Peter Coates
Biography
Dr. Peter Coates is interested in sound science and management practices aimed at restoring wildlife communities and their habitats. He is committed to progressive, scientifically defensible conservation actions in the face of increasing human population size and individual consumption. Abundance and distribution of wild populations often can be linked to changes in their environments caused by human land use practices, but identifying the ecological mechanisms of declining populations are often challenging. Specifically, Dr. Coates is interested in investigating the links between nesting habitat, predator composition, and incubation behavior and success of birds. Additionally, he is interested in the effects of anthropogenic-resource subsidies on the survival and reproduction of predators and how these changes influence demographics and distribution of prey populations. Dr. Coates seeks to develop a broader understanding of how human-caused landscape changes affect communities and aim to identify restoration practices that preserve natural ecological processes. He is also interested in behavioral traits of grouse that affect population establishment and persistence in the face of environmental challenges.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
- Avian Ecology
- Behavioral ecology of vertebrates
- Conservation biology
- Effects of Anthropogenic Disturbance
- Geographic Information Systems
- Habitat modeling
- Telemetry (radio and/or satellite)
EDUCATION
- Ph. D., Biology, Idaho State University 2007
- M. S., Biology, University of Nevada Reno 2001
- B. S., Conservation Biology, University of Nevada Reno 1998
PROFESSIONAL AND HONORARY SOCIETIES AND SCIENCE ADVISORY COMMITTEES
- American Ornithologists Union
- Cooper Ornithological Society
- Jack H. Berryman Institute
- Society for Conservation Biology
- The Wildlife Society
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Wildlife Biologist, U. S. Geological Survey, 2008–present
- Postdoctoral Appointment, Idaho State University, 2008
- Seasonal Wildlife Biologist, Wildlife Conservation Society, 2007
- Graduate Research Assistantship, Idaho State University, 2002–2007
- Teaching Assistantship, Idaho State University, 2004–2007
- National Science Foundation GK–12 Teaching F, Idaho State University, 2005–2006
- Seasonal Biological Specialist, U. S. Department of Agriculture, 2003–2005
- Field Research Technician, University of Nevada Reno, 1999
- Conservation Biological Technician I, II, and III, Nevada Department of Wildlife, 1996–1998
Science and Products
WERC Fire Science
WERC scientists are defining the past, present, and future of wildfires for wildlife and human communities. Explore this webpage to learn about specific, ongoing projects across California and parts of Nevada.
Greater Sage-Grouse Population Ecology
Greater Sage-grouse are iconic birds found only in the Great Basin of the western U.S. Known for their showy courting displays, sage-grouse rely on native sagebrush habitat to shelter their young. Dr. Pete Coates is providing resource managers with the tools and information they need to conserve sage-grouse as invasive plants, evolving wildfire patterns, and energy development change the Great...
Stressors to Greater Sage-Grouse
The Greater Sage-grouse is a small bird found only in the sagebrush steppe of the Great Basin. Invasions of non-native grasses, evolving wildfire patterns, grazing from livestock, and human land uses are changing this unique ecosystem. WERC’s Dr. Pete Coates studies sage-grouse populations to determine how these influences could affect the bird and other wildlife in the future.
Reproductive Success of Black-Crowned Night-Herons and Snowy Egrets on Alcatraz Island
Years after the last inmate departed Alcatraz Island, waterbirds like Black-crowned Night Herons and Snowy Egrets still make the forbidding island their home. The National Park Service has requested the aid of WERC’s Dr. Pete Coates to inform efforts to expand visitor access to the Island, and simultaneously maintain healthy waterbird populations.
Dixon Field Station
WERC scientists at the Dixon Field Station conduct studies from the San Francisco Bay-Delta in California to the Great Basin spanning California and Nevada.
Spatially explicit models of seasonal habitat for greater sage‐grouse at broad spatial scales: Informing areas for management in Nevada and northeastern California
Defining boundaries of species' habitat across broad spatial scales is often necessary for management decisions, and yet challenging for species that demonstrate differential variation in seasonal habitat use. Spatially explicit indices that incorporate temporal shifts in selection can help overcome such challenges, especially for species of high...
Coates, Peter S.; Brussee, Brianne E.; Ricca, Mark A.; Severson, John; Casazza, Michael L.; Gustafson, K. Ben; Espinosa, Shawn P.; Gardner, Scott C.; Delahunty, David J
Population and habitat analyses for greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) in the bi-state distinct population segment—2018 update
Executive SummaryThe Bi-State Distinct Population Segment (Bi-State DPS) of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus, hereinafter “sage-grouse”) represents a genetically distinct and geographically isolated population that straddles the border between Nevada and California. The primary threat to these sage-grouse populations is the expansion...
Coates, Peter S.; Ricca, Mark A.; Prochazka, Brian G.; O'Neil, Shawn T.; Severson, John P.; Mathews, Steven R.; Espinosa, Shawn; Gardner, Scott; Lisius, Sherri; Delehanty, David J. Estimating sightability of greater sage-grouse at leks using an aerial infrared system and N-mixture models
Counts of grouse present at leks (breeding grounds) during spring are widely used to monitor population numbers and assess trends. However, only a proportion of birds available to count are detected resulting in a biased population index. We designed a study using an aerial integrated infrared imaging system (AIRIS) and experimental pseudo-leks to...
Coates, Peter S.; Wann, Gregory T.; Gillette, Gifford L.; Ricca, Mark A.; Prochazka, Brian G.; Severson, John P.; Andrle, Katie M.; Espinosa, Shawn P.; Casazza, Michael L.; Delehanty, David J. Designing multi-scale hierarchical monitoring frameworks for wildlife to support management: A sage-grouse case study
Population monitoring is integral to the conservation and management of wildlife; yet, analyses of population demographic data rarely consider processes occurring across spatial scales, potentially limiting the effectiveness of adaptive management. Therefore, we developed a method to identify hierarchical levels of organization (i.e., populations...
O'Donnell, Michael S.; Edmunds, David R.; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Heinrichs, Julie; Coates, Peter S.; Prochazka, Brian G.; Hanser, Steven E. Global positioning system tracking devices can decrease Greater Sage-Grouse survival
Reliable demographic estimates hinge on the assumption that marking animals does not alter their behavior, reproduction, or survival. Violations can bias inference and are especially egregious for species of high conservation concern. Global positioning system (GPS) devices represent a recent technological advancement that has contributed greatly...
Severson, John P.; Coates, Peter S.; Prochazka, Brian G.; Ricca, Mark A.; Casazza, Michael L.; Delahunty, David J The importance of simulation assumptions when evaluating detectability in population models
Population monitoring is important for investigating a variety of ecological questions, and N-mixture models are increasingly used to model population size (N) and trends (lambda) while estimating detectability (p) from repeated counts within primary periods (when populations are closed to changes). Extending these models to dynamic processes with...
Monroe, Adrian P.; Wann, Gregory T.; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Coates, Peter S.
Monitoring breeding and survival of ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) in the Sacramento Valley, Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, and Klamath Basin, northern California—Five-year summary, 2013–17
The U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center, Pheasants Forever, Mandeville Island Duck Club, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife collaborated in a reconnaissance study to monitor populations of ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) using radio-telemetry in the Sacramento Valley, Sacramento-San Joaquin River...
Dwight, Ian A.; Coates, Peter S.; Vogt, Jessica H.; Atkinson, Joseph L.; Fleskes, Joseph P.; Connelly, Daniel P.; Meshriy, Matt G.; Gardner, Scott C.; Stoute, Simone T.; Pitesky, Maurice E. The ecological uncertainty of wildfire fuel breaks: examples from the sagebrush steppe
Fuel breaks are increasingly being implemented at broad scales (100s to 10,000s of square kilometers) in fire‐prone landscapes globally, yet there is little scientific information available regarding their ecological effects (eg habitat fragmentation). Fuel breaks are designed to reduce flammable vegetation (ie fuels), increase the safety and...
Shinneman, Douglas; Germino, Matthew J.; Pilliod, David S.; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Vaillant, Nicole; Coates, Peter S. Assessing lek attendance of male greater sage‐grouse using fine‐resolution GPS data: Implications for population monitoring of lek mating grouse
Counts of males displaying on breeding grounds are the primary management tool used to assess population trends in lekking grouse species. Despite the importance of male lek attendance (i.e., proportion of males on leks available for detection) influencing lek counts, patterns of within season and between season variability in attendance rates are...
Wann, Gregory T.; Coates, Peter S.; Prochazka, Brian G.; Severson, John P.; Monroe, Adrian P.; Aldridge, Cameron L. Movements of female Sage Grouse Centrocercus urophasianus during incubation recess
We combined GPS data‐loggers, VHF transmitters, and DVR video‐monitoring to measure fine‐scale movement patterns during daily incubation recesses by female Sage Grouse Centrocercus urophasianus, a species with uniparental incubation that has experienced widespread population decline and distributional contraction. Most (69.6%) Sage Grouse...
Dudko, Jonathan E.; Coates, Peter S.; Delehanty, David J. Post-release breeding of translocated sharp-tailed grouse and an absence of artificial insemination effects
Context: Translocation has become a widely used method to restore wildlife populations following extirpation. For some species, such as lekking grouse, which breed at traditional mating grounds, reproduction is linked to culturally established geographic locations. Cultural centres are lost upon extirpation, making restoration into otherwise...
Mathews, Steven R.; Coates, Peter S.; Fike, Jennifer A.; Schneider, Helena; Fischer, Dominik; Oyler-McCance, Sara J.; Lierz, Michael; Delehanty, David J.
An integrated population model for greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) in the bi-state distinct population segment, California and Nevada, 2003–17
The Bi-State Distinct Population Segment (DPS) of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus, hereinafter “sage-grouse”) occupies parts of Alpine, Mono, and Inyo Counties in California, and parts of Douglas, Esmeralda, Lyon, Carson City, and Mineral Counties in Nevada and was proposed for listing as threatened under the Endangered Species Act...
Mathews, Steven R.; Coates, Peter S.; Prochazka, Brian G.; Ricca, Mark A.; Meyerpeter, Mary B.; Espinosa, Shawn P.; Lisius, Sherri; Gardner, Scott C.; Delehanty, David J.
Altering Sagebrush Landscapes with Fuel Breaks to Save Them from Wildfire
Linear fuel breaks have long been used to help suppress fire in the Great Basin, and thousands of miles of new fuel breaks may be constructed in coming years to protect sagebrush ecosystems, including greater sage-grouse habitat.
Cumulative Effects of Wildfire Adversely Affect Greater Sage-Grouse in the Great Basin
Slowing fire-related population declines in greater sage-grouse in the Great Basin over the next 30 years may depend on the intensity of fire suppression efforts in core breeding areas and long-term patterns of precipitation, according to a just-published USGS-led study.