Publications

Amphidromous postlarvae fisheries (APFs) constitute a globally widespread and distinctive class of fishery that is largely unknown to fisheries science. APFs harvest ocean-to-river migrating fishes at smaller sizes and younger ages than any other class of fishery. No quantitative estimates of run size and exploitation exist, which are needed to evaluate APF sustainability. Migrating amphidromous f

Day-roost selection by Lasiurine tree bats during winter and their response to dormant season fires is unknown in the southeastern United States where dormant season burning is widely applied. Although fires historically were predominantly growing season, they now occur in the dormant season in this part of the Coastal Plain to support a myriad of stewardship activities, including habitat manageme

The strategies by which animals allocate reproductive effort across their lifetimes vary, and the causes of variation in those strategies are actively debated. In birds, most research has focused heavily on variation in clutch size and fecundity, but incubation behaviour and other functionally related traits have received less attention. Variation in incubation period duration is notable because t

Estuaries are commonly touted as nurseries for salmonids, providing numerous advantages for smolts prior to ocean entry. In bar-built estuaries, sandbars form at the mouth of rivers during periods of low stream flow, closing access to the ocean and preventing outmigration. We evaluated how summer residency in a leveed bar-built estuary affects the growth, survival, and recruitment of a Chinook sal

Microhexura montivaga (Spruce-fir Moss Spider) is a federally endangered arachnid endemic to high-elevation montane conifer forests of the southern Appalachian Mountains. The spider is cryptic and difficult to monitor because this species lives in the interface between the bryophyte mat and the rock surface. Since temporary removal of the bryophyte mat is necessary to monitor the spider, surveyors

Increasing urbanization and use of urban areas by synanthropic wildlife has increased human and domestic animal exposure to zoonotic diseases and exacerbated epizootics within wildlife populations. Consequently, there is a need to improve wildlife disease surveillance programs to rapidly detect outbreaks and refine inferences regarding spatiotemporal disease dynamics. Multistate occupancy models c

AimThe factors that set range limits for animal populations can inform management plans aimed at maintaining regional biodiversity. We examine abiotic and biotic drivers of the distribution of finescale dace (Chrosomus neogaeus) in two Great Plains basins to identify limiting factors for a threatened freshwater fish population at the edge of their range.LocationGreat Plains, Nebraska, South Dakota

Members of the freshwater catfishes (order Siluriformes) are capable of transintestinal expulsion of foreign bodies, including internally implanted tags, which can bias movement and survival estimates. We evaluated long-term (120-week) retention rates of passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags in a laboratory setting to assess potential tag loss in Stonecat Noturus flavus. The PIT tags were surg

The first marginal pectoral fin ray (fin spine) is the most common structure used for estimating the age of sturgeons, including Lake Sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens. However, conflicting results from studies on the effects of fin spine removal have made some managers hesitant about the practice. We investigated whether the second pectoral fin ray, which can be removed in a less invasive procedure,

Animal populations face increased threats to mobility and access to critical habitat from a variety of human disturbances including roads, residential development, agriculture, and energy development. Disturbance from human hunting is known to alter habitat use in ungulates, but recent work suggests that hunting may also trigger the onset of migration. Whether this holds true across ungulate speci

Understanding the evolutionary impacts of harvest on fish populations is important for informing fisheries management and conservation and has become a growing research topic over the last decade. However, the dynamics of fish populations are highly complex, and phenotypes can be influenced by many biotic and abiotic factors. Therefore, it is vital to collect robust data and explore multiple alter

Adult bottlenose dolphins share pectoral fin contacts (PFC) to manage their social relationships but less is known about how mothers share PFC with their calves. Using a dataset collected over 16 years, we analyzed how 10 matrilines, including three second generation female dolphins in a maternal role, used PFC with their pre-weaned calves. Mothers had different rates of initiation with their calv