Caren S Goldberg
I am a Research Geneticist with the USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center in Boise, Idaho. I specialize in the development and application of eDNA collection and analysis methods for detecting rare species, including early detection of invasive species.
I conduct research to better understand species distributions using environmental DNA (eDNA) and other genetic and spatial tools, with a focus on early detection and management of invasive species. I work extensively on improving eDNA sampling and analysis techniques and in facilitating the uptake of eDNA tools for detecting species where they would otherwise go undetected. Much of my research is cooperator-driven, where I help determine how genetic tools can answer relevant questions and inform decision-making.
Professional Experience
2024 – Present: Research Geneticist, U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Boise, ID
2020 – 2024: Associate Professor, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
2014 – 2020: Assistant Professor, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
2012 – 2013: Research Scientist, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID
2009 – 2011: Post-Doctoral Researcher, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Fish and Wildlife Resources, University of Idaho (2009)
M.S., Wildlife and Fisheries Science, University of Arizona (2002)
B.S., Integrative Biology, University of California at Berkeley (1996)
Affiliations and Memberships*
Society for Conservation Biology
The Wildlife Society
Honors and Awards
Pacesetter Award, Washington State University, for excellence in generating research funding, publications and citations, and leadership in setting new standards of achievement at WSU, 2020
Project of the Year, Environmental Security Technology Certification Program, Resource Conservation and Resiliency, Department of Defense, 2017
Outstanding Graduate Student in Fish and Wildlife Resources, University of Idaho, Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, 2009-2010
Alumni Award for Excellence, University of Idaho Alumni Association, 2009
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 19
From eDNA to decisions using a multi-method approach to restoration planning in streams
Reintroduction efforts are increasingly used to mitigate biodiversity losses, but are frequently challenged by inadequate planning and uncertainty. High quality information about population status and threats can be used to prioritize reintroduction and restoration efforts and can transform ad hoc approaches into opportunities for improving conservation outcomes at a landscape scale. We...
Authors
Andrea J. Adams, C. Kamoroff, Daniel R. Norton, Brian Halstead, R. L. Grasso, Patrick M. Kleeman, Claudia Mengelt, Katherine Powelson, Travis Seaborn, C.S. Goldberg
Comparison of two methods to detect the northwestern pond turtle (Actinemys marmorata) and the invasive American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) in interior northern California
Knowledge about the distributions of species and the variables influencing their occurrence is important for their management and conservation, but factors affecting occurrence can vary across the range of a species. Northwestern pond turtles (Actinemys marmorata) are widespread generalist turtles, but are nonetheless of conservation concern throughout their range. To better understand...
Authors
Brian Halstead, Patrick M. Kleeman, Caren S. Goldberg, Jonathan P. Rose
Successful eradication of invasive American bullfrogs leads to coextirpation of emerging pathogens
Interventions of the host–pathogen dynamics provide strong tests of relationships, yet they are still rarely applied across multiple populations. After American bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) invaded a wildlife refuge where federally threatened Chiricahua leopard frogs (R. chiricahuensis) were reintroduced 12 years prior, managers launched a landscape-scale eradication effort to help...
Authors
Blake Hossack, David W. Hall, Catherine L. Crawford, Caren S. Goldberg, Erin L. Muths, Brent Sigafus, Thierry Chambert
Empirical evidence for effects of invasive American Bullfrogs on occurrence of native amphibians and emerging pathogens
Invasive species and emerging infectious diseases are two of the greatest threats to biodiversity. American Bullfrogs (Rana [Lithobates] catesbeiana), which have been introduced to many parts of the world, are often linked with declines of native amphibians via predation and spreading emerging pathogens such as amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis [Bd]) and...
Authors
Blake Hossack, Emily Bea Oja, Audrey K. Owens, David W. Hall, Cassidi Cobos, Catherine L. Crawford, Caren S. Goldberg, Shaula Hedwell, Paige E Howell, Julio A. Lemos-Espinal, Susan K MacVean, Magnus McCaffery, Cody Mosley, Erin L. Muths, Brent Sigafus, Micahel J Sredl, James I. Rorabaugh
Environmental DNA methods for ecological monitoring and biodiversity assessment in estuaries
Environmental DNA (eDNA) detection methods can complement traditional biomonitoring to yield new ecological insights in aquatic systems. However, the conceptual and methodological frameworks for aquatic eDNA detection and interpretation were developed primarily in freshwater environments and have not been well established for estuaries and marine environments that are by nature dynamic...
Authors
Raman P. Nagarajan, Mallory Bedwell, Ann E. Holmes, Thiago Sanches, Shawn Acuna, Melinda R. Baerwald, Matthew A. Barnes, Scott Blankenship, Richard E. Connon, Kristy Deiner, Daphne Gille, Caren S. Goldberg, Margaret E. Hunter, Christopher L. Jerde, Gordon Luikart, Rachel S. Meyer, Alison W. Watts, Andrea M Schreier
Identifying factors linked with persistence of reintroduced populations: Lessons learned from 25 years of amphibian translocations
Conservation translocations are increasingly used to help recover imperiled species. However, success of establishing populations remains low, especially for amphibians. Identifying factors associated with translocation success can help increase efficiency and efficacy of recovery efforts. Since the 1990s, several captive and semi-captive facilities have produced Chiricahua Leopard Frogs...
Authors
Blake Hossack, Paige E Howell, Audrey K. Owens, C Cobos, Caren S. Goldberg, David W. Hall, Shaula J. Hedwall, Susi MacVean, Magnus McCaffery, A. Hunter McCall, C Mosley, Emily Bea Oja, James I. Rorabaugh, Brent Sigafus, Michael J Sredl
Low occurrence of ranavirus in the Prairie Pothole Region of Montana and North Dakota (USA) contrasts with prior surveys
Ranaviruses are emerging pathogens that have caused mortality events in amphibians worldwide. Despite the negative effects of ranaviruses on amphibian populations, monitoring efforts are still lacking in many areas, including in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America. Some PPR wetlands in Montana and North Dakota (USA) have been contaminated by energy-related saline...
Authors
Brian J. Tornabene, Erica J Crespi, Bernardo A. Traversari, Kenzi M Stemp, Creagh W. Breuner, Caren S. Goldberg, Blake Hossack
Distribution of tiger salamanders in northern Sonora, Mexico: Comparison of sampling methods and possible implications for an endangered subspecies
Many aquatic species in the arid USA-Mexico borderlands region are imperiled, but limited information on distributions and threats often hinders management. To provide information on the distribution of the Western Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma mavortium), including the USA-federally endangered Sonoran Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma mavortium stebbinsi), we used traditional (seines, dip-nets)...
Authors
Blake Hossack, Julio A. Lemos-Espinal, Brent Sigafus, Erin L. Muths, Gerardo Carreon Arroyo, Daniel Toyos Martinez, David Hurtado Felix, Guillermo Molina Padilla, Caren S. Goldberg, T. W. Jones, M. J. Sredl, Thierry Chambert, J. C. Rorabaugh
Occurrence of a suite of stream-obligate amphibians in timberlands of Mendocino County, California, examined using environmental DNA
Stream-obligate amphibians are important indicators of ecosystem health in the Pacific Northwest, but distributional information to improve forest management is lacking in many regions. We analyzed archived DNA extracted from water samples in 60 pools in streams on private timberlands in Mendocino County, California, for 3 California Species of Special Concern—Coastal Tailed Frogs...
Authors
Brian Halstead, Caren S. Goldberg, Robert B Douglas, Patrick M. Kleeman, David W Ulrich
Reporting the limits of detection and quantification for environmental DNA assays
BackgroundEnvironmental DNA (eDNA) analysis is increasingly being used to detect the presence and relative abundance of rare species, especially invasive or imperiled aquatic species. The rapid progress in the eDNA field has resulted in numerous studies impacting conservation and management actions. However, standardization of eDNA methods and reporting across the field is yet to be...
Authors
Katy E. Klymus, Christopher M. Merkes, Michael J. Allison, Caren S. Goldberg, Caren C. Helbing, Margaret E. Hunter, Craig Jackson, Richard Lance, Anna O. Mangan, Emy M. Monroe, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Joel P. Stokdyk, Chris C. Wilson, Catherine A. Richter
An analytical framework for estimating aquatic species density from environmental DNA
Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis of water samples is on the brink of becoming a standard monitoring method for aquatic species. This method has improved detection rates over conventional survey methods and thus has demonstrated effectiveness for estimation of site occupancy and species distribution. The frontier of eDNA applications, however, is to infer species density. Building upon...
Authors
Thierry Chambert, David Pilliod, Caren S. Goldberg, Hideyuki Doi, Teruhiko Takahara
Critical considerations for the application of environmental DNA methods to detect aquatic species
Species detection using environmental DNA (eDNA) has tremendous potential for contributing to the understanding of the ecology and conservation of aquatic species. Detecting species using eDNA methods, rather than directly sampling the organisms, can reduce impacts on sensitive species and increase the power of field surveys for rare and elusive species. The sensitivity of eDNA methods...
Authors
Caren S. Goldberg, Cameron R. Turner, Kristy Deiner, Katy E. Klymus, Philip Francis Thomsen, Melanie A. Murphy, Stephen Frank Spear, Anna M. McKee, Sara J. Oyler-McCance, Robert S. Cornman, Matthew Laramie, Andrew R. Mahon, Richard Lance, David Pilliod, Katherine M. Strickler, Lisette P. Waits, Alexander K. Fremier, Teruhiko Takahara, Jelger E. Herder, Pierre Taberlet
Non-USGS Publications**
Burgher, J., C. S. Goldberg, A. C. K. Duke, S. Garrison, J. Piovia-Scott. 2024. Assessment of environmental DNA for detecting and monitoring translocated North American beaver. Animal Conservation 27:851-862.
Mayne, S. R., J. A. Manning, S. Henderson, M. B Parsley, K. Strickler, J. Nielson, and C. S. Goldberg. 2024. Hydrodynamics and aquatic vegetation drive spatial patterns of environmental DNA in ponds. Environmental DNA 6:e70036.
Parsley, M. B., E. J. Crespi, T. A.G. Rittenhouse, J. L. Brunner, and C. S. Goldberg. 2024. Population level environmental DNA concentrations vary greatly across productive and degradative conditions, with implications for the precision of population estimates. Scientific Reports 14:17392.
Parsley M. B. and C. S. Goldberg. 2024. Environmental RNA (eRNA) can distinguish life stages in amphibian populations. Molecular Ecology Resources 24:e13857.
Brunner, J., C. Yarber, R. Pearhill, and C. S. Goldberg. 2023. Environmental DNA-based detection of pathogens in trade and captive settings: best practices and validation for Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 14:2787-2799.
**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.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 19
From eDNA to decisions using a multi-method approach to restoration planning in streams
Reintroduction efforts are increasingly used to mitigate biodiversity losses, but are frequently challenged by inadequate planning and uncertainty. High quality information about population status and threats can be used to prioritize reintroduction and restoration efforts and can transform ad hoc approaches into opportunities for improving conservation outcomes at a landscape scale. We...
Authors
Andrea J. Adams, C. Kamoroff, Daniel R. Norton, Brian Halstead, R. L. Grasso, Patrick M. Kleeman, Claudia Mengelt, Katherine Powelson, Travis Seaborn, C.S. Goldberg
Comparison of two methods to detect the northwestern pond turtle (Actinemys marmorata) and the invasive American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) in interior northern California
Knowledge about the distributions of species and the variables influencing their occurrence is important for their management and conservation, but factors affecting occurrence can vary across the range of a species. Northwestern pond turtles (Actinemys marmorata) are widespread generalist turtles, but are nonetheless of conservation concern throughout their range. To better understand...
Authors
Brian Halstead, Patrick M. Kleeman, Caren S. Goldberg, Jonathan P. Rose
Successful eradication of invasive American bullfrogs leads to coextirpation of emerging pathogens
Interventions of the host–pathogen dynamics provide strong tests of relationships, yet they are still rarely applied across multiple populations. After American bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) invaded a wildlife refuge where federally threatened Chiricahua leopard frogs (R. chiricahuensis) were reintroduced 12 years prior, managers launched a landscape-scale eradication effort to help...
Authors
Blake Hossack, David W. Hall, Catherine L. Crawford, Caren S. Goldberg, Erin L. Muths, Brent Sigafus, Thierry Chambert
Empirical evidence for effects of invasive American Bullfrogs on occurrence of native amphibians and emerging pathogens
Invasive species and emerging infectious diseases are two of the greatest threats to biodiversity. American Bullfrogs (Rana [Lithobates] catesbeiana), which have been introduced to many parts of the world, are often linked with declines of native amphibians via predation and spreading emerging pathogens such as amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis [Bd]) and...
Authors
Blake Hossack, Emily Bea Oja, Audrey K. Owens, David W. Hall, Cassidi Cobos, Catherine L. Crawford, Caren S. Goldberg, Shaula Hedwell, Paige E Howell, Julio A. Lemos-Espinal, Susan K MacVean, Magnus McCaffery, Cody Mosley, Erin L. Muths, Brent Sigafus, Micahel J Sredl, James I. Rorabaugh
Environmental DNA methods for ecological monitoring and biodiversity assessment in estuaries
Environmental DNA (eDNA) detection methods can complement traditional biomonitoring to yield new ecological insights in aquatic systems. However, the conceptual and methodological frameworks for aquatic eDNA detection and interpretation were developed primarily in freshwater environments and have not been well established for estuaries and marine environments that are by nature dynamic...
Authors
Raman P. Nagarajan, Mallory Bedwell, Ann E. Holmes, Thiago Sanches, Shawn Acuna, Melinda R. Baerwald, Matthew A. Barnes, Scott Blankenship, Richard E. Connon, Kristy Deiner, Daphne Gille, Caren S. Goldberg, Margaret E. Hunter, Christopher L. Jerde, Gordon Luikart, Rachel S. Meyer, Alison W. Watts, Andrea M Schreier
Identifying factors linked with persistence of reintroduced populations: Lessons learned from 25 years of amphibian translocations
Conservation translocations are increasingly used to help recover imperiled species. However, success of establishing populations remains low, especially for amphibians. Identifying factors associated with translocation success can help increase efficiency and efficacy of recovery efforts. Since the 1990s, several captive and semi-captive facilities have produced Chiricahua Leopard Frogs...
Authors
Blake Hossack, Paige E Howell, Audrey K. Owens, C Cobos, Caren S. Goldberg, David W. Hall, Shaula J. Hedwall, Susi MacVean, Magnus McCaffery, A. Hunter McCall, C Mosley, Emily Bea Oja, James I. Rorabaugh, Brent Sigafus, Michael J Sredl
Low occurrence of ranavirus in the Prairie Pothole Region of Montana and North Dakota (USA) contrasts with prior surveys
Ranaviruses are emerging pathogens that have caused mortality events in amphibians worldwide. Despite the negative effects of ranaviruses on amphibian populations, monitoring efforts are still lacking in many areas, including in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America. Some PPR wetlands in Montana and North Dakota (USA) have been contaminated by energy-related saline...
Authors
Brian J. Tornabene, Erica J Crespi, Bernardo A. Traversari, Kenzi M Stemp, Creagh W. Breuner, Caren S. Goldberg, Blake Hossack
Distribution of tiger salamanders in northern Sonora, Mexico: Comparison of sampling methods and possible implications for an endangered subspecies
Many aquatic species in the arid USA-Mexico borderlands region are imperiled, but limited information on distributions and threats often hinders management. To provide information on the distribution of the Western Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma mavortium), including the USA-federally endangered Sonoran Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma mavortium stebbinsi), we used traditional (seines, dip-nets)...
Authors
Blake Hossack, Julio A. Lemos-Espinal, Brent Sigafus, Erin L. Muths, Gerardo Carreon Arroyo, Daniel Toyos Martinez, David Hurtado Felix, Guillermo Molina Padilla, Caren S. Goldberg, T. W. Jones, M. J. Sredl, Thierry Chambert, J. C. Rorabaugh
Occurrence of a suite of stream-obligate amphibians in timberlands of Mendocino County, California, examined using environmental DNA
Stream-obligate amphibians are important indicators of ecosystem health in the Pacific Northwest, but distributional information to improve forest management is lacking in many regions. We analyzed archived DNA extracted from water samples in 60 pools in streams on private timberlands in Mendocino County, California, for 3 California Species of Special Concern—Coastal Tailed Frogs...
Authors
Brian Halstead, Caren S. Goldberg, Robert B Douglas, Patrick M. Kleeman, David W Ulrich
Reporting the limits of detection and quantification for environmental DNA assays
BackgroundEnvironmental DNA (eDNA) analysis is increasingly being used to detect the presence and relative abundance of rare species, especially invasive or imperiled aquatic species. The rapid progress in the eDNA field has resulted in numerous studies impacting conservation and management actions. However, standardization of eDNA methods and reporting across the field is yet to be...
Authors
Katy E. Klymus, Christopher M. Merkes, Michael J. Allison, Caren S. Goldberg, Caren C. Helbing, Margaret E. Hunter, Craig Jackson, Richard Lance, Anna O. Mangan, Emy M. Monroe, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Joel P. Stokdyk, Chris C. Wilson, Catherine A. Richter
An analytical framework for estimating aquatic species density from environmental DNA
Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis of water samples is on the brink of becoming a standard monitoring method for aquatic species. This method has improved detection rates over conventional survey methods and thus has demonstrated effectiveness for estimation of site occupancy and species distribution. The frontier of eDNA applications, however, is to infer species density. Building upon...
Authors
Thierry Chambert, David Pilliod, Caren S. Goldberg, Hideyuki Doi, Teruhiko Takahara
Critical considerations for the application of environmental DNA methods to detect aquatic species
Species detection using environmental DNA (eDNA) has tremendous potential for contributing to the understanding of the ecology and conservation of aquatic species. Detecting species using eDNA methods, rather than directly sampling the organisms, can reduce impacts on sensitive species and increase the power of field surveys for rare and elusive species. The sensitivity of eDNA methods...
Authors
Caren S. Goldberg, Cameron R. Turner, Kristy Deiner, Katy E. Klymus, Philip Francis Thomsen, Melanie A. Murphy, Stephen Frank Spear, Anna M. McKee, Sara J. Oyler-McCance, Robert S. Cornman, Matthew Laramie, Andrew R. Mahon, Richard Lance, David Pilliod, Katherine M. Strickler, Lisette P. Waits, Alexander K. Fremier, Teruhiko Takahara, Jelger E. Herder, Pierre Taberlet
Non-USGS Publications**
Burgher, J., C. S. Goldberg, A. C. K. Duke, S. Garrison, J. Piovia-Scott. 2024. Assessment of environmental DNA for detecting and monitoring translocated North American beaver. Animal Conservation 27:851-862.
Mayne, S. R., J. A. Manning, S. Henderson, M. B Parsley, K. Strickler, J. Nielson, and C. S. Goldberg. 2024. Hydrodynamics and aquatic vegetation drive spatial patterns of environmental DNA in ponds. Environmental DNA 6:e70036.
Parsley, M. B., E. J. Crespi, T. A.G. Rittenhouse, J. L. Brunner, and C. S. Goldberg. 2024. Population level environmental DNA concentrations vary greatly across productive and degradative conditions, with implications for the precision of population estimates. Scientific Reports 14:17392.
Parsley M. B. and C. S. Goldberg. 2024. Environmental RNA (eRNA) can distinguish life stages in amphibian populations. Molecular Ecology Resources 24:e13857.
Brunner, J., C. Yarber, R. Pearhill, and C. S. Goldberg. 2023. Environmental DNA-based detection of pathogens in trade and captive settings: best practices and validation for Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 14:2787-2799.
**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.
*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