Mitchell J Eaton, Ph.D.
Mitchell Eaton is a Research Ecologist with the USGS Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center and an adjunct faculty member in Applied Ecology at NC State University. His research focuses on wildlife ecology and management, emphasizing quantitative modeling to understand resource dynamics and use of decision-theoretic methods to guide management decisions under uncertainty.
Mitch earned a M.S. in Conservation Biology at the University of Minnesota (2002; use of harvest data to assess sustainability of tropical vertebrates) and his Ph.D in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from the University of Colorado (2009; population demographics, genetics and harvest management of African crocodiles). An interest in how policy makers actually use science to make decisions led him to a postdoc at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (USGS), where he worked with some of the top researchers in the field of decision theory to develop and apply quantitative decision-analytic tools for addressing resource management issues in the U.S. and globally. Mitch currently integrates his background and interests in population ecology with decision science to help managers and decision makers frame management problems, formulate approaches to predict outcomes and evaluate trade-offs, test hypotheses and improve decision making via adaptive management, and optimally allocate resources under uncertainty. Mitch is interested in bridging the science-management gap by working with decision makers early in their formulation of management issues and considering how science can most effectively support decision-making. He also has an ongoing interest in tropical ecology, crocodilian conservation and wildlife harvest dynamics.
Additional Projects:
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Conservation and management of the New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis): designing a monitoring program and occupancy models to test hypotheses of habitat and competition on patch occupancy and dynamics
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Development of an adaptive management plan to restore the Herring River estuary, Cape Cod
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado
M.S. in Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota
Science and Products
Informing Conservation Management Decision-Making at Coastal National Wildlife Refuges
Application of an Adaptive Management Plan to Reduce Uncertainty and Improve Decisions in Restoring the Herring River Estuary
Cape Romain partnership for coastal protection
Integrated hierarchical models to inform management of transitional habitat and the recovery of a habitat specialist
Modeling structural mechanics of oyster reef self-organization including environmental constraints and community interactions
A Bayesian Dirichlet process community occupancy model to estimate community structure and species similarity
Building adaptive capacity in a coastal region experiencing global change
Do empirical observations support commonly-held climate change range shift hypotheses? A systematic review protocol
A social-ecological odyssey in fisheries and wildlife management
A decision framework to analyze tide-gate options for restoration of the Herring River Estuary, Massachusetts
Spatial conservation planning under uncertainty using modern portfolio theory and nash bargaining solution
Climate change adaptation for coastal national wildlife refuges
Spatial conservation planning under uncertainty: Adapting to climate change risks using modern portfolio theory
Implementation of an occupancy-based monitoring protocol for a wide-spread and cryptic species, the New England cottontail Sylvilagus transitionalis
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
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Informing Conservation Management Decision-Making at Coastal National Wildlife Refuges
Coastal National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) provide a myriad of beneficial services, including buffering storm surge, improving water quality, supporting commercial fisheries, and providing habitat for imperiled wildlife and plants. Yet in the last century, coastal ecosystems in the eastern U.S. have been severely altered by human development activities as well as sea-level rise and more frequent extApplication of an Adaptive Management Plan to Reduce Uncertainty and Improve Decisions in Restoring the Herring River Estuary
Located between Wellfleet and Turo, Massachusetts, the 1100-acre Herring River watershed has historically provided many ecological and social benefits, including forest and wetland habitat for native fish, birds, and mammals and recreational and educational opportunities for residents and visitors. Construction of a dike and ditches beginning in the early 1900s constricted tidal exchange into the - Multimedia
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Cape Romain partnership for coastal protection
This final report summarizes activities, outcomes, and lessons learned from a 3-year project titled “Climate Change Adaptation for Coastal National Wildlife Refuges” with the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and local partners in the surrounding South Carolina Lowcountry. The Lowcountry is classified as the 10-county area encompassing the coastal plain of South Carolina (this report specAuthorsMitchell J. Eaton, Fred A. Johnson, Jessica Mikels-Carrasco, David J. Case, Julien Martin, Bradley Stith, Simeon Yurek, Bradley Udell, Laura Villegas, Laura Taylor, Zulquarnain Haider, Hadi Charkhgard, Changhyun KwonIntegrated hierarchical models to inform management of transitional habitat and the recovery of a habitat specialist
Quantifying the contribution of habitat dynamics relative to intrinsic population processes in regulating species persistence remains an ongoing challenge in ecological and applied conservation. Understanding these drivers and their relationship is essential for managing habitat‐dependent species, especially those that specialize in transitional habitats. Limitations in the ability of natural distAuthorsMitchell Eaton, David Breininger, James D. Nichols, F. Paul, Samantha McGee, Michelle Smurl, David DeMeyer, Jonny Baker, Maria B. ZondervanModeling structural mechanics of oyster reef self-organization including environmental constraints and community interactions
Self-organization is a process of establishing and reinforcing local structures through feedbacks between internal population dynamics and external factors. In reef-building systems, substrate is collectively engineered by individuals that also occupy it and compete for space. Reefs are constrained spatially by the physical environment, and by mortality, which reduces production but exposes substrAuthorsSimeon Yurek, Mitchell Eaton, Romain Lavaud, R. Wilson Laney, Don DeAngelis, William E. Pine, Megan K. LaPeyre, Julien Martin, Peter C Frederick, Hongqing Wang, Michael R. Lowe, Fred Johnson, Edward V. Camp, Rua MordecaiA Bayesian Dirichlet process community occupancy model to estimate community structure and species similarity
Community occupancy models estimate species‐specific parameters while sharing information across species by treating parameters as sampled from a common distribution. When communities consist of discrete groups, shrinkage of estimates towards the community mean can mask differences among groups. Infinite mixture models using a Dirichlet process (DP) distribution, in which the number of latent grouAuthorsRahel Sollmann, Mitchell Eaton, William Link, Paul Mulundo, Samuel Ayebare, Sarah Prinsloo, Andrew J. Plumptre, D.S. JohnsonBuilding adaptive capacity in a coastal region experiencing global change
Coastal ecosystems in the eastern U.S. have been severely altered by human development, and climate change and other stressors are now further degrading the capacity of those ecological and social systems to remain resilient in the face of such disturbances. We sought to identify potential ways in which local conservation interests in the Lowcountry of South Carolina (USA) could participate in a sAuthorsFred A. Johnson, Mitchell J. Eaton, Jessica Mikels-Carrasco, David J. CaseDo empirical observations support commonly-held climate change range shift hypotheses? A systematic review protocol
Background Among the most widely anticipated climate-related impacts to biodiversity are geographic range shifts, whereby species shift their spatial distribution in response to changing climate conditions. In particular, a series of commonly articulated hypotheses have emerged: species are expected to shift their distributions to higher latitudes, greater elevations, and deeper depths in responAuthorsMadeleine A. Rubenstein, Sarah R. Weiskopf, Shawn Carter, Mitchell Eaton, Ciara Johnson, Abigail Lynch, Brian W. Miller, Toni Lyn Morelli, Mari Angel Rodriguez, Adam Terando, Laura ThompsonA social-ecological odyssey in fisheries and wildlife management
No abstract available.AuthorsAndrew K. Carlson, William W. Taylor, Melissa R Cronin, Mitchell Eaton, Lauren E. Eckert, Mark A Kaemingk, Andrea J. Reid, Ashley TrudeauA decision framework to analyze tide-gate options for restoration of the Herring River Estuary, Massachusetts
The collective set of decisions involved with the restoration of degraded wetlands is often more complex than considering only ecological responses and outcomes. Restoration is commonly driven by a complex interaction of social, economic, and ecological factors representing the mandate of resource stewards and the values of stakeholders. The authors worked with the Herring River Restoration CommitAuthorsDavid R. Smith, Mitchell J. Eaton, Jill J. Gannon, Timothy P. Smith, Eric L. Derleth, Jonathan Katz, Kirk F. Bosma, Elise LeducSpatial conservation planning under uncertainty using modern portfolio theory and nash bargaining solution
In recent years, researchers from interdisciplinary teams involving ecologists, economists and operations re- searchers collaborated to provide decision support tools to address the challenges of preserving biodiversity by optimizing the design of reserves. The goal of this paper is to further advance this area of research and provide new solutions to solve complex Spatial Conservation Planning (AuthorsAlvaro Sierra-Altamiranda, Hadi Charkhgard, Mitchell J. Eaton, Julien Martin, Simeon Yurek, Bradley J. UdellClimate change adaptation for coastal national wildlife refuges
National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) along the East Coast of the United States protect habitat for a host of wildlife species, while also offering storm surge protection, improving water quality, supporting nurseries for commercially important fish and shellfish, and providing recreation opportunities for coastal communities. Yet in the last century, coastal ecosystems in the eastern U.S. have been seAuthorsMitchell Eaton, Jennifer K. Costanza, Fred A Johnson, Julien Martin, Laura TaylorSpatial conservation planning under uncertainty: Adapting to climate change risks using modern portfolio theory
Climate change and urban growth impact habitats, species, and ecosystem services. To buffer against global change, an established adaptation strategy is designing protected areas to increase representation and complementarity of biodiversity features. Uncertainty regarding the scale and magnitude of landscape change complicates reserve planning and exposes decision makers to risk of failing to meeAuthorsMitchell J. Eaton, Simeon Yurek, Zulqarnain Haider, Julien Martin, Fred Johnson, Bradley Udell, Hadi Charkhgard, Changhyun KwonImplementation of an occupancy-based monitoring protocol for a wide-spread and cryptic species, the New England cottontail Sylvilagus transitionalis
Designing effective long-term monitoring strategies is essential for managing wildlife populations. Implementing a cost-effective, practical monitoring program is especially challenging for widespread but locally rare species. Early successional habitat preferred by the New England cottontail (NEC) has become increasingly rare and fragmented, resulting in substantial declines from their peak distrAuthorsColin P. Shea, Mitchell Eaton, Darryl I. MacKenzieNon-USGS Publications**
Eaton, MJ. 2012. Monitoring trends in hunting returns and harvest sustainability: catch per unit effort (CPUE). In Clark, C.J. and J.R. Poulsen (eds). Tropical Forest Conservation and Industry Partnership: an Experience from the Congo Basin. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, UK.Laurance, W., Carolina Useche, D., Rendeiro, J. et al. Averting biodiversity collapse in tropical forest protected areas. Nature 489, 290–294 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11318Eaton, M.J., Meyers, G.L., Kolokotronis, SO. et al. Barcoding bushmeat: molecular identification of Central African and South American harvested vertebrates. Conserv Genet 11, 1389–1404 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-009-9967-0Mitchell J. Eaton, Andrew Martin, John Thorbjarnarson, George Amato. Species-level diversification of African dwarf crocodiles (Genus Osteolaemus): A geographic and phylogenetic perspective, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Volume 50, Issue 3, 2009, Pages 496-506, ISSN 1055-7903, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2008.11.009**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.
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