William Beatty, PhD
William leads research on wildlife population modeling, movement ecology, and space use with an emphasis on migratory waterbirds
Professional Experience
2024 – Present, Research Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, La Crosse, Wisconsin
2021 – 2024, Research Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, La Crosse, Wisconsin
2016 – 2021, Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Marine Mammals Management, Anchorage, Alaska
2014 – 2016, Research Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
2012 – 2014, Post-doctoral Fellow, University of Missouri, Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Purdue University, Wildlife Science, 2012
M.S., Eastern Illinois University, Biological Sciences, 2008
B.S., University of Missouri, Fisheries and Wildlife Science, 2005
Affiliations and Memberships*
The Wildlife Society
Society for Marine Mammalogy
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 24
Diffusion modeling reveals effects of multiple release sites and human activity on a recolonizing apex predator Diffusion modeling reveals effects of multiple release sites and human activity on a recolonizing apex predator
Background Reintroducing predators is a promising conservation tool to help remedy human-caused ecosystem changes. However, the growth and spread of a reintroduced population is a spatiotemporal process that is driven by a suite of factors, such as habitat change, human activity, and prey availability. Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are apex predators of nearshore marine ecosystems that had...
Authors
Joseph M. Eisaguirre, Perry J. Willliams, Xinyi Lu, Michelle L. Kissling, William S. Beatty, George G. Esslinger, Jamie N. Womble, Mevin Hooten
Panmixia in a sea ice-associated marine mammal: evaluating genetic structure of the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) at multiple spatial scales Panmixia in a sea ice-associated marine mammal: evaluating genetic structure of the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) at multiple spatial scales
The kin structure of a species at relatively fine spatial scales impacts broad-scale patterns in genetic structure at the population level. However, kin structure rarely has been elucidated for migratory marine mammals. The Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) exhibits migratory behavior linked to seasonal patterns in sea ice dynamics. Consequently, information on the spatial...
Authors
William S. Beatty, Patrick R. Lemons, Suresh Sethi, Jason Everett, Cara J. Lewis, Robert J. Lynn, Geoffrey M. Cook, Joel L. Garlich-Miller, John K. Wenburg
Forecasting consequences of changing sea ice availability for Pacific walruses Forecasting consequences of changing sea ice availability for Pacific walruses
The accelerating rate of anthropogenic alteration and disturbance of environments has increased the need for forecasting effects of environmental change on fish and wildlife populations. Models linking projections of environmental change with behavioral responses and bioenergetic effects can provide a basis for these forecasts. There is particular interest in forecasting effects of...
Authors
Mark S. Udevitz, Chadwick V. Jay, Rebecca L. Taylor, Anthony S. Fischbach, William S. Beatty, Shawn R. Noren
Walrus haul-out and in water activity levels relative to sea ice availability in the Chukchi Sea Walrus haul-out and in water activity levels relative to sea ice availability in the Chukchi Sea
An animal’s energetic costs are dependent on the amount of time it allocates to various behavioral activities. For Arctic pinnipeds, the time allocated to active and resting behaviors could change with future reductions in sea ice cover and longer periods of open water. The Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) is a large Arctic pinniped that rests on sea ice or land between...
Authors
Chadwick V. Jay, Rebecca L. Taylor, Anthony S. Fischbach, Mark S. Udevitz, William S. Beatty
Space use of a dominant Arctic vertebrate: Effects of prey, sea ice, and land on Pacific walrus resource selection Space use of a dominant Arctic vertebrate: Effects of prey, sea ice, and land on Pacific walrus resource selection
Sea ice dominates marine ecosystems in the Arctic, and recent reductions in sea ice may alter food webs throughout the region. Sea ice loss may also stress Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens), which feed on benthic macroinvertebrates in the Bering and Chukchi seas. However, no studies have examined the effects of sea ice on foraging Pacific walrus space use patterns. We tested...
Authors
William S. Beatty, Chadwick V. Jay, Anthony S. Fischbach, Jacqueline M. Grebmeier, Rebecca L. Taylor, Arny L. Blanchard, Stephen C. Jewett
How will predicted land-use change affect waterfowl spring stopover ecology? Inferences from an individual-based model How will predicted land-use change affect waterfowl spring stopover ecology? Inferences from an individual-based model
Habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, overexploitation and climate change pose familiar and new challenges to conserving natural populations throughout the world. One approach conservation planners may use to evaluate the effects of these challenges on wildlife populations is scenario planning.We developed an individual-based model to evaluate the effects of future land use and land cover...
Authors
William S. Beatty, Dylan C. Kesler, Elisabeth B. Webb, Luke W. Naylor, Andrew H. Raedeke, Dale D. Humburg, John M. Coluccy, Gregory J. Soulliere
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 24
Diffusion modeling reveals effects of multiple release sites and human activity on a recolonizing apex predator Diffusion modeling reveals effects of multiple release sites and human activity on a recolonizing apex predator
Background Reintroducing predators is a promising conservation tool to help remedy human-caused ecosystem changes. However, the growth and spread of a reintroduced population is a spatiotemporal process that is driven by a suite of factors, such as habitat change, human activity, and prey availability. Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are apex predators of nearshore marine ecosystems that had...
Authors
Joseph M. Eisaguirre, Perry J. Willliams, Xinyi Lu, Michelle L. Kissling, William S. Beatty, George G. Esslinger, Jamie N. Womble, Mevin Hooten
Panmixia in a sea ice-associated marine mammal: evaluating genetic structure of the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) at multiple spatial scales Panmixia in a sea ice-associated marine mammal: evaluating genetic structure of the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) at multiple spatial scales
The kin structure of a species at relatively fine spatial scales impacts broad-scale patterns in genetic structure at the population level. However, kin structure rarely has been elucidated for migratory marine mammals. The Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) exhibits migratory behavior linked to seasonal patterns in sea ice dynamics. Consequently, information on the spatial...
Authors
William S. Beatty, Patrick R. Lemons, Suresh Sethi, Jason Everett, Cara J. Lewis, Robert J. Lynn, Geoffrey M. Cook, Joel L. Garlich-Miller, John K. Wenburg
Forecasting consequences of changing sea ice availability for Pacific walruses Forecasting consequences of changing sea ice availability for Pacific walruses
The accelerating rate of anthropogenic alteration and disturbance of environments has increased the need for forecasting effects of environmental change on fish and wildlife populations. Models linking projections of environmental change with behavioral responses and bioenergetic effects can provide a basis for these forecasts. There is particular interest in forecasting effects of...
Authors
Mark S. Udevitz, Chadwick V. Jay, Rebecca L. Taylor, Anthony S. Fischbach, William S. Beatty, Shawn R. Noren
Walrus haul-out and in water activity levels relative to sea ice availability in the Chukchi Sea Walrus haul-out and in water activity levels relative to sea ice availability in the Chukchi Sea
An animal’s energetic costs are dependent on the amount of time it allocates to various behavioral activities. For Arctic pinnipeds, the time allocated to active and resting behaviors could change with future reductions in sea ice cover and longer periods of open water. The Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) is a large Arctic pinniped that rests on sea ice or land between...
Authors
Chadwick V. Jay, Rebecca L. Taylor, Anthony S. Fischbach, Mark S. Udevitz, William S. Beatty
Space use of a dominant Arctic vertebrate: Effects of prey, sea ice, and land on Pacific walrus resource selection Space use of a dominant Arctic vertebrate: Effects of prey, sea ice, and land on Pacific walrus resource selection
Sea ice dominates marine ecosystems in the Arctic, and recent reductions in sea ice may alter food webs throughout the region. Sea ice loss may also stress Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens), which feed on benthic macroinvertebrates in the Bering and Chukchi seas. However, no studies have examined the effects of sea ice on foraging Pacific walrus space use patterns. We tested...
Authors
William S. Beatty, Chadwick V. Jay, Anthony S. Fischbach, Jacqueline M. Grebmeier, Rebecca L. Taylor, Arny L. Blanchard, Stephen C. Jewett
How will predicted land-use change affect waterfowl spring stopover ecology? Inferences from an individual-based model How will predicted land-use change affect waterfowl spring stopover ecology? Inferences from an individual-based model
Habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, overexploitation and climate change pose familiar and new challenges to conserving natural populations throughout the world. One approach conservation planners may use to evaluate the effects of these challenges on wildlife populations is scenario planning.We developed an individual-based model to evaluate the effects of future land use and land cover...
Authors
William S. Beatty, Dylan C. Kesler, Elisabeth B. Webb, Luke W. Naylor, Andrew H. Raedeke, Dale D. Humburg, John M. Coluccy, Gregory J. Soulliere
*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