Robert N Fisher
Dr. Robert Fisher is a conservation biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Western Ecological Research Center and works as part of a large integrated team.
His focus has been on how natural systems are responding to the Anthropocene, and what types of resiliency they have or lack as it relates to maintaining ecological integrity and biodiversity. Additionally, through understanding individual species and community responses to perturbations through modern monitoring techniques, he and his team can determine appropriate management experiments or options to possibly recover resiliency. Geographically they have two foci, the first is southern California where urbanization and conservation planning bring various direct and indirect drivers of ecological change, and climate variability is currently extreme and drives landscape level drought and wildfires. Their second foci are the tropical islands of the Pacific Basin, from Palau and Papua New Guinea east to Hawai’i. These islands have also been driven by human change and are on the front line as extreme recent weather variability in the cyclone belt impact terrestrial ecosystems. Understanding how biodiversity was generated in this ecoregion is critical to managing its loss, and their team focuses across time and space (biogeography) to understand these processes utilizing molecular tools tied to expeditions of discovery in this poorly studied ecoregion.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
- Conservation biology
- Biogeography
- Modelling
- Natural history
- Speciation
- Invasive species
- Climate variability
- Anthropocene
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Population Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 1995
M.S., Zoology, University of California, Davis, CA 1991
B.S., Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 1988
Science and Products
Sex‐related differences in aging rate are associated with sex chromosome system in amphibians
Case 3853 – Eumeces niger Hombron & Jacquinot, 1853 (currently Emoia nigra) (Reptilia, Scincidae): proposed conservation of prevailing usage by setting aside a lectotype designation for Gongylus (Eumeces) freycineti Duméril & Bibron, 1839 (currently Emoia
Projecting the remaining habitat for the western spadefoot (Spea hammondii) in heavily urbanized southern California
Impacts of a non-indigenous ecosystem engineer, the American beaver (Castor canadensis), in a biodiversity hotspot
Non-native species having high per capita impacts in invaded communities are those that modulate resource availability and alter disturbance regimes in ways that are biologically incompatible with the native biota. In areas where it has been introduced by humans, American beaver (Castor canadensis) is an iconic example of such species due to its capacity to alter trophic dynamics of entire ecosyst
Reproductive plasticity as an advantage of snakes during island invasion
Range eclipse leads to tenuous survival of a rare lizard species on a barrier atoll
Responses of migratory amphibians to barrier fencing inform the spacing of road underpasses: A case study with California tiger salamanders (Ambystoma californiense) in Stanford, CA, USA
Could climate change benefit invasive snakes? Modelling the potential distribution of the California Kingsnake in the Canary Islands
Conservation of northwestern and southwestern pond turtles: Threats, population size estimates, and population viability analysis
Conservation implications of spatiotemporal variation in the terrestrial ecology of Western spadefoots
Who’s your daddy? On the identity and distribution of the paternal hybrid ancestor of the parthenogenetic gecko Lepidodactylus lugubris (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae)
Hemidactylus turcicus (Mediterranean Gecko). Endoparasite.
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Sex‐related differences in aging rate are associated with sex chromosome system in amphibians
Sex‐related differences in mortality are widespread in the animal kingdom. Although studies have shown that sex determination systems might drive lifespan evolution, sex chromosome influence on aging rates have not been investigated so far, likely due to an apparent lack of demographic data from clades including both XY (with heterogametic males) and ZW (heterogametic females) systems. Taking advaAuthorsHugo Cayuela, Jean-François Lemaître, Jean-Paul Léna, Victor Ronget, Iñigo Martínez-Solano, Erin L. Muths, David Pilliod, Benedikt Schmidt, Gregorio Sánchez-Montes, Jorge Gutierrez-Rodriguez, Graham Pyke, Kurt Grossenbacher, Omar Lenzi, Jaime Bosch, Karen H. Beard, Lawrence L. Woolbright, Brad A. Lambert, David M. Green, Justin M Garwood, Robert N. Fisher, Kathleen Matthews, David Dudgeon, Anthony Lau, Jeroen Speybroeck, Rebecca Homan, Robert Jehle, Eyup Baskale, Emiliano Mori, Jan W. Arntzen, Pierre Joly, Rochelle Stiles, Michael J Lannoo, John C. Maerz, Winsor H. Lowe, Andres Valenzuela-Sanchez, Ditte Christianson, Claudio Angelini, Jean-Marc Thirion, Juha Merila, Guarino R. Colli, Mariana M. Vasconcellos, Taissa C. Boas, Isis da C. Arantes, Pauline Levionnois, Beth A. Reinke, Cristina Vieira, Gabriel A. B. Marais, Jean-Michael Gaillard, David A.W. MillerCase 3853 – Eumeces niger Hombron & Jacquinot, 1853 (currently Emoia nigra) (Reptilia, Scincidae): proposed conservation of prevailing usage by setting aside a lectotype designation for Gongylus (Eumeces) freycineti Duméril & Bibron, 1839 (currently Emoia
The purpose of the present application, under Articles 74.1.1 and 81.1 of the Code, is to maintain consistent usage of the commonly used name Emoia nigra (Hombron & Jacquinot, 1853) by setting aside a lectotype designation for Gongylus (Eumeces) freycineti Duméril & Bibron, 1839 by Wells & Wellington in 1985 in favour of a later lectotype designation by Brown in 1991.AuthorsGlenn M. Shea, Robert N. Fisher, Ivan IneichProjecting the remaining habitat for the western spadefoot (Spea hammondii) in heavily urbanized southern California
Extensive urbanization in coastal southern California has reduced natural habitat in this biodiversity hotspot. To better conserve ecological communities, state and federal agencies, along with local jurisdictions and private stakeholders, developed regional conservation plans for southern California. Although many protected areas exist within this region, the patchwork nature of these protected aAuthorsJonathan P. Rose, Brian J. Halstead, Robert H. Packard, Robert N. FisherImpacts of a non-indigenous ecosystem engineer, the American beaver (Castor canadensis), in a biodiversity hotspot
Non-native species having high per capita impacts in invaded communities are those that modulate resource availability and alter disturbance regimes in ways that are biologically incompatible with the native biota. In areas where it has been introduced by humans, American beaver (Castor canadensis) is an iconic example of such species due to its capacity to alter trophic dynamics of entire ecosyst
AuthorsJonathan Q. Richmond, Camm C. Swift, Thomas A. Wake, Cheryl S. Brehme, Kristine L. Preston, Barbara E. Kus, Edward L Ervin, Scott Tremor, Tritia Matsuda, Robert N. FisherReproductive plasticity as an advantage of snakes during island invasion
Most invasive species are not studied during their initial colonization of ecosystems to which they were recently introduced. Rather, research is typically performed after invasive species are well established and causing harm to the native biodiversity. Thus, novel adaptations of invasive species during their initial invasions are rarely identified. The California kingsnake (Lampropeltis californAuthorsS R Fisher, Robert N. Fisher, S E Alcaraz, R Gallo-Barneto, C Patino-Martinez, L F López- Jurado, M Á Cabrera-Pérez, J L GrismerRange eclipse leads to tenuous survival of a rare lizard species on a barrier atoll
Rediscovery of living populations of a species that was presumed to be extirpated can generate new narratives for conservation in areas suffering from losses in biodiversity. We used field observations and DNA sequence data to verify the rediscovery of the Critically Endangered scincid lizard Emoia slevini on Dåno′, an islet off the coast of Guam in the southern Mariana Islands, where for > 20 yeaAuthorsJonathan Q. Richmond, Elijah Wostl, Robert Reed, Robert N. FisherResponses of migratory amphibians to barrier fencing inform the spacing of road underpasses: A case study with California tiger salamanders (Ambystoma californiense) in Stanford, CA, USA
Migratory amphibians are at high risk of negative impacts when roads intersect their upland and breeding habitats. Road mortality can reduce population abundance, survivorship, breeding, recruitment, and probability of long-term persistence. Increasingly, environmental planners recommend installation of under-road tunnels with barrier fencing to reduce mortality and direct amphibians towards the pAuthorsCheryl S. Brehme, Jeff A. Tracey, Brittany Ewing, Michael J. Hobbs, Alan E. Launer, Tritia Matsuda, Esther M. Cole Adelsheim, Robert N. FisherCould climate change benefit invasive snakes? Modelling the potential distribution of the California Kingsnake in the Canary Islands
The interaction between climate change and biological invasions is a global conservation challenge with major consequences for invasive species management. However, our understanding of this interaction has substantial knowledge gaps; this is particularly relevant for invasive snakes on islands because they can be a serious threat to island ecosystems. Here we evaluated the potential influence ofAuthorsJulien C Piquet, Dan L Warren, Jorge Fernando Saavedra Bolaños, José Miguel Sánchez Rivero, Ramón Gallo-Barneto, Miguel Ángel Cabrera-Pérez, Robert N. Fisher, Sam R Fisher, Carlton J. Rochester, Brian Hinds, Manuel Nogales, Marta López-DariasConservation of northwestern and southwestern pond turtles: Threats, population size estimates, and population viability analysis
Accurate status assessments of long-lived, widely distributed taxa depend on the availability of long-term monitoring data from multiple populations. However, monitoring populations across large temporal and spatial scales is often beyond the scope of any one researcher or research group. Consequently, wildlife managers may be tasked with utilizing limited information from different sources to detAuthorsStephanie Manzo, E. Griffin Nicholson, Devereux. Zachary, Robert N. Fisher, Christopher W. Brown, Peter A Scott, H. Bradley ShafferConservation implications of spatiotemporal variation in the terrestrial ecology of Western spadefoots
Conservation of species reliant on ephemeral resources can be especially challenging in the face of a changing climate. Western spadefoots (Spea hammondii) are small burrowing anurans that breed in ephemeral pools, but adults spend the majority of their lives underground in adjacent terrestrial habitat. Western spadefoots are of conservation concern throughout their range because of habitat loss,AuthorsBrian J. Halstead, Katherine L. Baumberger, Adam R. Backlin, Patrick M. Kleeman, Monique Nicole Wong, Elizabeth Gallegos, Jonathan P. Rose, Robert N. FisherWho’s your daddy? On the identity and distribution of the paternal hybrid ancestor of the parthenogenetic gecko Lepidodactylus lugubris (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae)
The widespread parthenogenetic gecko Lepidodactylus lugubris is comprised of several clonal lineages, at least one of which has been known for some time to have originated from hybridization between its maternal ancestor, Lepidodactylus moestus, and a putatively undescribed paternal ancestor previously known only from remote islands in the Central Pacific. By integrating new genetic sequences fromAuthorsBenjamin R. Karin, Paul M. Oliver, Alexander L. Stubbs, Umilaela Afirin, Djoko T. Iskandar, Evy Arida, Zheng Oong, Jimmy A. McGuire, Frederick Kraus, Matthew K. Fujita, Ivan Ineich, Hidetoshi Ota, Stacie A. Hathaway, Robert N. FisherHemidactylus turcicus (Mediterranean Gecko). Endoparasite.
Hemidactylus turcicus is a native of western India, Somalia, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean region and is one of the most successful invasive species in the world (Kraus. 2009. Alien Reptiles and Amphibians: A Scientific Compendium and Analysis. Springer Verlag, Berlin. 563 pp.). Since its introduction into the USA via the Port of Miami, Florida, around 1915, the range of this gecko has iAuthorsChris T. McAllister, Charles R Bursey, Samuel R Fisher, Chelsea E Martin, Robert N. Fisher - News
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