuthorsMatthew Kauffman, Blake Lowrey, Jeffrey Beck, Jodi Berg, Scott Bergen, Joel Berger, James W. Cain III, Sarah Dewey, Jennifer Diamond, Orrin Duvuvuei, Fattebert, Jeff Gagnon, Julia Garcia, Evan Greenspan, Embere Hall, Glenn Harper, Stan Harter, Kent Hersey, Pat Hnilicka, Mark Hurley, Lee Knox, Art Lawson, Eric Maichak, James Meacham, Jerod Merkle, Arthur Middleton, Daniel Olson, Lucas Olson, Craig Reddell, Benjamin Robb, Gabe Rozman, Hall Sawyer, Cody Schroeder, Brandon Scurlock, Jeff Short, Scott Sprague, Alethea Steingisser, Nicole TatmanVariable effects of wind-energy development on seasonal habitat selection of pronghorn
In the face of climate change, wind energy represents an important alternative to oil and gas extraction to meet increasing energy demands, but it has the potential to disrupt wildlife populations. Because behavioral adjustments, such as altered habitat selection, are a primary way that long-lived species respond to novel disturbances, we evaluated effects of wind energy development on pronghorn (AuthorsMegan Cochran Milligan, Aaron Johnston, Jeff L Beck, Kurt T. Smith, Kaitlyn L. Taylor, Embere Hall, Lee Knox, Teal Cufaude, Cody Wallace, Geneva W. Chong, Matthew KauffmanCauses, consequences, and conservation of ungulate migration
Our understanding of ungulate migration is advancing rapidly due to innovations in modern animal tracking. Herein, we review and synthesize nearly seven decades of work on migration and other long-distance movements of wild ungulates. Although it has long been appreciated that ungulates migrate to enhance access to forage, recent contributions demonstrate that their movements are fine tuned to dynAuthorsMatthew Kauffman, Ellen O. Aikens, Saeideh Esmaeili, Petra Kaczensky, Arthur Middleton, Kevin L. Monteith, Thomas A. Morrison, Thomas Mueller, Hall Sawyer, Jacob R. GoheenU.S. Geological Survey science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative—2018 annual report
The Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI) was established in 2007 as a collaborative interagency partnership to develop and implement science-based conservation actions. During the past 11 years, partners from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), State and Federal land management agencies, universities, and the public have collaborated to implement a long-term (more than 10 years) science-basAuthorsPatrick J. Anderson, Cameron L. Aldridge, Jason S. Alexander, Timothy J. Assal, Steven Aulenbach, Zachary H. Bowen, Anna D. Chalfoun, Geneva W. Chong, Holly Copeland, David R. Edmunds, Steve Germaine, Tabitha Graves, Julie A. Heinrichs, Collin G. Homer, Christopher Huber, Aaron Johnston, Matthew J. Kauffman, Daniel J. Manier, Ryan R. McShane, Cheryl A. Eddy-Miller, Kirk A. Miller, Adrian P. Monroe, Michael S. O'Donnell, Anna Ortega, Annika W. Walters, Daniel J. Wieferich, Teal B. Wyckoff, Linda ZeigenfussBody size and digestive system shape resource selection by ungulates: A cross-taxa test of the forage maturation hypothesis
The forage maturation hypothesis (FMH) states that energy intake for ungulates is maximised when forage biomass is at intermediate levels. Nevertheless, metabolic allometry and different digestive systems suggest that resource selection should vary across ungulate species. By combining GPS relocations with remotely sensed data on forage characteristics and surface water, we quantified the effect oAuthorsSaeideh Esmaeili, Brett R. Jesmer, Shannon E. Albeke, Ellen O. Aikens, Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Sarah R.B. King, Briana Abrahms, Bayarbaatar Buuveibaatar, Jeffrey L. Beck, Randall Boone, Francesca Cagnacci, Simon Chamaillé-Jammes, Buyanaa Chimeddorj, Paul C. Cross, Nandintsetseg Dejid, Jagdag Enkhbyar, Ilya Fischhoff, Adam T. Ford, Kate Jenks, Mahmoud-Reza Hemami, Jacob D. Hennig, Takehiko Y. Ito, Petra Kaczensky, Matthew Kauffman, John D. C. Linnell, Badamjav Lkhagvasuren, John F. McEvoy, Joerg Melzheimer, Jerod A. Merkle, Thomas Mueller, Jeff Muntifering, Atle Mysterud, Kirk A. Olson, Manuela Panzacchi, John Payne, Luca Pedrotti, Geir R. Rauset, Daniel I. Rubenstein, Hall Sawyer, John D. Scasta, Johannes Signer, Melissa Songer, Jared A. Stabach, Seth Stapleton, Olav Strand, Siva R. Sundaresan, Dorj Usukhjargal, Ganbold Uuganbayar, John Fryxell, Jacob R. GoheenLife-history theory provides a framework for detecting resource limitation: A test of the Nutritional Buffer Hypothesis
For ungulates and other long-lived species, life-history theory predicts that nutritional reserves are allocated to reproduction in a state-dependent manner because survival is highly conserved. Further, as per capita food abundance and nutritional reserves decline (i.e., density dependence intensifies), reproduction and recruitment become increasingly sensitive to weather. Thus, the degree to whiAuthorsBrett R. Jesmer, Matthew Kauffman, Alyson B. Courtemanch, Steve Kilpatrick, Timothy Thomas, Jeff Yost, Kevin L. Monteith, Jacob R. GoheenShort-term responses to a human-altered landscape do not affect fat dynamics of a migratory ungulate
According to risk-sensitive foraging theory, animals should make foraging decisions that balance nutritional costs and gains to promote fitness. Human disturbance is a form of perceived risk that can prompt avoidance of risky habitat over acquisition of food. Consequently, behavioural responses to perceived risk could induce nutritional costs.Population declines often coincide with increases in huAuthorsSamantha P. H. Dwinnell, Hall Sawyer, Matthew Kauffman, Jill E. Randall, Rusty Kaiser, Mark A. Thonhoff, Gary L. Fralick, Kevin L. MonteithFunctional connectivity in a continuously distributed, migratory species as revealed by landscape genomics
Maintaining functional connectivity is critical for the long-term conservation of wildlife populations. Landscape genomics provides an opportunity to assess long-term functional connectivity by relating environmental variables to spatial patterns of genomic variation resulting from generations of movement, dispersal and mating behaviors. Identifying landscape features associated with gene flow atAuthorsMelanie E. F. LaCava, Roderick B. Gagne, Kyle D. Gustafson, Sara J. Oyler-McCance, Kevin L. Monteith, Hall Sawyer, Matthew J. Kauffman, Daniel J. Thiele, Holly B. ErnestMapping out a future for ungulate migrations
Migration of ungulates (hooved mammals) is a fundamental ecological process that promotes abundant herds, whose effects cascade up and down terrestrial food webs. Migratory ungulates provide the prey base that maintains large carnivore and scavenger populations and underpins terrestrial biodiversity (fig. S1). When ungulates move in large aggregations, their hooves, feces, and urine create conditiAuthorsMatthew Kauffman, Francesca Cagnacci, Simon Chamaillé-Jammes, Mark Hebblewhite, J. Grant C. Hopcraft, Jerod A. Merkle, Thomas Mueller, Atle Mysterud, Wibke Peters, Christiane Roettger, Alethea Steingisser, James Meacham, Kasahun Abera, Jan Adamczewski, Ellen O. Aikens, Hattie Bartlam-Brooks, Emily Bennitt, Joel Berger, Charlotte Boyd, Steeve D. Côté, Lucie Debeffe, Andrea S. Dekrout, Nandintsetseg Dejid, Emiliano Donadio, Luthando Dziba, William F. Fagan, Claude Fischer, S. Focardi, J. M. Fryxell, Richard W. S. Fynn, Chris Geremia, Benito A. Gonzalez, Anne Gunn, E. Gurarie, Marco Heurich, Jodi A. Hilty, Mark Hurley, Aran Johnson, Kyle Joly, Petra Kaczensky, Corinne J. Kendall, Pavel Kochkarev, Leonid Kolpaschikov, Rafał Kowalczyk, Frank van Langeveld, V. Li Binbin, Alex L. Lobora, Anne Loison, Tinaapi H. Madiri, David P. Mallon, Pascal Marchland, Rodrigo A. Medellin, Erling Meisingset, Evelyn Merrill, Arthur D. Middleton, Kevin Monteith, Malik Morjan, Thomas A. Morrison, Steffen Mumme, Robin Naidoo, A.J. Novaro, Joseph O. Ogutu, Kirk A. Olson, Alfred Oteng-Yeboah, Ovejero Ramiro J.A., Norman Owen-Smith, Antti Paasivaara, Craig Packer, Danilla Panchenko, Luca Pedrotti, Andrew J. Plumptre, Christer Moe Rolandsen, Sonia Said, Albert Salemgareyev, Piotr Savchenko, Hall Sawyer, Moses Selebatso, Matthew Skroch, Erling J. Solberg, Jared A. Stabach, Olav Strand, Michael J. Suitor, Yasuyuki Tachiki, Anne Trainor, Arnold Tshipa, M.Z. Virani, Carly Vynne, Stephanie Ward, George Wittemyer, Wenjing Xu, Steffen ZutherEmerging perspectives on resource tracking and animal movement ecology
Resource tracking, where animals increase energy gain by moving to track phenological variation in resources across space, is emerging as a fundamental attribute of animal movement ecology. However, a theoretical framework to understand when and where resource tracking should occur, and how resource tracking should lead to emergent ecological patterns, is lacking. We present a framework that uniteAuthorsBriana Abrahms, Ellen O. Aikens, Jonathan B. Armstrong, William W. Deacy, Matthew Kauffman, Jerod A. Merkle - Web Tools
World's Longest Mule Deer Migration: Red Desert to Hoback
In 2016, researchers in Wyoming discovered the world's longest migration of mule deer. A doe fitted with a GPS tracking collar migrated 242 miles one way. She is known as Deer 255. Each summer, she lives in the heart of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, but travels far into Wyoming's sagebrush sea and high desert ecosystem for winter.
- News