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
Adult tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) survival on the polychlorinated biphenyl-contaminated Housatonic River, Massachusetts, USA
Tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) were captured and banded at six sites that differed in polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination levels in the Housatonic River watershed, western Massachusetts, USA, from 2000 through 2004 to test the prediction that apparent survival rates of females in more contaminated areas were lower than those from less contaminated areas. We also tested whether plumag
Authors
Christine M. Custer, T. W. Custer, J. E. Hines, J. D. Nichols, P.M. Dummer
How many tigers Panthera tigris are there in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand? An estimate using photographic capture-recapture sampling
We used capture-recapture analyses to estimate the density of a tiger Panthera tigris population in the tropical forests of Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand, from photographic capture histories of 15 distinct individuals. The closure test results (z = 0.39, P = 0.65) provided some evidence in support of the demographic closure assumption. Fit of eight plausible closed models to the dat
Authors
S. Simcharoen, A. Pattanavibool, K. U. Karanth, J. D. Nichols, S. Kumar
Application of information theory methods to food web reconstruction
In this paper we use information theory techniques on time series of abundances to determine the topology of a food web. At the outset, the food web participants (two consumers, two resources) are known; in addition we know that each consumer prefers one of the resources over the other. However, we do not know which consumer prefers which resource, and if this preference is absolute (i.e., wheth
Authors
L.J. Moniz, E.G. Cooch, S.P. Ellner, J. D. Nichols, J.M. Nichols
Occupancy estimation and modeling with multiple states and state uncertainty
The distribution of a species over space is of central interest in ecology, but species occurrence does not provide all of the information needed to characterize either the well-being of a population or the suitability of occupied habitat. Recent methodological development has focused on drawing inferences about species occurrence in the face of imperfect detection. Here we extend those methods by
Authors
J. D. Nichols, J. E. Hines, D.I. MacKenzie, M.E. Seamans, R. J. Gutierrez
Estimating species-specific suvival and movement when species identification is uncertain
Incorporating uncertainty in the investigation of ecological studies has been the topic of an increasing body of research. In particular, mark-recapture methodology has shown that incorporating uncertainty in the probability of detecting individuals in populations enables accurate estimation of population-level processes such as survival, reproduction, and dispersal. Recent advances in mark-recapt
Authors
J.P. Runge, J. E. Hines, J. D. Nichols
Sampling design trade-offs in occupancy studies with imperfect detection: Examples and software
Researchers have used occupancy, or probability of occupancy, as a response or state variable in a variety of studies (e.g., habitat modeling), and occupancy is increasingly favored by numerous state, federal, and international agencies engaged in monitoring programs. Recent advances in estimation methods have emphasized that reliable inferences can be made from these types of studies if detectio
Authors
L.L. Bailey, J. E. Hines, J. D. Nichols, Darryl I. MacKenzie
A large-scale deforestation experiment: Effects of patch area and isolation on Amazon birds
As compared with extensive contiguous areas, small isolated habitat patches lack many species. Some species disappear after isolation; others are rarely found in any small patch, regardless of isolation. We used a 13-year data set of bird captures from a large landscape-manipulation experiment in a Brazilian Amazon forest to model the extinction-colonization dynamics of 55 species and tested bas
Authors
G. Ferraz, J. D. Nichols, J. E. Hines, P.C. Stouffer, R.O. Bierregaard, T.E. Lovejoy
Patch-occupancy models indicate human activity as major determinant of forest elephant Loxodonta cyclotis seasonal distribution in an industrial corridor in Gabon
The importance of human activity and ecological features in influencing African forest elephant ranging behaviour was investigated in the Rabi-Ndogo corridor of the Gamba Complex of Protected Areas in southwest Gabon. Locations in a wide geographical area with a range of environmental variables were selected for patch-occupancy surveys using elephant dung to assess seasonal presence and absence o
Authors
R. Buij, W.J. McShea, P. Campbell, M.E. Lee, F. Dallmeier, S. Guimondou, L. Mackaga, N. Guisseougou, S. Mboumba, J. E. Hines, J. D. Nichols, A. Alonso
Adaptive harvest management of North American waterfowl populations: a brief history and future prospects
Since 1995, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has used an adaptive approach to the management of sport harvest of mid-continent Mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) in North America. This approach differs from many current approaches to conservation and management in requiring close collaboration between managers and scientists. Key elements of this process are objectives, alternative management acti
Authors
J. D. Nichols, M.C. Runge, F.A. Johnson, B.K. Williams
Variation in probability of first reproduction of Weddell seals
Summary 1. For many species, when to begin reproduction is an important life-history decision that varies by individual and can have substantial implications for lifetime reproductive success and fitness. 2. We estimated age-specific probabilities of first-time breeding and modelled variation in these rates to determine age at first reproduction and understand why it varies in a population of
Authors
G.L. Hadley, J.J. Rotella, R.A. Garrott, J. D. Nichols
The role of local populations within a landscape context: Defining and classifying sources and sinks
The interaction of local populations has been the focus of an increasing number of studies in the past 30 years. The study of source-sink dynamics has especially generated much interest. Many of the criteria used to distinguish sources and sinks incorporate the process of apparent survival (i.e., the combined probability of true survival and site fidelity) but not emigration. These criteria impl
Authors
J.P. Runge, M.C. Runge, J. D. Nichols
Assessing tiger population dynamics using photographic capture-recapture sampling
Although wide-ranging, elusive, large carnivore species, such as the tiger, are of scientific and conservation interest, rigorous inferences about their population dynamics are scarce because of methodological problems of sampling populations at the required spatial and temporal scales. We report the application of a rigorous, noninvasive method for assessing tiger population dynamics to test mod
Authors
K. U. Karanth, J. D. Nichols, S. Kumar, J. E. Hines
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 401
Adult tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) survival on the polychlorinated biphenyl-contaminated Housatonic River, Massachusetts, USA
Tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) were captured and banded at six sites that differed in polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination levels in the Housatonic River watershed, western Massachusetts, USA, from 2000 through 2004 to test the prediction that apparent survival rates of females in more contaminated areas were lower than those from less contaminated areas. We also tested whether plumag
Authors
Christine M. Custer, T. W. Custer, J. E. Hines, J. D. Nichols, P.M. Dummer
How many tigers Panthera tigris are there in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand? An estimate using photographic capture-recapture sampling
We used capture-recapture analyses to estimate the density of a tiger Panthera tigris population in the tropical forests of Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand, from photographic capture histories of 15 distinct individuals. The closure test results (z = 0.39, P = 0.65) provided some evidence in support of the demographic closure assumption. Fit of eight plausible closed models to the dat
Authors
S. Simcharoen, A. Pattanavibool, K. U. Karanth, J. D. Nichols, S. Kumar
Application of information theory methods to food web reconstruction
In this paper we use information theory techniques on time series of abundances to determine the topology of a food web. At the outset, the food web participants (two consumers, two resources) are known; in addition we know that each consumer prefers one of the resources over the other. However, we do not know which consumer prefers which resource, and if this preference is absolute (i.e., wheth
Authors
L.J. Moniz, E.G. Cooch, S.P. Ellner, J. D. Nichols, J.M. Nichols
Occupancy estimation and modeling with multiple states and state uncertainty
The distribution of a species over space is of central interest in ecology, but species occurrence does not provide all of the information needed to characterize either the well-being of a population or the suitability of occupied habitat. Recent methodological development has focused on drawing inferences about species occurrence in the face of imperfect detection. Here we extend those methods by
Authors
J. D. Nichols, J. E. Hines, D.I. MacKenzie, M.E. Seamans, R. J. Gutierrez
Estimating species-specific suvival and movement when species identification is uncertain
Incorporating uncertainty in the investigation of ecological studies has been the topic of an increasing body of research. In particular, mark-recapture methodology has shown that incorporating uncertainty in the probability of detecting individuals in populations enables accurate estimation of population-level processes such as survival, reproduction, and dispersal. Recent advances in mark-recapt
Authors
J.P. Runge, J. E. Hines, J. D. Nichols
Sampling design trade-offs in occupancy studies with imperfect detection: Examples and software
Researchers have used occupancy, or probability of occupancy, as a response or state variable in a variety of studies (e.g., habitat modeling), and occupancy is increasingly favored by numerous state, federal, and international agencies engaged in monitoring programs. Recent advances in estimation methods have emphasized that reliable inferences can be made from these types of studies if detectio
Authors
L.L. Bailey, J. E. Hines, J. D. Nichols, Darryl I. MacKenzie
A large-scale deforestation experiment: Effects of patch area and isolation on Amazon birds
As compared with extensive contiguous areas, small isolated habitat patches lack many species. Some species disappear after isolation; others are rarely found in any small patch, regardless of isolation. We used a 13-year data set of bird captures from a large landscape-manipulation experiment in a Brazilian Amazon forest to model the extinction-colonization dynamics of 55 species and tested bas
Authors
G. Ferraz, J. D. Nichols, J. E. Hines, P.C. Stouffer, R.O. Bierregaard, T.E. Lovejoy
Patch-occupancy models indicate human activity as major determinant of forest elephant Loxodonta cyclotis seasonal distribution in an industrial corridor in Gabon
The importance of human activity and ecological features in influencing African forest elephant ranging behaviour was investigated in the Rabi-Ndogo corridor of the Gamba Complex of Protected Areas in southwest Gabon. Locations in a wide geographical area with a range of environmental variables were selected for patch-occupancy surveys using elephant dung to assess seasonal presence and absence o
Authors
R. Buij, W.J. McShea, P. Campbell, M.E. Lee, F. Dallmeier, S. Guimondou, L. Mackaga, N. Guisseougou, S. Mboumba, J. E. Hines, J. D. Nichols, A. Alonso
Adaptive harvest management of North American waterfowl populations: a brief history and future prospects
Since 1995, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has used an adaptive approach to the management of sport harvest of mid-continent Mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) in North America. This approach differs from many current approaches to conservation and management in requiring close collaboration between managers and scientists. Key elements of this process are objectives, alternative management acti
Authors
J. D. Nichols, M.C. Runge, F.A. Johnson, B.K. Williams
Variation in probability of first reproduction of Weddell seals
Summary 1. For many species, when to begin reproduction is an important life-history decision that varies by individual and can have substantial implications for lifetime reproductive success and fitness. 2. We estimated age-specific probabilities of first-time breeding and modelled variation in these rates to determine age at first reproduction and understand why it varies in a population of
Authors
G.L. Hadley, J.J. Rotella, R.A. Garrott, J. D. Nichols
The role of local populations within a landscape context: Defining and classifying sources and sinks
The interaction of local populations has been the focus of an increasing number of studies in the past 30 years. The study of source-sink dynamics has especially generated much interest. Many of the criteria used to distinguish sources and sinks incorporate the process of apparent survival (i.e., the combined probability of true survival and site fidelity) but not emigration. These criteria impl
Authors
J.P. Runge, M.C. Runge, J. D. Nichols
Assessing tiger population dynamics using photographic capture-recapture sampling
Although wide-ranging, elusive, large carnivore species, such as the tiger, are of scientific and conservation interest, rigorous inferences about their population dynamics are scarce because of methodological problems of sampling populations at the required spatial and temporal scales. We report the application of a rigorous, noninvasive method for assessing tiger population dynamics to test mod
Authors
K. U. Karanth, J. D. Nichols, S. Kumar, J. E. Hines