Wynne Moss, Ph.D.
I am a broadly trained ecologist interested in how wildlife populations respond to the emergent threats of disease, invasions, and climate change.
My current work focuses on the role of hunting in mediating the spread of chronic wasting disease. I also conduct research related to ecological transformation under climate change. I enjoy working on a wide variety of taxa and thinking about how quantitative approaches can best be used to deliver decision-ready science.
Professional Experience
Present: Biologist, USGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Bozeman MT.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado at Boulder
M.S. Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
B.S. Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Science and Products
Climate-Informed Disease Threat Assessment for Montana’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need
Project Overview Infectious disease poses a growing threat to wildlife and human health, and managing disease threats is complicated by climatic changes that can change levels of disease risk. Researchers supported by this North Central CASC project will co-develop a method to rank wildlife disease threats under climate change, providing critical useable information to Montana’s wildlife manager
Managing Ecological Transformation to Enhance Carbon Storage and Biodiversity
In the North Central region, invasive species and climate change are intricately linked to changing fire regimes, and together, these drivers can have pronounced effects on ecosystems. When fires burn too hot or too frequently, they can prevent slow-growing native plants from regrowing. When this happens, the landscape can transform into a new type of ecosystem, such as a forest becoming a grassla
Crafting Ecological Scenarios to Implement the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) Framework
As climate change progresses, profound environmental changes are becoming a widespread concern. A new management paradigm is developing to address this concern with a framework that encourages strategic decisions to resist, accept, or direct ecological trajectories. Effective use of the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework requires the scientific community to describe the range of plausible ecolog
USGS Chronic Wasting Disease Research at NOROCK
Over the past 20 years, chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Wyoming has been spreading slowly outward from the southeastern corner of the state toward the Greater Yellowstone Area and Wyoming's elk feed grounds, where more than 24,000 elk are supplementally fed each winter.
Drought as an emergent driver of ecological transformation in the twenty-first century
Under climate change, ecosystems are experiencing novel drought regimes, often in combination with stressors that reduce resilience and amplify drought’s impacts. Consequently, drought appears increasingly likely to push systems beyond important physiological and ecological thresholds, resulting in substantial changes in ecosystem characteristics persisting long after drought ends (i.e., ecologica
Authors
Wynne Emily Moss, Shelley Crausbay, Imtiaz Rangwala, Jay Wason, Clay Trauernicht, Camille S. Stevens-Rumann, Anna Sala, Caitlin M. Rottler, Gregory T. Pederson, Brian W. Miller, Dawn Magness, Jeremy Littell, Lee Frelich, Abby G. Frazier, Kimberly R. Davis, Jonathan Coop, Jennifer M. Cartwright, Robert K Booth
Resilience of native amphibian communities following catastrophic drought: Evidence from a decade of regional-scale monitoring
The increasing frequency and severity of drought may exacerbate ongoing global amphibian declines. However, interactions between drought and coincident stressors, coupled with high interannual variability in amphibian abundances, can mask the extent and underlying mechanisms of drought impacts. We synthesized a decade (2009–2019) of regional-scale amphibian monitoring data (2273 surveys, 233 ponds
Authors
Wynne Moss, Travis McDevitt-Galles, Erin L. Muths, Steven Bobzien, Pieter Johnson, Jessica Purificato
Science and Products
Climate-Informed Disease Threat Assessment for Montana’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need
Project Overview Infectious disease poses a growing threat to wildlife and human health, and managing disease threats is complicated by climatic changes that can change levels of disease risk. Researchers supported by this North Central CASC project will co-develop a method to rank wildlife disease threats under climate change, providing critical useable information to Montana’s wildlife manager
Managing Ecological Transformation to Enhance Carbon Storage and Biodiversity
In the North Central region, invasive species and climate change are intricately linked to changing fire regimes, and together, these drivers can have pronounced effects on ecosystems. When fires burn too hot or too frequently, they can prevent slow-growing native plants from regrowing. When this happens, the landscape can transform into a new type of ecosystem, such as a forest becoming a grassla
Crafting Ecological Scenarios to Implement the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) Framework
As climate change progresses, profound environmental changes are becoming a widespread concern. A new management paradigm is developing to address this concern with a framework that encourages strategic decisions to resist, accept, or direct ecological trajectories. Effective use of the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework requires the scientific community to describe the range of plausible ecolog
USGS Chronic Wasting Disease Research at NOROCK
Over the past 20 years, chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Wyoming has been spreading slowly outward from the southeastern corner of the state toward the Greater Yellowstone Area and Wyoming's elk feed grounds, where more than 24,000 elk are supplementally fed each winter.
Drought as an emergent driver of ecological transformation in the twenty-first century
Under climate change, ecosystems are experiencing novel drought regimes, often in combination with stressors that reduce resilience and amplify drought’s impacts. Consequently, drought appears increasingly likely to push systems beyond important physiological and ecological thresholds, resulting in substantial changes in ecosystem characteristics persisting long after drought ends (i.e., ecologica
Authors
Wynne Emily Moss, Shelley Crausbay, Imtiaz Rangwala, Jay Wason, Clay Trauernicht, Camille S. Stevens-Rumann, Anna Sala, Caitlin M. Rottler, Gregory T. Pederson, Brian W. Miller, Dawn Magness, Jeremy Littell, Lee Frelich, Abby G. Frazier, Kimberly R. Davis, Jonathan Coop, Jennifer M. Cartwright, Robert K Booth
Resilience of native amphibian communities following catastrophic drought: Evidence from a decade of regional-scale monitoring
The increasing frequency and severity of drought may exacerbate ongoing global amphibian declines. However, interactions between drought and coincident stressors, coupled with high interannual variability in amphibian abundances, can mask the extent and underlying mechanisms of drought impacts. We synthesized a decade (2009–2019) of regional-scale amphibian monitoring data (2273 surveys, 233 ponds
Authors
Wynne Moss, Travis McDevitt-Galles, Erin L. Muths, Steven Bobzien, Pieter Johnson, Jessica Purificato