James Nichols, Ph.D.
Dr. Jim Nichols conducts research on animal population dynamics and management
Recent Accomplishments
Education
- B.S. Wake Forest University, Biology, 1971
- M.S. Louisiana State University, Wildlife Management, 1973
- Ph.D. Michigan State University, Wildlife Ecology, 1976
Professional Studies/Experience
- Adaptive management and assessment of habitat changes on migratory birds
- Development of models of mallard population dynamics for adaptive harvest management
- Development of methods to estimate parameters associated with animal population dynamics
- Statistical methods for species richness estimation
- Technical Assistance -Tiger Monitoring and Population Research
- Development of methods for estimating patch occupancy and patch-dynamic parameters from detection-nondetection survey data
- Development of methods to estimate species richness and community-dynamic parameters from species list data
Mentorship/Outreach
Professional societies/affiliations/committees/editorial boardsScientific/Oral Presentations, Abstracts
Honors, awards, recognition, elected offices
- 2005 - U.S. Presidential Rank Award (Meritorious Senior Professional)
- 2004 - U.S. Geological Survey Meritorious Service Award
- 2004 - IFAS Scholar Award, University of Florida
- 1998 - Promoted to Senior Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey
- 1991 - The George W. Snedecor Award of the American Statistical Association
- 1991 - The Wildlife Society's Wildlife Publication Award for Monograph
- 1984 - Southeastern Section of the Wildlife Society, Outstanding Publication Award
Scientific/Oral Presentations, Abstracts
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 401
Advances and applications of occupancy models
Summary: The past decade has seen an explosion in the development and application of models aimed at estimating species occurrence and occupancy dynamics while accounting for possible non-detection or species misidentification. We discuss some recent occupancy estimation methods and the biological systems that motivated their development. Collectively, these models offer tremendous flexibility, bu
Authors
Larissa Bailey, Darry I. MacKenzie, James D. Nichols
Selecting among competing models of electro-optic, infrared camera system range performance
Range performance is often the key requirement around which electro-optical and infrared camera systems are designed. This work presents an objective framework for evaluating competing range performance models. Model selection based on the Akaike’s Information Criterion (AIC) is presented for the type of data collected during a typical human observer and target identification experiment. These met
Authors
Jonathan M. Nichols, James E. Hines, James D. Nichols
The roles of competition and habitat in the dynamics of populations and species distributions
The role of competition in structuring biotic communities at fine spatial scales is well known from detailed process-based studies. Our understanding of competition's importance at broader scales is less resolved and mainly based on static species distribution maps. Here, we bridge this gap by examining the joint occupancy dynamics of an invading (barred owl: Strix varia) and a resident species (N
Authors
Charles Brandon Yackulic, Janice Reid, James D. Nichols, James E. Hines, Raymond Davis, Eric Forsman
Relaxing the closure assumption in single-season occupancy models: staggered arrival and departure times
Occupancy statistical models that account for imperfect detection have proved very useful in several areas of ecology, including species distribution and spatial dynamics, disease ecology, and ecological responses to climate change. These models are based on the collection of multiple samples at each of a number of sites within a given season, during which it is assumed the species is either absen
Authors
William L. Kendall, James E. Hines, James D. Nichols, Evan H. Campbell Grant
Estimating occupancy and predicting numbers of gray wolf packs in Montana using hunter surveys
Reliable knowledge of the status and trend of carnivore populations is critical to their conservation and management. Methods for monitoring carnivores, however, are challenging to conduct across large spatial scales. In the Northern Rocky Mountains, wildlife managers need a time- and cost-efficient method for monitoring gray wolf (Canis lupus) populations. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MFWP)
Authors
Lindsey N. Rich, Robin E. Russell, Elizabeth M. Glenn, Michael S. Mitchell, Justin A. Gude, Kevin M. Podruzny, Carolyn A. Sime, Kent Laudon, David E. Ausband, James D. Nichols
Resilience thinking and a decision-analytic approach to conservation: strange bedfellows or essential partners?
There has been some tendency to view decision science and resilience theory as opposing approaches, or at least as contending perspectives, for natural resource management. Resilience proponents have been especially critical of optimization in decision science, at least for those cases where it is focused on the aggressive pursuit of efficiency. In general, optimization of resource systems is held
Authors
Fred A. Johnson, Byron K. Williams, James D. Nichols
Presence-only modeling using MAXENT: when can we trust the inferences?
1. Recently, interest in species distribution modelling has increased following the development of new methods for the analysis of presence-only data and the deployment of these methods in user-friendly and powerful computer programs. However, reliable inference from these powerful tools requires that several assumptions be met, including the assumptions that observed presences are the consequence
Authors
Charles B. Yackulic, Richard Chandler, Elise F. Zipkin, J. Andrew Royle, James D. Nichols, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Sophie Veran
Evaluating a multispecies adaptive management framework: Must uncertainty impede effective decision-making?
Application of adaptive management to complex natural resource systems requires careful evaluation to ensure that the process leads to improved decision-making. As part of that evaluation, adaptive policies can be compared with alternative nonadaptive management scenarios. Also, the value of reducing structural (ecological) uncertainty to achieving management objectives can be quantified.A multisp
Authors
David R. Smith, Conor P. McGowan, Jonathan P. Daily, James D. Nichols, John A. Sweka, James E. Lyons
U.S. Geological Survey ecosystems science strategy—Advancing discovery and application through collaboration
Executive SummaryEcosystem science is critical to making informed decisions about natural resources that can sustain our Nation’s economic and environmental well-being. Resource managers and policymakers are faced with countless decisions each year at local, regional, and national levels on issues as diverse as renewable and nonrenewable energy development, agriculture, forestry, water supply, and
Authors
Byron K. Williams, G. Lynn Wingard, Gary Brewer, James E. Cloern, Guy Gelfenbaum, Robert B. Jacobson, Jeffrey L. Kershner, Anthony D. McGuire, James D. Nichols, Carl D. Shapiro, Charles van Riper, Robin P. White
Joint estimation of habitat dynamics and species interactions: Disturbance reduces co-occurrence of non-native predators with an endangered toad
1. Ecologists have long been interested in the processes that determine patterns of species occurrence and co-occurrence. Potential short-comings of many existing empirical approaches that address these questions include a reliance on patterns of occurrence at a single time point, failure to account properly for imperfect detection and treating the environment as a static variable.2. We fit detect
Authors
David A.W. Miller, Cheryl S. Brehme, James E. Hines, James D. Nichols, Robert N. Fisher
Modeling habitat dynamics accounting for possible misclassification
Land cover data are widely used in ecology as land cover change is a major component of changes affecting ecological systems. Landscape change estimates are characterized by classification errors. Researchers have used error matrices to adjust estimates of areal extent, but estimation of land cover change is more difficult and more challenging, with error in classification being confused with chan
Authors
Sophie Veran, Kevin J. Kleiner, Remi Choquet, Jaime Collazo, James D. Nichols
Neighborhood and habitat effects on vital rates: expansion of the Barred Owl in the Oregon Coast Ranges
In this paper, we modify dynamic occupancy models developed for detection-nondetection data to allow for the dependence of local vital rates on neighborhood occupancy, where neighborhood is defined very flexibly. Such dependence of occupancy dynamics on the status of a relevant neighborhood is pervasive, yet frequently ignored. Our framework permits joint inference about the importance of neighbor
Authors
Charles B. Yackulic, Janice Reid, Raymond Davis, James E. Hines, James D. Nichols, Eric Forsman
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 401
Advances and applications of occupancy models
Summary: The past decade has seen an explosion in the development and application of models aimed at estimating species occurrence and occupancy dynamics while accounting for possible non-detection or species misidentification. We discuss some recent occupancy estimation methods and the biological systems that motivated their development. Collectively, these models offer tremendous flexibility, bu
Authors
Larissa Bailey, Darry I. MacKenzie, James D. Nichols
Selecting among competing models of electro-optic, infrared camera system range performance
Range performance is often the key requirement around which electro-optical and infrared camera systems are designed. This work presents an objective framework for evaluating competing range performance models. Model selection based on the Akaike’s Information Criterion (AIC) is presented for the type of data collected during a typical human observer and target identification experiment. These met
Authors
Jonathan M. Nichols, James E. Hines, James D. Nichols
The roles of competition and habitat in the dynamics of populations and species distributions
The role of competition in structuring biotic communities at fine spatial scales is well known from detailed process-based studies. Our understanding of competition's importance at broader scales is less resolved and mainly based on static species distribution maps. Here, we bridge this gap by examining the joint occupancy dynamics of an invading (barred owl: Strix varia) and a resident species (N
Authors
Charles Brandon Yackulic, Janice Reid, James D. Nichols, James E. Hines, Raymond Davis, Eric Forsman
Relaxing the closure assumption in single-season occupancy models: staggered arrival and departure times
Occupancy statistical models that account for imperfect detection have proved very useful in several areas of ecology, including species distribution and spatial dynamics, disease ecology, and ecological responses to climate change. These models are based on the collection of multiple samples at each of a number of sites within a given season, during which it is assumed the species is either absen
Authors
William L. Kendall, James E. Hines, James D. Nichols, Evan H. Campbell Grant
Estimating occupancy and predicting numbers of gray wolf packs in Montana using hunter surveys
Reliable knowledge of the status and trend of carnivore populations is critical to their conservation and management. Methods for monitoring carnivores, however, are challenging to conduct across large spatial scales. In the Northern Rocky Mountains, wildlife managers need a time- and cost-efficient method for monitoring gray wolf (Canis lupus) populations. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MFWP)
Authors
Lindsey N. Rich, Robin E. Russell, Elizabeth M. Glenn, Michael S. Mitchell, Justin A. Gude, Kevin M. Podruzny, Carolyn A. Sime, Kent Laudon, David E. Ausband, James D. Nichols
Resilience thinking and a decision-analytic approach to conservation: strange bedfellows or essential partners?
There has been some tendency to view decision science and resilience theory as opposing approaches, or at least as contending perspectives, for natural resource management. Resilience proponents have been especially critical of optimization in decision science, at least for those cases where it is focused on the aggressive pursuit of efficiency. In general, optimization of resource systems is held
Authors
Fred A. Johnson, Byron K. Williams, James D. Nichols
Presence-only modeling using MAXENT: when can we trust the inferences?
1. Recently, interest in species distribution modelling has increased following the development of new methods for the analysis of presence-only data and the deployment of these methods in user-friendly and powerful computer programs. However, reliable inference from these powerful tools requires that several assumptions be met, including the assumptions that observed presences are the consequence
Authors
Charles B. Yackulic, Richard Chandler, Elise F. Zipkin, J. Andrew Royle, James D. Nichols, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Sophie Veran
Evaluating a multispecies adaptive management framework: Must uncertainty impede effective decision-making?
Application of adaptive management to complex natural resource systems requires careful evaluation to ensure that the process leads to improved decision-making. As part of that evaluation, adaptive policies can be compared with alternative nonadaptive management scenarios. Also, the value of reducing structural (ecological) uncertainty to achieving management objectives can be quantified.A multisp
Authors
David R. Smith, Conor P. McGowan, Jonathan P. Daily, James D. Nichols, John A. Sweka, James E. Lyons
U.S. Geological Survey ecosystems science strategy—Advancing discovery and application through collaboration
Executive SummaryEcosystem science is critical to making informed decisions about natural resources that can sustain our Nation’s economic and environmental well-being. Resource managers and policymakers are faced with countless decisions each year at local, regional, and national levels on issues as diverse as renewable and nonrenewable energy development, agriculture, forestry, water supply, and
Authors
Byron K. Williams, G. Lynn Wingard, Gary Brewer, James E. Cloern, Guy Gelfenbaum, Robert B. Jacobson, Jeffrey L. Kershner, Anthony D. McGuire, James D. Nichols, Carl D. Shapiro, Charles van Riper, Robin P. White
Joint estimation of habitat dynamics and species interactions: Disturbance reduces co-occurrence of non-native predators with an endangered toad
1. Ecologists have long been interested in the processes that determine patterns of species occurrence and co-occurrence. Potential short-comings of many existing empirical approaches that address these questions include a reliance on patterns of occurrence at a single time point, failure to account properly for imperfect detection and treating the environment as a static variable.2. We fit detect
Authors
David A.W. Miller, Cheryl S. Brehme, James E. Hines, James D. Nichols, Robert N. Fisher
Modeling habitat dynamics accounting for possible misclassification
Land cover data are widely used in ecology as land cover change is a major component of changes affecting ecological systems. Landscape change estimates are characterized by classification errors. Researchers have used error matrices to adjust estimates of areal extent, but estimation of land cover change is more difficult and more challenging, with error in classification being confused with chan
Authors
Sophie Veran, Kevin J. Kleiner, Remi Choquet, Jaime Collazo, James D. Nichols
Neighborhood and habitat effects on vital rates: expansion of the Barred Owl in the Oregon Coast Ranges
In this paper, we modify dynamic occupancy models developed for detection-nondetection data to allow for the dependence of local vital rates on neighborhood occupancy, where neighborhood is defined very flexibly. Such dependence of occupancy dynamics on the status of a relevant neighborhood is pervasive, yet frequently ignored. Our framework permits joint inference about the importance of neighbor
Authors
Charles B. Yackulic, Janice Reid, Raymond Davis, James E. Hines, James D. Nichols, Eric Forsman