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
Introgression obscures lineage boundaries and phylogeographic history in the western banded gecko, Coleonyx variegatus (Squamata: Eublepharidae)
Integrating multiple data sources and multi-scale land-cover data to model the distribution of a declining amphibian
Track tube construction and field protocol for small mammal surveys with emphasis on the endangered Pacific pocket mouse (Perognathus longimembris pacificus)
Urbanization reduces genetic connectivity in bobcats (Lynx rufus) at both intra- and interpopulation spatial scales
Relevance of individual and environmental drivers of movement of Golden Eagles
Community-based conservation and recovery of native species on Monuriki Island, Fiji
Effect of amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) on apparent survival of frogs and toads in the western USA
Habitat preference modulates trans-oceanic dispersal in a terrestrial vertebrate
Topographic drivers of flight altitude over large spatial and temporal scales
Globally important islands where eradicating invasive mammals will benefit highly threatened vertebrates
The Introduced Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) on the California Channel Islands: Distribution and Patterns of Spread
Multi-scale effects of land cover and urbanization on the habitat suitability of an endangered toad
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Introgression obscures lineage boundaries and phylogeographic history in the western banded gecko, Coleonyx variegatus (Squamata: Eublepharidae)
The geomorphological formation of the Baja California peninsula and the Gulf of California is a principal driver of diversification for the reptiles of North America’s warm deserts. The western banded gecko, Coleonyx variegatus, is distributed throughout the Mojave, Sonoran and Peninsular deserts. In this study we use multilocus sequence data to address deep phylogeographic structure within C. varAuthorsDean H Leavitt, Bradford Hollingsworth, Robert N. Fisher, Tod W ReederIntegrating multiple data sources and multi-scale land-cover data to model the distribution of a declining amphibian
Determining the spatial scale at which landscape features influence population persistence is an important task for conservation planning. One challenge is that sampling biases confound factors that influence species occurrence and survey effort. Recent developments in Point Process Models (PPMs) enable researchers to disentangle the sampling process from ecological drivers of species' distributioAuthorsJonathan P. Rose, Brian J. Halstead, Robert N. FisherTrack tube construction and field protocol for small mammal surveys with emphasis on the endangered Pacific pocket mouse (Perognathus longimembris pacificus)
Track tubes are used to identify small animals by their tracks. Animals that are small enough to fit into the tubes walk over ink pads and onto cardstock paper to obtain bait within the tube, leaving their footprints. The tracking tubes described in this document are designed to be set on the ground with free access and exit at either end with additional design components for stability, durabilityAuthorsCheryl S. Brehme, Tritia A. Matsuda, Devin T. Adsit-Morris, Denise R. Clark, Jeremy B. Sebes, Melanie Anne T. Burlaza, Robert N. FisherUrbanization reduces genetic connectivity in bobcats (Lynx rufus) at both intra- and interpopulation spatial scales
Urbanization is a major factor driving habitat fragmentation and connectivity loss in wildlife. However, the impacts of urbanization on connectivity can vary among species and even populations due to differences in local landscape characteristics, and our ability to detect these relationships may depend on the spatial scale at which they are measured. Bobcats (Lynx rufus) are relatively sensitiveAuthorsChristpher P. Kozakiewicz, Christopher P. Burridge, W. Chris Funk, Patricia E. Salerno, Daryl R. Trumbo, Roderick B. Gagne, Erin E. Boydston, Robert N. Fisher, Lisa M. Lyren, Megan K. Jennings, Seth P. D. Riley, Laurel E.K. Serieys, Sue VandeWoude, Kevin R. Crooks, Scott CarverRelevance of individual and environmental drivers of movement of Golden Eagles
An animal's movement is expected to be governed by an interplay between goals determined by its internal state and energetic costs associated with navigating through the external environment. Understanding this ecological process is challenging when an animal moves in two dimensions and even more difficult for birds that move in a third dimension. To understand the dynamic interaction between theAuthorsMaitreyi Sur, Adam E. Duerr, Doug A. Bell, Robert N. Fisher, Jeff A. Tracey, Peter H. Bloom, Trish Miller, Todd E. KatznerCommunity-based conservation and recovery of native species on Monuriki Island, Fiji
The small uninhabited island of Monuriki (40.4 ha) in western Fiji is of national and international conservation concern for its several protected species. Exotic invasive species and a Category 5 cyclone have exacerbated conservation challenges. The cooperation of local, national, and international stakeholders continues to be crucial in restoration of the island’s native flora and fauna. This suAuthorsRobert N. Fisher, Jone Niukula, Peter S. Harlow, Sia Rasalato, Ramesh Chand, Baravi Thaman, Elenoa Seniloli, Joeli Vadada, Steve Cranwell, J. Jed Brown, Kim Lovich, Nunia Thomas-MokoEffect of amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) on apparent survival of frogs and toads in the western USA
Despite increasing interest in determining the population-level effects of emerging infectious diseases on wildlife, estimating effects of disease on survival rates remains difficult. Even for a well-studied disease such as amphibian chytridiomycosis (caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis [Bd]), there are few estimates of how survival of wild hosts is affected. We applied hierarchicaAuthorsRobin E. Russell, Brian J. Halstead, Brittany Mosher, Erin L. Muths, Michael J. Adams, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Robert N. Fisher, Patrick M. Kleeman, Adam R. Backlin, Christopher Pearl, R. Ken Honeycutt, Blake R. HossackHabitat preference modulates trans-oceanic dispersal in a terrestrial vertebrate
The importance of long-distance dispersal (LDD) in shaping geographical distributions has been debated since the nineteenth century. In terrestrial vertebrates, LDD events across large water bodies are considered highly improbable, but organismal traits affecting dispersal capacity are generally not taken into account. Here, we focus on a recent lizard radiation and combine a summary-coalescent spAuthorsMozes P.K. Blom, Nicholas J Matzke, Jason G Bragg, Evy Arida, Christopher C. Austin, Adam R. Backlin, Miguel A Carretero, Robert N. Fisher, Frank Glaw, Stacie A. Hathaway, Djoko T Iskandar, Jimmy A. McGuire, Benjamin R. Karin, Sean B Reilly, Eric N Rittmeyer, Sara Rocha, Mickael Sanchez, Alexander L. Stubbs, Miguel Vences, Craig MoritzTopographic drivers of flight altitude over large spatial and temporal scales
Bird movements vary spatially and temporally, but the primary drivers that explain such variation can be difficult to identify. For example, it is well known that the availability of updraft influences soaring flight and that topography interacts with weather to produce these updrafts. However, the influences of topography on flight are not well understood. We determined how topographic characteriAuthorsAdam E. Duerr, Tricia A. Miller, Leah Dunn, Douglas A. Bell, Peter H. Bloom, Robert N. Fisher, Jeff A. Tracey, Todd E. KatznerGlobally important islands where eradicating invasive mammals will benefit highly threatened vertebrates
Invasive alien species are a major threat to native insular species. Eradicating invasive mammals from islands is a feasible and proven approach to prevent biodiversity loss. We developed a conceptual framework to identify globally important islands for invasive mammal eradications to prevent imminent extinctions among highly threatened species using biogeographic and technical factors, plus a novAuthorsNick D. Holmes, Dena R. Spatz, Steffen Oppel, Bernie Tershy, Donald Croll, Brad Keitt, Piero Genovesi, Ian Burfield, David J. Will, Alexander L. Bond, Alex Wegmann, Alfonso Aguirre-Munoz, Andre F. Raine, Charles R. Knapp, Chung-Hang Hung, David Wingate, Erin Hagen, Federico Mendez-Sanchez, Gerard Rocamora, Hsiao-Wei Yuan, Jakob Fric, James Millett, James M. Russell, Jill Liske-Clark, Eric Vidal, Herve Jourdan, Karl Campbell, Keith Springer, Kristy Swinnerton, Lolita Gibbons-Decherong, Olivier Langrand, M. de L. Brooke, Miguel McMinn, Nancy Bunbury, Nuno Oliveira, Paolo Sposimo, Pedro Geraldes, Pete McClelland, Peter Hodum, Peter G. Ryan, Rafael Borroto-Paez, Ray J. Pierce, Richard Griffiths, Robert N. Fisher, Ross M. Wanless, Stesha A. Pasachnik, Steve Cranwell, Thierry Micol, Stuart H. M. ButchartThe Introduced Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) on the California Channel Islands: Distribution and Patterns of Spread
The Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) is a widespread and abundant introduced species that disrupts ecosystems throughout its introduced range. This invader was inadvertently introduced to Santa Catalina, San Clemente, Santa Cruz, and San Nicolas Islands at various points during the past century but currently appears to be absent from the remaining Channel Islands. Multiple spatially disjunct infAuthorsChristina L. Boser, Korie Merrell, Robert N. Fisher, Ida Naughton, David A HolwayMulti-scale effects of land cover and urbanization on the habitat suitability of an endangered toad
Habitat degradation, entwined with land cover change, is a major driver of biodiversity loss. Effects of land cover change on species can be direct (when habitat is converted to alternative land cover types) or indirect (when land outside of the species habitat is altered). Hydrologic and ecological connections between terrestrial and aquatic systems are well understood, exemplifying how spatiallyAuthorsMichael L. Treglia, Adam C Landon, Robert N. Fisher, Gerard Kyle, Lee A. Fitzgerald - News
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