Shawn T O'Neil, PhD
Shawn O'Neil is a wildlife biologist at the USGS Western Ecological Research Center.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 16
Geospatial Information and Predictive Maps of Greater Sage-grouse Habitat Selection in Southwestern North Dakota, USA
We use locations from previously released radio-marked greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter sage-grouse) in a resource selection function framework to evaluate habitat selection following translocation and identify areas of seasonal habitat to inform habitat management and potential restoration needs. We also evaluate possible changes in seasonal habitat since the late 1980s u
Spatially-explicit predictive maps of greater sage-grouse nest selection integrated with nest survival in Nevada and northeastern California, USA
We applied spatially-explicit models to a spatiotemporally robust dataset of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) nest locations and fates across wildfire-altered sagebrush ecosystems of the Great Basin ecoregion, western USA. Using sage-grouse as a focal species, we quantified scale-dependent factors driving nest site selection and nest survival across broad spatial scales in order to
Data maps of predicted raven density and areas of potential impact to nesting sage-grouse within sagebrush ecosystems of the North American Great Basin
These data represent predicted common raven (Corvus corax) density (ravens/square-km) derived from random forest models given field site unit-specific estimates of raven density that were obtained from hierarchical distance sampling models at 43 field site units within the Great Basin region, USA. Fifteen landscape-level predictors summarizing climate, vegetation, topography and anthropogenic foot
Data from: Broad-scale occurrence of a subsidized avian predator: reducing impacts of ravens on sage-grouse and other sensitive prey
Expanding human enterprise across remote environments impacts many wildlife species, including sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), an indicator species whose decline is at the center of national conservation strategies and land use policies. Anthropogenic resources provide subsidies for generalist predators, potentially leading to cascading effects on sensitive prey species at lower trophic l
Filter Total Items: 19
A rapid assessment function to estimate common raven population densities: Implications for targeted management
Common raven (Corvus corax; raven) populations have increased over the past 5 decades within the western United States. Raven population increases have been largely attributed to growing resource subsidies from expansion of human enterprise. Concomitantly, managers are becoming increasingly concerned about elevated adverse effects on multiple sensitive prey species, damage to livestock and agricul
Authors
Brianne E. Brussee, Peter S. Coates, Shawn T. O'Neil, Seth J. Dettenmaier, Pat J. Jackson, Kristy B. Howe, David J. Delehanty
Inter- and intra-annual effects of lethal removal on common raven abundance in Nevada and California, USA
Populations of common ravens (Corvus corax; ravens) have increased rapidly within sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems between 1960 and 2020. Although ravens are native to North America, their population densities have expanded to levels that negatively influence the population dynamics of other wildlife species of conservation concern, such as greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) and
Authors
Shawn T. O'Neil, Peter S. Coates, Julia C. Brockman, Pat J. Jackson, Jack O. Spencer, Perry J. Williams
Spatial modeling of common raven density and occurrence helps guide landscape management within Great Basin sagebrush ecosystems
Common ravens (Corvus corax; ravens) are a behaviorally flexible nest predator of several avian species, including species of conservation concern. Movement patterns based on life history phases, particularly territoriality of breeding birds and transiency of nonbreeding birds, are thought to influence the frequency and efficacy of nest predation. As such, predicting where on the landscape territo
Authors
Sarah C. Webster, Shawn T. O'Neil, Brianne E. Brussee, Peter S. Coates, Pat J. Jackson, John C. Tull, David J. Delehanty
Sage-grouse population dynamics are adversely impacted by overabundant feral horses
In recent decades, feral horse (Equus caballus; horse) populations increased in sagebrush (Artimesia spp.) ecosystems, especially within the Great Basin, to the point of exceeding maximum appropriate management levels (AMLmax), which were set by land administrators to balance resource use by feral horses, livestock, and wildlife. Concomitantly, greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-
Authors
Peter S. Coates, Shawn T. O'Neil, Diana A. Munoz, Ian Dwight, John C. Tull
Large-scale wildfire reduces population growth in a peripheral population of sage-grouse
Drastic increases in wildfire size and frequency threaten western North American sagebrush (Artemisia L. spp.) ecosystems. At relatively large spatial scales, wildfire facilitates type conversion of sagebrush-dominated plant communities to monocultures of invasive annual grasses (e.g., Bromus tectorum L.). Annual grasses provide fine fuels that promote fire spread, contributing to a positive grass
Authors
Ian F Dudley, Peter S. Coates, Brian G. Prochazka, Shawn T. O'Neil, Scott C. Gardner, David J. Delehanty
Nesting, brood rearing, and summer habitat selection by translocated greater sage‐grouse in North Dakota, USA
Human enterprise has led to large‐scale changes in landscapes and altered wildlife population distribution and abundance, necessitating efficient and effective conservation strategies for impacted species. Greater sage‐grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter sage‐grouse) are a widespread sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) obligate species that has experienced population declines since the mid‐1900s r
Authors
Kade D. Lazenby, Peter S. Coates, Shawn T. O'Neil, Michel T. Kohl, David K. Dahlgren
Wildfire and the ecological niche: Diminishing habitat suitability for an indicator species within semi‐arid ecosystems
Globally accelerating frequency and extent of wildfire threatens the persistence of specialist wildlife species through direct loss of habitat and indirect facilitation of exotic invasive species. Habitat specialists may be especially prone to rapidly changing environmental conditions because their ability to adapt lags behind the rate of habitat alteration. As a result, these populations may beco
Authors
Shawn T. O'Neil, Peter S. Coates, Brianne E. Brussee, Mark A. Ricca, Shawn P. Espinosa, Scott C. Gardner, David J Delahanty
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 16
Geospatial Information and Predictive Maps of Greater Sage-grouse Habitat Selection in Southwestern North Dakota, USA
We use locations from previously released radio-marked greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter sage-grouse) in a resource selection function framework to evaluate habitat selection following translocation and identify areas of seasonal habitat to inform habitat management and potential restoration needs. We also evaluate possible changes in seasonal habitat since the late 1980s u
Spatially-explicit predictive maps of greater sage-grouse nest selection integrated with nest survival in Nevada and northeastern California, USA
We applied spatially-explicit models to a spatiotemporally robust dataset of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) nest locations and fates across wildfire-altered sagebrush ecosystems of the Great Basin ecoregion, western USA. Using sage-grouse as a focal species, we quantified scale-dependent factors driving nest site selection and nest survival across broad spatial scales in order to
Data maps of predicted raven density and areas of potential impact to nesting sage-grouse within sagebrush ecosystems of the North American Great Basin
These data represent predicted common raven (Corvus corax) density (ravens/square-km) derived from random forest models given field site unit-specific estimates of raven density that were obtained from hierarchical distance sampling models at 43 field site units within the Great Basin region, USA. Fifteen landscape-level predictors summarizing climate, vegetation, topography and anthropogenic foot
Data from: Broad-scale occurrence of a subsidized avian predator: reducing impacts of ravens on sage-grouse and other sensitive prey
Expanding human enterprise across remote environments impacts many wildlife species, including sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), an indicator species whose decline is at the center of national conservation strategies and land use policies. Anthropogenic resources provide subsidies for generalist predators, potentially leading to cascading effects on sensitive prey species at lower trophic l
Filter Total Items: 19
A rapid assessment function to estimate common raven population densities: Implications for targeted management
Common raven (Corvus corax; raven) populations have increased over the past 5 decades within the western United States. Raven population increases have been largely attributed to growing resource subsidies from expansion of human enterprise. Concomitantly, managers are becoming increasingly concerned about elevated adverse effects on multiple sensitive prey species, damage to livestock and agricul
Authors
Brianne E. Brussee, Peter S. Coates, Shawn T. O'Neil, Seth J. Dettenmaier, Pat J. Jackson, Kristy B. Howe, David J. Delehanty
Inter- and intra-annual effects of lethal removal on common raven abundance in Nevada and California, USA
Populations of common ravens (Corvus corax; ravens) have increased rapidly within sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems between 1960 and 2020. Although ravens are native to North America, their population densities have expanded to levels that negatively influence the population dynamics of other wildlife species of conservation concern, such as greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) and
Authors
Shawn T. O'Neil, Peter S. Coates, Julia C. Brockman, Pat J. Jackson, Jack O. Spencer, Perry J. Williams
Spatial modeling of common raven density and occurrence helps guide landscape management within Great Basin sagebrush ecosystems
Common ravens (Corvus corax; ravens) are a behaviorally flexible nest predator of several avian species, including species of conservation concern. Movement patterns based on life history phases, particularly territoriality of breeding birds and transiency of nonbreeding birds, are thought to influence the frequency and efficacy of nest predation. As such, predicting where on the landscape territo
Authors
Sarah C. Webster, Shawn T. O'Neil, Brianne E. Brussee, Peter S. Coates, Pat J. Jackson, John C. Tull, David J. Delehanty
Sage-grouse population dynamics are adversely impacted by overabundant feral horses
In recent decades, feral horse (Equus caballus; horse) populations increased in sagebrush (Artimesia spp.) ecosystems, especially within the Great Basin, to the point of exceeding maximum appropriate management levels (AMLmax), which were set by land administrators to balance resource use by feral horses, livestock, and wildlife. Concomitantly, greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-
Authors
Peter S. Coates, Shawn T. O'Neil, Diana A. Munoz, Ian Dwight, John C. Tull
Large-scale wildfire reduces population growth in a peripheral population of sage-grouse
Drastic increases in wildfire size and frequency threaten western North American sagebrush (Artemisia L. spp.) ecosystems. At relatively large spatial scales, wildfire facilitates type conversion of sagebrush-dominated plant communities to monocultures of invasive annual grasses (e.g., Bromus tectorum L.). Annual grasses provide fine fuels that promote fire spread, contributing to a positive grass
Authors
Ian F Dudley, Peter S. Coates, Brian G. Prochazka, Shawn T. O'Neil, Scott C. Gardner, David J. Delehanty
Nesting, brood rearing, and summer habitat selection by translocated greater sage‐grouse in North Dakota, USA
Human enterprise has led to large‐scale changes in landscapes and altered wildlife population distribution and abundance, necessitating efficient and effective conservation strategies for impacted species. Greater sage‐grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter sage‐grouse) are a widespread sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) obligate species that has experienced population declines since the mid‐1900s r
Authors
Kade D. Lazenby, Peter S. Coates, Shawn T. O'Neil, Michel T. Kohl, David K. Dahlgren
Wildfire and the ecological niche: Diminishing habitat suitability for an indicator species within semi‐arid ecosystems
Globally accelerating frequency and extent of wildfire threatens the persistence of specialist wildlife species through direct loss of habitat and indirect facilitation of exotic invasive species. Habitat specialists may be especially prone to rapidly changing environmental conditions because their ability to adapt lags behind the rate of habitat alteration. As a result, these populations may beco
Authors
Shawn T. O'Neil, Peter S. Coates, Brianne E. Brussee, Mark A. Ricca, Shawn P. Espinosa, Scott C. Gardner, David J Delahanty