Melanie Davis, PhD
Assistant Unit Leader - Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units
Melanie arrived at the Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit in Fall 2020 after almost seven years as a Project Coordinator for the USGS Western Ecological Research Center's Olympia, Washington substation. Melanie's work is focused on ecosystem and community level responses to climate-mediated disturbance, landscape scale processes and their effects on target species, and the development of monitoring tools, programs, and strategies to inform management actions. Most of her research is directed toward salmonids and non-game fishes, but her lab's emphasis on habitat has allowed her to work in an array of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Melanie employs a variety of quantitative tools and techniques to learn about how species interact with their environment, with a particular emphasis on spatially explicit habitat models. She is currently developing a disturbance ecology course for graduate and upper-level undergraduate students. She enjoys mentoring students, and is actively seeking ways to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the fisheries, wildlife, and conservation sciences.
RECENTLY STARTED PROJECTS
• Hatchery Program Viability Assessment
• Using restoration monitoring data to inform an H-integrated Chinook salmon recovery strategy
• Incorporating climate, disease and invasive species into the conservation of a First Food, Klamath redband trout
Professional Experience
Assistant Unit Leader, Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 2020-
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. University of Washington, 2019
M.S. Colorado State University, Ecology, 2012
B.S. Miami University of Ohio, Zoology, Chemistry, 2009
Science and Products
Integrated diet analyses reveal contrasting trophic niches for wild and hatchery juvenile Chinook Salmon in a large river delta
Gauging resource exploitation by juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in restoring estuarine habitat
Enhanced invertebrate prey production following estuarine restoration supports foraging for multiple species of juvenile salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.)
Changes in habitat availability for outmigrating juvenile salmon (Oncorhychus spp.) following estuary restoration
Non-USGS Publications**
**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
Integrated diet analyses reveal contrasting trophic niches for wild and hatchery juvenile Chinook Salmon in a large river delta
Gauging resource exploitation by juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in restoring estuarine habitat
Enhanced invertebrate prey production following estuarine restoration supports foraging for multiple species of juvenile salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.)
Changes in habitat availability for outmigrating juvenile salmon (Oncorhychus spp.) following estuary restoration
Non-USGS Publications**
**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.