David R Smith, Ph.D.
Dave is a Research Statistician (Biology) at the Eastern Ecological Science Center in Kearneysville, WV.
Dave Smith graduated from Colorado State (MS in Fish and Wildlife Biology) and University of Georgia (MS in Statistics and PhD in Forest Resources). Currently, he is a biological statistician at the USGS Leetown Science Center where he focuses on applied quantitative ecology in support of natural resource management and environmental decision making.
His research activities mostly focus on the following topics:
- Adaptive sampling of rare and clustered populations
- Conservation and science of horseshoe crabs in North America and Asia
- Conservation of freshwater mussels
- Application of structured decision making and adaptive management to natural resource management
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 113
Movements of brown bullheads in Presque Isle Bay, Lake Erie, Pennsylvania
Presque Isle Bay, Lake Erie, was listed as an Area of Concern (AOC) by the International Joint Commission in part because of the high incidence of external tumor in brown bullheads. Verifying the source of the possible contaminant exposure is critical to addressing the AOC designation. We used telemetry tracking (n = 49 fish) to test the hypothesis that adult bullheads captured within the bay duri
Authors
M. J. Millard, D. R. Smith, E. Obert, J. Grazio, M.L. Bartron, C. Wellington, S. Grise, S. Rafferty, R. Wellington, S. Julian
Proximate causes of sexual size dimorphism in horseshoe crabs (Limulus Polyphemus) of the Delaware Bay
The unresolved status of the proximate cause for sexual size dimorphism in horseshoe crabs has practical consequence, because harvest recommendations rely on assumptions about sex-specific growth and maturity. We propose and evaluate competing hypotheses for the proximate cause of sexual size dimorphism in horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) by comparing size and estimated age frequencies from sp
Authors
D. R. Smith, M.T. Mandt, P.D.M. Macdonald
An incomplete analysis
Niles and colleagues (2009) do not present all of the data relevant to the issues they address in the article they wrote for BioScience. They reference unnamed sources for pre-1997 horseshoe crab harvest to conclude that recent harvest exceeds historic harvest. In fact, reported landings from New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia in 2006 (352 metric tons [mt]) were between landings in 1989
Authors
David Smith, Eric M. Hallerman, Michael J. Millard, John A. Sweka, Richard G. Weber
Modeling distribution of dispersal distances in male white-tailed deer
Dispersal distances and their distribution pattern are important to understanding such phenomena as disease spread and gene flow, but oftentimes dispersal characteristics are modeled as a fixed trait for a given species. We found that dispersal distributions differ for spring and autumn dispersals of yearling male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) but that combined data can be adequately
Authors
D.R. Diefenbach, E.S. Long, C.S. Rosenberry, B.D. Wallingford, D. R. Smith
Physical and chemical changes in the foreshore of an estuarine beach: Implications for viability and development of horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus eggs
Knowledge of conditions that favor development of eggs is important for management of species whose population growth is sensitive to early life history survival. Viability and development of the eggs of horseshoe crabs Limulus polyphemus on a sand and gravel beach were evaluated using data gathered on Delaware Bay, USA, from 18 May to 19 June 2004. Eggs were transplanted to pouches and buried in
Authors
N.L. Jackson, D. R. Smith, K.F. Nordstrom
An adaptive two-stage sequential design for sampling rare and clustered populations
How to design an efficient large-area survey continues to be an interesting question for ecologists. In sampling large areas, as is common in environmental studies, adaptive sampling can be efficient because it ensures survey effort is targeted to subareas of high interest. In two-stage sampling, higher density primary sample units are usually of more interest than lower density primary units when
Authors
J.A. Brown, M.M. Salehi, M. Moradi, G. Bell, D. R. Smith
Evaluating sampling designs by computer simulation: A case study with the Missouri bladderpod
To effectively manage rare populations, accurate monitoring data are critical. Yet many monitoring programs are initiated without careful consideration of whether chosen sampling designs will provide accurate estimates of population parameters. Obtaining accurate estimates is especially difficult when natural variability is high, or limited budgets determine that only a small fraction of the popul
Authors
L.W. Morrison, D. R. Smith, C. Young, D.W. Nichols
Intersex (Testicular Oocytes) in smallmouth bass from the Potomac River and selected nearby drainages
Intersex, or the presence of characteristics of both sexes, in fishes that are normally gonochoristic has been used as an indicator of exposure to estrogenic compounds. In 2003, during health assessments conducted in response to kills and a high prevalence of skin lesions observed in smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu in the South Branch of the Potomac River, the presence of immature oocytes wit
Authors
Vicki S. Blazer, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Deborah D. Iwanowicz, David R. Smith, John A. Young, J.D. Hedrick, S.W. Foster, S.J. Reeser
Tag-based estimates of annual fishing mortality of a mixed atlantic coastal stock of striped bass
Tag-based estimates of annual survival and fishing mortality rates supplement annual stock assessments of migratory striped bass Morone saxatilis in the interjurisdictional fishery along the Atlantic coast. We estimated a 17-year time series of annual survival and fishing mortality (F) rates for striped bass (>711 mm) tagged during winter trawl studies (1988-2004) off the coasts of North Carolina
Authors
S.A. Welsh, D. R. Smith, R.W. Laney, R.C. Tipton
Evaluation of a small beach nourishment project to enhance habitat suitability for horseshoe crabs
This field study evaluates the effect of nourishing an estuarine beach with gravel to enhance spawning rates by horseshoe crabs. A total of 564??m3 of coarse sand and gravel were emplaced in two 90??m-long treatment segments at Bowers Beach, Delaware, USA from 9 to 11 April 2002. Field data were gathered between 6 April and 24 May 2002 to characterize the two fill segments and the un-nourished seg
Authors
N.L. Jackson, D. R. Smith, R. Tiyarattanachai, K.F. Nordstrom
Effect of horseshoe crab spawning density on nest disturbance and exhumation of eggs: A simulation study
Because the Delaware Bay horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) population is managed to provide for dependent species, such as migratory shorebirds, there is a need to understand the process of egg exhumation and to predict eggs available to foraging shorebirds. A simple spatial model was used to simulate horseshoe crab spawning that would occur on a typical Delaware Bay beach during spring tide cyc
Authors
D. R. Smith
An age-structured population model for horseshoe crabs in the Delaware Bay area to assess harvest and egg availability for shorebirds
The objective of this simulation study was to create an age-structured population model for horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphenols) in the Delaware Bay region using best available estimates of age-specific mortality and recent harvest levels. Density dependence was incorporated using a spatial model relating egg mortality with abundance of spawning females. Combinations of annual female harvest (0,
Authors
J. A. Sweka, D. R. Smith, M. J. Millard
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 113
Movements of brown bullheads in Presque Isle Bay, Lake Erie, Pennsylvania
Presque Isle Bay, Lake Erie, was listed as an Area of Concern (AOC) by the International Joint Commission in part because of the high incidence of external tumor in brown bullheads. Verifying the source of the possible contaminant exposure is critical to addressing the AOC designation. We used telemetry tracking (n = 49 fish) to test the hypothesis that adult bullheads captured within the bay duri
Authors
M. J. Millard, D. R. Smith, E. Obert, J. Grazio, M.L. Bartron, C. Wellington, S. Grise, S. Rafferty, R. Wellington, S. Julian
Proximate causes of sexual size dimorphism in horseshoe crabs (Limulus Polyphemus) of the Delaware Bay
The unresolved status of the proximate cause for sexual size dimorphism in horseshoe crabs has practical consequence, because harvest recommendations rely on assumptions about sex-specific growth and maturity. We propose and evaluate competing hypotheses for the proximate cause of sexual size dimorphism in horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) by comparing size and estimated age frequencies from sp
Authors
D. R. Smith, M.T. Mandt, P.D.M. Macdonald
An incomplete analysis
Niles and colleagues (2009) do not present all of the data relevant to the issues they address in the article they wrote for BioScience. They reference unnamed sources for pre-1997 horseshoe crab harvest to conclude that recent harvest exceeds historic harvest. In fact, reported landings from New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia in 2006 (352 metric tons [mt]) were between landings in 1989
Authors
David Smith, Eric M. Hallerman, Michael J. Millard, John A. Sweka, Richard G. Weber
Modeling distribution of dispersal distances in male white-tailed deer
Dispersal distances and their distribution pattern are important to understanding such phenomena as disease spread and gene flow, but oftentimes dispersal characteristics are modeled as a fixed trait for a given species. We found that dispersal distributions differ for spring and autumn dispersals of yearling male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) but that combined data can be adequately
Authors
D.R. Diefenbach, E.S. Long, C.S. Rosenberry, B.D. Wallingford, D. R. Smith
Physical and chemical changes in the foreshore of an estuarine beach: Implications for viability and development of horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus eggs
Knowledge of conditions that favor development of eggs is important for management of species whose population growth is sensitive to early life history survival. Viability and development of the eggs of horseshoe crabs Limulus polyphemus on a sand and gravel beach were evaluated using data gathered on Delaware Bay, USA, from 18 May to 19 June 2004. Eggs were transplanted to pouches and buried in
Authors
N.L. Jackson, D. R. Smith, K.F. Nordstrom
An adaptive two-stage sequential design for sampling rare and clustered populations
How to design an efficient large-area survey continues to be an interesting question for ecologists. In sampling large areas, as is common in environmental studies, adaptive sampling can be efficient because it ensures survey effort is targeted to subareas of high interest. In two-stage sampling, higher density primary sample units are usually of more interest than lower density primary units when
Authors
J.A. Brown, M.M. Salehi, M. Moradi, G. Bell, D. R. Smith
Evaluating sampling designs by computer simulation: A case study with the Missouri bladderpod
To effectively manage rare populations, accurate monitoring data are critical. Yet many monitoring programs are initiated without careful consideration of whether chosen sampling designs will provide accurate estimates of population parameters. Obtaining accurate estimates is especially difficult when natural variability is high, or limited budgets determine that only a small fraction of the popul
Authors
L.W. Morrison, D. R. Smith, C. Young, D.W. Nichols
Intersex (Testicular Oocytes) in smallmouth bass from the Potomac River and selected nearby drainages
Intersex, or the presence of characteristics of both sexes, in fishes that are normally gonochoristic has been used as an indicator of exposure to estrogenic compounds. In 2003, during health assessments conducted in response to kills and a high prevalence of skin lesions observed in smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu in the South Branch of the Potomac River, the presence of immature oocytes wit
Authors
Vicki S. Blazer, Luke R. Iwanowicz, Deborah D. Iwanowicz, David R. Smith, John A. Young, J.D. Hedrick, S.W. Foster, S.J. Reeser
Tag-based estimates of annual fishing mortality of a mixed atlantic coastal stock of striped bass
Tag-based estimates of annual survival and fishing mortality rates supplement annual stock assessments of migratory striped bass Morone saxatilis in the interjurisdictional fishery along the Atlantic coast. We estimated a 17-year time series of annual survival and fishing mortality (F) rates for striped bass (>711 mm) tagged during winter trawl studies (1988-2004) off the coasts of North Carolina
Authors
S.A. Welsh, D. R. Smith, R.W. Laney, R.C. Tipton
Evaluation of a small beach nourishment project to enhance habitat suitability for horseshoe crabs
This field study evaluates the effect of nourishing an estuarine beach with gravel to enhance spawning rates by horseshoe crabs. A total of 564??m3 of coarse sand and gravel were emplaced in two 90??m-long treatment segments at Bowers Beach, Delaware, USA from 9 to 11 April 2002. Field data were gathered between 6 April and 24 May 2002 to characterize the two fill segments and the un-nourished seg
Authors
N.L. Jackson, D. R. Smith, R. Tiyarattanachai, K.F. Nordstrom
Effect of horseshoe crab spawning density on nest disturbance and exhumation of eggs: A simulation study
Because the Delaware Bay horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) population is managed to provide for dependent species, such as migratory shorebirds, there is a need to understand the process of egg exhumation and to predict eggs available to foraging shorebirds. A simple spatial model was used to simulate horseshoe crab spawning that would occur on a typical Delaware Bay beach during spring tide cyc
Authors
D. R. Smith
An age-structured population model for horseshoe crabs in the Delaware Bay area to assess harvest and egg availability for shorebirds
The objective of this simulation study was to create an age-structured population model for horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphenols) in the Delaware Bay region using best available estimates of age-specific mortality and recent harvest levels. Density dependence was incorporated using a spatial model relating egg mortality with abundance of spawning females. Combinations of annual female harvest (0,
Authors
J. A. Sweka, D. R. Smith, M. J. Millard