Melia Nafus, Ph.D.
Melia Nafus is a Research Ecologist at the Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center.
Melia leads the USGS Brown Treesnake Project based in the Marianas where her research is focused on improving detection and capture of cryptic reptiles 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. She also develops and collaborates on research designed to inform ecology and species recovery needs in the Pacific and elsewhere, as well as invasive reptile ecology. Broadly speaking, Melia is interested in factors that affect persistence of herpetofaunal populations including behavior, habitat selection, population dynamics, and spatial use.
Professional Experience
2016 to Present, Research Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey
2014 to 2016, Researcher, San Diego Zoo Global Institute for Conservation Research, Escondido California
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Ecology, Graduate Group in Ecology, University of California Davis, 2014
B.S. Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, 2007
Science and Products
Biology, Impacts and Control of Invasive Reptiles in the Pacific
Guam, USGS Closed Population (NWFN) data relating to brown treesnake and prey interactions processed into monthly intervals from 10/2016 - 2/2023
Data on dietary preference by brown treesnakes on Guam
Guam, USGS Closed Population (NWFN), an experimental eradication of brown treesnakes in a 5-ha study site, 2016 - 2023
Brown treesnake movement following snake suppression in the Habitat Management Unit on Northern Guam from 2015
Size distribution and reproductive data of the invasive Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, Florida, USA, 1995-2021
Exogenous and endogenous factors influence invasive reptile movement at multiple scales, 2018 - 2019
Activity and habitat selection by female desert tortoises in Mojave National Preserve, California USA 2011 - 2013
Demographic data for toxicant based trial eradication of brown treesnakes in the USGS Closed Population on Guam, 2016 - 2020
Monitoring mortality of brown treesnakes fed an oral toxicant (acetaminophen) in an external bait placement dosing technique in the laboratory, 2017
Brown Treesnake Mortality Habitat Management Unit Guam 2019
Data associated with toxicant applications for brown treesnake control
Brown Treesnake visual survey and radiotelemetry data, Guam 2015
Videographic monitoring at caves to estimate population size of the endangered yǻyaguak (Mariana swiftlet) on Guam
Limitations of invasive snake control tools in the context of a new invasion on an island with abundant prey
Size distribution and reproductive phenology of the invasive Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, Florida, USA
Boiga irregularis (brown treesnake)
Invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) move short distances and have small activity areas in a high prey environment
Chew-cards can accurately index invasive rat densities in Mariana Island forests
Individual heterogeneity influences the effects of translocation on urban dispersal of an invasive reptile
Can we prove that an undetected species is absent? Evaluating whether brown treesnakes are established on the island of Saipan using surveillance and expert opinion
Demographic response of brown treesnakes to extended population suppression
Female persistence during toxicant treatment predicts survival probability of offspring in invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis)
Foraging behavior in a generalist snake (brown treesnake, Boiga irregularis) with implications for avian reintroduction and recovery
Brown treesnake mortality after aerial application of toxic baits
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
Biology, Impacts and Control of Invasive Reptiles in the Pacific
Guam, USGS Closed Population (NWFN) data relating to brown treesnake and prey interactions processed into monthly intervals from 10/2016 - 2/2023
Data on dietary preference by brown treesnakes on Guam
Guam, USGS Closed Population (NWFN), an experimental eradication of brown treesnakes in a 5-ha study site, 2016 - 2023
Brown treesnake movement following snake suppression in the Habitat Management Unit on Northern Guam from 2015
Size distribution and reproductive data of the invasive Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, Florida, USA, 1995-2021
Exogenous and endogenous factors influence invasive reptile movement at multiple scales, 2018 - 2019
Activity and habitat selection by female desert tortoises in Mojave National Preserve, California USA 2011 - 2013
Demographic data for toxicant based trial eradication of brown treesnakes in the USGS Closed Population on Guam, 2016 - 2020
Monitoring mortality of brown treesnakes fed an oral toxicant (acetaminophen) in an external bait placement dosing technique in the laboratory, 2017
Brown Treesnake Mortality Habitat Management Unit Guam 2019
Data associated with toxicant applications for brown treesnake control
Brown Treesnake visual survey and radiotelemetry data, Guam 2015
Videographic monitoring at caves to estimate population size of the endangered yǻyaguak (Mariana swiftlet) on Guam
Limitations of invasive snake control tools in the context of a new invasion on an island with abundant prey
Size distribution and reproductive phenology of the invasive Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, Florida, USA
Boiga irregularis (brown treesnake)
Invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) move short distances and have small activity areas in a high prey environment
Chew-cards can accurately index invasive rat densities in Mariana Island forests
Individual heterogeneity influences the effects of translocation on urban dispersal of an invasive reptile
Can we prove that an undetected species is absent? Evaluating whether brown treesnakes are established on the island of Saipan using surveillance and expert opinion
Demographic response of brown treesnakes to extended population suppression
Female persistence during toxicant treatment predicts survival probability of offspring in invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis)
Foraging behavior in a generalist snake (brown treesnake, Boiga irregularis) with implications for avian reintroduction and recovery
Brown treesnake mortality after aerial application of toxic baits
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.