Peter Coates, PhD
Dr. Peter Coates is a Wildlife Biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey's Western Ecological Research Center.
He is interested in sound science and management practices aimed at restoring wildlife communities and their habitats. He is committed to progressive, scientifically defensible conservation actions in the face of increasing human population size and individual consumption. Abundance and distribution of wild populations often can be linked to changes in their environments caused by human land use practices, but identifying the ecological mechanisms of declining populations are often challenging. Specifically, Dr. Coates is interested in investigating the links between nesting habitat, predator composition, and incubation behavior and success of birds. Additionally, he is interested in the effects of anthropogenic-resource subsidies on the survival and reproduction of predators and how these changes influence demographics and distribution of prey populations. Dr. Coates seeks to develop a broader understanding of how human-caused landscape changes affect communities and aim to identify restoration practices that preserve natural ecological processes. He is also interested in behavioral traits of grouse that affect population establishment and persistence in the face of environmental challenges.
Professional Experience
Wildlife Biologist, U. S. Geological Survey, 2008–present
Postdoctoral Appointment, Idaho State University, 2008
Seasonal Wildlife Biologist, Wildlife Conservation Society, 2007
Graduate Research Assistantship, Idaho State University, 2002–2007
Teaching Assistantship, Idaho State University, 2004–2007
National Science Foundation GK–12 Teaching F, Idaho State University, 2005–2006
Seasonal Biological Specialist, U. S. Department of Agriculture, 2003–2005
Field Research Technician, University of Nevada Reno, 1999
Conservation Biological Technician I, II, and III, Nevada Department of Wildlife, 1996–1998
Education and Certifications
Ph. D., Biology, Idaho State University 2007
M. S., Biology, University of Nevada Reno 2001
B. S., Conservation Biology, University of Nevada Reno 1998
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Ornithologists Union
Cooper Ornithological Society
Jack H. Berryman Institute
Society for Conservation Biology
The Wildlife Society
Science and Products
Simulating the influence of sagebrush restoration on post-fire sage-grouse population recovery
Using simulation models to project and evaluate post-fire success in restoring sage-grouse habitat over large landscapes
Fuel Break Science in the Great Basin
Hierarchical Units of Greater Sage-Grouse Populations Informing Wildlife Management
Assessing the Effectiveness of Fuel Breaks for Preserving Greater Sage-Grouse in the Great Basin
WERC Fire Science
Greater Sage-Grouse Science (2015–17): Synthesis and Potential Management Implications
Greater Sage-Grouse Population Ecology
Stressors to Greater Sage-Grouse
Reproductive Success of Black-Crowned Night-Herons and Snowy Egrets on Alcatraz Island
Dixon Field Station
Hierarchical Sage-Grouse Population Assessment Tool: Building a Foundation for True Adaptive Management
Greater Sage-Grouse Adult and Nest Observations Before and After Wildfire in Northwest Nevada (2008-2019)
Predictive Maps of Fuel Break Effectiveness by Treatment Type and Underlying Resilience to Disturbance and Resistance to Invasion Across the Western U.S.
Genotypes and cluster definitions for a range-wide greater sage-grouse dataset collected 2005-2017 (ver 1.1, January 2023)
Greater sage-grouse genetic warning system, western United States (ver 1.1, January 2023)
Influence of microhabitat characteristics on sage-grouse nest site selection and nest survival depends on ecological site potential
Trends and a Targeted Annual Warning System for Greater Sage-Grouse in the Western United States (ver. 3.0, February 2024)
U.S. range-wide spatial prediction layers of lek persistence probabilities for greater sage-grouse
Hierarchically nested and biologically relevant range-wide monitoring frameworks for greater sage-grouse, western United States
Median Estimates of Impact Potential from Geothermal Energy Production Activities on Greater Sage-Grouse Populations in Nevada and California (2022)
Selection and Survival of Greater Sage-Grouse Broods in Mesic Areas of Long Valley, California (2003 - 2018)
Sagebrush Restoration Following Fire Disturbance in the Virginia Mountains, Nevada (2018)
Spatially-Explicit Predictive Maps of Greater Sage-Grouse Brood Selection Integrated with Brood Survival in Nevada and Northeastern California, USA
Geothermal energy production adversely affects a sensitive indicator species within sagebrush ecosystems in western North America
A Bayesian multi-stage modelling framework to evaluate impacts of energy development on wildlife populations: An application to Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)
Could biological soil crusts act as natural fire fuel breaks in the sagebrush steppe?
Influence of fine-scale habitat characteristics on sage-grouse nest site selection and nest survival varies by mesic and xeric site conditions
Range-wide population trend analysis for greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)—Updated 1960–2021
Moisture abundance and proximity mediate seasonal use of mesic areas and survival of greater sage-grouse broods
A genetic warning system for a hierarchically structured wildlife monitoring framework
A regionally varying habitat model to inform management for greater sage-grouse persistence across their range
Maladaptive nest-site selection and reduced nest survival in female sage-grouse following wildfire
Defining biologically relevant and hierarchically nested population units to inform wildlife management
A sagebrush conservation design to proactively restore America’s sagebrush biome
Defining fine-scaled population structure among continuously distributed populations
Science-based Management of Ravens Tool (SMaRT)
grsg_lekdb: Compiling and standardizing greater sage-grouse lek databases
popcluster: Developing Hierarchical Population Monitoring Frameworks for mobile species with high site fidelity
Science and Products
Simulating the influence of sagebrush restoration on post-fire sage-grouse population recovery
Using simulation models to project and evaluate post-fire success in restoring sage-grouse habitat over large landscapes
Fuel Break Science in the Great Basin
Hierarchical Units of Greater Sage-Grouse Populations Informing Wildlife Management
Assessing the Effectiveness of Fuel Breaks for Preserving Greater Sage-Grouse in the Great Basin
WERC Fire Science
Greater Sage-Grouse Science (2015–17): Synthesis and Potential Management Implications
Greater Sage-Grouse Population Ecology
Stressors to Greater Sage-Grouse
Reproductive Success of Black-Crowned Night-Herons and Snowy Egrets on Alcatraz Island
Dixon Field Station
Hierarchical Sage-Grouse Population Assessment Tool: Building a Foundation for True Adaptive Management
Greater Sage-Grouse Adult and Nest Observations Before and After Wildfire in Northwest Nevada (2008-2019)
Predictive Maps of Fuel Break Effectiveness by Treatment Type and Underlying Resilience to Disturbance and Resistance to Invasion Across the Western U.S.
Genotypes and cluster definitions for a range-wide greater sage-grouse dataset collected 2005-2017 (ver 1.1, January 2023)
Greater sage-grouse genetic warning system, western United States (ver 1.1, January 2023)
Influence of microhabitat characteristics on sage-grouse nest site selection and nest survival depends on ecological site potential
Trends and a Targeted Annual Warning System for Greater Sage-Grouse in the Western United States (ver. 3.0, February 2024)
U.S. range-wide spatial prediction layers of lek persistence probabilities for greater sage-grouse
Hierarchically nested and biologically relevant range-wide monitoring frameworks for greater sage-grouse, western United States
Median Estimates of Impact Potential from Geothermal Energy Production Activities on Greater Sage-Grouse Populations in Nevada and California (2022)
Selection and Survival of Greater Sage-Grouse Broods in Mesic Areas of Long Valley, California (2003 - 2018)
Sagebrush Restoration Following Fire Disturbance in the Virginia Mountains, Nevada (2018)
Spatially-Explicit Predictive Maps of Greater Sage-Grouse Brood Selection Integrated with Brood Survival in Nevada and Northeastern California, USA
Geothermal energy production adversely affects a sensitive indicator species within sagebrush ecosystems in western North America
A Bayesian multi-stage modelling framework to evaluate impacts of energy development on wildlife populations: An application to Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)
Could biological soil crusts act as natural fire fuel breaks in the sagebrush steppe?
Influence of fine-scale habitat characteristics on sage-grouse nest site selection and nest survival varies by mesic and xeric site conditions
Range-wide population trend analysis for greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)—Updated 1960–2021
Moisture abundance and proximity mediate seasonal use of mesic areas and survival of greater sage-grouse broods
A genetic warning system for a hierarchically structured wildlife monitoring framework
A regionally varying habitat model to inform management for greater sage-grouse persistence across their range
Maladaptive nest-site selection and reduced nest survival in female sage-grouse following wildfire
Defining biologically relevant and hierarchically nested population units to inform wildlife management
A sagebrush conservation design to proactively restore America’s sagebrush biome
Defining fine-scaled population structure among continuously distributed populations
Science-based Management of Ravens Tool (SMaRT)
grsg_lekdb: Compiling and standardizing greater sage-grouse lek databases
popcluster: Developing Hierarchical Population Monitoring Frameworks for mobile species with high site fidelity
*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