Michael Casazza
Mike Casazza's research program at the Dixon Field Station focuses on the ecology of waterfowl and wetland management in the Pacific Flyway.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Mike and his team are experts in wildlife telemetry and apply cutting edge tools to answer complex ecological questions. In addition, Mike’s program also focuses on threatened and endangered species in a variety of ecosystems including primary ecological research on the endangered California Ridgway's Rail in SF Bay, the endangered San Francisco Gartersnake, the threatened Giant Gartersnake in the Central Valley of California, the California state-listed Greater Sandhill Crane, and the Greater Sage-Grouse. Mike Casazza's research has targeted studies which provide critical species information to land managers responsible for maintaining diverse and healthy wildlife populations while trying to help recover special status species. Understanding key life history traits of special status species can lead to management options promoting species recovery.
EDUCATION
- 1995 M.S. California State University, Sacramento Thesis: Habitat use and movement of Northern Pintails wintering in Suisun Marsh, CA
- 1988 B.S. Wildlife Biology, U.C. Davis
Science and Products
Duck nest depredation, predator behavior, and female response using video
Ground-nesting great horned owl in Suisun Marsh, California
Actinemys marmorata (Western Pond Turtle): Suspected predation/scavenging
Reproductive frequency and size-dependence of fecundity in the Giant Gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas)
Distribution and demography of San Francisco gartersnakes (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia) at Mindego Ranch, Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve, San Mateo County, California
Construction and analysis of a giant gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas) population projection model
The relative importance of intrinsic and extrinsic drivers to population growth vary among local populations of Greater Sage-Grouse: An integrated population modeling approach
Spatial and temporal variability in growth of giant gartersnakes: Plasticity, precipitation, and prey
Lessons from the past: isotopes of an endangered rail as indicators of underlying change to tidal marsh habitats
Behavioral response of giant gartersnakes (Thamnophis gigas) to the relative availability of aquatic habitat on the landscape
Surveillance for highly pathogenic influenza A viruses in California during 2014–2015 provides insights into viral evolutionary pathways and the spatiotemporal extent of viruses in the Pacific Americas Flyway
An evaluation of the efficacy of using environmental DNA (eDNA) to detect giant gartersnakes (Thamnophis gigas)
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Duck nest depredation, predator behavior, and female response using video
Depredation plays an important role in determining duck nest success and predator and female duck behavior during nest depredation can influence nest fate. We examined depredation of mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and gadwall (A. strepera) nests in Suisun Marsh, California, USA, in 2015–2016 with continuous infrared video monitoring to identify nest predators and characterize predator and female ducAuthorsRebecca Croston, Joshua T. Ackerman, Mark P. Herzog, Jeffrey D. Kohl, C. Alex Hartman, Sarah H. Peterson, Cory T. Overton, Cliff L. Feldheim, Michael L. CasazzaGround-nesting great horned owl in Suisun Marsh, California
Great horned owls (Bubo virginianus) are widespread throughout North, Central, and parts of South America (Artuso et al. 2013). Across this range, great horned owls are generalists, occupying a diverse range of habitats including deciduous and coniferous forests, wetlands, and agricultural landscapes. Within these habitats, great horned owls are generally found near upland or short-vegetation habiAuthorsShannon Skalos, Matthew J. Falcon, Olivia Wang, Andrea Lynn Mott, Melissa Hunt, Orlando Rocha, Josh T. Ackerman, Michael L. Casazza, Joshua M. HullActinemys marmorata (Western Pond Turtle): Suspected predation/scavenging
No abstract available.AuthorsMickey Agha, Brian D. Todd, Shannon Skalos, Matthew J. Falcon, Michael L. Casazza, Olivia WangReproductive frequency and size-dependence of fecundity in the Giant Gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas)
How reproductive output changes with age or size is a key life-history trait that can affect which demographic rates most influence population growth. Although many studies have investigated the reproductive ecology of gartersnakes, we know little about reproduction in the threatened Giant Gartersnake, Thamnophis gigas. We used X-radiography to determine reproductive status and estimated fecundityAuthorsJonathan P. Rose, Julia Ersan, Glenn D. Wylie, Michael L. Casazza, Brian J. HalsteadDistribution and demography of San Francisco gartersnakes (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia) at Mindego Ranch, Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve, San Mateo County, California
San Francisco gartersnakes (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia) are a subspecies of common gartersnakes endemic to the San Francisco Peninsula of northern California. Because of habitat loss and collection for the pet trade, San Francisco gartersnakes were listed as endangered under the precursor to the Federal Endangered Species Act. A population of San Francisco gartersnakes resides at Mindego RancAuthorsRichard Kim, Brian J. Halstead, Glenn D. Wylie, Michael L. CasazzaConstruction and analysis of a giant gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas) population projection model
The giant gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas) is a state and federally threatened species precinctive to California. The range of the giant gartersnake has contracted in the last century because its wetland habitat has been drained for agriculture and development. As a result of this habitat alteration, giant gartersnakes now largely persist in and near rice agriculture in the Sacramento Valley, becausAuthorsJonathan P. Rose, Julia S. M. Ersan, Glenn D. Wylie, Michael L. Casazza, Brian J. HalsteadThe relative importance of intrinsic and extrinsic drivers to population growth vary among local populations of Greater Sage-Grouse: An integrated population modeling approach
Consideration of ecological scale is fundamental to understanding and managing avian population growth and decline. Empirically driven models for population dynamics and demographic processes across multiple spatial scales can be powerful tools to help guide conservation actions. Integrated population models (IPMs) provide a framework for better parameter estimation by unifying multiple sources ofAuthorsPeter S. Coates, Brian G. Prochazka, Mark A. Ricca, Brian J. Halstead, Michael L. Casazza, Erik J. Blomberg, Brianne E. Brussee, Lief Wiechman, Joel Tebbenkamp, Scott C. Gardner, Kerry P. ReeseSpatial and temporal variability in growth of giant gartersnakes: Plasticity, precipitation, and prey
The growth rate of reptiles is plastic and often varies among individuals, populations, and years in response to environmental conditions. For an imperiled species, the growth rate of individual animals is an important component of demographic models, and changes in individual growth rates might precede changes in abundance. We analyzed a long-term dataset on the growth of Giant Gartersnakes (ThamAuthorsJonathan P. Rose, Brian J. Halstead, Glenn D. Wylie, Michael L. CasazzaLessons from the past: isotopes of an endangered rail as indicators of underlying change to tidal marsh habitats
Introduction: Tidal marsh systems along the Pacific coast of the United States have experienced substantial stress and loss of area and ecosystem function, which we examined by using the endangered California Ridgway’s Rail, Rallus obsoletus obsoletus (‘rail’) as an indicator of its tidal marsh habitat in the San Francisco Estuary. We organized a collection of historical (1885-1940) and modern (20AuthorsAngela M. Merritt, Michael L. Casazza, Cory T. Overton, John Y. Takekawa, Thomas P. Hahn, Joshua M. HullBehavioral response of giant gartersnakes (Thamnophis gigas) to the relative availability of aquatic habitat on the landscape
Most extant giant gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas) populations persist in an agro-ecosystem dominated by rice, which serves as a surrogate to the expansive marshes lost to flood control projects and development of the Great Central Valley of California. Knowledge of how giant gartersnakes use the rice agricultural landscape, including how they respond to fallowing, idling, or crop rotations, would gAuthorsGabriel A. Reyes, Brian J. Halstead, Jonathan P. Rose, Julia S. M. Ersan, Anna C. Jordan, Allison M. Essert, Kristen J. Fouts, Alexandria M. Fulton, K. Benjamin Gustafson, Raymund F. Wack, Glenn D. Wylie, Michael L. CasazzaSurveillance for highly pathogenic influenza A viruses in California during 2014–2015 provides insights into viral evolutionary pathways and the spatiotemporal extent of viruses in the Pacific Americas Flyway
We used surveillance data collected in California before, concurrent with, and subsequent to an outbreak of highly pathogenic (HP) clade 2.3.4.4 influenza A viruses (IAVs) in 2014–2015 to (i) evaluate IAV prevalence in waterfowl, (ii) assess the evidence for spill-over infections in marine mammals and (iii) genetically characterize low-pathogenic (LP) and HP IAVs to refine inference on the spatiotAuthorsAndrew M. Ramey, Nichola J. Hill, Troy Cline, Magdalena Plancarte, Susan De La Cruz, Michael L. Casazza, Joshua T. Ackerman, Joseph P. Fleskes, T. Winston Vickers, Andrew B. Reeves, Frances Gulland, Christine Fontaine, Diann J. Prosser, Jonathan Runstadler, Walter M. BoyceAn evaluation of the efficacy of using environmental DNA (eDNA) to detect giant gartersnakes (Thamnophis gigas)
Detecting populations of rare or cryptic species is essential for their conservation. For species like giant gartersnakes (Thamnophis gigas), conventional survey methods can be expensive and inefficient. These sampling difficulties might be overcome by modern techniques that detect deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) shed by organisms into the environment (eDNA). We evaluated the efficacy of detecting giaAuthorsBrian J. Halstead, Dustin A. Wood, Lizabeth Bowen, Shannon C. Waters, Amy G. Vandergast, Julia S. Ersan, Shannon M. Skalos, Michael L. Casazza - Web Tools
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