Rauscher, R.L., S.J. Story, J.A. Gude, and R.E. Russell. 2013. Estimation of black-tailed prairie dog colonies in Montana. Wildlife Society Bulletin 37:608–615.
Robin E Russell
Biography
Robin is a Research Statistician at the National Wildlife Health Center. Her work focuses on the development of models to evaluate population and community level effects of emerging diseases on wildlife, predict the spread of disease and estimate spatial patterns of disease risk.
Education
- Ph.D. Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, 2003
- M.S. Zoology, Colorado State University, 1999
- B.A. Biology, Reed College, 1995
Professional Experience
- Research Statistician, US Geological Survey, 2010-Present
- Biometrician, Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks 2008-2010
- Ecologist, US Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station 2006-2008
- Postdoctoral Ecologist, Montana State University and US Forest Service, 2004-2006
Affiliations
- 2005-Present Wildlife Society
- 2006-Present Biometrics Working Group, Wildlife Society
Science and Products
Date published: April 16, 2020
Status: Active Modeling the response of cave hibernating Myotis species to white-nose syndrome mitigation tactics
Research collaboration: Robin Russell (NWHC), Tonie Rocke (NWHC), Wayne Thogmartin (UMESC), Evan Grant (PWRC)
White-nose syndrome is a fungal disease devastating cave-hibernating bat species (Myotis spp.) in the eastern...
Date published: June 1, 2019
Status: Active Chronic Wasting Disease
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an emerging infectious disease that is fatal to free-ranging and captive animals in Cervidae, the deer family. CWD is one member of a family of diseases called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), and is thought to be caused by prions. CWD is the only TSE known to affect free-ranging wildlife.
Date published: July 24, 2018
Status: Active Avian Influenza
Avian influenza is a viral disease caused by various strains of avian influenza viruses that can be classified as low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) or highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). It remains a global disease with potential high consequence with the potential to threaten wildlife, agriculture, and human health.
Date published: May 25, 2018
Status: Active Disease Ecology and Modeling
The USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) provides quantitative support and technical assistance to state and federal wildlife managers and partners to better understand or predict the impact of disease on wildlife populations.
Contacts: Daniel Walsh, Robin E Russell
Year Published: 2021
Space matters: Host spatial structure and the dynamics of plague transmission
The development of models to elucidate the transmission pathways and dynamics of wildlife diseases remains challenging. Sylvatic plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis (Yp), is an infectious zoonotic disease that primarily affects wild rodents, including prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) in North America. Proposed transmission...
Russell, Robin E.; Walsh, Daniel P.; Samuel, Michael D.; Grunnill, Martin S.; Rocke, Tonie E.Attribution: National Wildlife Health Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2020
Occupancy and detectability of northern long-eared bats in the Lake States Region
The northern long‐eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) is one of the bat species most affected by white‐nose syndrome. Population declines attributed to white‐nose syndrome contributed to the species’ listing as federally threatened under the 1973 Endangered Species Act. Although one of the most abundant Myotine bats in eastern North America prior...
Hyzy, Brenna A.; Russell, Robin E.; Silvis, Alexander; Ford, W. Mark; Riddle, Jason D.; Russell, Kevin R.
Year Published: 2020
Principles and mechanisms of wildlife population persistence in the face of disease
Emerging infectious diseases can result in species declines and hamper recovery efforts for at-risk populations. Generalizing considerations for reducing the risk of pathogen introduction and mitigating the effects of disease remains challenging and inhibits our ability to provide guidance for species recovery planning. Given the growing rates of...
Russell, Robin E.; Direnzo, Graziella Vittoria; Szymanski, J.; Alger, Katrina Elizabeth; Campbell Grant, Evan H.
Year Published: 2020
When and where: Estimating the date and location of introduction for exotic pests and pathogens
A fundamental question during the outbreak of a novel disease or invasion of an exotic pest is: At what location and date was it first introduced? With this information, future introductions can be anticipated and perhaps avoided. Point process models are commonly used for mapping species distribution and disease occurrence. If the time and...
Hefley, Trevor J.; Russell, Robin E.; Ballmann, Anne; Zhang, HaoyuAttribution: National Wildlife Health Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2020
Effects of climate change on plague exposure pathways and resulting disease dynamics
Introduction and Objectives: Sylvatic plague, a zoonotic flea-borne disease, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, is relevant to the Department of Defense (DOD), because prairie dogs and other susceptible rodents are present on military installations in several western states. Arthropod-borne diseases, like plague, are thought to be...
Rocke, Tonie E.; Russell, Robin E.; Samuel, Michael D.; Abbott, Rachel C.; Poje, JuliaAttribution: National Wildlife Health Center, Ecosystems
Year Published: 2019
Contrasting demographic responses of toad populations to regionally synchronous pathogen (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) dynamics
We used long-term capture-recapture data from 3 boreal toad populations in western Montana to estimate how apparent survival is affected by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a fungal pathogen that causes disease and has been implicated in amphibian population declines globally. Despite similar levels of Bd prevalence and synchronous pathogen...
Hossack, Blake R.; Russell, Robin E.; Mccaffery, Rebecca
Year Published: 2019
Chronic wasting disease—Research by the U.S. Geological Survey and partners
IntroductionChronic wasting disease (CWD) is the only transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, a class of invariably fatal neurodegenerative mammalian diseases associated with a misfolded cellular prion protein found in wild free-ranging animals. Because it has a long incubation period, affected animals in Cervidae (the deer family; referred to as...
Hopkins, M. Camille; Carlson, Christina M.; Cross, Paul C.; Johnson, Christopher J.; Richards, Bryan J.; Russell, Robin E.; Samuel, Michael D.; Sargeant, Glen A.; Walsh, Daniel P.; Walter, W. DavidAttribution: National Wildlife Health Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Ecosystems, Cooperative Research Units, Fish & Wildlife Disease
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Hopkins, M.C., Carlson, C.M., Cross, P.C., Johnson, C.J., Richards, B.J., Russell, R.E., Samuel, M.D., Sargeant, G.A., Walsh, D.P., and Walter, W.D., 2019, Chronic wasting disease—Research by the U.S. Geological Survey and partners (ver. 2.0, November 2019): U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2019–1109, 29 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20191109.
Year Published: 2019
Differential plague susceptibility in species and populations of prairie dogs
Laboratory trials conducted over the past decade at USGS National Wildlife Health Center indicate that wild populations of prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) display different degrees of susceptibility to challenge with fully virulent Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague. We evaluated patterns in prairie dog susceptibility to plague to...
Russell, Robin E.; Tripp, Daniel W.; Rocke, Tonie E.
Year Published: 2019
Effect 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...
Russell, Robin E.; Halstead, Brian J.; Mosher, Brittany; Muths, Erin L.; Adams, Michael J.; Campbell Grant, Evan H.; Fisher, Robert N.; Kleeman, Patrick M.; Backlin, Adam R.; Pearl, Christopher; Honeycutt, R. Ken; Hossack, Blake R.Attribution: Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Western Ecological Research Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Ecosystems, Fish & Wildlife Disease, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
Year Published: 2018
Challenges and opportunities developing mathematical models of shared pathogens of domestic and wild animals
Diseases that affect both wild and domestic animals can be particularly difficult to prevent, predict, mitigate, and control. Such multi-host diseases can have devastating economic impacts on domestic animal producers and can present significant challenges to wildlife populations, particularly for populations of conservation concern. Few...
Huyvaert, Kathryn P.; Russell, Robin E.; Patyk, Kelly A.; Craft, Meggan E.; Cross, Paul C.; Garner, M. Graeme; Martin, Michael K.; Nol, Pauline; Walsh, Daniel P.
Year Published: 2018
Identifying management-relevant research priorities for responding to disease-associated amphibian declines
A research priority can be defined as a knowledge gap that, if resolved, identifies the optimal course of conservation action. We (a group of geographically distributed and multidisciplinary research scientists) used tools from nominal group theory and decision analysis to collaboratively identify and prioritize information...
Campbell Grant, Evan H.; Adams, M.J.; Fisher, Robert N.; Grear, Daniel A.; Halstead, Brian J.; Hossack, Blake R.; Muths, Erin L.; Richgels, Katherine L. D.; Russell, Robin E.; Smalling, Kelly L.; Waddle, J. Hardin; Walls, Susan C.; White, C. LeAnnAttribution: Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Western Ecological Research Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Ecosystems, Water Resources, Fish & Wildlife Disease, Wildlife Program, Region 2: South Atlantic-Gulf (Includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), Region 4: Mississippi Basin, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
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Grant, E. H. C., Adams, M. J., Fisher, R. N., Grear, D. A., Halstead, B. J., Hossack, B. R., Muths, E., Richgels, K. L. D., Russell, R. E., Smalling, K. L., Waddle, J. H., Walls, S. C., and White, C. L., 2018, Identifying management-relevant research priorities for responding to disease-associated amphibian declines: Global Ecology and Conservation, v. 16, article e00441, 9 p. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2018.e00441
Year Published: 2018
Local factors associated with on‐host flea distributions on prairie dog colonies
Outbreaks of plague, a flea‐vectored bacterial disease, occur periodically in prairie dog populations in the western United States. In order to understand the conditions that are conducive to plague outbreaks and potentially predict spatial and temporal variations in risk, it is important to understand the factors associated with flea abundance...
Russell, Robin E.; Abbott, Rachel C.; Tripp, Daniel W.; Rocke, Tonie E.Pre-USGS Publications
Russell, R.E., D. Schmetterling, R. McFarland, B. Shepard, D. Skaar, and C. Guy. Evaluating a Fish Monitoring Protocol Using State-Space Hierarchical Models. 2012. Open Fish Journal 5:1-8.
Aune, K., J. C. Rhyan, R.E. Russell, T. J. Roffe, and B. Corso. 2012. Environmental persistence of Brucella abortus in the Greater Yellowstone Area. Journal Wildlife Management 76:253-261.
Saab, V.A., W.M. Block, R.E. Russell, J. Lehmkuhl, L.Bate, R. White. 2007. Birds and burns of the interior West: descriptions, habitats, and management in western forests. PNW-GTR-712. Portland, OR. General Technical Report, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest
Gude, J.A., M.S. Mitchell, R.E. Russell, C.A. Sime, E.E. Bangs, and L.D. Mech. 2011. Wolf population dynamics in U.S. Northern Rocky Mountains are affected by recruitment and human caused mortality. Journal of Wildlife Management 76:108-118.
Lukacs, P., J.A. Gude, R.E. Russell, B. Ackerman. 2011. Evaluating cost-efficiency and accuracy of hunter harvest survey designs. Wildlife Society Bulletin 35:430-437.
Block, W. M., R. E. Russell, and J.A. Ganey. 2011. Occupancy and habitat associations of four species of sciurids in Ponderosa pine-Gambel oak (Pinus ponderosa-Quercus gambelii) forests in Northern Arizona. Southwestern Naturalist 56:193-203.
Saab, V.A., R.E. Russell, J. Rotella, and J. Dudley. 2011. Modeling nest survival of cavity nesting birds in relation to postfire salvage logging. Journal Wildlife Management 75:794-804.
Buckland, S. T., R.E. Russell, B.G. Dickson, V.A. Saab, and W. M. Block. 2010. Analyzing designed experiments in distance sampling. Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and Environmental Statistics. 14:432-444.
Russell, R.E., J. A. Royle, V. A. Saab, W. M. Block, J. F. Lehmkuhl, and J. R. Sauer. 2009. Modeling the response of wildlife communities to disturbance: quantifying the effect of prescribed fire treatments on avian communities in a coniferous forest in Washington. Ecological Applications 19:1253-1263.
Saab, V.A., R.E. Russell, and J. Dudley. 2009. Nest-site selection by cavity-nesting birds in relation to postfire salvage logging. Forest Ecology and Management. 257:151-159.
Detection Probabilities of Woodpecker Nests in Mixed Conifer Forests in Oregon
Russell, R.E., V.A. Saab, J.J. Rotella, and J. Dudley. 2009. Detection Probabilities of Woodpecker Nests in Mixed Conifer Forests in Oregon. Wilson Journal of Ornithological Research 121:82-88.
Russell, R.E., V.A. Saab, and J. Dudley. 2007. Habitat-suitability models for cavity-nesting birds in a postfire landscape. Journal Wildlife Management 71:2600-2611.
Russell, R.E., R.K. Swihart, and B.A. Craig. 2007. The effects of matrix structure on voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus). Journal of Mammalogy 88:573-579.
Sturdivant, R.X., J.J. Rotella, and R.E. Russell. 2007. A smoothed residual based goodness-of-fit statistic for nest-survival models. Studies in Avian Biology 34:45-55.
Saab, V.A., R.E. Russell, and J. G. Dudley. 2007. Nest densities of cavity-nesting birds in relation to postfire salvage logging and time since wildfire. Condor 109:97-108.
Russell, R. E., V.A. Saab, J. Dudley, and J. J. Rotella. 2006. Snag longevity in relation to wildfire and postfire salvage logging. Forest Ecology and Management 232:179-187.
Selecting surrogate species for ecological assessments in land-use planning: a case study in the upper Wabash River basin
Russell, R.E., J.E. Moore, M. S. Miller, T. M. Sutton, and S. M. Knapp. Selecting surrogate species for ecological assessments in land-use planning: a case study in the upper Wabash River basin. in Swihart and Moore (eds), Conserving biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. Purdue University Press, pp. 181-214.
Empirical considerations for modeling animal movements in human-dominated landscapes
Moore, J.E., and R. E. Russell. 2003. Empirical considerations for modeling animal movements in human-dominated landscapes. in Swihart and Moore (eds), Conserving biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. Purdue University Press, pp. 165-180.
Species specific responses to landscape heterogeneity: improving estimates of connectivity
Miller, M.S., and R. E. Russell. 2003. Species specific responses to landscape heterogeneity: improving estimates of connectivity. in Swihart and Moore (eds), Conserving biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. Purdue University Press, pp. 121-138.
Russell, R. E., R.K. Swihart, and Z. Feng. 2003. Population consequences of movement decisions in a patchy landscape. Oikos 103:142-152.
Knapp, S.K., R.E. Russell, and R.K. Swihart. 2003. Setting priorities for conservation: the influence of uncertainty on species rankings of Indiana mammals. Biological Conservation 111:223-234.
Russell, R.E. and J.K. Detling. 2003. Grasshoppers (Orthoptera:Acrididae) and black-tailed prairie dogs (Sciuridae: Cynomys ludovicianus)(Ord): associations between two rangeland herbivores. J. Kansas Entomological Society 76:578-587.
Date published: October 23, 2019
White-nose syndrome surveillance and research updates
Updates on white-nose syndrome surveillance and research from the USGS National Wildlife Health Center in Fall 2019.
Attribution: National Wildlife Health Center
Date published: October 26, 2018
A Unified Research Strategy for Disease Management
As wildlife diseases increase globally, an understanding of host-pathogen relationships can elucidate avenues for management and improve conservation efficacy. Amphibians are among the most threatened groups of wildlife, and disease is a major factor in global amphibian declines.
Attribution: Fish & Wildlife Disease, Wildlife Program, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Western Ecological Research Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center