Kristin Berry
Dr. Kristin Berry has been working as a Wildlife Biologist for the Western Ecological Research Center since 1993.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
- Behavioral ecology of vertebrates
- Conservation biology
- Cumulative effects
- Desert Ecology
- Ecotoxicology
- Environmental impacts
- Invasive species ecology
- Monitoring methodology
- Natural areas and preserves
- Population biology
- Species/Population management
- Threatened and endangered species
Professional Experience
Research Wildlife Biologist, Station Mgr., USGS, Western Ecological Science Center, Box Springs Field Station, Riverside, CA, Feb 1997-Present
Research Wildlife Biologist, USGS, Western Ecological Science Center, Riverside Field Station, Riverside, CA, Nov 1993-Feb 1997
Staff Supervisor and Research Scientist, Research Branch, Desert Biology US Bureau of Land Management, Riverside, CA, 1988-1993
Leader: Desert Tortoise Res. & Monitoring Prog., US Bureau of Land Mgt., Riverside, CA, 1983-1988
Coordinator: Research, Studies, and Monitoring, US Bureau of Land Management, Riverside, CA, 1980-1983
Staff Leader for Wildlife, CA Desert Plan Prog., US Bureau of Land Management, Riverside, CA, 1974-1980
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 1972
M.A., Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 1968
B.A., Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 1964
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
Ecological Society of America
Herpetologists' League
Research Society of America, Sigma Xi
Society for Conservation Biology
Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles
Southern California Academy of Sciences
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 95
Refining genetic boundaries for Agassiz’s desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) in the western Sonoran Desert: The influence of the Coachella Valley on gene flow among populations in southern California
Understanding the influence of geographic features on the evolutionary history and population structure of a species can assist wildlife managers in delimiting genetic units (GUs) for conservation and management. Landscape features including mountains, low elevation depressions, and even roads can influence connectivity and gene flow among Agassiz’s desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)...
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Taylor Edwards, Kristin H. Berry, Shellie R. Puffer, Kristy L. Cummings, Joshua R. Ennen, Mickey Agha, Rachel Wood, Kathleen D. Brundige, Robert W. Murphy
Turtles and tortoises are in trouble
Turtles and tortoises (chelonians) have been integral components of global ecosystems for about 220 million years and have played important roles in human culture for at least 400,000 years. The chelonian shell is a remarkable evolutionary adaptation, facilitating success in terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. Today, more than half of the 360 living species and 482 total taxa...
Authors
C.B. Stanford, J.B. Iverson, A.G.J. Rhodin, P.P. van Dijk, R.A. Mittermeier, Gerald Kuchling, Kristin H. Berry, Albert Bertolero, Karen A. Bjorndal, Torsten E. G. Blanck, K. A. Buhlmann, R.L. Burke, J.D. Congdon, Tomas Diagne, Taylor Edwards, Carla Eisemberg, Joshua R. Ennen, Germán Forero-Medina, M. Frankel, U. Fritz, N. Gallego-Garcia, A. Georges, J.W. Gibbons, S. Gong, E.V. Goode, H.T. Shi, H. Hoang, M.D. Hofmeyr, B.D Horne, R. H. Hudson, J.O. Juvik, R.A. Kiester, P.V. Koval, M.-A. Lea, P.V. Lindeman, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Luca Luiselli, T.E.M. McCormack, G.A. Meyer, V.P. Paez, K. Platt, S.G. Platt, P.C.H. Pritchard, H.R. Quinn, Willem R Roosenburg, Jeffrey A. Seminoff, H.B. Shaffer, R. J. Spencer, J.U. Van Dyke, R.C. Vogt, Andrew D. Walde
An uncertain future for a population of desert tortoises experiencing human impacts
We evaluated the status of a population of Mojave Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii), a threatened species, in the El Paso Mountains of the northwestern Mojave Desert in California, USA. The study area lies north of and adjacent to a designated critical habitat unit for the species, is adjacent to a state park, and is a short distance from the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area. We...
Authors
Kristin H. Berry, Julie L. Yee, Lisa M. Lyren, Jeremy S. Mack
Gopherus agassizii (Cooper 1861) – Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise, Mojave Desert Tortoise
The Mojave Desert Tortoise, Gopherus agassizii (Family Testudinidae), is a large terrestrial species that can reach >370 mm in straight midline carapace length (CL) but most individuals are smaller. Both sexes reach adulthood at 12 to 21 years and ca. 180 mm CL. The species is sexually dimorphic, with males typically larger than females; sexual characteristics of males become more...
Authors
Kristin H. Berry, Robert W. Murphy
Gopherus Agassizii (Agassiz's Desert Tortoise). Predation.
No abstract available.
Authors
Kemp M. Anderson, Kristin H. Berry
Crowding affects health, growth, and behavior in headstart pens for Agassiz's desert tortoise
Worldwide, scientists have headstarted threatened and endangered reptiles to augment depleted populations. Not all efforts have been successful. For the threatened Agassiz's desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), one challenge to recovery is poor recruitment of juveniles into adult populations, and this is being addressed through headstart programs. We evaluated 8 cohorts of juvenile...
Authors
Jeremy S. Mack, Heather E. Schneider, Kristin H. Berry
Global conservation status of turtles and tortoises (order Testudines)
We present a review and analysis of the conservation status and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) threat categories of all 360 currently recognized species of extant and recently extinct turtles and tortoises (Order Testudines). Our analysis is based on the 2018 IUCN Red List status of 251 listed species, augmented by provisional Red List assessments by the IUCN...
Authors
Anders G.J. Rhodin, Craig B. Stanford, Peter Paul van Dijk, Carla Eisemberg, Luca Luiselli, Russell A. Mittermeier, Rick H. Hudson, Brian D. Horne, Eric Goode, Gerald Kuchling, Andrew D. Walde, Ernst H. W. Baard, Kristin H. Berry, Albert Bertolero, Torsten E. G. Blanck, Roger Bour, Kurt. A. Buhlmann, Linda J. Cayot, Sydney Collett, Andrea Faye Currylow, Indraneil Das, Tomas Diagne, Joshua R. Ennen, Germán Forero-Medina, Matthew G. Frankel, Uwe Fritz, Gerardo García, J. Whitfield Gibbons, Paul M. Gibbons, Gong Shiping, Joko Guntoro, Margaretha D. Hofmeyr, John B. Iverson, A. Ross Kiester, Michael W.N. Lau, Dwight P. Lawson, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Edward O. Moll, Vivian P. Páez, Rosalinda Palomo-Ramos, Kalyar Platt, Steven G. Platt, Peter C. H. Pritchard, Hugh R. Quinn, Shahriar Caesar Rahman, Soary Tahafe Randrianjafizanaka, Jason Schaffer, Will Selman, H. Bradley Shaffer, Dionysius S. K. Sharma, Shi Haitao, Shailendra Singh, Ricky Spencer, Kahleana Stannard, Sarah Sutcliffe, Scott Thomson, Richard C. Vogt
Gopherus agassizii (Mohave Desert Tortoise). Probable rattlesnake envenomation
No abstract available.
Authors
Kristin H. Berry, Timothy M. Shields, Elliott R. Jacobson
Enhancing and restoring habitat for the desert tortoise
Habitat has changed unfavorably during the past 150 y for the desert tortoise Gopherus agassizii, a federally threatened species with declining populations in the Mojave Desert and western Sonoran Desert. To support recovery efforts, we synthesized published information on relationships of desert tortoises with three habitat features (cover sites, forage, and soil) and candidate...
Authors
Scott R. Abella, Kristin H. Berry
Desert tortoise annotated bibliography, 1991-2015
Introduction Agassiz’s desert tortoise, Gopherus agassizii, was considered a single species for 150 years after its discovery by James Cooper (1861), with a geographic range extending from southeastern California, southern Nevada, and southwestern Utah southward into northern Sinaloa, Mexico (Murphy and others, 2011). What was once G. agassizii is now recognized as a complex composed of...
Authors
Kristin H. Berry, Lisa M. Lyren, Jeremy S. Mack, L. Arriana Brand, Dustin A. Wood
Gopherus agassizii (Agassiz's Desert Tortoise). Attempted predation.
No abstract available.
Authors
Ashley Spenceley, Jeremy S. Mack, Kristin H. Berry
Factors affecting the thermal environment of Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) cover sites in the Central Mojave Desert during periods of temperature extremes
Agassiz's Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) spend >95% of their lives underground in cover sites that serve as thermal buffers from temperatures, which can fluctuate >40°C on a daily and seasonal basis. We monitored temperatures at 30 active tortoise cover sites within the Soda Mountains, San Bernardino County, California, from February 2004 to September 2006. Cover sites varied in...
Authors
Jeremy S. Mack, Kristin H. Berry, David Miller, Andrea S. Carlson
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 95
Refining genetic boundaries for Agassiz’s desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) in the western Sonoran Desert: The influence of the Coachella Valley on gene flow among populations in southern California
Understanding the influence of geographic features on the evolutionary history and population structure of a species can assist wildlife managers in delimiting genetic units (GUs) for conservation and management. Landscape features including mountains, low elevation depressions, and even roads can influence connectivity and gene flow among Agassiz’s desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)...
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Taylor Edwards, Kristin H. Berry, Shellie R. Puffer, Kristy L. Cummings, Joshua R. Ennen, Mickey Agha, Rachel Wood, Kathleen D. Brundige, Robert W. Murphy
Turtles and tortoises are in trouble
Turtles and tortoises (chelonians) have been integral components of global ecosystems for about 220 million years and have played important roles in human culture for at least 400,000 years. The chelonian shell is a remarkable evolutionary adaptation, facilitating success in terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. Today, more than half of the 360 living species and 482 total taxa...
Authors
C.B. Stanford, J.B. Iverson, A.G.J. Rhodin, P.P. van Dijk, R.A. Mittermeier, Gerald Kuchling, Kristin H. Berry, Albert Bertolero, Karen A. Bjorndal, Torsten E. G. Blanck, K. A. Buhlmann, R.L. Burke, J.D. Congdon, Tomas Diagne, Taylor Edwards, Carla Eisemberg, Joshua R. Ennen, Germán Forero-Medina, M. Frankel, U. Fritz, N. Gallego-Garcia, A. Georges, J.W. Gibbons, S. Gong, E.V. Goode, H.T. Shi, H. Hoang, M.D. Hofmeyr, B.D Horne, R. H. Hudson, J.O. Juvik, R.A. Kiester, P.V. Koval, M.-A. Lea, P.V. Lindeman, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Luca Luiselli, T.E.M. McCormack, G.A. Meyer, V.P. Paez, K. Platt, S.G. Platt, P.C.H. Pritchard, H.R. Quinn, Willem R Roosenburg, Jeffrey A. Seminoff, H.B. Shaffer, R. J. Spencer, J.U. Van Dyke, R.C. Vogt, Andrew D. Walde
An uncertain future for a population of desert tortoises experiencing human impacts
We evaluated the status of a population of Mojave Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii), a threatened species, in the El Paso Mountains of the northwestern Mojave Desert in California, USA. The study area lies north of and adjacent to a designated critical habitat unit for the species, is adjacent to a state park, and is a short distance from the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area. We...
Authors
Kristin H. Berry, Julie L. Yee, Lisa M. Lyren, Jeremy S. Mack
Gopherus agassizii (Cooper 1861) – Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise, Mojave Desert Tortoise
The Mojave Desert Tortoise, Gopherus agassizii (Family Testudinidae), is a large terrestrial species that can reach >370 mm in straight midline carapace length (CL) but most individuals are smaller. Both sexes reach adulthood at 12 to 21 years and ca. 180 mm CL. The species is sexually dimorphic, with males typically larger than females; sexual characteristics of males become more...
Authors
Kristin H. Berry, Robert W. Murphy
Gopherus Agassizii (Agassiz's Desert Tortoise). Predation.
No abstract available.
Authors
Kemp M. Anderson, Kristin H. Berry
Crowding affects health, growth, and behavior in headstart pens for Agassiz's desert tortoise
Worldwide, scientists have headstarted threatened and endangered reptiles to augment depleted populations. Not all efforts have been successful. For the threatened Agassiz's desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), one challenge to recovery is poor recruitment of juveniles into adult populations, and this is being addressed through headstart programs. We evaluated 8 cohorts of juvenile...
Authors
Jeremy S. Mack, Heather E. Schneider, Kristin H. Berry
Global conservation status of turtles and tortoises (order Testudines)
We present a review and analysis of the conservation status and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) threat categories of all 360 currently recognized species of extant and recently extinct turtles and tortoises (Order Testudines). Our analysis is based on the 2018 IUCN Red List status of 251 listed species, augmented by provisional Red List assessments by the IUCN...
Authors
Anders G.J. Rhodin, Craig B. Stanford, Peter Paul van Dijk, Carla Eisemberg, Luca Luiselli, Russell A. Mittermeier, Rick H. Hudson, Brian D. Horne, Eric Goode, Gerald Kuchling, Andrew D. Walde, Ernst H. W. Baard, Kristin H. Berry, Albert Bertolero, Torsten E. G. Blanck, Roger Bour, Kurt. A. Buhlmann, Linda J. Cayot, Sydney Collett, Andrea Faye Currylow, Indraneil Das, Tomas Diagne, Joshua R. Ennen, Germán Forero-Medina, Matthew G. Frankel, Uwe Fritz, Gerardo García, J. Whitfield Gibbons, Paul M. Gibbons, Gong Shiping, Joko Guntoro, Margaretha D. Hofmeyr, John B. Iverson, A. Ross Kiester, Michael W.N. Lau, Dwight P. Lawson, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Edward O. Moll, Vivian P. Páez, Rosalinda Palomo-Ramos, Kalyar Platt, Steven G. Platt, Peter C. H. Pritchard, Hugh R. Quinn, Shahriar Caesar Rahman, Soary Tahafe Randrianjafizanaka, Jason Schaffer, Will Selman, H. Bradley Shaffer, Dionysius S. K. Sharma, Shi Haitao, Shailendra Singh, Ricky Spencer, Kahleana Stannard, Sarah Sutcliffe, Scott Thomson, Richard C. Vogt
Gopherus agassizii (Mohave Desert Tortoise). Probable rattlesnake envenomation
No abstract available.
Authors
Kristin H. Berry, Timothy M. Shields, Elliott R. Jacobson
Enhancing and restoring habitat for the desert tortoise
Habitat has changed unfavorably during the past 150 y for the desert tortoise Gopherus agassizii, a federally threatened species with declining populations in the Mojave Desert and western Sonoran Desert. To support recovery efforts, we synthesized published information on relationships of desert tortoises with three habitat features (cover sites, forage, and soil) and candidate...
Authors
Scott R. Abella, Kristin H. Berry
Desert tortoise annotated bibliography, 1991-2015
Introduction Agassiz’s desert tortoise, Gopherus agassizii, was considered a single species for 150 years after its discovery by James Cooper (1861), with a geographic range extending from southeastern California, southern Nevada, and southwestern Utah southward into northern Sinaloa, Mexico (Murphy and others, 2011). What was once G. agassizii is now recognized as a complex composed of...
Authors
Kristin H. Berry, Lisa M. Lyren, Jeremy S. Mack, L. Arriana Brand, Dustin A. Wood
Gopherus agassizii (Agassiz's Desert Tortoise). Attempted predation.
No abstract available.
Authors
Ashley Spenceley, Jeremy S. Mack, Kristin H. Berry
Factors affecting the thermal environment of Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) cover sites in the Central Mojave Desert during periods of temperature extremes
Agassiz's Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) spend >95% of their lives underground in cover sites that serve as thermal buffers from temperatures, which can fluctuate >40°C on a daily and seasonal basis. We monitored temperatures at 30 active tortoise cover sites within the Soda Mountains, San Bernardino County, California, from February 2004 to September 2006. Cover sites varied in...
Authors
Jeremy S. Mack, Kristin H. Berry, David Miller, Andrea S. Carlson
*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