Amy Yackel Adams, PhD
Amy Yackel Adams is a Research Ecologist focusing on improving management decisions of invasive reptiles worldwide.
Amy leads a diverse research program with other USGS scientists and various collaborators (NPS, USDA-NWRC, USFWS, DoD, universities, and state agencies) pertaining to early detection and rapid response, biology, ecology, genetics, control tool evaluation, eradication, and quantitative model development to improve adaptive management of invasive reptile species. Yackel Adams’ research areas in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem and Pacific Islands include: 1) Population and vital rate estimation of invasive Burmese Pythons, Veiled Chameleons, and Brown Treesnakes; 2) Estimating the impact of Brown Treesnakes on prey populations; 3) Enhancing early detection of invasive reptiles using new tools; and 4) Development and evaluation of removal and abundance models to inform and optimize eradication efforts.
Education and Certifications
PhD, Ecology, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, 2005
MS, Ecology, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, 1999
BS, Resource Conservation and Environmental Studies, University of Montana, 1986
Science and Products
Boiga irregularis (brown treesnake)
Open removal models with temporary emigration and population dynamics to inform invasive animal management
Invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) move short distances and have small activity areas in a high prey environment
Egg retention in wild-caught Python bivittatus in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, Florida, USA
Chew-cards can accurately index invasive rat densities in Mariana Island forests
New state and county records of introduced amphibians and reptiles of Georgia, USA.
Face-off: Novel depredation and nest defense behaviors between an invasive and a native predator in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, Florida, USA
Individual heterogeneity influences the effects of translocation on urban dispersal of an invasive reptile
Can we prove that an undetected species is absent? Evaluating whether brown treesnakes are established on the island of Saipan using surveillance and expert opinion
Agkistrodon conanti (Florida Cottonmouth) and Python bivittatus (Burmese Python). Diet and Predation
Demographic response of brown treesnakes to extended population suppression
Olfactory lures in predator control do not increase predation risk to birds in areas of conservation concern
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Giant Constrictor Snakes in Florida: A Sizeable Research Challenge
Surveillance and reports of Brown Treesnakes on Saipan, 1980-2020
Brown Treesnake trap captures, Guam National Wildlife Refuge, 2014
Offspring, dam, sire pedigree assignments in a managed population of Brown Treesnakes on Guam
Brown Treesnake detections on transects using potential attractants of live-mouse lures or fish-spray scent, Guam
Photo-documented sequences from 01 Jun 2021 - 30 Aug 2021 showing novel interactions between intraguild predators in southern Florida, USA, bobcat and Burmese python
Exogenous and endogenous factors influence invasive reptile movement at multiple scales, 2018 - 2019
Brown Treesnake mating and reproductive success on Guam, 2004-2018
Visual Surveys and Morphometrics of Brown Treesnakes in Mariana Swiftlets caves on Guam
Salvator merianae trapping in Georgia, USA
Brown Treesnake Mortality Habitat Management Unit Guam 2019
Dataset from 2015-2016 thermal and behavior monitoring of Argentine giant tegus in Everglades, Florida
Visual Surveys Rapid Response Saipan 2016
Science and Products
Boiga irregularis (brown treesnake)
Open removal models with temporary emigration and population dynamics to inform invasive animal management
Invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) move short distances and have small activity areas in a high prey environment
Egg retention in wild-caught Python bivittatus in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, Florida, USA
Chew-cards can accurately index invasive rat densities in Mariana Island forests
New state and county records of introduced amphibians and reptiles of Georgia, USA.
Face-off: Novel depredation and nest defense behaviors between an invasive and a native predator in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, Florida, USA
Individual heterogeneity influences the effects of translocation on urban dispersal of an invasive reptile
Can we prove that an undetected species is absent? Evaluating whether brown treesnakes are established on the island of Saipan using surveillance and expert opinion
Agkistrodon conanti (Florida Cottonmouth) and Python bivittatus (Burmese Python). Diet and Predation
Demographic response of brown treesnakes to extended population suppression
Olfactory lures in predator control do not increase predation risk to birds in areas of conservation concern
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.