Todd Atwood, Ph.D.
Todd is a Research Wildlife Biologist for the Alaska Science Center.
Professional Experience
2012 - Present Research Wildlife Biologist and Project Leader, USGS Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, AK
2008 - 2012 Research Wildlife Biologist, USDA/APHIS/WS/National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, CO
2006 - 2008 Research Biologist, Research Branch, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Phoenix, AZ
2006 Biological Technician, USDA/National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, CO
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. 2006 Utah State University Wildlife Biology
M.S. 2002 Purdue University Wildlife Ecology
B.S. 1999 Purdue University Wildlife Ecology
Affiliations and Memberships*
The Wildlife Society
International Association for Bear Research and Management
American Society of Mammalogists
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 27
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Filter Total Items: 88
Temporal complexity of southern Beaufort Sea polar bear diets during a period of increasing land use Temporal complexity of southern Beaufort Sea polar bear diets during a period of increasing land use
From 2000 to 2013, use of land as a seasonal habitat by polar bears (Ursus maritimus) of the southern Beaufort Sea (SB) subpopulation substantially increased. This onshore use has been linked to reduced spatial and temporal availability of sea ice, as well as to the availability of subsistence‐harvested bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) bone piles. Here, we evaluated the role of climate
Authors
Melissa A. McKinney, Todd C. Atwood, Sara J. Iverson, Elizabeth L. Peacock
Polar bear attacks on humans: Implications of a changing climate Polar bear attacks on humans: Implications of a changing climate
Understanding causes of polar bear (Ursus maritimus) attacks on humans is critical to ensuring both human safety and polar bear conservation. Although considerable attention has been focused on understanding black (U. americanus) and grizzly (U. arctos) bear conflicts with humans, there have been few attempts to systematically collect, analyze, and interpret available information on...
Authors
James Wilder, Dag Vongraven, Todd C. Atwood, Bob Hansen, Amalie Jessen, Anatoly A. Kochnev, Geoff York, Rachel Vallender, Daryll Hedman, Melissa Gibbons
Relative influences of climate change and human activity on the onshore distribution of polar bears Relative influences of climate change and human activity on the onshore distribution of polar bears
Climate change is altering habitat for many species, leading to shifts in distributions that can increase levels of human-wildlife conflict. To develop effective strategies for minimizing human-wildlife conflict, we must understand the relative influences that climate change and other factors have on wildlife distributions. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are increasingly using land during...
Authors
Ryan H. Wilson, Eric V. Regehr, Michelle St. Martin, Todd C. Atwood, Elizabeth L. Peacock, Susanne Miller, George J. Divoky
Demographic and temporal variations in immunity and condition of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from the southern Beaufort Sea Demographic and temporal variations in immunity and condition of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from the southern Beaufort Sea
Assessing the health and condition of animals in their natural environment can be problematic. Many physiological metrics, including immunity, are highly influenced by specific context and recent events to which researchers may be unaware. Thus, using a multifaceted physiological approach and a context-specific analysis encompassing multiple time scales can be highly informative...
Authors
Lorin Neuman-Lee, Patricia Terletzky, Todd C. Atwood, Eric Gese, Geoffrey Smith, Sydney Greenfield, John Pettit, Susannah French
Environmental and behavioral changes may influence the exposure of an Arctic apex predator to pathogens and contaminants Environmental and behavioral changes may influence the exposure of an Arctic apex predator to pathogens and contaminants
Recent decline of sea ice habitat has coincided with increased use of land by polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from the southern Beaufort Sea (SB), which may alter the risks of exposure to pathogens and contaminants. We assayed blood samples from SB polar bears to assess prior exposure to the pathogens Brucella spp., Toxoplasma gondii, Coxiella burnetii, Francisella tularensis, and Neospora...
Authors
Todd C. Atwood, Colleen G. Duncan, Kelly A. Patyk, Pauline Nol, Jack Rhyan, Matthew McCollum, Melissa A. McKinney, Andrew M. Ramey, Camila Cerqueira-Cezar, Oliver C H Kwok, Jitender P Dubey, S.G. Hennager
Polar bears and sea ice habitat change Polar bears and sea ice habitat change
The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is an obligate apex predator of Arctic sea ice and as such can be affected by climate warming-induced changes in the extent and composition of pack ice and its impacts on their seal prey. Sea ice declines have negatively impacted some polar bear subpopulations through reduced energy input because of loss of hunting habitats, higher energy costs due to...
Authors
George M. Durner, Todd C. Atwood
Non-USGS Publications**
Algeo, T. P., D. Slate, R. M. Caron, T. C. Atwood, S. Recuenco, M. Ducey, R. B. Chipman, and M. Palace. 2017. Modeling raccoon (Procyon lotor) habitat connectivity to identify potential corridors for rabies spread. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases 44. doi:10.3390/tropicalmed203044.
Atwood, T. C., E. Peacock, K. M. Lillie, R. R. Wilson, and S. Miller. 2015. Demographic composition and behavior of polar bears summering on shore in Alaska. USGS Administrative Report, 26 p.
Beasley, J. C., T. C. Atwood, M. E. Byrne, K. C. VerCauteren, S. R. Johnson, and O. E. Rhodes, Jr. 2015. A behaviorally-explicit approach for evaluating vaccine baits to mesopredators to control epizootics in fragmented landscapes. PLoS One 10:e0113206. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0113206.
Anderson, A., S. A. Shwiff, R. B. Chipman, T. C. Atwood, T. Cozzens, F. Fillo, R. Hale, B. Hatch, J. Maki, O. E. Rhodes, Jr, E. E. Rees, C. E. Rupprecht, R. Tinline, K. C. VerCauteren, and D. Slate. 2014. Forecasting the spread of raccoon rabies using a purpose-specific group decision-making process. Human-Wildlife Interactions 8(1):130-138.
Slate, D., R. B. Chipman, T. P. Algeo, S. A. Mills, K. M. Nelson, C. K. Croson, E. J. Dubovi, R. W. Renshaw, K. C. VerCauteren, T. C. Atwood, S. Johnson, and C. E. Rupprecht. 2014. Safety and immunogenicity in the first field trial with ONRAB in raccoons in the United States. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 50(3):582-595. doi:10.7589/2013-08-207.
Kunkel, K. E., T. K. Ruth, T. C. Atwood, D. H. Pletscher, and M. G. Hornocker. 2013. Assessing the value of wolves and cougars as conservation surrogates by linking carnivore hunting success with landscape characteristics. Animal Conservation 16:32-40. doi:10.1111/j.1469-1795.2012.00568.x.
Beasley, J. D., W. S. Beatty, T. C. Atwood, S. Johnson, and O. E. Rhodes, Jr. 2012. A comparison of methods for estimating raccoon abundance: Implications for disease vaccination programs. Journal of Wildlife Management 76(6):1290-1297. doi:10.1002/jwmg.379.
Atwood, T. C. and S. W. Breck. 2012. Carnivores, Conflict, and Conservation: Defining the Landscape of Conflict. Pages 99-118 in F. I. Álvares and G. E. Mata, (eds.). Carnivores: Species, Conservation, and Management. Nova Publishers.
Atwood, T. C., T. L. Fry, and B. R. Leland. 2011. Partitioning of a limited resource by sympatric carnivores in the Chihuahuan Desert and the implications for disease transmission. Journal of Wildlife Management 75:1609-1615.
Atwood, T. C., J. K. Young, J. P. Beckmann, S. W. Breck, O. E. Rhodes, Jr, J. A. Fike, and K. D. Bristow. 2011. Modeling connectivity of black bears in a desert sky island archipelago. Biological Conservation 144(12):2851-2862. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2011.08.002.
Fry, T. L., T. C. Atwood, and M. R. Dunbar. 2010. Utility of rhodamine B as a biomarker in raccoons. Human-Wildlife Interactions 4:275-282.
Atwood, T. C. and E. M. Gese. 2010. Importance of resource selection and social behaviour to partitioning of hostile space by sympatric canids. Journal of Mammalogy 91:490-499.
Atwood, T. C., T. J. DeLiberto, H. J. Smith, J. Stevenson, and K. C. VerCauteren. 2009. Raccoon spatial ecology related to cattle and bovine tuberculosis. Journal of Wildlife Management 73:647-654.
Atwood, T. C., E. M. Gese, and K. E. Kunkel. 2009. Spatial decomposition of predation risk in a multiple-predator multiple-prey system. Journal of Wildlife Management 73:876-884.
Atwood, T. C. and E. M. Gese. 2008. Coyotes (Canis latrans) and recolonizing wolves (Canis lupus): Social rank mediates risk-conditional behaviour at ungulate carcasses. Animal Behaviour 75:753-762.
VerCauteren, K. C., T. C. Atwood, T. J. DeLiberto, H. J. Smith, J. Stevenson, T. Gidlewski, and B. V. Thomsen. 2008. Sentinel-based surveillance of coyotes to detect bovine tuberculosis in Michigan. Emerging Infectious Diseases 14:1862-1869.
Atwood, T. C., K. C. VerCauteren, T. J. DeLiberto, H. J. Smith, and J. Stevenson. 2007. Coyotes as a potential sentinel species to detect bovine tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis) infection in white-tailed deer in Michigan. Journal of Wildlife Management 71:1545-1554.
Atwood, T. C., E. M. Gese, and K. E. Kunkel. 2007. Comparative patterns of predation by cougars and recolonizing wolves. Journal of Wildlife Management 71:1098-1106.
Atwood, T. C. 2006. The influence of habitat patch attributes on coyote group size and interaction in a fragmented landscape. Canadian Journal of Zoology 84:80-87.
Atwood, T. C. 2006. Behavioral interactions between wolves, Canis lupus, and coyotes, Canis latrans, at ungulate carcasses in southwest Montana. Western North American Naturalist 66:390-394.
Atwood, T. C., H. P. Weeks, Jr., and T. M. Gehring. 2004. Spatial ecology of coyotes along a suburban-to-rural gradient. Journal of Wildlife Management 85:1000-1009.
Swihart, R. K., T. C. Atwood, J. R. Goheen, D. A. Scheiman, K. E. Munroe, and T. M. Gehring. 2003. Patch occupancy in North American mammals: Is patchiness in the eye of the beholder? . Journal of Biogeography 30:1259-1279.
Atwood, T. C. and H. P. Weeks, Jr.. 2003. Sex-specific patterns of mineral lick preference in white-tailed deer. Northeastern Naturalist 10:409-414.
Atwood, T. C. and H. P. Weeks, Jr.. 2002. Sex- and age-specific patterns of mineral lick use by white-tailed deer. American Midland Naturalist 148:289-296.
Atwood, T. C. and H. P. Weeks, Jr.. 2002. Facultative dyad formation in adult male coyotes. Northeastern Naturalist 9:353-358.
**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.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 27
No Result Found
Filter Total Items: 88
Temporal complexity of southern Beaufort Sea polar bear diets during a period of increasing land use Temporal complexity of southern Beaufort Sea polar bear diets during a period of increasing land use
From 2000 to 2013, use of land as a seasonal habitat by polar bears (Ursus maritimus) of the southern Beaufort Sea (SB) subpopulation substantially increased. This onshore use has been linked to reduced spatial and temporal availability of sea ice, as well as to the availability of subsistence‐harvested bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) bone piles. Here, we evaluated the role of climate
Authors
Melissa A. McKinney, Todd C. Atwood, Sara J. Iverson, Elizabeth L. Peacock
Polar bear attacks on humans: Implications of a changing climate Polar bear attacks on humans: Implications of a changing climate
Understanding causes of polar bear (Ursus maritimus) attacks on humans is critical to ensuring both human safety and polar bear conservation. Although considerable attention has been focused on understanding black (U. americanus) and grizzly (U. arctos) bear conflicts with humans, there have been few attempts to systematically collect, analyze, and interpret available information on...
Authors
James Wilder, Dag Vongraven, Todd C. Atwood, Bob Hansen, Amalie Jessen, Anatoly A. Kochnev, Geoff York, Rachel Vallender, Daryll Hedman, Melissa Gibbons
Relative influences of climate change and human activity on the onshore distribution of polar bears Relative influences of climate change and human activity on the onshore distribution of polar bears
Climate change is altering habitat for many species, leading to shifts in distributions that can increase levels of human-wildlife conflict. To develop effective strategies for minimizing human-wildlife conflict, we must understand the relative influences that climate change and other factors have on wildlife distributions. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are increasingly using land during...
Authors
Ryan H. Wilson, Eric V. Regehr, Michelle St. Martin, Todd C. Atwood, Elizabeth L. Peacock, Susanne Miller, George J. Divoky
Demographic and temporal variations in immunity and condition of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from the southern Beaufort Sea Demographic and temporal variations in immunity and condition of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from the southern Beaufort Sea
Assessing the health and condition of animals in their natural environment can be problematic. Many physiological metrics, including immunity, are highly influenced by specific context and recent events to which researchers may be unaware. Thus, using a multifaceted physiological approach and a context-specific analysis encompassing multiple time scales can be highly informative...
Authors
Lorin Neuman-Lee, Patricia Terletzky, Todd C. Atwood, Eric Gese, Geoffrey Smith, Sydney Greenfield, John Pettit, Susannah French
Environmental and behavioral changes may influence the exposure of an Arctic apex predator to pathogens and contaminants Environmental and behavioral changes may influence the exposure of an Arctic apex predator to pathogens and contaminants
Recent decline of sea ice habitat has coincided with increased use of land by polar bears (Ursus maritimus) from the southern Beaufort Sea (SB), which may alter the risks of exposure to pathogens and contaminants. We assayed blood samples from SB polar bears to assess prior exposure to the pathogens Brucella spp., Toxoplasma gondii, Coxiella burnetii, Francisella tularensis, and Neospora...
Authors
Todd C. Atwood, Colleen G. Duncan, Kelly A. Patyk, Pauline Nol, Jack Rhyan, Matthew McCollum, Melissa A. McKinney, Andrew M. Ramey, Camila Cerqueira-Cezar, Oliver C H Kwok, Jitender P Dubey, S.G. Hennager
Polar bears and sea ice habitat change Polar bears and sea ice habitat change
The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is an obligate apex predator of Arctic sea ice and as such can be affected by climate warming-induced changes in the extent and composition of pack ice and its impacts on their seal prey. Sea ice declines have negatively impacted some polar bear subpopulations through reduced energy input because of loss of hunting habitats, higher energy costs due to...
Authors
George M. Durner, Todd C. Atwood
Non-USGS Publications**
Algeo, T. P., D. Slate, R. M. Caron, T. C. Atwood, S. Recuenco, M. Ducey, R. B. Chipman, and M. Palace. 2017. Modeling raccoon (Procyon lotor) habitat connectivity to identify potential corridors for rabies spread. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases 44. doi:10.3390/tropicalmed203044.
Atwood, T. C., E. Peacock, K. M. Lillie, R. R. Wilson, and S. Miller. 2015. Demographic composition and behavior of polar bears summering on shore in Alaska. USGS Administrative Report, 26 p.
Beasley, J. C., T. C. Atwood, M. E. Byrne, K. C. VerCauteren, S. R. Johnson, and O. E. Rhodes, Jr. 2015. A behaviorally-explicit approach for evaluating vaccine baits to mesopredators to control epizootics in fragmented landscapes. PLoS One 10:e0113206. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0113206.
Anderson, A., S. A. Shwiff, R. B. Chipman, T. C. Atwood, T. Cozzens, F. Fillo, R. Hale, B. Hatch, J. Maki, O. E. Rhodes, Jr, E. E. Rees, C. E. Rupprecht, R. Tinline, K. C. VerCauteren, and D. Slate. 2014. Forecasting the spread of raccoon rabies using a purpose-specific group decision-making process. Human-Wildlife Interactions 8(1):130-138.
Slate, D., R. B. Chipman, T. P. Algeo, S. A. Mills, K. M. Nelson, C. K. Croson, E. J. Dubovi, R. W. Renshaw, K. C. VerCauteren, T. C. Atwood, S. Johnson, and C. E. Rupprecht. 2014. Safety and immunogenicity in the first field trial with ONRAB in raccoons in the United States. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 50(3):582-595. doi:10.7589/2013-08-207.
Kunkel, K. E., T. K. Ruth, T. C. Atwood, D. H. Pletscher, and M. G. Hornocker. 2013. Assessing the value of wolves and cougars as conservation surrogates by linking carnivore hunting success with landscape characteristics. Animal Conservation 16:32-40. doi:10.1111/j.1469-1795.2012.00568.x.
Beasley, J. D., W. S. Beatty, T. C. Atwood, S. Johnson, and O. E. Rhodes, Jr. 2012. A comparison of methods for estimating raccoon abundance: Implications for disease vaccination programs. Journal of Wildlife Management 76(6):1290-1297. doi:10.1002/jwmg.379.
Atwood, T. C. and S. W. Breck. 2012. Carnivores, Conflict, and Conservation: Defining the Landscape of Conflict. Pages 99-118 in F. I. Álvares and G. E. Mata, (eds.). Carnivores: Species, Conservation, and Management. Nova Publishers.
Atwood, T. C., T. L. Fry, and B. R. Leland. 2011. Partitioning of a limited resource by sympatric carnivores in the Chihuahuan Desert and the implications for disease transmission. Journal of Wildlife Management 75:1609-1615.
Atwood, T. C., J. K. Young, J. P. Beckmann, S. W. Breck, O. E. Rhodes, Jr, J. A. Fike, and K. D. Bristow. 2011. Modeling connectivity of black bears in a desert sky island archipelago. Biological Conservation 144(12):2851-2862. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2011.08.002.
Fry, T. L., T. C. Atwood, and M. R. Dunbar. 2010. Utility of rhodamine B as a biomarker in raccoons. Human-Wildlife Interactions 4:275-282.
Atwood, T. C. and E. M. Gese. 2010. Importance of resource selection and social behaviour to partitioning of hostile space by sympatric canids. Journal of Mammalogy 91:490-499.
Atwood, T. C., T. J. DeLiberto, H. J. Smith, J. Stevenson, and K. C. VerCauteren. 2009. Raccoon spatial ecology related to cattle and bovine tuberculosis. Journal of Wildlife Management 73:647-654.
Atwood, T. C., E. M. Gese, and K. E. Kunkel. 2009. Spatial decomposition of predation risk in a multiple-predator multiple-prey system. Journal of Wildlife Management 73:876-884.
Atwood, T. C. and E. M. Gese. 2008. Coyotes (Canis latrans) and recolonizing wolves (Canis lupus): Social rank mediates risk-conditional behaviour at ungulate carcasses. Animal Behaviour 75:753-762.
VerCauteren, K. C., T. C. Atwood, T. J. DeLiberto, H. J. Smith, J. Stevenson, T. Gidlewski, and B. V. Thomsen. 2008. Sentinel-based surveillance of coyotes to detect bovine tuberculosis in Michigan. Emerging Infectious Diseases 14:1862-1869.
Atwood, T. C., K. C. VerCauteren, T. J. DeLiberto, H. J. Smith, and J. Stevenson. 2007. Coyotes as a potential sentinel species to detect bovine tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis) infection in white-tailed deer in Michigan. Journal of Wildlife Management 71:1545-1554.
Atwood, T. C., E. M. Gese, and K. E. Kunkel. 2007. Comparative patterns of predation by cougars and recolonizing wolves. Journal of Wildlife Management 71:1098-1106.
Atwood, T. C. 2006. The influence of habitat patch attributes on coyote group size and interaction in a fragmented landscape. Canadian Journal of Zoology 84:80-87.
Atwood, T. C. 2006. Behavioral interactions between wolves, Canis lupus, and coyotes, Canis latrans, at ungulate carcasses in southwest Montana. Western North American Naturalist 66:390-394.
Atwood, T. C., H. P. Weeks, Jr., and T. M. Gehring. 2004. Spatial ecology of coyotes along a suburban-to-rural gradient. Journal of Wildlife Management 85:1000-1009.
Swihart, R. K., T. C. Atwood, J. R. Goheen, D. A. Scheiman, K. E. Munroe, and T. M. Gehring. 2003. Patch occupancy in North American mammals: Is patchiness in the eye of the beholder? . Journal of Biogeography 30:1259-1279.
Atwood, T. C. and H. P. Weeks, Jr.. 2003. Sex-specific patterns of mineral lick preference in white-tailed deer. Northeastern Naturalist 10:409-414.
Atwood, T. C. and H. P. Weeks, Jr.. 2002. Sex- and age-specific patterns of mineral lick use by white-tailed deer. American Midland Naturalist 148:289-296.
Atwood, T. C. and H. P. Weeks, Jr.. 2002. Facultative dyad formation in adult male coyotes. Northeastern Naturalist 9:353-358.
**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.
*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