Melanie Davis
Biography
I am currently the project coordinator for the San Francisco Bay Estuary's Nisqually Field Station in Olympia, WA. I am responsible for assessing the post-restoration trajectories of several estuaries in Puget Sound with respect to sediment deposition, vegetative colonization, invertebrate community structure, waterbird habitat use, and salmonid growth potential. I use empirical and theoretical methods to construct bioenergetic growth models for ESA-listed fall Chinook in the Nisqually River Delta.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
- Restoration Ecology
- Community Ecology
- Invertebrates
- Salmon
- Wildlife Ecology
EDUCATION
BS. Miami University of Ohio, Zoology, Chemistry, 2009
MS. Colorado State University, Ecology, 2012
Science and Products
A mosaic of estuarine habitat types with prey resources from multiple environmental strata supports a diversified foraging portfolio for juvenile Chinook salmon
Estuaries provide vital nursery habitat for threatened Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) by promoting an ecological portfolio effect, whereby multiple habitat types and environmental strata maximize foraging opportunities for out-migrating salmon by varying the abundance and composition of prey through space and time. To study this...
Woo, Isa; Davis, Melanie J.; Ellings, Christopher S.; Hodgson, Sayre; Takekawa, John Y.; Nakai, Glynnis; De La Cruz, Susan E. W. Freshwater tidal forests and estuarine wetlands may confer early life growth advantages for delta-reared Chinook Salmon
Large river deltas are complex ecosystems that are believed to play a pivotal role in promoting the early marine growth and survival of threatened Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha. We used a fish bioenergetics model to assess the functional role of multiple delta habitats across a gradient of salinities and vegetation types, where...
Davis, Melanie J.; Woo, Isa; Ellings, Christopher S.; Hodgson, Sayre; Beauchamp, David A.; Nakai, Glynnis; De La Cruz, Susan E. W.
Changes in aquatic prey resources in response to estuary restoration in Willapa Bay, southwestern Washington
Executive SummaryThe ongoing restoration of more than 200 hectares of estuarine habitat at Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, southwestern Washington, is expected to benefit a variety of species, including salmonids that use estuarine and tidal marshes as rearing and feeding areas as well as migratory waterbirds. During March–June 2014 and 2015, U....
Woo, Isa; Davis, Melanie J.; De La Cruz, Susan E. W. Integrated diet analyses reveal contrasting trophic niches for wild and hatchery juvenile Chinook Salmon in a large river delta
Hatchery programs have been used as a conservation tool to bolster declining populations of Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha along much of the North American Pacific coast. In many watersheds, hatchery stocks are released concurrently with the wild population, thus raising the potential for density‐dependent effects. Competition...
Davis, Melanie J.; Woo, Isa; Ellings, Christopher S.; Hodgson, Sayre; Beauchamp, David A.; Nakai, Glynnis; De La Cruz, Susan E.W. Enhanced invertebrate prey production following estuarine restoration supports foraging for multiple species of juvenile salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.)
Estuaries provide crucial foraging resources and nursery habitat for threatened populations of anadromous salmon. As such, there has been a global undertaking to restore habitat and tidal processes in modified estuaries. The foraging capacity of these ecosystems to support various species of out-migrating juvenile salmon can be quantified by...
Woo, Isa; Davis, Melanie J.; Ellings, Christopher S.; Nakai, Glynnis; Takekawa, John Y.; De La Cruz, Susan E. W. Changes in habitat availability for outmigrating juvenile salmon (Oncorhychus spp.) following estuary restoration
The restoration of the Nisqually River Delta (Washington, U.S.A.) represents one of the largest efforts toward reestablishing the ecosystem function and resilience of modified habitat in the Puget Sound, particularly for anadromous salmonid species. The opportunity for outmigrating salmon to access and benefit from the expansion of available tidal...
Ellings, Christopher S.; Davis, Melanie; Grossman, Eric E.; Hodgson, Sayre; Turner, Kelley L.; Woo PR, Isa; Nakai, Glynnis; Takekawa, Jean E.; Takekawa, John Y.