A5001403609- Amphibian and Reptile Biology
- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Plant and animal studies
- Fish Ecology and Management Studies
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Turtle Biology and Conservation
- Mercury impact and mitigation studies
- Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecology
- Climate change and permafrost
- Cryospheric studies and observations
- Insect-Plant Interactions and Control
- Heavy Metal Exposure and Toxicity
- Primate Behavior and Ecology
- Peatlands and Wetlands Ecology
- Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics
- Animal and Plant Science Education
- Heavy metals in environment
- Marine animal studies overview
- Hydrology and Sediment Transport Processes
- Wildlife Conservation and Criminology Analyses
- Evolution and Paleontology Studies
- Physiological and biochemical adaptations
Appalachian State University
2018-2025
Southeast Missouri State University
2016-2025
Government Communications Headquarters
2022-2024
University of Montana
2013-2015
East Carolina University
2010-2013
Rapid warming in polar regions is causing large changes to ecosystems, including altering environmentally available mercury (Hg). Although subarctic freshwater systems have simple vertebrate communities, Hg amphibians remains unexplored. We measured total (THg) wetland sediments and methylmercury (MeHg) multiple life-stages (eggs adults) of wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) larval boreal chorus (Pseudacris maculata) from up 25 wetlands near Churchill, Manitoba (Canada), during the summers...
ABSTRACT Motivation SNAPSHOT USA is an annual, multicontributor camera trap survey of mammals across the United States. The growing dataset intended for tracking spatial and temporal responses mammal populations to changes in land use, cover climate. These data will be useful exploring drivers relative abundance distribution, as well impacts species interactions on daily activity patterns. Main Types Variables Contained 2019–2023 contains 987,979 records image sequence 9694 deployment...
Abstract The salamander chytrid fungus ( Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans [Bsal]) is causing massive mortality of salamanders in Europe. potential for spread via international trade into North America and the high diversity has catalyzed concern about Bsal U.S. Surveillance programs invading pathogens must initially meet challenges that include low rates occurrence on landscape, prevalence at a site, imperfect detection diagnostic tests. We implemented large-scale survey to determine if was...
Managing wildlife populations in the face of global change requires regular data on abundance and distribution wild animals, but acquiring these over appropriate spatial scales a sustainable way has proven challenging. Here we present from Snapshot USA 2020, second annual national mammal survey USA. This project involved 152 scientists setting camera traps standardized protocol at 1485 locations across 103 arrays 43 states for total 52,710 trap-nights effort. Most (58) were also sampled...
The importance of trait variation has long been recognized in ecological and evolutionary research. divergence sexually dimorphic traits (e.g., body size, morphology, behavior, etc.) is primarily attributed to sexual selection, dimorphism can have consequences for diets habitat use. Recent evidence one aquatic predator species (adult newts; Notophthalmus viridescens) suggests that differences partitioning between the sexes may be important structuring zooplankton communities. However, newts...
Abstract Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is a globally distributed fungal pathogen of amphibians that has contributed to one the largest disease‐related biodiversity losses in wildlife. Bd regularly viewed through lens global wildlife epizootic because spread highly virulent genetic lineages resulted well‐documented declines and extinctions multiple amphibian species. However, current state occurrence, host range, impacts, ecological drivers remains poorly understood outside most...
ABSTRACT Freshwater turtles are highly diverse in the southeastern United States, yet few studies document how diversity is distributed agricultural and rural landscapes. Furthermore, most previous work did not compare distributions between pond river habitats with potential differences selective pressures. We surveyed 64 sites Mississippi embayment evaluated surrounding land use, road density, habitat type affected species' occupancy a focus on Macrochelys temminckii . observed that were...
Amplified warming in subarctic regions is having measurable impacts on terrestrial and freshwater ecosystem processes. At the boundary of discontinuous continuous permafrost zones, at northern extent boreal forest, Hudson Bay Lowlands has experienced, projected to continue experience dramatic rates climate change coming decades. In this review, we explore ecosystems other environmental processes that mediate these impacts. We surveyed published literature from region identify indicators...
Abstract Many studies have demonstrated that the nonconsumptive effect ( NCE ) of predators on prey traits can alter demographics in ways are just as strong consumptive CE predators. Less well studied, however, is how and multiple predator species interact to influence combined mortality. We examined extent which one altered another a shared evaluated whether we better predict impact when accounting for this influence. conducted set experiments with larval dragonflies, adult newts (a known...
Besides studies on mental glands, research regarding cranial integumentary glands potentially involved in courtship of plethodontid salamanders is scarce. In this study, we examined the Eurycea chamberlaini. Scattered amongst typical mucous and serous integument, found simple alveolar that reacted positively with periodic acid-Schiff procedure along lateral sides heads only male E. chamberlaini during putative mating season. These were identical to head previously described bislineata....
Summary 1. Many taxa can be found in food webs that differ trophic complexity, but it is unclear how complexity affects the performance of particular taxa. In pond webs, larvae salamander Ambystoma opacum occupy intermediate predator position a partial intraguild predation (IGP) web and function as keystone predators. Larval A. are also simpler lacking either top predators or shared prey. 2. We conducted an experiment where IGP was simplified, we measured growth survival larval each set...
Abstract National parks and other protected areas are important for preserving landscapes biodiversity worldwide. An essential component of the mission United States (U.S.) Park Service (NPS) requires understanding maintaining accurate inventories species on lands. We describe a new, national-scale synthesis amphibian occurrence in NPS system. Many park units have list observed within their borders compiled from various sources available publicly through NPSpecies platform. However, many...
Abstract Animals from cold environments are usually larger than animals warm environments, which often produce clines in body size. Because variation size can lead to trade‐offs between growth and reproduction, life‐history traits should also vary across climatic gradients. To determine if of wood frogs Rana sylvatica with climate, we examined female male length, clutch size, ovum 37 locations an unprecedented 32° latitude. In conflict recent research, decreased climates at higher latitudes....
Summary Intraguild predation is common in nature, but it unclear how species that both compete and eat each other can persist together. One possibility intermediate predators possess inducible morphological defences protect them from top while not compromising their ability to with predators. The of develop may be compromised environments a high density conspecifics because reduced resource availability risk due the saturating functional response Furthermore, since take time develop, type...
Abstract Temperature elevation due to climate change is directly altering organismal performance and distributions, but the mechanisms behind these shifts require additional attention. Because small aquatic ectotherms are proposed perform better at future climates, it possible that competitive interactions in size‐structured communities may also shift. To study interactive effects of competition on species performance, we evaluated body condition large desmognathan salamanders current...
An emerging consensus suggests that evolved intraspecific variation can be ecologically important. However, evidence trait within vertebrates influence fundamental ecosystem-level processes remains sparse. In this study, we sought to assess the potential for in spotted salamander ( Ambystoma maculatum ) affect aquatic ecosystem properties. Spotted salamanders exhibit a conspicuous polymorphism colour of jelly encasing their eggs—some females produce clear jelly, while others white jelly....
Abstract Aim The assembly of species into communities and ecoregions is the result interacting factors that affect plant animal distribution abundance at biogeographic scales. Here, we empirically derive for mammals to test whether human disturbance has become more important than climate habitat resources in structuring communities. Location Conterminous United States. Time Period 2010–2021. Major Taxa Studied Twenty‐five mammals. Methods We analysed data from 25 mammal recorded by camera...
Summary N‐mixture models have become a popular method for estimating abundance of free‐ranging animals that are not marked or identified individually. These been used on count data single species can be with certainty. However, co‐occurring often look similar during one more life stages, making it difficult to assign all recorded captures. This uncertainty creates problems species‐specific abundance, and limit stages which we make inference. We present new extension accounts uncertainty. In...
Abstract Globally, Arctic and Subarctic regions have experienced the greatest temperature increases during last 30 years. These extreme changes amplified threats to freshwater ecosystems that dominate landscape in many areas by altering water budgets. Several studies temperate environments examined adaptive capacity of organisms enhance our understanding potential repercussions warming associated accelerated drying for ecosystems. However, few experiments these impacts or ecosystems, where...
By altering essential micro- and macrohabitat conditions for many organisms, climate change is already causing disproportionately greater impacts on Arctic Subarctic ecosystems. Yet there a lack of basic information about species in northern latitudes, including amphibians. We used radio telemetry to study the post-breeding movements habitat use wood frogs (Rana [=Lithobates] sylvatica) Hudson Bay Lowlands near Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. tracked fifty-seven (thirty-five males, twenty-two...
Abstract Understanding the spatial structure of individual variation is critical to assessing mechanisms and scale species‐level ecological evolutionary responses. But continuity complexity streams can make it difficult discern structure, data on spanning scales are rare. Our goal was objectively resolve processes affecting salamander Gyrinophilus porphyriticus by testing for in across a headwater stream network. We used 3 years spatially explicit capture–mark–recapture from four Hubbard...