Andy Ramey, Ph.D.
Through my service at the USGS Alaska Science Center, I support the development and application of genetic and genomic tools to advance molecular ecology research pertaining to wildlife health and disease, population genetics, and environmental DNA. Research in the Molecular Ecology Lab promotes informed decisions regarding the conservation of fish and wildlife resources.
I currently serve as the Director of the Molecular Ecology Lab at the USGS Alaska Science Center. The team of scientists working in the Molecular Ecology Lab develops and applies tools to obtain information on the health, distribution, and genomic characteristics of biological natural resources. This includes collecting and interpreting data on the health and disease status of fish and wildlife, the genetics of animal and plant populations, and the distribution of animals and pathogens using environmental DNA. We use this information to help partners and the public to make informed decisions regarding the conservation of fish and wildlife resources.
Professional Experience
2012 - Present Research Wildlife Geneticist, USGS Alaska Science Center, Alaska
2006 - 2012 Geneticist, USGS Alaska Science Center, Alaska
2003 - 2006 Wildlife Biologist, USGS Alaska Science Center, Alaska
2001 - 2002 Biological Science Technician, Togiak National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. 2015 University of Georgia, Athens, GA Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences
B.S. 2001 Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO Fishery Biology and Wildlife Biology
Affiliations and Memberships*
Associate Editor: Journal of Wildlife Diseases (2016 - present)
Associate Editor: Ornithology (2020 – present)
Member: American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Ornithological Society (elected), Wildlife Disease Association
Reviewer: more than 35 journal outlets
Honors and Awards
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Star Award: 2002
U.S. Geological Survey Star Award: 2003, 2007 - 2009
U.S. Geological Survey performance awards: 2010 - 2022
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 13
Filter Total Items: 31
Tracking Data for Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors)
This data release includes 2 child items with tracking data for Blue-winged Teal, a duck species that breeds throughout much of North America and whose wintering range includes neotropical areas of the Caribbean and Central and South America, thus providing a migratory link between the continents of North and South America. Child Item 1: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Blue-winged...
Influenza A Virus Data from Emperor Geese, Alaska
Data set containing avian influenza A virus (IAV) sampling information for Emperor Geese in Alaska, 2015-2017. The data are in three tables: 1) collection data and IAV screening results from fecal samples at several sites in southwestern Alaska, 2) results of blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (bELISA) tests for IAV antibodies in blood serum collected from nesting female Emperor...
Influenza A Virus Data from Migratory Birds, Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska
Dataset containing avian influenza screening results for waterfowl and gulls sampled during autumn in (or near) Izembek National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Alaska, 2011-2024. These data contain information on species, age, and sex of birds sampled, collection dates, and laboratory testing information used to determine the presence and absence of influenza A viruses (IAVs).
Serological data on influenza A from birds and mammals on the Arctic Coastal Plain of northern Alaska, 2011-2017
These data (in two spreadsheets) are the results of screening for influenza A viruses (IAV) in blood from wild animals that utilize the Arctic region of Alaska. 758 blood samples from nine wildlife species (3 mammal, 6 waterbird) were collected in Arctic Alaska, 2011-2017. Two different tests were used and the results are presented in separate spreadsheets. All blood samples were...
Brown Bear (Ursus acrtos) Captures and Serological Survey Results for Bacterial Viral and Parasitic Agents, Alaska, 2013-2016
Dataset containing test results of screening blood and serum samples from five populations of Brown Bears in Alaska. Samples were tested to detect current or previous exposure to bacteria (Brucella spp., Francisella tularensis, and Leptospira spp.), viruses (canine adenovirus, canine distemper virus, canine parvovirus, and influenza A virus), and parasites (Toxoplasma gondii, and...
Antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli in migratory birds inhabiting remote Alaska, 2015
This data set includes information on collections of fecal or cloacal samples from wild birds at two locations in Alaska, USA. Samples were screened or Escherichia coli (E. coli) and tested for resistance to multiple antibiotics using a variety of methods.
Assessment of Contemporary Genetic Diversity and Inter-Taxa/Inter-Region Exchange of Avian Paramyxovirus Serotype 1 in Wild Birds Sampled in North America, 1986-2014
Data set pertaining to avian paramyxovirus (APMV-1) sequences used in phylogenetic analyses. Data contains GenBank Accession numbers, host species common name and taxonomic order, collection year, and collection location.
Filter Total Items: 114
Maintenance and dissemination of avian-origin influenza A virus within the northern Atlantic Flyway of North America
Wild waterbirds, the natural reservoirs for avian influenza viruses, undergo migratory movements each year, connecting breeding and wintering grounds within broad corridors known as flyways. In a continental or global view, the study of virus movements within and across flyways is important to understanding virus diversity, evolution, and movement. From 2015 to 2017, we sampled waterfowl...
Authors
Diann Prosser, Jiani Chen, Christina Ahlstrom, Andrew B. Reeves, Rebecca L. Poulson, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Daniel McAuley, Carl R. Callahan, Peter C. McGowan, Justin Bahl, David E. Stallknecht, Andrew M. Ramey
Genomically diverse carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae from wild birds provide insight into global patterns of spatiotemporal dissemination
Carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are a threat to public health globally, yet the role of the environment in the epidemiology of CRE remains elusive. Given that wild birds can acquire CRE, likely from foraging in anthropogenically impacted areas, and may aid in the maintenance and dissemination of CRE in the environment, a spatiotemporal comparison of isolates from different...
Authors
Christina Ahlstrom, Hanna Woksepp, Linus Sandegren, Mashkoor Mohsin, Badrul Hasan, Denys Muzyka, Jorge Ramírez Hernández, Filip Aguirre, Atalay Tok, Jan Söderman, Björn Olsen, Andrew M. Ramey, Jonas Bonnedahl
Genetic assignment of fisheries bycatch reveals disproportionate mortality among Alaska Northern Fulmar breeding colonies
Global fisheries kill millions of seabirds annually through bycatch, but little is known about population-level impacts, particularly in species that form metapopulations. U.S. North Pacific groundfish fisheries catch thousands of Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis rodgersii) each year, making fulmars the most frequently caught seabird in federally managed U.S. fisheries. Here, we used...
Authors
Diana S. Baetscher, Jessie Beck, Eric D. Anderson, Kristen C Ruegg, Andrew M. Ramey, Scott A. Hatch, HannahRose M. Nevins, Shannon Fitzgerald, J Carlos Garza
Highly pathogenic avian influenza is an emerging disease threat to wild birds in North America
Prior to the emergence of the A/goose/Guangdong/1/1996 (Gs/GD) H5N1 influenza A virus, the long-held and well-supported paradigm was that highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks were restricted to poultry, the result of cross-species transmission of precursor viruses from wild aquatic birds that subsequently gained pathogenicity in domestic birds. Therefore, management...
Authors
Andrew M. Ramey, Nichola J. Hill, Thomas J. DeLiberto, Samantha E.J. Gibbs, M. Camille Hopkins, Andrew S. Lang, Rebecca L. Poulson, Diann Prosser, Jonathan M. Sleeman, David E. Stallknecht, Xiu-Feng Wan
Antimicrobial resistance: Wildlife as indicators of anthropogenic environmental contamination across space and through time
Prior assessments support wildlife as indicators of anthropogenically influenced antimicrobial resistance across the landscape. A ground-breaking new study suggests that wildlife may also provide information on antimicrobial resistance in the environment through time.
Authors
Andrew M. Ramey
Assessment of variation in the detection and prevalence of blood parasites among sympatrically breeding geese in western Alaska, USA
Haemosporidian parasites may impact avian health and are subject to shifts in distribution and abundance with changing ecologic conditions. Therefore, understanding variation in parasite prevalence is important for evaluating biologically meaningful changes in infection patterns and associated population level impacts. Previous research in western Alaska, US, indicated a possible...
Authors
Raymond M. Buchheit, Joel A. Schmutz, John C. Reed, Brian D. Uher-Koch, Andrew M. Ramey
Evidence for interannual persistence of infectious influenza A viruses in Alaska wetlands
Influenza A viruses (IAVs) deposited by wild birds into the environment may lead to sporadic mortality events and economically costly outbreaks among domestic birds. There is a paucity of information, however, regarding the persistence of infectious IAVs within the environment following deposition. In this investigation, we assessed the persistence of 12 IAVs that were present in the...
Authors
Andrew M. Ramey, Andrew B. Reeves, Benjamin Joel Lagassé, Vijay P. Patil, Laura E. Hubbard, Dana W. Kolpin, R. Blaine McCleskey, Deborah A. Repert, David E. Stallknecht, Rebecca L. Poulson
Negligible evidence for detrimental effects of Leucocytozoon infections among Emperor Geese (Anser canagicus) breeding on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska
Emperor Geese (Anser canagicus) are iconic waterfowl endemic to Alaska and adjacent areas of northeastern Russia that are considered to be near threatened by the International Union for Conservation. This species has been identified as harboring diverse viruses and parasites which have, at times, been associated with disease in other avian taxa. To better assess if disease represents a...
Authors
Andrew M. Ramey, Raymond Bucheit, Brian D. Uher-Koch, John C. Reed, M. Andreina Pacheco, Ananias Escalante, Joel A. Schmutz
The spatial-temporal relationship of blue-winged teal to domestic poultry: Movement state modeling of a highly mobile avian influenza host
1. Migratory waterfowl facilitate long distance dispersal of zoonotic pathogens and are increasingly recognized as contributing to the geographic spread of avian influenza viruses (AIV). AIV are globally distributed and have the potential to produce highly contagious poultry disease, economically impact both large-scale and backyard poultry producers, and raise the specter of epidemics...
Authors
John M. Humphreys, David C. Douglas, Andrew M. Ramey, Jennifer M. Mullinax, Catherine Soos, Paul T. Link, Patrick Walther, Diann Prosser
Genomic comparison of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae from humans and gulls in Alaska
ObjectivesWildlife may harbor clinically important antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria, but the role of wildlife in the epidemiology of AMR bacterial infections in humans is largely unknown. In this study, we aimed to assess dissemination of theblaKPC carbapenemase gene among humans and gulls in Alaska.MethodsWe performed whole genome sequencing to determine the genetic context...
Authors
Christina Ahlstrom, Anna Frick, Catherine Pongratz, Kimberly Spink, Catherine Xavier, Jonas Bonnedahl, Andrew M. Ramey
Coding-Complete Genome Sequence of Avian Orthoavulavirus 16, isolated from Emperor Goose (Anser canagica) feces, Alaska, USA
We sequenced the coding-complete genome of an avian orthoavulavirus serotype 16 (AOAV-16) isolate recovered from emperor goose (Anser canagicus) feces collected in Alaska. The detection of AOAV-16 in North America and genomic sequencing of the resultant isolate confirms that the geographic distribution of this virus extends beyond Asia.
Authors
Andrew B. Reeves, Mary Lea Killian, Michael J. Tanner, Benjamin Joel Lagassé, Andrew M. Ramey, David E. Stallknecht, Rebecca L. Poulson
Evidence for continental-scale dispersal of antimicrobial resistant bacteria by landfill-foraging gulls
Anthropogenic inputs into the environment may serve as sources of antimicrobial resistant bacteria and alter the ecology and population dynamics of synanthropic wild animals by providing supplemental forage. In this study, we used a combination of phenotypic and genomic approaches to characterize antimicrobial resistant indicator bacteria, animal telemetry to describe host movement...
Authors
Christina Ahlstrom, Mariëlle L. van Toor, Hanna Woksepp, Jeffrey C Chandler, John C. Reed, Andrew B. Reeves, Jonas Waldenström, Alan B. Franklin, David C. Douglas, Jonas Bonnedahl, Andrew M. Ramey
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 13
Filter Total Items: 31
Tracking Data for Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors)
This data release includes 2 child items with tracking data for Blue-winged Teal, a duck species that breeds throughout much of North America and whose wintering range includes neotropical areas of the Caribbean and Central and South America, thus providing a migratory link between the continents of North and South America. Child Item 1: "Argos Satellite Tracking Data for Blue-winged...
Influenza A Virus Data from Emperor Geese, Alaska
Data set containing avian influenza A virus (IAV) sampling information for Emperor Geese in Alaska, 2015-2017. The data are in three tables: 1) collection data and IAV screening results from fecal samples at several sites in southwestern Alaska, 2) results of blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (bELISA) tests for IAV antibodies in blood serum collected from nesting female Emperor...
Influenza A Virus Data from Migratory Birds, Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska
Dataset containing avian influenza screening results for waterfowl and gulls sampled during autumn in (or near) Izembek National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Alaska, 2011-2024. These data contain information on species, age, and sex of birds sampled, collection dates, and laboratory testing information used to determine the presence and absence of influenza A viruses (IAVs).
Serological data on influenza A from birds and mammals on the Arctic Coastal Plain of northern Alaska, 2011-2017
These data (in two spreadsheets) are the results of screening for influenza A viruses (IAV) in blood from wild animals that utilize the Arctic region of Alaska. 758 blood samples from nine wildlife species (3 mammal, 6 waterbird) were collected in Arctic Alaska, 2011-2017. Two different tests were used and the results are presented in separate spreadsheets. All blood samples were...
Brown Bear (Ursus acrtos) Captures and Serological Survey Results for Bacterial Viral and Parasitic Agents, Alaska, 2013-2016
Dataset containing test results of screening blood and serum samples from five populations of Brown Bears in Alaska. Samples were tested to detect current or previous exposure to bacteria (Brucella spp., Francisella tularensis, and Leptospira spp.), viruses (canine adenovirus, canine distemper virus, canine parvovirus, and influenza A virus), and parasites (Toxoplasma gondii, and...
Antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli in migratory birds inhabiting remote Alaska, 2015
This data set includes information on collections of fecal or cloacal samples from wild birds at two locations in Alaska, USA. Samples were screened or Escherichia coli (E. coli) and tested for resistance to multiple antibiotics using a variety of methods.
Assessment of Contemporary Genetic Diversity and Inter-Taxa/Inter-Region Exchange of Avian Paramyxovirus Serotype 1 in Wild Birds Sampled in North America, 1986-2014
Data set pertaining to avian paramyxovirus (APMV-1) sequences used in phylogenetic analyses. Data contains GenBank Accession numbers, host species common name and taxonomic order, collection year, and collection location.
Filter Total Items: 114
Maintenance and dissemination of avian-origin influenza A virus within the northern Atlantic Flyway of North America
Wild waterbirds, the natural reservoirs for avian influenza viruses, undergo migratory movements each year, connecting breeding and wintering grounds within broad corridors known as flyways. In a continental or global view, the study of virus movements within and across flyways is important to understanding virus diversity, evolution, and movement. From 2015 to 2017, we sampled waterfowl...
Authors
Diann Prosser, Jiani Chen, Christina Ahlstrom, Andrew B. Reeves, Rebecca L. Poulson, Jeffery D. Sullivan, Daniel McAuley, Carl R. Callahan, Peter C. McGowan, Justin Bahl, David E. Stallknecht, Andrew M. Ramey
Genomically diverse carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae from wild birds provide insight into global patterns of spatiotemporal dissemination
Carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are a threat to public health globally, yet the role of the environment in the epidemiology of CRE remains elusive. Given that wild birds can acquire CRE, likely from foraging in anthropogenically impacted areas, and may aid in the maintenance and dissemination of CRE in the environment, a spatiotemporal comparison of isolates from different...
Authors
Christina Ahlstrom, Hanna Woksepp, Linus Sandegren, Mashkoor Mohsin, Badrul Hasan, Denys Muzyka, Jorge Ramírez Hernández, Filip Aguirre, Atalay Tok, Jan Söderman, Björn Olsen, Andrew M. Ramey, Jonas Bonnedahl
Genetic assignment of fisheries bycatch reveals disproportionate mortality among Alaska Northern Fulmar breeding colonies
Global fisheries kill millions of seabirds annually through bycatch, but little is known about population-level impacts, particularly in species that form metapopulations. U.S. North Pacific groundfish fisheries catch thousands of Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis rodgersii) each year, making fulmars the most frequently caught seabird in federally managed U.S. fisheries. Here, we used...
Authors
Diana S. Baetscher, Jessie Beck, Eric D. Anderson, Kristen C Ruegg, Andrew M. Ramey, Scott A. Hatch, HannahRose M. Nevins, Shannon Fitzgerald, J Carlos Garza
Highly pathogenic avian influenza is an emerging disease threat to wild birds in North America
Prior to the emergence of the A/goose/Guangdong/1/1996 (Gs/GD) H5N1 influenza A virus, the long-held and well-supported paradigm was that highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks were restricted to poultry, the result of cross-species transmission of precursor viruses from wild aquatic birds that subsequently gained pathogenicity in domestic birds. Therefore, management...
Authors
Andrew M. Ramey, Nichola J. Hill, Thomas J. DeLiberto, Samantha E.J. Gibbs, M. Camille Hopkins, Andrew S. Lang, Rebecca L. Poulson, Diann Prosser, Jonathan M. Sleeman, David E. Stallknecht, Xiu-Feng Wan
Antimicrobial resistance: Wildlife as indicators of anthropogenic environmental contamination across space and through time
Prior assessments support wildlife as indicators of anthropogenically influenced antimicrobial resistance across the landscape. A ground-breaking new study suggests that wildlife may also provide information on antimicrobial resistance in the environment through time.
Authors
Andrew M. Ramey
Assessment of variation in the detection and prevalence of blood parasites among sympatrically breeding geese in western Alaska, USA
Haemosporidian parasites may impact avian health and are subject to shifts in distribution and abundance with changing ecologic conditions. Therefore, understanding variation in parasite prevalence is important for evaluating biologically meaningful changes in infection patterns and associated population level impacts. Previous research in western Alaska, US, indicated a possible...
Authors
Raymond M. Buchheit, Joel A. Schmutz, John C. Reed, Brian D. Uher-Koch, Andrew M. Ramey
Evidence for interannual persistence of infectious influenza A viruses in Alaska wetlands
Influenza A viruses (IAVs) deposited by wild birds into the environment may lead to sporadic mortality events and economically costly outbreaks among domestic birds. There is a paucity of information, however, regarding the persistence of infectious IAVs within the environment following deposition. In this investigation, we assessed the persistence of 12 IAVs that were present in the...
Authors
Andrew M. Ramey, Andrew B. Reeves, Benjamin Joel Lagassé, Vijay P. Patil, Laura E. Hubbard, Dana W. Kolpin, R. Blaine McCleskey, Deborah A. Repert, David E. Stallknecht, Rebecca L. Poulson
Negligible evidence for detrimental effects of Leucocytozoon infections among Emperor Geese (Anser canagicus) breeding on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska
Emperor Geese (Anser canagicus) are iconic waterfowl endemic to Alaska and adjacent areas of northeastern Russia that are considered to be near threatened by the International Union for Conservation. This species has been identified as harboring diverse viruses and parasites which have, at times, been associated with disease in other avian taxa. To better assess if disease represents a...
Authors
Andrew M. Ramey, Raymond Bucheit, Brian D. Uher-Koch, John C. Reed, M. Andreina Pacheco, Ananias Escalante, Joel A. Schmutz
The spatial-temporal relationship of blue-winged teal to domestic poultry: Movement state modeling of a highly mobile avian influenza host
1. Migratory waterfowl facilitate long distance dispersal of zoonotic pathogens and are increasingly recognized as contributing to the geographic spread of avian influenza viruses (AIV). AIV are globally distributed and have the potential to produce highly contagious poultry disease, economically impact both large-scale and backyard poultry producers, and raise the specter of epidemics...
Authors
John M. Humphreys, David C. Douglas, Andrew M. Ramey, Jennifer M. Mullinax, Catherine Soos, Paul T. Link, Patrick Walther, Diann Prosser
Genomic comparison of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae from humans and gulls in Alaska
ObjectivesWildlife may harbor clinically important antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria, but the role of wildlife in the epidemiology of AMR bacterial infections in humans is largely unknown. In this study, we aimed to assess dissemination of theblaKPC carbapenemase gene among humans and gulls in Alaska.MethodsWe performed whole genome sequencing to determine the genetic context...
Authors
Christina Ahlstrom, Anna Frick, Catherine Pongratz, Kimberly Spink, Catherine Xavier, Jonas Bonnedahl, Andrew M. Ramey
Coding-Complete Genome Sequence of Avian Orthoavulavirus 16, isolated from Emperor Goose (Anser canagica) feces, Alaska, USA
We sequenced the coding-complete genome of an avian orthoavulavirus serotype 16 (AOAV-16) isolate recovered from emperor goose (Anser canagicus) feces collected in Alaska. The detection of AOAV-16 in North America and genomic sequencing of the resultant isolate confirms that the geographic distribution of this virus extends beyond Asia.
Authors
Andrew B. Reeves, Mary Lea Killian, Michael J. Tanner, Benjamin Joel Lagassé, Andrew M. Ramey, David E. Stallknecht, Rebecca L. Poulson
Evidence for continental-scale dispersal of antimicrobial resistant bacteria by landfill-foraging gulls
Anthropogenic inputs into the environment may serve as sources of antimicrobial resistant bacteria and alter the ecology and population dynamics of synanthropic wild animals by providing supplemental forage. In this study, we used a combination of phenotypic and genomic approaches to characterize antimicrobial resistant indicator bacteria, animal telemetry to describe host movement...
Authors
Christina Ahlstrom, Mariëlle L. van Toor, Hanna Woksepp, Jeffrey C Chandler, John C. Reed, Andrew B. Reeves, Jonas Waldenström, Alan B. Franklin, David C. Douglas, Jonas Bonnedahl, Andrew M. Ramey
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government