Nafus MG, Todd BD, Buhlmann KA, and Tuberville TD (2015) Consequences of maternal effects on offspring size, growth and survival in the desert tortoise. Journal of Zoology, London, 297:108-114. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jzo.12250
Melia Nafus, Ph.D.
Biography
Melia Nafus is a Research Ecologist in the Fort Collins Science Center’s Invasive Species Science Branch stationed at Guam. She is interested in factors, such as habitat variation and anthropogenic activity, which influence persistence of herpetofaunal populations through their effects on spatial use, behavior, survival, and abundance. In the past her research has focused on improving understanding of factors that affect recruitment and successful translocation implementation for juvenile desert tortoises. Currently, she is studying questions primarily related to management and control of brown tree snake populations on Guam. Her research is focused on improving detection and capture of snakes at low densities, potential ecological effects of snake control, and development and implementation of control measures to enact population suppression on Guam and prevent their spread to other Pacific Islands.
Education
- Ph.D. Ecology, Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California Davis, 2014
- B.S. Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, 2007
Professional Experience
- 2016 to Present, Research Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Dededo Guam
- 2014 to 2016, Researcher, San Diego Zoo Global Institute for Conservation Research, Escondido California
Science and Products
Date published: December 4, 2016
Biology, Impacts and Control of Invasive Reptiles
Invasive species are considered to be second only to habitat degradation in terms of negative impacts on the Earth’s ecosystems, and our scientists make up a significant proportion of the global expertise in the rapidly-growing problem of invasive reptiles.
Date published: December 1, 2016
USGS Brown Treesnake Laboratory and Rapid Response Facility - Guam
USGS scientists and staff associated with the Brown Treesnake Project are co-located at the Guam National Wildlife Refuge at the northern end of Guam in the western Pacific Ocean. Project staff work on developing and testing control tools for invasive brown treesnakes, as well as understanding their impacts on Guam's ecosystems. Project staff also lead the multi-agency Brown Treesnake Rapid...
Date published: July 6, 2016
Status: Active Brown Treesnake Rapid Response Team
Brown Treesnakes continue to cause major problems for the ecology, economy, and quality of life on Guam. Our scientists conduct research on this snake species, including control tool development and testing, ecological impacts, and early detection methods. We hold Brown Treesnake Rapid Response Team training courses on Guam throughout the year to develop the skills needed to effectively...
Date published: July 6, 2016
Status: Active Control and Landscape-Scale Suppression of the Invasive Brown Treesnake
The Brown Treesnake is a highly destructive reptile species that has extirpated many native species of birds, bats, and lizards from the U.S. Territory of Guam. For more than two decades branch scientists with the Invasive Reptile Project have developed, validated, and tested the feasibility of Brown Treesnake control and suppression at various spatial scales.
Date published: October 18, 2017
Dataset: Forest growth in and around an ungulate enclosure on Northern Guam, 2005-2011
On an island largely devoid of native vertebrate seed dispersers, we monitored forest succession for seven years following ungulate exclusion from a 5-hectare area and adjacent plots with ungulates still present.
Year Published: 2020
Landscape dominance of introduced herpetofauna on an oceanic island
Habitat loss and fragmentation can negatively impact native wildlife and facilitate establishment of introduced species. On islands, introduced species are a primary cause of extinction and can alter community membership through predation or competition for resources. Consequently, elucidating the distribution of introduced and native species can...
Hileman, Eric Thomas; Eichelberger, Bradley A.; Liske-Clark, Jill; Barnhart, Patrick D; Reed, Robert; Yackel Adams, Amy A.; Nafus, Melia G.Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2020
Estimating detection probability for Burmese Pythons with few detections and zero recapture events
Detection has been a long-standing challenge to monitoring populations of cryptic herpetofauna, which often have detection probabilities that are closer to zero than one. Burmese Pythons (Python bivittatus =Python molurus bivittatus), a recent invader in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem of Florida, are cryptic snakes that have long periods of...
Nafus, Melia G.; Mazzotti, Frank J.; Reed, RobertAttribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2019
Effects of short-term, outdoor head-starting on growth and survival in the mojave desert tortoise (gopherus agassizii)
The combination of life-history traits that makes some turtle species vulnerable to population declines also limits their ability to recover even after threats have been addressed. Because juvenile turtle survival is typically lower than adult survival, head-starting, the process of rearing juveniles through one of their most vulnerable periods,...
Tracey D Tuberbille; Kurt A Buhlmann; Rahel Sollmann; Nafus, Melia G.; J. Mark Peaden; Jacob A. Daly; Brian D. ToddAttribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2018
Habitat type and structure affect trap capture success of an invasive snake across variable densities
Detection represents an important limitation of accurately estimating population size, abundance, and habitat suitability for wildlife, which can be especially true for cryptic animals. Moreover, for reptiles, juveniles are often less likely to be detected than later life stages. In the case of invasive species, preventing false negatives early in...
Nafus, Melia G.; Yackel Adams, Amy A.; Klug, Page E.; Rodda, Gordon H.Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
Nafus MG, Yackel Adams AA, Klug PE, and Rodda GH. (2018) Habitat type and structure affect trap capture success of an invasive snake. Ecosphere, 9: e02339.
Year Published: 2018
Assessment of two external transmitter attachment methods for Boiga irregularis (Brown Treesnakes)
No abstract available.
Robinson, Charlotte J.; Viernes, Marijoy C.; Reed, Robert; Yackel, Amy; Nafus, Melia G.Attribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
Robinson, CJ, MC Viernes, RN Reed, AA Yackel Adams, and MG Nafus (2018) Assessment of Two External Transmitter Attachment Methods for Boiga irregularis (Brown Treesnakes). Herpetological Review, 49: 32-34
Year Published: 2018
Passive restoration following ungulate removal in a highly disturbed tropical wet forest devoid of native seed dispersers
Overabundant ungulate populations can alter forests. Concurrently, global declines of seed dispersers may threaten native forest structure and function. On an island largely devoid of native vertebrate seed dispersers, we monitored forest succession for 7 years following ungulate exclusion from a 5-ha area and adjacent plots with ungulates still...
Nafus, Melia G.; Savidge, Julie A.; Yackel Adams, Amy A.; Christy, Michelle T.; Reed, RobertAttribution: Fort Collins Science Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2017
Habitat drives dispersal and survival of translocated juvenile desert tortoises
1.In spite of growing reliance on translocations in wildlife conservation, translocation efficacy remains inconsistent. One factor that can contribute to failed translocations is releasing animals into poor quality or otherwise inadequate habitat. 2.Here we used a targeted approach to test the relationship of habitat features to post-translocation...
Nafus, Melia G.; Esque, Todd C.; Averill-Murray, Roy C.; Nussear, Kenneth E.; Swaisgood, Ronald R.Attribution: Western Ecological Research Center, Ecosystems
View Citation
Nafus, MG, TC Esque, RC Averill-Murray, KE Nussear, RR Swaisgood. 2016. Habitat drives dispersal and survival of translocated juvenile desert tortoises. Journal of Applied Ecology. doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.12774
Year Published: 2016
Habitat selection by juvenile Mojave Desert tortoises
Growing pressure to develop public lands for renewable energy production places several protected species at increased risk of habitat loss. One example is the Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), a species often at the center of conflicts over public land development. For this species and others on public lands, a better understanding of...
Todd, Brian D; Halstead, Brian J.; Chiquoine, Lindsay P.; Peaden, J. Mark; Buhlmann, Kurt A.; Tuberville, Tracey D.; Nafus, Melia G.Attribution: Biology and Ecosystems, Western Ecological Research Center, Ecosystems, Energy & Wildlife
View Citation
Todd, BD, BJ Halstead, LP Chiquoine, JM Peaden, KA Buhlmann, TD Tuberville, MG Nafus. 2016. Habitat selection by juvenile Mojave Desert tortoises. The Journal of Wildlife Management. doi: 10.1002/jwmg.1054
Pre-USGS Publications
Nafus MG (2015) Indeterminate growth in desert tortoises. Copeia, 103: 520-524. http://dx.doi.org/10.1643/CH-14-192
Peaden JM, Tuberville TD, Buhlmann KA, Nafus MG, and Todd BD (2015) Delimiting road-effect zones for threatened species: implications for mitigation fencing. Wildlife Research, 42: 650-659. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/WR15082
Nafus MG, Tuberville TD, Buhlmann KA, and Todd BD (2013) Occurrence and demographic structure of Agassiz’s desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) along roads of varying size and traffic volume. Biological Conservation, 162: 100-106. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2013.04.009
Bunting JE, Giles DA, Nafus MG, Nemeth Z, Poletto JB, Roe SM, Thomas RE, VanderWaal K, Caro T. (2011) A primer of conservation behavior. Animal Behaviour, 81: 353-355. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2010.10.011