Tufted puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) are an iconic species in the Pacific Northwest that provide a wide range of ecological, economic, and historically important services such as ecotourism for local communities- and bringing marine derived nutrients to terrestrial habitats.
Melanie Davis, PhD
Assistant Unit Leader - Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units
I am currently the project coordinator Assistant Unit Leader for the Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit in Corvallis, Oregon. My most recent work examines the role of estuarine habitat diversity in supporting juvenile salmon during their out-migration.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
- Restoration Ecology
- Community Ecology
- Invertebrates
- Salmon
- Wildlife Ecology
Professional Experience
Assistant Unit Leader, Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 2020-
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. University of Washington, 2019
M.S. Colorado State University, Ecology, 2012
B.S. Miami University of Ohio, Zoology, Chemistry, 2009
Science and Products
Assessing the Benefits and Vulnerability of Current and Future Potential Ecosystem Services of the Nisqually River Delta and other Puget Sound Estuaries
Carbon, Nitrogen, and Sulfur Stable Isotopes from Primary Producers, Invertebrates, and Fish at the Nisqually River Delta, Washington from 2011, 2012, and 2015
Projected future habitat, elevation change, and carbon accumulation of coastal wetlands in the Nisqually River Delta, Washington
San Gorgonio Pass Wind Resource Area Repower Data (2018-2019)
Tidal marsh biomass field plot and remote sensing datasets for six regions in the conterminous United States (ver. 2.0, June 2020)
Tufted puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) are an iconic species in the Pacific Northwest that provide a wide range of ecological, economic, and historically important services such as ecotourism for local communities- and bringing marine derived nutrients to terrestrial habitats.
Adult tufted puffin feeds fish to a juvenile puffin. Illustration by Carina Kusaka. Permission agreement on file.
Adult tufted puffin feeds fish to a juvenile puffin. Illustration by Carina Kusaka. Permission agreement on file.
Seals swim along the Oregon Coast. Modeling animal movement through landscapes is a key component to understanding population
ecology, how populations can be managed, how human actions impact the population.
Seals swim along the Oregon Coast. Modeling animal movement through landscapes is a key component to understanding population
ecology, how populations can be managed, how human actions impact the population.
Tufted puffins are an iconic species in the Pacific Northwest that provide a wide range of ecological, economic, and historically important services such as ecotourism for local communities- and bringing marine derived nutrients to terrestrial habitats.
Tufted puffins are an iconic species in the Pacific Northwest that provide a wide range of ecological, economic, and historically important services such as ecotourism for local communities- and bringing marine derived nutrients to terrestrial habitats.
Tufted puffin flying over the Oregon Coast. The Tufted Puffin – a seabird of the North Pacific Rim – has evinced steep declines off the west coast of the continental United States in recent years, but it is less clear that the species is declining in the northern portion of its range.
Tufted puffin flying over the Oregon Coast. The Tufted Puffin – a seabird of the North Pacific Rim – has evinced steep declines off the west coast of the continental United States in recent years, but it is less clear that the species is declining in the northern portion of its range.
Vulnerability to sea-level rise varies among estuaries and habitat types: Lessons learned from a network of surface elevation tables in Puget Sound
Allochthonous marsh subsidies enhances food web productivity in an estuary and its surrounding ecosystem mosaic
Selenium hazards in the Salton Sea environment—Summary of current knowledge to inform future wetland management
Can coastal habitats rise to the challenge? Resilience of estuarine habitats, carbon accumulation, and economic value to sea-level rise in a Puget Sound estuary
A climate-mediated shift in the estuarine habitat mosaic limits prey availability and reduces nursery quality for juvenile salmon
Variable prey consumption leads to distinct regional differences in Chinook salmon growth during the early marine critical period
Carbon sources in the sediments of a restoring vs. historically unaltered salt marsh
Development and implementation of an empirical habitat change model and decision support tool for estuarine ecosystems
A mosaic of estuarine habitat types with prey resources from multiple environmental strata supports a diversified foraging portfolio for juvenile Chinook salmon
Freshwater tidal forests and estuarine wetlands may confer early life growth advantages for delta-reared Chinook Salmon
Changes in aquatic prey resources in response to estuary restoration in Willapa Bay, southwestern Washington
Integrated diet analyses reveal contrasting trophic niches for wild and hatchery juvenile Chinook Salmon in a large river delta
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
Assessing the Benefits and Vulnerability of Current and Future Potential Ecosystem Services of the Nisqually River Delta and other Puget Sound Estuaries
Carbon, Nitrogen, and Sulfur Stable Isotopes from Primary Producers, Invertebrates, and Fish at the Nisqually River Delta, Washington from 2011, 2012, and 2015
Projected future habitat, elevation change, and carbon accumulation of coastal wetlands in the Nisqually River Delta, Washington
San Gorgonio Pass Wind Resource Area Repower Data (2018-2019)
Tidal marsh biomass field plot and remote sensing datasets for six regions in the conterminous United States (ver. 2.0, June 2020)
Tufted puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) are an iconic species in the Pacific Northwest that provide a wide range of ecological, economic, and historically important services such as ecotourism for local communities- and bringing marine derived nutrients to terrestrial habitats.
Tufted puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) are an iconic species in the Pacific Northwest that provide a wide range of ecological, economic, and historically important services such as ecotourism for local communities- and bringing marine derived nutrients to terrestrial habitats.
Adult tufted puffin feeds fish to a juvenile puffin. Illustration by Carina Kusaka. Permission agreement on file.
Adult tufted puffin feeds fish to a juvenile puffin. Illustration by Carina Kusaka. Permission agreement on file.
Seals swim along the Oregon Coast. Modeling animal movement through landscapes is a key component to understanding population
ecology, how populations can be managed, how human actions impact the population.
Seals swim along the Oregon Coast. Modeling animal movement through landscapes is a key component to understanding population
ecology, how populations can be managed, how human actions impact the population.
Tufted puffins are an iconic species in the Pacific Northwest that provide a wide range of ecological, economic, and historically important services such as ecotourism for local communities- and bringing marine derived nutrients to terrestrial habitats.
Tufted puffins are an iconic species in the Pacific Northwest that provide a wide range of ecological, economic, and historically important services such as ecotourism for local communities- and bringing marine derived nutrients to terrestrial habitats.
Tufted puffin flying over the Oregon Coast. The Tufted Puffin – a seabird of the North Pacific Rim – has evinced steep declines off the west coast of the continental United States in recent years, but it is less clear that the species is declining in the northern portion of its range.
Tufted puffin flying over the Oregon Coast. The Tufted Puffin – a seabird of the North Pacific Rim – has evinced steep declines off the west coast of the continental United States in recent years, but it is less clear that the species is declining in the northern portion of its range.
Vulnerability to sea-level rise varies among estuaries and habitat types: Lessons learned from a network of surface elevation tables in Puget Sound
Allochthonous marsh subsidies enhances food web productivity in an estuary and its surrounding ecosystem mosaic
Selenium hazards in the Salton Sea environment—Summary of current knowledge to inform future wetland management
Can coastal habitats rise to the challenge? Resilience of estuarine habitats, carbon accumulation, and economic value to sea-level rise in a Puget Sound estuary
A climate-mediated shift in the estuarine habitat mosaic limits prey availability and reduces nursery quality for juvenile salmon
Variable prey consumption leads to distinct regional differences in Chinook salmon growth during the early marine critical period
Carbon sources in the sediments of a restoring vs. historically unaltered salt marsh
Development and implementation of an empirical habitat change model and decision support tool for estuarine ecosystems
A mosaic of estuarine habitat types with prey resources from multiple environmental strata supports a diversified foraging portfolio for juvenile Chinook salmon
Freshwater tidal forests and estuarine wetlands may confer early life growth advantages for delta-reared Chinook Salmon
Changes in aquatic prey resources in response to estuary restoration in Willapa Bay, southwestern Washington
Integrated diet analyses reveal contrasting trophic niches for wild and hatchery juvenile Chinook Salmon in a large river delta
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.