Assistant Unit Leader - Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
After finishing his Ph.D., David served as a post-doctoral Researcher at the National Wildlife Research Center for nearly 5 years. A majority of his research explores spatial ecology of various species throughout the U.S. using GIS to further our understanding of wildlife presence/absence, nutrition, and disease.
Education
- Ph D Oklahoma State University 2006
- MS University of New Hampshire 2000
- BS SUNY - College of Environmental Science and Forestry 1995
Research Interests
David's primary research interests have focused on using various modeling techniques to understand spatial ecology of disease in ungulates in various regions of North America. He also uses stable isotopes to understand movements, nutritional ecology, and effects of invasive species on native non-game species at the landscape level.
Teaching Interests
David teaches graduate courses in spatial ecology, movement analyses, home range estimation, and disease epidemiology.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 29
Landscape features fail to explain spatial genetic structure in white-tailed deer across Ohio, USA
Landscape features influence wildlife movements across spatial scales and have the potential to influence the spread of disease. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal prion disease affecting members of the family Cervidae, particularly white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and the first positive CWD case in a wild deer in Ohio, USA, was recorded in 2020. Landscape genetics approaches are
Landscape features fail to explain spatial genetic structure in white-tailed deer across Ohio, USA
Landscape features influence wildlife movements across spatial scales and have the potential to influence the spread of disease. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal prion disease affecting members of the family Cervidae, particularly white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and the first positive CWD case in a wild deer in Ohio, USA, was recorded in 2020. Landscape genetics approaches are
Comparison of sample types from white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) for DNA extraction and analyses
Collection of biological samples for DNA is necessary in a variety of disciplines including disease epidemiology, landscape genetics, and forensics. Quantity and quality of DNA varies depending on the method of collection or media available for collection (e.g., blood, tissue, fecal). Blood is the most common sample collected in vials or on Whatman Flinders Technology Associates (FTA) cards with s
Spatial ecology of urban striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) in the Northern Great Plains: A framework for future oral rabies vaccination programs
Few studies have investigated the ecology of urban striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) despite their role as a primary rabies vector species paired with an ability to thrive in these landscapes. Information on home range, nightly movements, and habitat selection, is important for rabies management planning regarding the placement of oral rabies vaccine (ORV) baits and for management of skunk popula
Ecology of an isolated muskrat population during regional population declines
Evidence indicating a decline in muskrat populations in the United States during the past 40 years has led to speculation regarding factors influencing muskrat survival. In order to understand population dynamics and survival, it is important to first define the ecology of local populations. We investigated the dwelling structure use, movements, home range, and survival of radio-tagged muskrats (n
Resource use by American black bear in suburbia: A landholder step selection approach
Range expansion of American black bear (Ursus americanus; bear) and residential development has resulted in a growing presence of bear in suburbia. Suburban landscapes exhibiting patchworks of variable-sized parcels and habitats and owned by landowners with diverse values, can create large areas of suitable habitats with limited public access. These landscapes thereby may limit the effectiveness o
The influence of hunting pressure and ecological factors on fecal glucocorticoid metabolites in wild elk
Climate change and human population growth have increased anthropogenic threats to biodiversity and habitat fragmentation. Ecologists and conservationists need tools to assess the effect of these ecological and environmental perturbations on organismal fitness. One possibility is glucocorticoids (e.g., cortisol and corticosterone) which integrate various factors such as anthropogenic disturbances,
A review of pathogens, diseases, and contaminants of muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) in North America
Over the last 50 years, significant muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) harvest declines have been observed throughout North America. Several theories for the decline have been proposed, including increased parasite infections and disease within muskrat populations. No existing wholistic review of muskrat exposure to pathogens, contaminants, and diseases exists. To address this knowledge gap, we conducte
Assessment of spatial genetic structure to identify populations at risk for infection of an emerging epizootic disease
Understanding the geographic extent and connectivity of wildlife populations can provide important insights into the management of disease outbreaks but defining patterns of population structure is difficult for widely distributed species. Landscape genetic analyses are powerful methods for identifying cryptic structure and movement patterns that may be associated with spatial epizootic patterns i
Can genetic assignment tests provide insight on the influence of captive egression on epizootiology of chronic wasting disease?
Identifying the sources of ongoing and novel disease outbreaks is critical for understanding the diffusion of epizootic diseases. Identifying infection sources is difficult when few physical differences separate individuals with different origins. Genetic assignment procedures show great promise for assessing transmission dynamics in such situations. Here, we use genetic assignment tests to determ
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 “cervids”) may not show signs of disease for sever
Evaluation of a microsatellite panel for use across North American populations of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
Background Microsatellite loci have been used extensively over the past two decades to study the genetic characteristics of non-model species. The relative ease of microsatellite development and ability to adapt markers from related species has led to the proliferation of available markers, particularly for those species that are intensively studied and managed. Because it is often infeasible to g
Spatial modeling of two mosquito vectors of West Nile virus using integrated nested Laplace approximation
This software involves R script to fit models of abundance of mosquito vectors (' Script_for_ECS22-0193_9_13_2215.R') to landscape and environmental covariates using INLA and SPDE. The dataset used for this analysis were originally provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) with a confidentiality agreement. The majority of the data used in this study, however, have s
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 29
Landscape features fail to explain spatial genetic structure in white-tailed deer across Ohio, USA
Landscape features influence wildlife movements across spatial scales and have the potential to influence the spread of disease. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal prion disease affecting members of the family Cervidae, particularly white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and the first positive CWD case in a wild deer in Ohio, USA, was recorded in 2020. Landscape genetics approaches areLandscape features fail to explain spatial genetic structure in white-tailed deer across Ohio, USA
Landscape features influence wildlife movements across spatial scales and have the potential to influence the spread of disease. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal prion disease affecting members of the family Cervidae, particularly white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and the first positive CWD case in a wild deer in Ohio, USA, was recorded in 2020. Landscape genetics approaches areComparison of sample types from white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) for DNA extraction and analyses
Collection of biological samples for DNA is necessary in a variety of disciplines including disease epidemiology, landscape genetics, and forensics. Quantity and quality of DNA varies depending on the method of collection or media available for collection (e.g., blood, tissue, fecal). Blood is the most common sample collected in vials or on Whatman Flinders Technology Associates (FTA) cards with sSpatial ecology of urban striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) in the Northern Great Plains: A framework for future oral rabies vaccination programs
Few studies have investigated the ecology of urban striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) despite their role as a primary rabies vector species paired with an ability to thrive in these landscapes. Information on home range, nightly movements, and habitat selection, is important for rabies management planning regarding the placement of oral rabies vaccine (ORV) baits and for management of skunk populaEcology of an isolated muskrat population during regional population declines
Evidence indicating a decline in muskrat populations in the United States during the past 40 years has led to speculation regarding factors influencing muskrat survival. In order to understand population dynamics and survival, it is important to first define the ecology of local populations. We investigated the dwelling structure use, movements, home range, and survival of radio-tagged muskrats (nResource use by American black bear in suburbia: A landholder step selection approach
Range expansion of American black bear (Ursus americanus; bear) and residential development has resulted in a growing presence of bear in suburbia. Suburban landscapes exhibiting patchworks of variable-sized parcels and habitats and owned by landowners with diverse values, can create large areas of suitable habitats with limited public access. These landscapes thereby may limit the effectiveness oThe influence of hunting pressure and ecological factors on fecal glucocorticoid metabolites in wild elk
Climate change and human population growth have increased anthropogenic threats to biodiversity and habitat fragmentation. Ecologists and conservationists need tools to assess the effect of these ecological and environmental perturbations on organismal fitness. One possibility is glucocorticoids (e.g., cortisol and corticosterone) which integrate various factors such as anthropogenic disturbances,A review of pathogens, diseases, and contaminants of muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) in North America
Over the last 50 years, significant muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) harvest declines have been observed throughout North America. Several theories for the decline have been proposed, including increased parasite infections and disease within muskrat populations. No existing wholistic review of muskrat exposure to pathogens, contaminants, and diseases exists. To address this knowledge gap, we conducteAssessment of spatial genetic structure to identify populations at risk for infection of an emerging epizootic disease
Understanding the geographic extent and connectivity of wildlife populations can provide important insights into the management of disease outbreaks but defining patterns of population structure is difficult for widely distributed species. Landscape genetic analyses are powerful methods for identifying cryptic structure and movement patterns that may be associated with spatial epizootic patterns iCan genetic assignment tests provide insight on the influence of captive egression on epizootiology of chronic wasting disease?
Identifying the sources of ongoing and novel disease outbreaks is critical for understanding the diffusion of epizootic diseases. Identifying infection sources is difficult when few physical differences separate individuals with different origins. Genetic assignment procedures show great promise for assessing transmission dynamics in such situations. Here, we use genetic assignment tests to determChronic 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 “cervids”) may not show signs of disease for severEvaluation of a microsatellite panel for use across North American populations of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
Background Microsatellite loci have been used extensively over the past two decades to study the genetic characteristics of non-model species. The relative ease of microsatellite development and ability to adapt markers from related species has led to the proliferation of available markers, particularly for those species that are intensively studied and managed. Because it is often infeasible to g - Software
Spatial modeling of two mosquito vectors of West Nile virus using integrated nested Laplace approximation
This software involves R script to fit models of abundance of mosquito vectors (' Script_for_ECS22-0193_9_13_2215.R') to landscape and environmental covariates using INLA and SPDE. The dataset used for this analysis were originally provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) with a confidentiality agreement. The majority of the data used in this study, however, have s