Rebecca McCaffery
I am a Research Biologist at the U.S. Geological Survey. My research focuses on wildlife population ecology, community ecology, and restoration ecology of a diverse suite of wildlife species found in the mountains and forests of the northwestern United States.
I lead FRESC's Olympic Field Station, which is nestled within Olympic National Park in Washington. I engage in cooperator-driven research with National Park Service and Tribal partners on the Olympic peninsula and throughout western Washington, as well as larger initiatives. My work focuses the ecology of wildlife populations as related to climate change, habitat characteristics, disease, restoration practices, and other natural and anthropogenic effects. My work spans taxonomic groups and has recently included amphibians, bats, marmots, fishers, small mammals, and ungulates. In addition to taxonomic diversity, my projects range in scope from questions related to individual populations to those examining community interactions and landscape-level processes.
Professional Experience
2022-Present: USGS, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Research Biologist, Port Angeles, WA
2015-2022: USGS, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Wildlife Biologist, Port Angeles, WA
2014-2015: University of Montana, Post-doctoral Research Associate, Missoula, MT
2010-2011: University of Maryland, Post-doctoral Research Associate, College Park, MD
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Fish and Wildlife Biology, University of Montana, Missoula, MT (2010)
B.A., Biology, Lewis and Clark College, Portland, OR (2002)
Affiliations and Memberships*
North America Section President, Society for Conservation Biology (2019-2021 President Elect, 2021-2023 President, 2023-2025 Past President)
Science and Products
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Filter Total Items: 21
Establishment of terrestrial mammals on former reservoir beds following large dam removal on the Elwha River, Washington, USA Establishment of terrestrial mammals on former reservoir beds following large dam removal on the Elwha River, Washington, USA
Terrestrial wildlife species are important yet often overlooked taxa in the recovery of ecosystems following dam removal. Their presence can shape ecosystem recovery, signal restoration of ecosystem function, and influence food web dynamics and nutrient transfer. We used camera traps to examine seasonal use of two former reservoir beds and an upstream reference reach by the mammalian...
Authors
Rebecca M. McCaffery, Sara Cendejas-Zarelli, Katy R Goodwin, Patricia J. Happe, Kurt Jenkins, Kimberly A. Sager-Fradkin
Diverse aging rates in ectothermic tetrapods provide insights for the evolution of aging and longevity Diverse aging rates in ectothermic tetrapods provide insights for the evolution of aging and longevity
Comparative studies of mortality in the wild are necessary to understand the evolution of aging; yet, ectothermic tetrapods are underrepresented in this comparative landscape, despite their suitability for testing evolutionary hypotheses. We present a study of aging rates and longevity across wild tetrapod ectotherms, using data from 107 populations (77 species) of nonavian reptiles and...
Authors
Beth A. Reinke, Hugo Cayuela, Fredric J. Janzen, Jean-François Lemaitre, Jean-Michel Gaillard, A. Michelle Lawing, John B. Iverson, Ditte G Christiansen, Iñigo Martínez-Solano, Gregorio Sánchez-Montes, Jorge S. Gutiérrez, Francis L Rose, Nicola J. Nelson, Susan Keall, Alain J Crivelli, Theodoros Nazirides, Annegret Grimm-Seyfarth, Klaus Henle, Emiliano Mori, Gaetan Guiller, Rebecca Homan, Anthony Olivier, Erin L. Muths, Blake R. Hossack, Xavier Bonnet, David S. Pilliod, Marieke Lettink, Tony Whitaker, Benedikt R. Schmidt, Michael G. Gardner, Marc Cheylan, Francoise Poitevin, Ana Golubovic, Ljiljana Tomovic, Dragan Arsovski, Richard A Griffiths, Jan W. Arntzen, Jean-Pierre Baron, Jean-Francois Le Galliard, Thomas Tully, Luca Luiselli, Massimo Capula, Lorenzo Rugiero, Rebecca M. McCaffery, Lisa A Eby, Briggs-Gonzalez; Venetia, Frank Mazzotti, David M. Pearson, Brad A. Lambert, David M. Green, Nathalie Jreidini, Claudio Angelini, Graham Pyke, Jean-Marc Thirion, Pierre Joly, Jean-Paul Lena, Tony Tucker, Limpus, Pauline Priol, Aurelien Besnard, Pauline Bernard, Kristin Stanford, Richard S. King, Justin M Garwood, Jaime Bosch, Franco Souza, Jaime Bertoluci, Shirley Famelli, Kurt Grossenbacher, Omar Lenzi, Kathleen Matthews, Sylvain Boitaud, Deanna H. Olson, Tim Jessop, Graeme Gillspie, Jean Clobert, Murielle Richard, Andrés Valenzuela-Sánchez, Gary M. Fellers, Patrick M. Kleeman, Brian J. Halstead, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Phillip G Byrne, Thierry Fretey, Gernard Le Garff, Pauline Levionnois, John C. Maerz, Julian Pichenot, Kurtulus Olgun, Nazan Uzum, Aziz Avci, Claude Miaud, Johan Elmberg, Gregory P Brown, Richard Shine, Nathan F Bendik, Lisa O’Donnell, Courtney L. Davis, Michael J Lannoo, Rochelle M Stiles, Robert M Cox, Aaron M Reedy, Daniel A. Warner, Eric Bonnaire, Kristine Grayson, Roberto Ramos-Targarona, Eyup Baskale, David J. Munoz, John Measey, F. Andre de Villiers, Will Selman, Victor Ronget, Anne M. Bronikowski, David A W Miller
Importance of local weather and environmental gradients on demography of a broadly distributed temperate frog Importance of local weather and environmental gradients on demography of a broadly distributed temperate frog
Amphibian populations are sensitive to environmental temperatures and moisture, which vary with local weather conditions and may reach new norms and extremes as contemporary climate change progresses. Using long-term (11–16 years) mark-recapture data from 10 populations of the Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris) from across its U.S. range, we addressed hypotheses about how...
Authors
David S. Pilliod, Rebecca M. McCaffery, Robert Arkle, Rick D. Scherer, Jacqueline B. Cupples, Lisa A. Eby, Blake R. Hossack, Hallie Lingo, Kristin N. Lohr, Bryce A. Maxell, Megan J. McGuire, Chad Mellison, Marisa K. Meyer, James C. Munger, Teri Slatauski, Rachel Van Horne
Thermal conditions predict intraspecific variation in senescence rate in frogs and toads Thermal conditions predict intraspecific variation in senescence rate in frogs and toads
Variation in temperature is known to influence mortality patterns in ectotherms. Even though a few experimental studies on model organisms have reported a positive relationship between temperature and actuarial senescence (i.e., the increase in mortality risk with age), how variation in climate influences the senescence rate across the range of a species is still poorly understood in...
Authors
Hugo Cayuela, Jean-Francois Lemaitre, Erin L. Muths, Rebecca M. McCaffery, Thierry Fretey, Bernard Le Garff, Benedikt R. Schmidt, Kurt Grossenbacher, Omar Lenzi, Blake R. Hossack, Lisa A Eby, Brad A. Lambert, Johan Elmberg, Juha Merila, Jerome MW Gippet, Jean-Michel Gaillard, David S. Pilliod
Genomic signatures of thermal adaptation are associated with clinal shifts of life history in a broadly distributed frog Genomic signatures of thermal adaptation are associated with clinal shifts of life history in a broadly distributed frog
Temperature is a critical driver of ectotherm life-history strategies, whereby a warmer environment is associated with increased growth, reduced longevity and accelerated senescence. Increasing evidence indicates that thermal adaptation may underlie such life-history shifts in wild populations. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and copy number variants (CNVs) can help uncover the...
Authors
Hugo Cayuela, Yann Dorant, Brenna R. Forester, Dan L Jeffries, Rebecca M. McCaffery, Lisa A Eby, Blake R. Hossack, Jérôme M W Gippet, David S. Pilliod, W Chris Funk
Enigmatic near‐extirpation in a boreal toad metapopulation in northwestern Montana Enigmatic near‐extirpation in a boreal toad metapopulation in northwestern Montana
North America's protected lands harbor biodiversity and provide habitats where species threatened by a variety of stressors in other environments can thrive. Yet disease, climate change, and other threats are not limited by land management boundaries and can interact with conditions within protected landscapes to affect sensitive populations. We examined the population dynamics of a...
Authors
Rebecca M. McCaffery, Robin E. Russell, Blake R. Hossack
Non-USGS Publications**
McCaffery, R.; and P. M. Lukacs. 2016. A generalized integrated population model to estimate greater sage-grouse population dynamics. Ecosphere 7(11): e01585.
McCaffery, R.M., Nowak, J.J., Lukacs, P.M., 2016, Improved analysis of lek count data using N-Mixture models: Journal of Wildlife Management, v. 80, no. 6, p. 1011–1021, https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.21094.
McCaffery, R.M., Richards-Zawacki, C.L., Lips, K.R., 2015, The demography of Atelopus decline- Harlequin frog survival and abundance in central Panama prior to and during a disease outbreak: Global Ecology and Conservation, v. 4, p. 232-242, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2015.07.003.
McCaffery, R.M., Eby, L.A., Maxell, B.A., Corn, P.S., 2014, Breeding site heterogeneity reduces variability in frog recruitment and population dynamics: Biological Conservation, v. 170, p. 169-176.
McCaffery, R.M., Reisor, R., Irvine, K., Brunson, J., 2014, Demographic monitoring and population viability analysis of two rare beardtongues from the Uinta Basin: Western North American Naturalist, v. 74, no. 3, p. 257-274.
McCaffery, R.M., Lips, K.R., 2013, Survival and Abundance in Males of the Glass Frog Espadarana (Centrolene) prosoblepon in Central Panama: Journal of Herpetology, v. 47, no. 1, p. 162-168.
McCaffery, R.M., 2012, Bird ecology across boundaries- international pen pals in the biology classroom: Science and Children, v. 49, no. 7, p. 31-35.
McCaffery, R.M., Solonen, A., Crone, E.E., 2012, Frog population viability under present and future climate conditions- a Bayesian state-space approach: Journal of Animal Ecology, v. 81, p. 978-985.
McCaffery, R.M., Maxell, B.A., 2010, Decreased winter severity increases viability of a montane frog population: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, v. 107, p. 8644-8649.
Kearney, M., Wahl, R., Autumn, K., 2005, Increased capacity for sustained locomotion at low temperature in parthenogenetic geckos of hybrid origin.: Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, v. 78, no. 3, p. 316-324.
**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.
To request an interview, contact fresc_outreach@usgs.gov or call (541) 750-1030.
Science and Products
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Filter Total Items: 21
Establishment of terrestrial mammals on former reservoir beds following large dam removal on the Elwha River, Washington, USA Establishment of terrestrial mammals on former reservoir beds following large dam removal on the Elwha River, Washington, USA
Terrestrial wildlife species are important yet often overlooked taxa in the recovery of ecosystems following dam removal. Their presence can shape ecosystem recovery, signal restoration of ecosystem function, and influence food web dynamics and nutrient transfer. We used camera traps to examine seasonal use of two former reservoir beds and an upstream reference reach by the mammalian...
Authors
Rebecca M. McCaffery, Sara Cendejas-Zarelli, Katy R Goodwin, Patricia J. Happe, Kurt Jenkins, Kimberly A. Sager-Fradkin
Diverse aging rates in ectothermic tetrapods provide insights for the evolution of aging and longevity Diverse aging rates in ectothermic tetrapods provide insights for the evolution of aging and longevity
Comparative studies of mortality in the wild are necessary to understand the evolution of aging; yet, ectothermic tetrapods are underrepresented in this comparative landscape, despite their suitability for testing evolutionary hypotheses. We present a study of aging rates and longevity across wild tetrapod ectotherms, using data from 107 populations (77 species) of nonavian reptiles and...
Authors
Beth A. Reinke, Hugo Cayuela, Fredric J. Janzen, Jean-François Lemaitre, Jean-Michel Gaillard, A. Michelle Lawing, John B. Iverson, Ditte G Christiansen, Iñigo Martínez-Solano, Gregorio Sánchez-Montes, Jorge S. Gutiérrez, Francis L Rose, Nicola J. Nelson, Susan Keall, Alain J Crivelli, Theodoros Nazirides, Annegret Grimm-Seyfarth, Klaus Henle, Emiliano Mori, Gaetan Guiller, Rebecca Homan, Anthony Olivier, Erin L. Muths, Blake R. Hossack, Xavier Bonnet, David S. Pilliod, Marieke Lettink, Tony Whitaker, Benedikt R. Schmidt, Michael G. Gardner, Marc Cheylan, Francoise Poitevin, Ana Golubovic, Ljiljana Tomovic, Dragan Arsovski, Richard A Griffiths, Jan W. Arntzen, Jean-Pierre Baron, Jean-Francois Le Galliard, Thomas Tully, Luca Luiselli, Massimo Capula, Lorenzo Rugiero, Rebecca M. McCaffery, Lisa A Eby, Briggs-Gonzalez; Venetia, Frank Mazzotti, David M. Pearson, Brad A. Lambert, David M. Green, Nathalie Jreidini, Claudio Angelini, Graham Pyke, Jean-Marc Thirion, Pierre Joly, Jean-Paul Lena, Tony Tucker, Limpus, Pauline Priol, Aurelien Besnard, Pauline Bernard, Kristin Stanford, Richard S. King, Justin M Garwood, Jaime Bosch, Franco Souza, Jaime Bertoluci, Shirley Famelli, Kurt Grossenbacher, Omar Lenzi, Kathleen Matthews, Sylvain Boitaud, Deanna H. Olson, Tim Jessop, Graeme Gillspie, Jean Clobert, Murielle Richard, Andrés Valenzuela-Sánchez, Gary M. Fellers, Patrick M. Kleeman, Brian J. Halstead, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Phillip G Byrne, Thierry Fretey, Gernard Le Garff, Pauline Levionnois, John C. Maerz, Julian Pichenot, Kurtulus Olgun, Nazan Uzum, Aziz Avci, Claude Miaud, Johan Elmberg, Gregory P Brown, Richard Shine, Nathan F Bendik, Lisa O’Donnell, Courtney L. Davis, Michael J Lannoo, Rochelle M Stiles, Robert M Cox, Aaron M Reedy, Daniel A. Warner, Eric Bonnaire, Kristine Grayson, Roberto Ramos-Targarona, Eyup Baskale, David J. Munoz, John Measey, F. Andre de Villiers, Will Selman, Victor Ronget, Anne M. Bronikowski, David A W Miller
Importance of local weather and environmental gradients on demography of a broadly distributed temperate frog Importance of local weather and environmental gradients on demography of a broadly distributed temperate frog
Amphibian populations are sensitive to environmental temperatures and moisture, which vary with local weather conditions and may reach new norms and extremes as contemporary climate change progresses. Using long-term (11–16 years) mark-recapture data from 10 populations of the Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris) from across its U.S. range, we addressed hypotheses about how...
Authors
David S. Pilliod, Rebecca M. McCaffery, Robert Arkle, Rick D. Scherer, Jacqueline B. Cupples, Lisa A. Eby, Blake R. Hossack, Hallie Lingo, Kristin N. Lohr, Bryce A. Maxell, Megan J. McGuire, Chad Mellison, Marisa K. Meyer, James C. Munger, Teri Slatauski, Rachel Van Horne
Thermal conditions predict intraspecific variation in senescence rate in frogs and toads Thermal conditions predict intraspecific variation in senescence rate in frogs and toads
Variation in temperature is known to influence mortality patterns in ectotherms. Even though a few experimental studies on model organisms have reported a positive relationship between temperature and actuarial senescence (i.e., the increase in mortality risk with age), how variation in climate influences the senescence rate across the range of a species is still poorly understood in...
Authors
Hugo Cayuela, Jean-Francois Lemaitre, Erin L. Muths, Rebecca M. McCaffery, Thierry Fretey, Bernard Le Garff, Benedikt R. Schmidt, Kurt Grossenbacher, Omar Lenzi, Blake R. Hossack, Lisa A Eby, Brad A. Lambert, Johan Elmberg, Juha Merila, Jerome MW Gippet, Jean-Michel Gaillard, David S. Pilliod
Genomic signatures of thermal adaptation are associated with clinal shifts of life history in a broadly distributed frog Genomic signatures of thermal adaptation are associated with clinal shifts of life history in a broadly distributed frog
Temperature is a critical driver of ectotherm life-history strategies, whereby a warmer environment is associated with increased growth, reduced longevity and accelerated senescence. Increasing evidence indicates that thermal adaptation may underlie such life-history shifts in wild populations. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and copy number variants (CNVs) can help uncover the...
Authors
Hugo Cayuela, Yann Dorant, Brenna R. Forester, Dan L Jeffries, Rebecca M. McCaffery, Lisa A Eby, Blake R. Hossack, Jérôme M W Gippet, David S. Pilliod, W Chris Funk
Enigmatic near‐extirpation in a boreal toad metapopulation in northwestern Montana Enigmatic near‐extirpation in a boreal toad metapopulation in northwestern Montana
North America's protected lands harbor biodiversity and provide habitats where species threatened by a variety of stressors in other environments can thrive. Yet disease, climate change, and other threats are not limited by land management boundaries and can interact with conditions within protected landscapes to affect sensitive populations. We examined the population dynamics of a...
Authors
Rebecca M. McCaffery, Robin E. Russell, Blake R. Hossack
Non-USGS Publications**
McCaffery, R.; and P. M. Lukacs. 2016. A generalized integrated population model to estimate greater sage-grouse population dynamics. Ecosphere 7(11): e01585.
McCaffery, R.M., Nowak, J.J., Lukacs, P.M., 2016, Improved analysis of lek count data using N-Mixture models: Journal of Wildlife Management, v. 80, no. 6, p. 1011–1021, https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.21094.
McCaffery, R.M., Richards-Zawacki, C.L., Lips, K.R., 2015, The demography of Atelopus decline- Harlequin frog survival and abundance in central Panama prior to and during a disease outbreak: Global Ecology and Conservation, v. 4, p. 232-242, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2015.07.003.
McCaffery, R.M., Eby, L.A., Maxell, B.A., Corn, P.S., 2014, Breeding site heterogeneity reduces variability in frog recruitment and population dynamics: Biological Conservation, v. 170, p. 169-176.
McCaffery, R.M., Reisor, R., Irvine, K., Brunson, J., 2014, Demographic monitoring and population viability analysis of two rare beardtongues from the Uinta Basin: Western North American Naturalist, v. 74, no. 3, p. 257-274.
McCaffery, R.M., Lips, K.R., 2013, Survival and Abundance in Males of the Glass Frog Espadarana (Centrolene) prosoblepon in Central Panama: Journal of Herpetology, v. 47, no. 1, p. 162-168.
McCaffery, R.M., 2012, Bird ecology across boundaries- international pen pals in the biology classroom: Science and Children, v. 49, no. 7, p. 31-35.
McCaffery, R.M., Solonen, A., Crone, E.E., 2012, Frog population viability under present and future climate conditions- a Bayesian state-space approach: Journal of Animal Ecology, v. 81, p. 978-985.
McCaffery, R.M., Maxell, B.A., 2010, Decreased winter severity increases viability of a montane frog population: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, v. 107, p. 8644-8649.
Kearney, M., Wahl, R., Autumn, K., 2005, Increased capacity for sustained locomotion at low temperature in parthenogenetic geckos of hybrid origin.: Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, v. 78, no. 3, p. 316-324.
**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.
To request an interview, contact fresc_outreach@usgs.gov or call (541) 750-1030.
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government