Michael Runge, Ph.D.
Michael Runge is a research ecologist at the Eastern Ecological Science Center, where he has worked since 1999.
Professional Experience
2001-present Research Ecologist at USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center (Previously Patuxent Wildlife Research Center)
2009 to 2010 visiting scientist at the University of Melbourne, School of Botany
1989 to 1994 taught math and science at St. Francis High School in Louisville, Kentucky
Education and Certifications
B.A. in biology and philosophy (1989) from the Johns Hopkins University
M.A.T. (Master of Arts in Teaching) in biology (1994) from Spalding University
Ph.D. in wildlife science (1999),with minors in biometrics and agricultural economics, from Cornell University
Honors and Awards
Regional Director’s Award for Excellence in Communication. USGS Western Region. November 2007. “In recognition of outstanding science leading to enhanced understanding of the relation bet
Unit Award for Excellence of Service. U.S. Department of Interior. November 2007. In recognition of the outstanding contributions of the International Polar Bear Science Team
Unit Award for Excellence of Service. U.S. Department of Interior. September 2007. In recognition of introducing the adaptive management initiative across the Department
Regional Director’s Conservation Award, USFWS Region 4. May 2007. For contributions to and partnership in the science and recovery efforts of the Florida manatee.
Extraordinary Contribution. Chief, National Wildlife Refuge System, USFWS. June 2003. For extraordinary contributions to Fulfilling the Promise.
Superior Service Award. United States Department of Interior. October 2005. For making your science available to natural resource managers for use in their management decisions
STAR Award - USFWS Region 5. June 2004. For outstanding contributions to improving wildlife management science on National Wildlife Refuges
STAR Award - USGS. August 2003. For supporting the USFWS in the manatee incidental take rule-making.
STAR Award - PWRC, U.S. Geological Survey. January 2002. For helping organize and present the Adaptive Management Workshop at the 2001 Wildlife Society Meeting.
STAR Award - PWRC, U.S. Geological Survey. January 2002. For helping organize and present the Adaptive Management Workshop at the 2001 Wildlife Society Meeting.
Gamma Sigma Delta. Cornell University. Election, May 1998.
Delta Epsilon Sigma. Spalding University. Election, April 1994.
Phi Beta Kappa. Johns Hopkins University. Election, March 1988.
Presidential Scholar. The White House. June 1985.
Science and Products
A Quantitative Threats Analysis for the Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris)
A core stochastic population projection model for Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris)
Planning for robust reserve networks using uncertainty analysis
Adaptive harvest management of North American waterfowl populations - recent successes and future prospects
The role of local populations within a landscape context: Defining and classifying sources and sinks
The need for coherence between waterfowl harvest and habitat management
Harvest potential and habitat are inextricably linked
Introduced species as evolutionary traps
Modeling seasonal interactions in the population dynamics of migratory birds
Capture-recapture analysis for estimating manatee reproductive rates
The importance of environmental variability and management control error to optimal harvest policies
Capture-recapture analysis for estimating manatee reproductive rates
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A Quantitative Threats Analysis for the Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris)
The Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) is an endangered marine mammal endemic to the southeastern United States. The primary threats to manatee populations are collisions with watercraft and the potential loss of warm-water refuges. For the purposes of listing, recovery, and regulation under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), an understanding of the relative effects of the principal tAuthorsMichael C. Runge, Carol A. Sanders-Reed, Catherine A. Langtimm, Christopher J. FonnesbeckA core stochastic population projection model for Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris)
A stochastic, stage-based population model was developed to describe the life history and forecast the population dynamics of the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) in four separate regions of Florida. This population model includes annual variability in survival and reproductive rates, demographic stochasticity, effects of changes in warm-water capacity, and catastrophes. Further, tAuthorsMichael C. Runge, Carol A. Sanders-Reed, Christopher J. FonnesbeckPlanning for robust reserve networks using uncertainty analysis
Planning land-use for biodiversity conservation frequently involves computer-assisted reserve selection algorithms. Typically such algorithms operate on matrices of species presence?absence in sites, or on species-specific distributions of model predicted probabilities of occurrence in grid cells. There are practically always errors in input data?erroneous species presence?absence data, structurAuthorsA. Moilanen, M.C. Runge, Jane Elith, A. Tyre, Y. Carmel, E. Fegraus, B.A. Wintle, M. Burgman, Y. Ben-HaimAdaptive harvest management of North American waterfowl populations - recent successes and future prospects
The history of North American waterfowl harvest management has been characterized by attempts to use population monitoring data to make informed harvest management decisions. Early attempts can be characterized as intuitive decision processes, and later efforts were guided increasingly by population models and associated predictions. In 1995, a formal adaptive management process was implemented,AuthorsJ. D. Nichols, M.C. Runge, F.A. Johnson, B.K. WilliamsThe role of local populations within a landscape context: Defining and classifying sources and sinks
The interaction of local populations has been the focus of an increasing number of studies in the past 30 years. The study of source-sink dynamics has especially generated much interest. Many of the criteria used to distinguish sources and sinks incorporate the process of apparent survival (i.e., the combined probability of true survival and site fidelity) but not emigration. These criteria implAuthorsJ.P. Runge, M.C. Runge, J. D. NicholsThe need for coherence between waterfowl harvest and habitat management
Two of the most significant management efforts affecting waterfowl populations in North America are the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (the Plan) and Federal harvest management programs. Both the Plan and harvest management are continental in scope, involve an extensive group of stakeholders, and rely on adaptive processes of biological planning, implementation, and evaluation. The devAuthorsM.C. Runge, F.A. Johnson, M.G. Anderson, M.D. Koneff, E.T. Reed, S.E. MottHarvest potential and habitat are inextricably linked
No abstract available.AuthorsM.G. Anderson, J.M. Eadie, M.T. Huang, R. Johnson, M.D. Koneff, J.K. Ringelman, M.C. Runge, H.C. WilsonIntroduced species as evolutionary traps
Invasive species can alter environments in such a way that normal behavioural decision-making rules of native species are no longer adaptive. The evolutionary trap concept provides a useful framework for predicting and managing the impact of harmful invasive species. We discuss how native species can respond to changes in their selective regime via evolution or learning. We also propose novel manaAuthorsMartin A. Schlaepfer, P. W. Sherman, Bernd Blossey, Michael C. RungeModeling seasonal interactions in the population dynamics of migratory birds
Understanding the population dynamics of migratory birds requires understanding the relevant biological events that occur during breeding, migratory, and overwintering periods. The few available population models for passerine birds focus on breeding-season events, disregard or oversimplify events during nonbreeding periods, and ignore interactions that occur between periods of the annual cycle.AuthorsM.C. Runge, P.P. MarraCapture-recapture analysis for estimating manatee reproductive rates
Modeling the life history of the endangered Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) is an important step toward understanding its population dynamics and predicting its response to management actions. We developed a multi-state markresighting model for data collected under Pollock's robust design. This model estimates breeding probability conditional on a female's breeding state in the prAuthorsW. L. Kendall, C.A. Langtimm, C.A. Beck, M.C. RungeThe importance of environmental variability and management control error to optimal harvest policies
State-dependent strategies (SDSs) are the most general form of harvest policy because they allow the harvest rate to depend, without constraint, on the state of the system. State-dependent strategies that provide an optimal harvest rate for any system state can be calculated, and stochasticity can be appropriately accommodated in this optimization. Stochasticity poses 2 challenges to harvest policAuthorsC.M. Hunter, M.C. RungeCapture-recapture analysis for estimating manatee reproductive rates
Modeling the life history of the endangered Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) is an important step toward understanding its population dynamics and predicting its response to management actions. We developed a multi-state mark-resighting model for data collected under Pollock's robust design. This model estimates breeding probability conditional on a female's breeding state in the pAuthorsW. L. Kendall, C.A. Langtimm, C.A. Beck, M.C. Runge - Web Tools
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