Rich Inman is an ecologist at the Fort Collins Science Center, whose research interests include the intersection of geographic information science, wildlife ecology and conservation biology.
Dr. Richard Inman (he/him) received a BS in Biology and Environmental Science from the University of Redlands in 2001 and went on to work as a project manager for the Redlands Institute collaborating on a decision support system for the Mojave Desert tortoise. He completed his MS in Biology in 2008 studying activity patterns of desert tortoises, and quantifying sampling error in population estimates from line-distance sampling methods.
As a Wildlife Biologist for the USGS (2006 – 2020) Dr. Inman worked on projects spanning habitat modeling of herps and avian fauna, remote sensing of substrate thermal properties, to agent-based modelling of Golden Eagles in the Mojave Desert. He received his PhD in 2018 at Arizona State University in Geography under Drs. Janet Franklin and Stewart Fotheringham, where he focused on sampling bias in species distribution modeling and using spatial regression methods to explore local differences in habitat use among populations of desert tortoises. His research interests are centered around the intersection of geographic information science, wildlife ecology and conservation biology. He is an avid mountain biker and home brewer.
Science and Products
Understanding How Changes in Traffic Volume May Affect Sage-Grouse Population Dynamics Across Scales in Wyoming
Local ecological niche models, genotype associations and environmental data for desert tortoises.
Spatial predictions of habitat suitability for present-day (1950 - 2000 yr) and mid-Holocene (8.3 ka - 4.2 ka) time intervals
Dispersal limitations increase vulnerability under climate change for reptiles and amphibians in the southwestern United States
Demographic and environmental correlates of home ranges and long-distance movements of Mohave ground squirrels
Comparing sample bias correction methods for species distribution modeling using virtual species
Quantifying development to inform management of Mojave and Sonoran desert tortoise habitat in the American southwest
Spatially consistent high-resolution land surface temperature mosaics for thermophysical mapping of the Mojave Desert
Local niche differences predict genotype associations in sister taxa of desert tortoise
Spatial sampling bias in the Neotoma paleoecological archives affects species paleo-distribution models
An assessment of food habits, prey availability, and nesting success of golden eagles within the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan Area
Comparison of methods to monitor the distribution and impacts of unauthorized travel routes in a border park
Science and Products
- Science
Understanding How Changes in Traffic Volume May Affect Sage-Grouse Population Dynamics Across Scales in Wyoming
USGS researchers and partners are working to investigate how transportation activities may drive changes in sage-grouse populations, using annually time-stamped transportation from the Wyoming Department of Transportation and sage-grouse population data from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. - Data
Local ecological niche models, genotype associations and environmental data for desert tortoises.
These data include environmental covariates used to develop species distribution models for Gopherus agassizii and Gopherus morafkai, along with PCA-reduced environmental covariates used to explore local species-environment relationships within a subregion of the ectone between the two species. We also provide the genotype association used to test the mapped clusters of multiscale geographically wSpatial predictions of habitat suitability for present-day (1950 - 2000 yr) and mid-Holocene (8.3 ka - 4.2 ka) time intervals
This dataset provides spatial predictions of habitat suitability for current (1950 - 2000 yr) and mid-Holocene (8.3 ka - 4.2 ka) intervals using hindcasting, and three separate paleo-distributions calibrated on the packrat midden archive: those without bias correction (naive), those created with a standard method (standard), and those created with a novel alternative (modeled) incorporating a thre - Publications
Dispersal limitations increase vulnerability under climate change for reptiles and amphibians in the southwestern United States
Species conservation plans frequently rely on information that spans political and administrative boundaries, especially when predictions are needed of future habitat under climate change; however, most species conservation plans and their requisite predictions of future habitat are often limited in geographical scope. Moreover, dispersal constraints for species of concern are not often incorporatAuthorsRich Inman, Todd C. Esque, Kenneth E. NussearDemographic and environmental correlates of home ranges and long-distance movements of Mohave ground squirrels
Space use by mammals can differ among age-classes, sexes, or seasons, and these processes are recognized as adaptive behavioral strategies. Semi-fossorial ground squirrels, in particular, have shown age- and sex-specific patterns in their aboveground movement behaviors. We studied space use of Mohave ground squirrels (Xerospermophilus mohavensis) at the Freeman Gulch study site in the central regiAuthorsSharon Poessel, Philip Leitner, Rich Inman, Todd C. Esque, Todd E. KatznerComparing sample bias correction methods for species distribution modeling using virtual species
A key assumption in species distribution modeling (SDM) with presence‐background (PB) methods is that sampling of occurrence localities is unbiased and that any sampling bias is proportional to the background distribution of environmental covariates. This assumption is rarely met when SDM practitioners rely on federated museum records from natural history collections for geo‐located occurrences duAuthorsRich Inman, Janet Franklin, Todd C. Esque, Kenneth E. NussearQuantifying development to inform management of Mojave and Sonoran desert tortoise habitat in the American southwest
Two tortoise species native to the American southwest have experienced significant habitat loss from development and are vulnerable to ongoing threats associated with continued development. Mojave desert tortoises Gopherus agassizii are listed as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act, and Sonoran desert tortoises G. morafkai are protected in Arizona (USA) and Mexico. Substantial habitat fAuthorsSarah K. Carter, Kenneth E. Nussear, Todd C. Esque, Ian IF Leinwand, Elroy Masters, Rich Inman, Natasha B. Carr, Linda J. AllisonSpatially consistent high-resolution land surface temperature mosaics for thermophysical mapping of the Mojave Desert
Daytime and nighttime thermal infrared observations acquired by the ASTER and MODIS instruments onboard the NASA Terra spacecraft have produced a dataset that can be used to map thermophysical properties across large regions, which have implications on surface processes, thermal environments and habitat suitability for desert species. ASTER scenes acquired between 2004 and 2012 are combined usingAuthorsScott A Nowicki, Rich Inman, Todd C. Esque, Kenneth E. Nussear, Christopher S. EdwardsLocal niche differences predict genotype associations in sister taxa of desert tortoise
Aims To investigate spatial congruence between ecological niches and genotype in two allopatric species of desert tortoise that are species of conservation concern. Location Mojave and Sonoran Desert ecoregions; California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, USA. Methods We compare ecological niches of Gopherus agassizii and Gopherus morafkai using species distribution modelling (SDM) and then calibrate a pooAuthorsRich Inman, A. Stewart Fotheringham, Janet Franklin, Todd C. Esque, Taylor Edwards, Kenneth E. NussearSpatial sampling bias in the Neotoma paleoecological archives affects species paleo-distribution models
The ability to infer paleo-distributions with limited knowledge of absence makes species distribution modeling (SDM) a useful tool for exploring paleobiogeographic questions. Spatial sampling bias is a known issue when modeling extant species. Here we quantify the spatial sampling bias in a North American packrat midden archive and explore its impact on estimating paleo-distributions. We test whetAuthorsRich Inman, Janet Franklin, Todd C. Esque, Kenneth E. NussearAn assessment of food habits, prey availability, and nesting success of golden eagles within the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan Area
Within the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan area, which encompasses California’s Mojave Desert, development and operation of renewable energy facilities has the potential to impact golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) populations through loss of habitat and prey base. Developing an effective conservation strategy that aims to mitigate for such operations is necessary to lessen these impacts;AuthorsKathleen M. Longshore, Todd C. Esque, Kenneth E. Nussear, Diego R. Johnson, Matthew Simes, Rich InmanComparison of methods to monitor the distribution and impacts of unauthorized travel routes in a border park
The distribution and abundance of human-caused disturbances vary greatly through space and time and are cause for concern among land stewards in natural areas of the southwestern border-lands between the USA and Mexico. Human migration and border protection along the international boundary create Unauthorized Trail and Road (UTR) networks across National Park Service lands and other natural areas.AuthorsTodd C. Esque, Rich Inman, Kenneth E. Nussear, Robert Webb, M.M. Girard, J. DeGayner