BIENNIAL REPORT - Nc State Universitytkwak/NC Unit Biennial Report 2015_16.pdf · John F. Organ,...

BIENNIALREPORT2015–2016North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

COOPERATORS

North Carolina State University

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

United States Geological Survey

United States Fish and Wildlife Service

Wildlife Management InstituteU.S.

FISH & WILDLIFE SERVICE

department of the interior

Campus Box 7617

Department of Applied Ecology

NC State University

Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7617

Telephone: 919-515-2631

Fax: 919-515-4454

appliedecology.cals.ncsu.edu/nccoopunit

Table of Contents

Welcome ......................................................... 4

Mission Statement 5

Cooperators and Personnel ......................... 6

Cooperating Agencies 6Unit Staff 7Scientists 7Support Staff 7Postdoctoral Research Associates 7Research Staff 7NC State University Cooperating Faculty 7Research Collaborators 8

Honors and Awards ....................................... 9

Graduate Education .................................... 10

Current Students 10Recent Graduates & Current Pursuits 10Graduate Committee Participation 12Courses Taught 12

Research ....................................................... 13

Fisheries and Aquatic 13Wildlife and Habitats 18Integrated Ecology 27

Publications and Presentations ................ 33

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Undergraduate student Wilson Xiong assists NCWRC biologists with submersed artificial structure placement in Lake Raleigh, on the Centennial Campus of NC State University. TOM KWAK; West Indian Manatee, a federally listed species, whose population size in Puerto Rico was estimated using a sampling scheme that accounts for imperfect detection as part of a USFWS species status review. TOM KWAK; Mike Walter nonlethally samples the diet of a Tarpon with an acrylic tube in the Arecibo River, Puerto Rico. TOM KWAK; Shilo Felton puts field-readable bands on an American Oystercatcher chick on Cape Lookout National Seashore with the help of National Park Service Biological Technician, Ashley Dunn. NC COOP UNIT

COVER PHOTO: Sunset on Lake Ellis Simon, a Carolina Bay Lake where NC Coop Unit faculty and students guide fisheries and habitat management of these unique ecosystems. TOM KWAK

4 BIENNIAL REPORT 2015–2016North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

WelcomeWe at the North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit are pleased to provide this summary of our activities and accomplishments over the past two years. During this period, we have conducted and facilitated 49 research projects, of which 36 were conducted directly by Unit scientists, and 13 were undertaken by cooperating faculty at North Carolina State University. We place great value on the collaborative relationships that we have developed across institutional boundaries to address multidisciplinary research questions. We are also proud of the role that the Unit serves in facilitating research by our colleagues that utilizes the expertise and knowledge of scientists from a number of departments, colleges, and programs within the University, as well as from our cooperating natural resource agencies.

Our research includes innovative solutions to traditional fish, wildlife, and natural resource management issues, but spans broadly into the fields of conservation biology, landscape ecology, ecosystem processes, global change, ecotoxicology, and genetics. Our field sites are concentrated in North Carolina, but span from coast to coast in the United States and extend into the Caribbean. This report includes summaries of research ranging in subject from threatened and endangered invertebrates, fishes, and birds; invasive aquatic and terrestrial species; and the effects of anthropogenic inputs and contaminants on aquatic ecosystems; to broad-scale effects of land management, conservation planning, and climate change; quantitative population and community dynamics; and innovative sampling technologies and modeling of research results. Much of this research includes graduate student participation; 33 graduate

students were advised and mentored by Unit scientists during this period, and 10 have completed their degrees and are pursuing higher degrees or are actively employed in their respective fields.

The past two years have brought ongoing change in the administration and staff of our cooperators, which has been rich with opportunity to build new collaborative relationships and strengthen those existing. Some of these newly appointed administrators are former North Carolina Unit students, which is rewarding. Administrative realignment seems to be everywhere in recent years. North Carolina State University has restructured the life sciences on campus, including formation of a new college and several departments. The Unit departmental home for the past two years has been the Department of Applied Ecology, led by Department Head Harry Daniels, a structure that has allowed us to remain well integrated as productive faculty members at our host University.

This period has been productive and successful for the North Carolina Unit, and in this report, we share a listing of our research products and make them available upon request. The achievements of our scientists, staff, and students have been recognized by others with many formal awards that are listed within, and we share those honors with our cooperators and partners that facilitated them. Yet the most valued reward is to fledge our graduate students into the scientific profession and for our scientific findings to applied toward enhanced natural resource conservation and management.

The success of the North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit for 54 years is largely due to strong, synergistic relationships with our cooperators, partners, colleagues, and friends — and we look forward to continuing those associations to exceed our past accomplishments. Please contact any individual investigator if you would like more information on the research summarized in this report. We also welcome your comments on our past activities and seek your input on the direction that we plan to pursue in the future — please contact us.

The Scientists and Staff of the North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

The Guest River offers an inviting scene to the human eye, but this tributary to the Clinch River, VA, receives runoff from several coal mining towns, and its waters do not support freshwater mussel populations despite having suitable habitat. ANGELA WHITE

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MISSION STATEMENT

The goals of the North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit are to address the research and technical needs of the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, North Carolina State University, and other appropriate agencies and organizations; to contribute to the quality education of advanced and graduate fisheries and wildlife students at North Carolina State University; and to disseminate the results of research conducted by Unit scientists, staff , students, and cooperators. To advance these goals, the Unit scientists will vigorously pursue funding for projects having scientific merit and those that provide valuable information for natural resource management. Unit personnel will collaborate with cooperators in jointly conducting research and educating graduate students.

The North Carolina Unit will focus on the identification, assessment, interpretation, and alleviation of the effects of current or potential environmental changes or perturbations on fish, wildlife, and natural resources. Through a combination of basic and applied research, the Unit will pursue innovative solutions to natural resource questions. Although some work may be species oriented, community and ecosystem studies will be emphasized. This will require a team approach to hypothesis testing research, involving Unit and University personnel as investigators. When cause-effect relationships are not demonstrable in the field, laboratory or controlled field studies will be conducted.

Educational goals will be achieved by teaching graduate level courses, chairing graduate committees, delivering guest lectures and seminars, and sponsoring or participating in short courses and workshops for cooperators when appropriate.

Jesse Fischer drives an electrofishing boat to sample the fishes of Lake Michie as part of a summer field course in Fisheries Management and Techniques. TOM KWAK


Cooperators and Personnel

COOPERATING AGENCIESNorth Carolina State University

North Carolina Agricultural Research Service 100 Patterson Hall Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7643

Richard H. Linton, Dean

Steven A. Lommel, Associate Dean and Director

Harry V. Daniels, Department Head


1751 Varsity Drive NCSU Centennial Campus Raleigh, North Carolina 27606

Gordon S. Myers, Executive Director

M. Kyle Briggs, Assistant Director

Christian T. Waters, Chief, Division of Inland Fisheries

David T. Cobb, Chief, Division of Wildlife Management


12201 Sunrise Valley Drive Reston, Virginia 20192

John F. Organ, Chief, Cooperative Research Units

John Thompson, Deputy Chief, Cooperative Research Units

J. Barry Grand, Supervisor


Southeast Region 1875 Century Boulevard Northeast, Suite 400 Atlanta, Georgia 30345

Cynthia K. Dohner, Regional Director

Michael Oetker, Deputy Regional Director

Wildlife Management Institute

1101 14th Street, N.W., Suite 801 Washington, D.C. 20005

Steven A. Williams, President

Jonathan Gassett, Southeastern Field Representative

Male Puerto Rican Bullfinch perched on a coffee tree, showing leg-bands and radio-antenna. AMARILYS IRIZARRY

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UNIT STAFF

Scientists

Thomas J. Kwak, Unit Leader, Fisheries Professor, Departments of Applied Ecology and Forestry and Environmental Resources

Jaime A. Collazo, Assistant Unit Leader, Wildlife Professor, Departments of Applied Ecology and Forestry and Environmental Resources

Joseph E. Hightower, Assistant Unit Leader , Fisheries, Professor, Department of Applied Ecology

Theodore R. Simons, Assistant Unit Leader , Ecology, Professor, Departments of Applied Ecology and Forestry and Environmental Resources

Support Staff

Mr. Ruby Valeton, Administrative Specialist

James Wehbie, Research Technician

Spencer Gardner, Research Technician

NC State University Cooperating Faculty

David B. Buchwalter, Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology

W. Gregory Cope, Department of Applied Ecology

Christopher S. DePerno, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources

Robert R. Dunn, Department of Applied Ecology

David B. Eggleston, Department of Marine,

Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

Paul L. Fackler, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics

Jesse R. Fischer, Department of Applied Ecology

Beth A. Gardner, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources

Nicholas M. Haddad, Department of Applied Ecology

George R. Hess, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources

Eric B. Laber, Department of Statistics

Jay F. Levine, Department of Population Health and Pathobiology

Christopher E. Moorman, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources

Stacy A. C. Nelson, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources

M. Nils Peterson, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources

Kenneth H. Pollock, Department of Applied Ecology

Roger A. Powell, Department of Applied Ecology

Brian J. Reich, Department of Statistics

Clyde E Sorenson, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology

Toddi A. Steelman, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources

Laura O. Taylor, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics

Jody L. CallihanJennifer K. CostanzaMichael V. CoveC. Ashton DrewJesse R. FischerAzad H. Khalyani

J. Krishna PacificiBradley A. PickensBrian TaverniaAshley Van BeusekomAndrew M. Wilson

Research StaffLouise B. Alexander

Jennifer M. Archambault

Curtis M. Belyea

Todd S. Earnhardt

Sara Prado

Matthew J. Rubino

Nathan M. Tarr

Adam J. Terando

Steven G. Williams

Postdoctoral Research Associates

The Red Devil Cichlid is an exotic fish introduced to the rivers and reservoirs of Puerto Rico, with relatively unknown impacts to the native fish assemblage. TOM KWAK

The postlarval stage of goby fishes is harvested as they ascend Puerto Rico rivers in mass migrations that follow seasonal and lunar patterns. Locally called Cetí, these small fish are delicious in traditional Caribbean dishes and on pizza! TOM KWAK


RESEARCH COLLABORATORSMitchell Aide, University of Puerto Rico

David Allen, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

Tom Augspurger, US Fish and Wildlife Service

Doug Besler, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

Tyler Black, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

Jon Blanchard, North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation

Rena Borkhataria, University of Florida

Jared Bowden, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Ryan Boyles, NC State University

Gary Breckon, University of Puerto Rico

Sue Cameron, US Fish and Wildlife Service

Mark Cantrell, US Fish and Wildlife Service

Jose Chabert, Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources

Jeff Cordes, National Park Service

John Crutchfield, Duke Energy Company

Jose Cruz-Burgos, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Caribbean Field Office

Stephen Dinsmore, Iowa State University

Kevin Dockendorf, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

Alexis Dragoni, Center for Landscape Conservation, Puerto Rico

Sam Droege, US Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

Michael Fisk, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

Steve Fraley, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

Kay Franzreb, US Forest Service, Clemson University

Miguel Garcia, Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources

Walker Golder, National Audubon Society

Edgardo Gonzalez, Center for Landscape Conservation, Puerto Rico

William Gould, International Institute of Tropical Forestry, Puerto Rico

Bob Graham, Dominion North Carolina Power

J. Barry Grand, Alabama Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Martha Groom, University of Washington

Christopher Guglielmo, University of Montana

Susan M. Haig, US Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

Lauren Hay, US Geological Survey, National Research Program, Colorado

Ryan Heise, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

Kevin Hining, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

Mark Johns, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

Kristine Johnson, National Park Service, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Chris Kelly, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

R. Wilson Laney, US Fish and Wildlife Service

Craig Lilyestrom, Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources

Michael Loeffler, North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries

Jim Lyons, US Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

Marcia Lyons, National Park Service

Jeff Marcus, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

Eleni Matechou, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK

Eloy Martínez, Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources

Robert Mayer, University of Puerto Rico

Jason Mays, US Fish and Wildlife Service

Alexa McKerrow, US Geological Survey

Jerry McMahon, US Geological Survey, Southeast Climate Science Center

Brian McRae, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

Sarah McRae, US Fish and Wildlife Service

Vasu Misra, Florida State University

Frank Moore, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg

Rua Mordecai, US Fish and Wildlife Service

Byron Morgan, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK

Geoff Nicholls, Oxford University, Oxford, UK

Jim Nichols, US Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

Rob Nichols, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

Corey Oakley, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

Allan O’Connell, US Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

María De Lourdes Olmeda, Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources

Scott Pearson, Mars Hill College

Alberto R. Puente Rolón, University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez

Kerry Rabenold, Purdue University

Patrick Rakes, Conservation Fisheries, Inc.

Morgan Raley, HydroGENomics

Jacob Rash, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

R. Steven Regan, US Geological Survey, National Research Program, Colorado

Michael Rikard, National Park Service

Neftalí Ríos López, University of Puerto Rico at Humacao

Andy Royle, US Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

Michael Runge, US Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

Jose Salguero, Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources

James Saracco, Institute for Bird Populations

John Sauer, US Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

Forrest Sessions, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

David Smith, US Geological Survey, Leetown Science Center

Lydia Stefanova, Florida State University

Adam Terando, US Geological Survey, Southeast Climate Science Center

Alejandro Torres-Abreu, Center for Landscape Conservation, Puerto Rico

Bryn Tracy, North Carolina Division of Water Resources

Sondra Vega Castillo, University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo

Roland Viger, US Geological Survey, National Research Program, Colorado

Jeffrey Walters, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Thomas White, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Puerto Rican Parrot Field Office

Mike Wicker, US Fish and Wildlife Service

Bennett Wynne, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

David Yow, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

G. TEPKE

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Honors and Awards

Wildlife Management Institute Administrative Excellence Award

Awarded to Ruby Valeton in 2016 by the U.S. Geological Survey, Cooperative Research Units (CRU) for exceptional service to the North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and CRU Program

Fellow, American Fisheries Society

Awarded to Joseph Hightower in 2015 by the American Fisheries Society.

Regional Director’s Honor Award, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 4

Jaime A. Collazo was recognized for contributions toward regional strategic habitat conservation in 2015.

U.S. Department of Interior STAR Awards

Received by Unit scientists for superior performance.

Jaime A. Collazo, 2015, 2016

Thomas J. Kwak, 2015, 2016

Theodore R. Simons, 2015, 2016

Early Career Professional Award

Awarded to Jesse R. Fischer by the Education Section of the American Fisheries Society at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, Kansas City, Missouri.

American Fisheries Society/Sea Grant Best Student Paper Award

Awarded to Casey Grieshaber in 2016 Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society (parent society), Kansas City, Missouri (T.J. Kwak coauthor).

Second Place Award for Best Master’s Student Poster

Awarded to Alex Fish at the 2015 Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society (parent society), Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Best Student Subunit (North Carolina State University, Student Fisheries Society)

Awarded to Casey Grieshaber (President) at the 2015 Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society, Spring Business Meeting, Savannah, Georgia.

W. Don Baker Memorial Award for Best Platform Presentation

Awarded to Jennifer Archambault (Second-time recipient) for her presentation at the North Carolina Chapter of the American Fisheries Society 2016 Annual Meeting, Danville, Virginia.

Richard L. Noble Best Student Presentation Award

Awarded to Crystal Lee Pow for her presentation at the North Carolina Chapter of the American Fisheries Society 2016 Annual Meeting, Carolina Beach, North Carolina (T.J. Kwak coauthor).

Best Student Poster Award

Awarded to Alex Fish at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the North Carolina Chapter of The Wildlife Society.

Best Student Poster Award

Awarded to Alex Fish at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the North Carolina Chapter of The Wildlife Society.

Jimmy Pigg Memorial Outstanding Graduate Student Award

Awarded to Tomas J. Ivasauskas in 2015 by the Southern Division, American Fisheries Society.

Joseph and Robin Hightower Graduate Student Award in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences

Awarded to Alex Fish in 2016 by North Carolina State University.

U.S. Geological Survey, Southeast Climate Science Center, Global Change Fellowship

Awarded to Shilo K. Felton in 2016-2017.

Foundation for Agromedicine and Toxicology Supplemental Scholarship

Awarded to Jennifer Archambault in 2016 by North Carolina State University.

John E. Skinner Memorial Travel Award

Awarded to Tomas J. Ivasauskas in 2015 by the American Fisheries Society.

Waterbird Society 40th Annual Meeting Student Travel Grant

Awarded to Shilo K. Felton in 2016.

Graduate Student Association Travel Award

Awarded to Casey Grieshaber in 2016 by the North Carolina State University, Graduate Student Association.

Student Fisheries Society Graduate Student Travel Award

Awarded to Casey Grieshaber in 2015 by the North Carolina State University, Student Fisheries Society.

Celebrating Ruby Valeton receiving the Wildlife Management Institute Administrative Excellence Award.

TOM KWAK


Graduate EducationCURRENT STUDENTS STUDENT, DEGREE, PROGRAM

Kathryn Battle, MS, Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology ADVISORS Jaime A. Collazo and Krishna Pacifici

W. Robert Cope, MS, Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology ADVISOR Thomas J. Kwak

Shilo Felton, PhD, Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology ADVISORS Theodore R. Simons and Kenneth Pollock

Amarilys Irizarry, MS, Zoology ADVISOR Jaime A. Collazo

Tomas J. Ivasauskas, PhD, Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology ADVISOR Thomas J. Kwak

Jessica H. Page, MS, Zoology ADVISOR Jaime A. Collazo

Tiffany N. Penland, MS, Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology ADVISORS Thomas J. Kwak and W. Gregory Cope

Ana C. Rivera, MS, Zoology ADVISOR Jaime A. Collazo

RECENT GRADUATES & CURRENT PURSUITSSTUDENT, DEGREE, CURRENT PURSUIT, ADVISORS

Michael V. Cove PhD, Zoology 2016 Post-Doctoral Scholar, North Carolina State UniversityTheodore R. Simons

Kelen E. DowdyMS, Zoology 2016Research Assistant, Colorado State UniversityJaime A. Collazo

Hypersaline lagoons managed by the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge for resident and migratory shorebirds in southwestern Puerto Rico. JAIME COLLAZO

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Students in a summer field course on Fisheries Management and Techniques sample fishes of the Flat River using backpack electrofishing. TOM KWAK

The majestic Cape Hatteras Lighthouse on the Outer Banks of NC marks important habitat for marine fishes and coastal fauna that are being studied at the NC Coop Unit. TOM KWAK

Kara E. DziwulskiMS, Zoology 2016US Fish and Wildlife Service Biologist, Office of International AffairsJaime A. Collazo

Augustin C. EngmanPhD, Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology 2016Post-Doctoral Scholar, North Carolina State UniversityThomas J. Kwak

Casey A. Grieshaber MS, Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology 2016Research Associate, North Carolina State UniversityThomas J. Kwak and W. Gregory Cope

Nathan HostetterPhD, Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology 2016Post-Doctoral Scholar, Patuxent Wildlife Research CenterTheodore R. Simons and Beth Gardner

Morgan A. ParksMS, Zoology 2015Biologist, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation CommissionJaime A. Collazo

Phil PattonMS, Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology 2016PhD student, University of WashingtonJaime A. Collazo and Krishna Pacifici

Eli RoseMS, Zoology 2015Research Associate, University of HawaiiTheodore R. Simons

Liani M. YirkaMS, Zoology 2016Accessibility and Inclusion Coordinator, North Carolina Museum of Natural SciencesJaime A. Collazo


GRADUATE COMMITTEE PARTICIPATIONJaime A. CollazoMarconi Campos Cerqueira, Ph.D., Univ. Puerto RicoBenjamin Hess, MS, NC State University

Thomas J. KwakJennifer M. Archambault, PhD Sean B. Buczek, MSAntonio Carro, PhD (Turabo University, Puerto Rico)Elizabeth M. Hassell, PhD Justin J. Nawrocki, PhDCrystal S. Lee Pow, PhD Sandra L. Mort, PhD Anakela Popp, MS

Theodore R. SimonsCourtney Behrle, PhD Khai Button, PhDErica Henry, PhDStasia Bembeneck Bailey, PhDJames Garabedian, PhD

COURSES TAUGHTFisheries Techniques and ManagementThomas J. KwakSummer 2015, Summer 2016

Management of Small ImpoundmentsThomas J. Kwak and Jesse R. FischerFall 2016

Ornithology Theodore R. Simons Spring 2016

Species Distribution Modeling: Theory and ApplicationsJaime A. Collazo, Krishna Pacifici, and Alexa J. McKerrowFall 2015

Small Impoundment Management class sampling the fishery of Lake Raleigh. TOM KWAK

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A comprehensive examination of endocrine disrupting compounds and intersex fish in North Carolina water bodies ................ 14

Advancing the tools of freshwater mussel conservation: determining the relative sensitivity of in vitro and in vivo propagated juveniles ......................................................................................................... 14

American eel age and growth assessment .......................................................... 14

Estimating mortality for Southern Flounder using a combined telemetry and conventional tagging approach ................................................ 15

Fishery population and habitat assessment in Puerto Rico streams.... 15

Population status and genetic structure of the Population status and genetic structure of the Carolina Madtom ................................................. 15

Recent precipitous declines of endangered freshwater mussels in the Clinch River: an in situ assessment of water quality stressors related to energy development and other land-use ..................................... 16

Robust Redhorse recovery and habitat restoration: assessing water quality stressors and food web contaminant dynamics ................ 16

Sicklefin Redhorse ontogeny, recruitment, and priority habitats in regulated rivers ...................................................................................................................... 16

Sources of mortality and movements of Weakfish tagged in North Carolina ........................................................................................................................ 17

Stocked trout survival, behavior, and ecology in North Carolina streams .................................................................................................................... 17

The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation National Educational Partnership for Conservation ........................................................................................ 17

Research: Fisheries and Aquatic

Longnose Gar collected by backpack electrofishing in summer camp class for Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology students. TOM KWAK


A comprehensive examination of endocrine disrupting compounds and intersex fish in North Carolina water bodies

Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) are discharged into water bodies from numerous sources and have been associated with deleterious effects on fish and wildlife globally. EDCs are associated with high incidence of fish intersex, defined as the presence of both male and female characteristics. The goal of this research is to establish a comprehensive understanding of the impact of EDC contaminants to fisheries in the state. Objectives are to develop a GIS-based map of potential sources of EDCs, conduct a statewide survey for the presence of EDCs and intersex in fish, quantify seasonal dynamics of EDCs and intersex fish, conduct field research and experimental bioassays on intersex fish and EDC dynamics in the Pee Dee River Basin, and conduct laboratory assessment of endocrine disruption and intersex in Pee Dee River water mixtures. Findings will guide strategic planning to address this emerging water quality and fisheries management issue.

INVESTIGATORS D. Derek Aday, Seth W. Kullman, W. Gregory Cope, Thomas J. Kwak,

James A. Rice, and J. Mac Law

STUDENTS Crystal S. Lee Pow, Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology; Casey A. Grieshaber,

M.S. in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology; Tiffany N. Penland, M.S. in Fisheries,

Wildlife, and Conservation Biology

STAFF Dana K. Sackett, Post-Doctoral Scholar

LOCATION Water bodies of North Carolina

DURATION July 2011–June 2017

FUNDING North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

Advancing the tools of freshwater mussel conservation: determining the relative sensitivity of in vitro and in vivo propagated juveniles

Over the past two decades, federal and state agencies have invested substantial funding nationwide in the propagation and culture of native freshwater mussels for conservation purposes. These efforts have resulted in tremendous advances in culture and propagation techniques, aquaculture system design, nutritional needs, and long-term growth and maintenance. Most of this success has been attributed to improving standard host fish (in vivo) infection techniques for propagation, but recent advances have made it possible to produce thousands of juvenile mussels with in vitro propagation techniques that require less space and less cost than traditional host fish methods. However, no definitive side-by-side studies have been conducted comparing the chemical sensitivity of in vitro propagated juveniles to in vivo propagated juveniles. Therefore, the overall goal of this study was to conduct a robust side-by-side assessment of the relative sensitivity of in vivo and in vitro produced juvenile mussels to selected chemical toxicants. This project has greatly expanded the toxicity data base for native freshwater mussels and toxicants with different modes of action that have been produced with different propagation techniques.

INVESTIGATORS W. Gregory Cope, Thomas J. Kwak, Damian Shea, Thomas Augspurger

STUDENTS Anakela Popp, M.S., Fisheries Wildlife, and Conservation Biology

LOCATION NC State University Mussel Laboratory


FUNDING U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey

American eel age and growth assessment

The American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) is a facultative catadromous fish species that occupies a diversity of estuarine and freshwater habitats. Despite an extensive distribution and the ability to tolerate a variety of habitats, concern regarding the status of American Eel has risen based on declining trends in commercial harvest coupled with anthropogenic threats to habitat and the species’ migratory life cycle. Yet assessments of population characteristics in freshwater habitats have been limited. We sampled American Eels from the Roanoke River and Roanoke Rapids Lake, North Carolina, to characterize the American Eel population within the river mainstem and an upstream reservoir into which eels are passed. Additionally, the age, sex, and presence of the Anguillicolla crassus parasite in swimbladders of sampled eels will be determined. Finally, age, growth, and mortality of eels will be modeled in relation to location, sex, and the presence of A. crassus. Findings will be synthesized to provide a better understanding of American Eel ecology and management.

INVESTIGATORS Jesse R. Fischer, Thomas J. Kwak

STAFF James D. Wehbie, Research Assistant; Spencer Gardner, Research Assistant;

Wilson Xiong, Research Assistant

LOCATION Roanoke River basin, North Carolina


FUNDING U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

GUS ENGMANTOM KWAK ANAKELA POPP

The catadromous American Eel is widespread but declining. New information on population age, growth, mortality, and parasites will support its conservation.

Casey Grieshaber and Tiffany Penland sample fish on the Pee Dee River, NC, to study contaminant dynamics.

In vitro juvenile Utterbackia imbecillis being assessed for viability prior to use in a toxicity test.

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Estimating mortality for Southern Flounder using a combined telemetry and conventional tagging approach

The Southern Flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma) is a recreationally, commercially, and ecologically important marine species in North Carolina. Despite its importance, the Southern Flounder population in North Carolina is considered to be depleted, with harvest rates above management targets. The effects of recent regulatory changes on harvest rates are unknown, and no direct estimates of natural mortality exist. We propose to estimate the instantaneous rates of fishing (F) and natural (M) mortality at two spatial scales (coastwide and within the New River estuary), using a combined telemetry and conventional tagging approach. Improved information on the sources, magnitude, and variability (spatial, seasonal, interannual) of fishing and natural mortality will lead to better assessment and management of the North Carolina Southern Flounder stock.

INVESTIGATORS Frederick S. Scharf (UNCW), Jeffrey A. Buckel, Joseph E. Hightower

STUDENTS Trevor K. Scheffel , MS, Biology and Marine Biology, UNCW

LOCATION North Carolina coastal waters, primary effort within New River estuary


FUNDING North Carolina Marine Resources Fund

Fishery population and habitat assessment in Puerto Rico streams

Puerto Rico is known for its marine fisheries, but the freshwater habitats of the island also support a substantial number of relatively unknown fishes, many of which provide recreational fishery values. We completed research to evaluate stream and river fish and habitat sampling techniques and to develop standardized sampling protocols. We also modeled patterns in occurrence and abundance of stream and river fish populations as related to physical habitat, water quality, riparian and watershed attributes, and river regulation. We quantified contaminant concentrations and dynamics in the stream food web, and elucidated the ecology and migration of amphidromous fishes. Ongoing objectives include sampling fishes in downstream river reaches, assessing fish age and growth techniques, and studies of fish early life history and recruitment dynamics. Finally, we will synthesize findings from these objectives toward a better understanding of fish biology, ecology, and management.

INVESTIGATORS Thomas J. Kwak

STUDENTS Elissa N. Buttermore, M.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences; William E.

Smith, Ph.D. in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences; Augustin C. Engman, Ph.D. in Fisheries, Wildlife,

and Conservation Biology

STAFF Jesse R. Fischer, Post-Doctoral Scholar

LOCATION Puerto Rico Islandwide

DURATION November 2004–August 2017

FUNDING Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources,

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Population status and genetic structure of the Carolina Madtom

The Carolina Madtom, Noturus furiosus, is a small catfish endemic to the Neuse and Tar river basins of North Carolina. The species spans a restricted range in these two basins, and the Neuse basin population appears to be declining. We will conduct research to define the extant distribution and populations of the Carolina Madtom and further quantify sampling bias and efficiency toward understanding and modeling the species distribution and abundance. We will also estimate critical parameters of genetic isolation and diversity within and among populations. These findings will provide critical, timely information for the Species Status Assessment, inform protective listing decisions, and guide conservation planning for the species.

INVESTIGATORS Thomas J. Kwak, Harry V. Daniels

STUDENTS W. Robert Cope, M.S. in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology

LOCATION Tar and Neuse river basins, North Carolina

DURATION August 2015–July 2018


TREVOR SCHEFFEL TOM KWAK

Southern Flounder undergoing surgery to implant telemetry tag.

Jesse Fischer converted a Zodiac inflatable boat into an electrofisher that proved very effective in sampling estuarine river fishes in Puerto Rico, like this Common Snook.

TOM KWAK

Joseph McIvor, Bobby Cope, and Tyler Black snorkel NC Piedmont streams in surveys for the endemic and imperiled Carolina Madtom.


Recent precipitous declines of endangered freshwater mussels in the Clinch River: an in situ assessment of water quality stressors related to energy development and other land-use

Native freshwater mussels (Order Unionida) are one of the most rapidly declining faunal groups in the North America. About 70% of the nearly 300 freshwater mussel species found in North America are considered vulnerable to extinction or are already extinct. These declines have been attributed to an array of factors associated with pollution and water quality degradation and habitat destruction and alteration, including most recently, rapid expansion of energy development and other extractive land-uses. This research measured contaminant stressors in surface water, sediment, sediment pore water, and resident and caged mussels at sites in the Clinch River of Virginia and Tennessee and evaluated the relationship of the combined stressors and landscape influences to freshwater mussel populations, including federally listed endangered species. The successful completion of this project has provided federal and state natural resource management agencies and other decision makers with the information needed to assess mussel sensitivity to contaminants in relation to these multi-faceted stressors and has improved the conservation and management of this valuable, but imperiled faunal group.

INVESTIGATORS W. Gregory Cope, Thomas J. Kwak, Damian Shea, Jess W. Jones

STUDENTS Christine M. Bergeron, Postdoctoral Scholar

STAFF Jennifer M. Archambault, Jeremy A. Leonard, Peter R. Lazaro

LOCATION Clinch River of Virginia and Tennessee

DURATION May 2012–December 2015


Robust Redhorse recovery and habitat restoration: assessing water quality stressors and food web contaminant dynamics

The Robust Redhorse (Moxostoma robustum) is a rare and imperiled, large catostomid fish found in only three regulated river drainages in the southeastern U.S. It has been has been negatively affected by habitat modification and fragmentation from hydroelectric dams, introduced species, sedimentation, and water pollution and is protected by state endangered status in Georgia and North Carolina. To further elucidate the impact of water quality and contaminant dynamics on the Robust Redhorse, the aquatic food web, and 53 priority aquatic species, we are pursuing field research in the Pee Dee River of North Carolina and South Carolina. Our approach includes systematic sampling, experimental field bioassays, fish histopathology, food web stable isotope analyses, and population and food web analyses to synthesize results for Robust Redhorse recovery from population and ecosystem perspectives.

INVESTIGATORS Thomas J. Kwak, W. Gregory Cope, Ryan J. Heise, Forrest W. Sessions

STUDENTS Casey A. Grieshaber, M.S. in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology; Tiffany N. Penland, M.S. in Fisheries, Wildlife,

and Conservation Biology

STAFF Jesse R. Fischer, Post-Doctoral Scholar; Jennifer M. Archambault,

Research Associate

LOCATION Yadkin/Pee Dee River of North Carolina and South Carolina

DURATION July 2013–December 2017

FUNDING North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, North Carolina and South Carolina

State Wildlife Grants Program

Sicklefin Redhorse ontogeny, recruitment, and priority habitats in regulated rivers

The Sicklefin Redhorse is a recently recognized fish of the sucker family Catostomidae and a candidate for endangered species protection. It is among the largest undescribed animal species in North America, and little is known of its biology and ecology. This research will build on previous objectives on spawning migration, movement patterns, microhabitat suitability, and behavior. New objectives focus on early life history and include describing developmental morphology and chronology, estimating reproductive success, describing ontogenetic shifts in Sicklefin Redhorse habitat use during early life stages, determining effects of nonnative species on recruitment, and augmenting the database of spawning areas in the basin. These findings will be used by management and regulatory agencies and utility companies to set guidelines and priorities for dam operation and licensing in the Tennessee River basin.

INVESTIGATOR Thomas J. Kwak

STUDENT Tomas J. Ivasauskas, Ph.D. Candidate in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences

LOCATION Little Tennessee and Hiwassee river basins, North Carolina

DURATION October 2011–August 2017

FUNDING U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Duke Energy

Sucker lips: the Robust Redhorse is a benthic-feeding, rare and imperiled fish of the Pee Dee River, NC and SC, that has been impacted by water pollution, hydroelectric dams, and introduced species.

Researchers prepare silos to deploy hatchery-reared freshwater mussels into the Clinch River watershed (VA and TN) to learn about water quality factors causing the decline of resident mussel populations.

ANGELA WHITE TOM KWAK MICAH QUBECK

Tomas Ivasauskas assists several agencies with artificial spawning of the imperiled Sicklefin Redhorse in the Little Tennessee River, NC.

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Sources of mortality and movements of Weakfish tagged in North Carolina

Despite its importance to commercial and recreational fisheries and ecologically, Weakfish (Cynoscion regalis) population numbers are at record lows. Improved information about movements and natural mortality is a top research priority for both the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and North Carolina. We propose to estimate fishing mortality (by sector), natural mortality, and stock boundaries and mixing of Weakfish using conventional and telemetry tagging in North Carolina. Additionally, we will determine diets of a potentially important Weakfish predator, Bottlenose Dolphin, and compare their predation rates to known finfish predators. Improved information on the sources, magnitude, and interannual variability of fishing and natural mortality would lead to better assessment and management of the U.S east coast stock of Weakfish.

INVESTIGATORS Jeffrey A. Buckel, Joseph E. Hightower

STUDENT Jacob R. Krause, PhD, Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology

LOCATION North Carolina coastal waters


FUNDING North Carolina Marine Resources Fund

Stocked trout survival, behavior, and ecology in North Carolina streams

Stocking surface waters with hatchery-reared trout to support local recreational fisheries is common practice among state and federal agencies. The effectiveness of some fisheries is dependent on the extended availability of stocked trout for angling. The goal of this research is to define the extent and causes of stocked trout migration and mortality among species and to elucidate the mechanisms responsible. We combined intensive and extensive studies to determine the persistence of stocked trout in designated reaches and streams, and then the associated processes and mechanisms were sought in a subset of stream reaches. Fish behavior and ecology were examined to gain an understanding of the factors that may affect stocked fish growth, condition, and survival. Results may be used to inform and guide management actions to improve resource management strategies and to educate fishery constituents and the public.

INVESTIGATOR Thomas J. Kwak

STAFF H. Jared Flowers, Research Associate; Jesse R. Fischer, Post-Doctoral

Scholar

LOCATION North Carolina mountain trout streams

DURATION July 2011– September 2016


The Brook Trout is one of three salmonid species stocked in NC mountain streams to support important sport fisheries.Tagging weakfish near Beaufort, NC.

TOM KWAKJACOB KRAUSE

The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation National Educational Partnership for Conservation

Solving the complex and accelerating conservation problems associated with global change will require innovative solutions of a diverse workforce of people from a broad range of backgrounds and cultures. The University of Florida is leading a grant award to allow undergraduate students to participate in mentored research activities in conservation biology and natural resources. The primary objective is to develop long-term, sustainable educational programming to increase the number of undergraduate students from underrepresented groups in the conservation workforce. A secondary objective is to support the research of faculty and graduate students through experiential learning. Ten undergraduate scholars of diverse backgrounds are being mentored. They receive year-round mentorship for two years and participate in intensive summer research and agency internship experiences. This is a valuable program, and universities, agencies, and society will benefit from the rewards.

INVESTIGATORS Harry V. Daniels, Thomas J. Kwak, Jaime A. Collazo

STUDENTS Adriane O. Gill, PhD in Zoology; Crystal S. Lee Pow, PhD in

Environmental Toxicology

LOCATION North Carolina State University

DURATION September 2013–August 2017

FUNDING The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation through University of Florida

Duke Scholars and their mentors finished a long rainforest hike to Mt. Britton Tower in El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico.

TOM KWAK


A study of the effects of pine straw raking on flora and fauna in longleaf pine communities ............................................................................................ 19

Assessing the effects of storms, coastal development, and shoreline erosion on waterbird populations in coastal North Carolina .................... 19

Assessing the effects of the National Park Service predator and vehicle management practices on nesting shorebirds at Cape Hatteras National Seashore ................................................................................................................ 19

Assessing endangered Marsh Rabbit and Woodrat habitat Use and Feral Cat populations using photographic, video, and RFID capture-recapture data ..................................................................................................... 20

Breeding productivity and density of Bachman’s Sparrow (federal and state species of special concern) in different training regimes on Fort Bragg, North Carolina ....................................................................................... 20

Crystal Skipper butterfly monitoring efforts and host plant propagation in Carteret County, North Carolina .............................................. 20

Development of a wildlife habitat matrix to inform forest management on Fort Bragg .......................................................................................... 21

Engagement of Latin American colleagues in a Research Symposium on the Biology and Conservation of American Oystercatchers ........................................................................................................................ 21

Evaluation of priority game species use and propagation feasibility of high value Sandhills native wildlife plants ............................... 22

Investigating Northern Bobwhite population demographics and habitat selection in the longleaf-wiregrass ecosystem ................................ 22

Long-term monitoring and habitat restoration for the US federally endangered St. Francis’ Satyr butterfly I ................................................................. 23

Long-term monitoring and habitat restoration for the US federally endangered St. Francis’ Satyr butterfly II ................................................................ 23

Monitoring and testing demographic effects of restoration for the US federally endangered St. Francis’ Satyr butterfly ............................... 24

Monitoring Federal Trust Avian Species in managed shade coffee plantations under the Partners for Fish and Wildlife and Coastal Programs in Puerto Rico ................................................................................................... 24

Optimal sampling of animal communities .......................................................... 24

Reducing burning impacts on native forage: implications for terrestrial vertebrate nutrition and food availability ....................................... 25

Reproductive ecology of three endangered plant species on Fort Bragg, North Carolina .............................................................................................. 25

Strategic management and monitoring for the recovery of the Key Largo Woodrat .............................................................................................................. 26

Testing a decision model to maximize suitable habitat for migratory shorebirds in saline lagoons .................................................................. 26

White-Tailed Deer studied for wildlife values of native Sandhills plants at Fort Bragg, NC. CHRIS MOORMAN

Research: Wildlife and Habitats

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A study of the effects of pine straw raking on flora and fauna in longleaf pine communities

Pine straw raking can be an important revenue stream in managed longleaf pine forests in the North Carolina Sandhills, but there is a potential for this extractive activity to compromise biological assets in this ecosystem. In particular, there is concern for the impact of this activity on herbaceous plants, ground-dwelling arthropods, and other animals. We are conducting research comparing raked and unraked areas on Fort Bragg through intensive pit-fall trapping of insects and vegetation surveys; we are also more intensively sampling ecologically important native cockroaches and carrion-feeding insects. To date, we have found little impact of raking on insect diversity and abundance. While we are still assessing effects on the diversity and abundance of low growing plant species, we have identified little impact of raking on vegetation, apart from some possible reductions in blueberries following raking. Ancillary studies documented little impact on the Bachman’s Sparrow at the scale of raking as it is conducted on Fort Bragg.

INVESTIGATOR Clyde E. Sorenson

STUDENT Sam Buzuleciu, Ph.D., Entomology and Plant Pathology

STAFF Erika Bonnema, Synda McCracken, student research technicians

LOCATION Fort Bragg, North Carolina

DURATION January, 2015–December, 2017

FUNDING U.S. Army, Fort Bragg

Assessing the effects of storms, coastal development, and shoreline erosion on waterbird populations in coastal North Carolina

This research represented the first phase of an ongoing effort to trace historic changes to waterbird populations and habitats in coastal North Carolina over the past century by producing a catalog of relevant historic maps and contemporary imagery. This catalog will inform future analyses seeking to quantify changes in shorebird habitats from development projects such as the Intracoastal Waterway early in the last century, to more recent urban development, and to periodic storms such as Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Combining historic habitat data with existing data on the distribution and abundance of shorebirds in North Carolina will provide a better understanding of historic trends for shorebirds and their coastal habitats. We searched for publicly available maps and remotely sensed datasets that have the potential to inform efforts to map sandy beaches along all or part of the North Carolina coast in the near or distant past. The digital database includes 164 annotated data sources.

INVESTIGATORS Theodore R. Simons, Sara Schweitzer, Kate Spear

STAFF Nathan Tarr and Curtis Belyea


DURATION August 2014–February 2016

FUNDING U.S. Geological Survey

Hurricanes and spring storms are important forms of coastal disturbance that create habitat for nesting shorebirds.

Servicing a linear pitfall trap to assess pine straw raking and fauna in longleaf pine communities.

WALKER GOLDERCLYDE SORENSON

Assessing the effects of the National Park Service predator and vehicle management practices on nesting shorebirds at Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Shorebird populations are declining worldwide. As an indicator species for coastal environments, the American Oystercatcher is especially vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbance and habitat loss, because it often nests in the open, on sandy beaches favored by recreationists and generalist predators. This study addresses both the individual and population-level responses of oystercatchers to anthropogenic disturbance and habitat loss at two spatial scales. We conducted a two-year experimental study of the responses of incubating adults to off-road vehicles at Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout National Seashores. We are also examining variations in vital rates and individual behavioral differences of nesting oystercatchers using 20 years of data on nesting success in North Carolina. Ongoing modeling of rangewide demographic data collected by members of the American Oystercatcher Working Group is examining the metapopulation structure of Atlantic and Gulf Coast American Oystercatcher populations.

INVESTIGATORS Theodore R. Simons and Kenneth Pollock

STUDENT Shilo Felton, Ph.D. Fisheries Wildlife and Conservation Biology

LOCATION Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout National Seashores, North Carolina

DURATION August 2013–September 2017

FUNDING U.S. National Park Service

Adair McNear assists in banding an American Oystercatcher chick on Cape Lookout National Seashore.

SHILO FELTON


Assessing endangered Marsh Rabbit and Woodrat habitat Use and Feral Cat populations using photographic, video, and RFID capture-recapture data

We used dynamic occupancy models to determine factors associated with Marsh Rabbit occurrence, colonization, extinction, and the co-occurrence of Marsh Rabbits and free-ranging cats. Rabbit occurrence was positively related to freshwater habitat and patch size, but was negatively related to the number of individual cats detected at each site. Furthermore, Marsh Rabbit colonization was negatively associated with relative increases in the number of individual cats at each site over between primary surveys. Dynamic co-occurrence models also suggested that the two species are negatively associated spatially, but co-detections at sites were positively associated. We used dynamic multistate occupancy models to evaluate changes in Woodrat distribution and stick nest building behavior in response to cat removal. The distribution of Woodrats at supplemental nests increased from <25% to nearly 40% between 2013-2015. Our results support current recovery objectives and management strategies because nest supplementation is an important tool for the recovery of the Key Largo rodent community, and exotic predator removal is positively related to recolonization and behavioral changes in the endemic small mammal fauna of the Florida Keys.

INVESTIGATORS Theodore R. Simons, Allan O’Connell, and Beth Gardner

STUDENT Michael V. Cove, Ph.D. Zoology

LOCATION Key Deer and Crocodile Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Florida

DURATION July 2011–August 2017


Breeding productivity and density of Bachman’s Sparrow (federal and state species of special concern) in different training regimes on Fort Bragg, North Carolina

The longleaf pine ecosystem has been reduced to <95% of its historic range. Many species dependent on the longleaf pine–wiregrass community, including Bachman’s Sparrow, have declined concomitantly. Many military installations use frequent prescribed fire to maintain the open canopy and diverse groundcover characteristic of the historic longleaf pine systems, which in turn maintains high quality habitat for Bachman’s Sparrow. Yet, military training activities result in ground disturbance that may negatively affect Bachman’s Sparrow nesting success and site occupancy. We investigated the potential effects of military training on sparrow breeding ecology on Fort Bragg Military Installation. We attached radio transmitters to 45 female Bachman’s Sparrows, which helped us locate 110 nests. And, we monitored 120 sparrow territories to assess overall productivity in areas with low and high levels of training activity.

INVESTIGATORS Christopher E. Moorman, Christopher S. DePerno

STUDENTS Alexander C. Fish, MS, Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology; Daniel Choi

and Moriah Boggess, undergraduates, Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology

LOCATION Fort Bragg Military Installation, North Carolina

DURATION August 2013 – December 2016

FUNDING U.S. Department of Defense

Camera trap photo of a coyote from the upland hammock habitat of Dagny Johnson Botanical State Park, Key Largo, FL.

Bachman’s Sparrows forage and nest on the ground in the longleaf pine ecosystem, possibly making them susceptible to ground-based military training.

Crystal Skipper butterfly monitoring efforts and host plant propagation in Carteret County, North Carolina

The Crystal Skipper (Atrytonopsis quinteri) is a newly identified butterfly found only along a 30-mile stretch of barrier islands in central North Carolina, commonly known as the Crystal Coast. Previous research suggests the greatest threat to the Crystal Skipper is anthropogenic induced destruction and fragmentation of its sand dune habitat. Although preserving large areas of continuous sand dune habitat is ideal, small natural areas such as undeveloped lots and unlandscaped yards can support small butterfly populations and maintain connectivity by serving as stepping stones. We plan to monitor known populations of Crystal Skipper butterfly populations and estimate relative abundance. We will also survey areas of suitable habitat on adjacent sites outside of the known species range to verify population distribution. Seeds of the butterfly’s larval host plant, Seaside Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium littorale), will be collected for plant propagation efforts and made available to the public to assist in local habitat restoration.

INVESTIGATOR Nick Haddad

STUDENTS Erica Henry, PhD, Zoology; Elsita Kiekebusch, PhD, Zoology

STAFF Heather Cayton

LOCATION Carteret County, North Carolina

DURATION November 2016–August 2017


Crystal Skipper adults are known to nectar on Morning Glories that can be found in their sand dune habitat along the coast.

MICHAEL COVE HEATHER CAYTONALEX FISH

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Development of a wildlife habitat matrix to inform forest management on Fort Bragg

Forest ecosystems in the southeastern United States evolved with frequent lightning-ignited fires, a natural process generally mimicked with prescribed fire today. Fire management regimes in the longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) ecosystem are driven largely by policies focused on recovery of the federally endangered Red-Cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis), and sometimes other threatened or endangered species. However, management paradigms driven by single species like the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker may encourage homogeneity when focal species require a narrow suite of vegetation conditions, particularly when competing vegetation types are not linked to other ecological indicators. Yet, management to maintain heterogeneous habitat conditions is complex and requires large-scale habitat planning that considers multi-species response to a variety of alternative management scenarios. To aid these complex planning processes, habitat planning models can be constructed using spatial data and known habitat relationships for target wildlife species. These twin components — that managers can differentially affect vital rates, and vital rates can differentially affect population growth and persistence — are well understood, but have not been merged in a user-friendly way that can help guide on-the-ground management

in the absence of intensive demographic data for target species. Therefore, we developed a modeling approach to connect management actions (i.e., prescribed burning, midstory hardwood removal) to population dynamics for focal species.

INVESTIGATORS Christopher Moorman, Christopher DePerno, Scott Mills

STUDENT John Thomas, Undergraduate, Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology

STAFF Eugenia Bragina


DURATION August 2014–May 2018

FUNDING U.S. Department of DefenseInclusions of upland hardwoods embedded in the longleaf pine matrix were mapped to help direct wildlife habitat planning.

EUGENIA BRAGINA

Engagement of Latin American colleagues in a Research Symposium on the Biology and Conservation of American Oystercatchers

The American Oystercatcher Working Group sponsored a symposium on Oystercatcher Biology and Conservation as part of the 2015 Waterbird Society annual meeting which was held 11–15 August at the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. This project secured and administered funding from several branches of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to publish the symposium proceedings, and to provide travel support for six Latin American colleagues actively engaged in shorebird research and conservation to attend the symposium. The proceedings, comprised of 13 research articles, will be published in February 2017 as a special issue of the journal Waterbirds. Funds were administered through a Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit cooperative agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and North Carolina State University.

INVESTIGATOR Theodore R. Simons

STUDENTS Shilo Felton, Ph.D. Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology


DURATION March 2015–December 2017


International colleagues who attended the American Oystercatcher Symposium at the 2015 Waterbird Society Meeting in Bar Harbor, Maine. Left to right: Bruno Ens (Netherlands), Ted Simons (NCSU), Shilo Felton (NCSU), Jose Alfredo Castillo-Guerrero (Mexico), Miriam Lerma (Mexico), and Eduardo Palacios (Mexico).

TED SIMONS


Evaluation of priority game species use and propagation feasibility of high value Sandhills native wildlife plants

Restoration of native plant communities is a priority for many land managers. On public lands, restoration of these communities has to be balanced with public use and input. On lands where public hunting is a component, land managers may be pressed to provide wildlife openings (i.e., food plots) that contain primarily non-native plantings. Although some managers have advocated openings consisting of native plants, rather than the more traditional non-native species, the relative value of the different plant communities to wildlife has not been studied extensively. We compared White-Tailed Deer, Wild Turkey, and Coyote use of four different wildlife opening types: non-native cool season openings, non-native warm season openings, naturalized plant community openings, and naturalized plant communities supplemented with seeds of native, wildlife forage species. We quantified wildlife use of the four opening types and control sites in adjacent forest using camera traps. The number of White-Tailed deer photos per trap night was greater in cool season and warm season openings than in controls, native, or native supplemented openings, but relative use of each opening type peaked during the season of peak vegetation production. Wild Turkey photos per trap night were greater in cool season openings during the spring and

winter and greater in warm season openings during the winter than in the control plots or in the native plant openings. Coyote photos per trap night did not vary among opening types. Although openings planted with non-native plants were most attractive to deer and turkey, we suggest openings managed for native plant species also can provide unique food and cover resources for hunted wildlife, especially in forested landscapes with sparse understory vegetation.

INVESTIGATORS Christopher E. Moorman, Christopher S. DePerno

STUDENTS Byron M. Levan, M.S., Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology; M. Bodenhamer, E. Stevenson, S. Jackson,

Undergraduates, Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology


DURATION September 2013–June 2016


Investigating Northern Bobwhite population demographics and habitat selection in the longleaf-wiregrass ecosystem

Growing-season prescribed fire may suppress woody vegetation and promote herbaceous groundcover better than dormant-season fire; hence, it is increasingly used to restore fire-adapted plant communities. Despite the potential ecological benefits of growing-season fire, many land managers use only dormant-season prescribed fire to avoid destruction of bird ground nests, including those of Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus). Our objective was to determine Northern Bobwhite nest survival and nest-site selection in the presence of early, growing-season prescribed fire on a 3-year return interval. We compared vegetation composition and structure between nest sites and paired random sites to identify important predictors of nest-site selection and to model the effects of habitat covariates (including time-since-fire) on nest survival. We captured and attached radio transmitters to individuals during the late winter months. We tracked radio-marked individuals to locate nests and determine nest survival. We located 14 nests in 2016, 2 of which were burned during prescribed fire. All 14 nests were located within units that were burned at least 2 years prior, putting these nests at a greater risk for being

Northern Bobwhite were captured and fitted with radio-transmitters to determine habitat use in relation to fire history.

Camera traps were deployed to monitor use of wildlife openings by wild turkeys and other wildlife.

SARAH ROSCHEBYRON LEVAN

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destroyed by prescribed fire that occurred on a 3-year return interval. Preliminary results suggest that restricting burning to April through early June should limit an overlap between prescribed burns and the peak of Northern Bobwhite nesting activity in July. Additionally, longer fire return intervals may be needed to allow development of woody understory structure selected by bobwhites for nesting, especially on poor soils like those on our study site in the Sandhills physiographic region.

INVESTIGATORS Christopher E. Moorman and Christopher S. DePerno

STUDENT Sarah B. Rosche, M.S., Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology


DURATION August 2015–August 2018


Long-term monitoring and habitat restoration for the US federally endangered St. Francis’ Satyr butterfly I

The St. Francis’ Satyr (Neonympha mitchellii francisci) is a federally endangered butterfly found only on Fort Bragg Army Installation in central North Carolina. It depends on frequent disturbance by fire and beavers to maintain its preferred habitat, ephemeral wetlands, and in recent years there has been a sharp decrease in population numbers. We are working to increase the population level through a combination of habitat restoration and the establishment of a captive-rearing program. Our efforts include the creation and maintenance of high quality wetland restoration sites via hardwood removal and stream inundation. We are also working to expand the success of our captive rearing program through experiments that test for optimal mating and greenhouse conditions.


STUDENTS Erica Henry, Ph.D., Zoology; Elsita Kiekebusch, Ph.D., Zoology

STAFF Heather Cayton, Erik Aschehoug


DURATION May 2015–April 2016

FUNDING U.S. Army, XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg

The endangered St. Francis’ Satyr butterfly can be successfully mated in captivity under optimal environmental conditions.

GRACE HIRZEL

Long-term monitoring and habitat restoration for the US federally endangered St. Francis’ Satyr butterfly II

The St. Francis’ Satyr (Neonympha mitchellii francisci) is a federally endangered butterfly found only on Fort Bragg Army Installation in central North Carolina. It depends on frequent disturbance by fire and beavers to maintain its preferred habitat, ephemeral wetlands, and in recent years there has been a sharp decrease in population numbers. Our work continues to expand the amount of habitat under restoration and further research into demographic and behavioral responses of individuals to restoration over multiple life stages. Last year, we had several successful captive mating events, and we are working to enhance our greenhouse conditions to promote more captive mating that will provide us with a large, permanent captive population. We are continuing our restoration research this year in order to increase our knowledge of butterfly response to restored habitat and to improve habitat quality.


STUDENT Elsita Kiekebusch, Ph.D., Zoology

STAFF Heather Cayton




The endangered St. Francis’ Satyr butterfly enters the chrysalis stage for approximately two weeks before emerging as an adult.

HEATHER CAYTON


Monitoring and testing demographic effects of restoration for the US federally endangered St. Francis’ Satyr butterfly

The St. Francis’ Satyr (Neonympha mitchellii francisci) is a federally endangered butterfly found only on Fort Bragg Army Installation in central North Carolina. It depends on frequent disturbance by fire and beavers to maintain its preferred habitat, ephemeral wetlands, and in recent years there has been a sharp decrease in population numbers. We are working to restore critical wetland habitat at Ft. Bragg through hardwood removal and stream inundation, and to understand how St. Francis’ satyrs respond to different restoration treatments. Our research uses a combination of mark-recapture surveys, vegetation surveys, and captive rearing to gain a better understanding of how restoration affects St. Francis’ Satyr demography and how we can improve restoration techniques to create higher quality habitat.


STUDENT Erica Henry, Ph.D., Zoology

STAFF Heather Cayton, Erik Aschehoug, Frances Sivakoff




Monitoring Federal Trust Avian Species in managed shade coffee plantations under the Partners for Fish and Wildlife and Coastal Programs in Puerto Rico

The Partners for Fish and Wildlife and Coastal Programs of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has worked to restore and enhance important habitat for Federal Trust Species on private lands in Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. Conversion of sun- to shade-grown coffee through agroforestry practices is one mechanism being employed since 2001. The objective of this work is to develop a monitoring scheme that will help the USFWS quantify the benefits derived from the Program toward fostering the persistence of Federal Trust Species. A secondary objective is to determine at what time since implementation of management actions are those benefits detected, as this has implications for strategic habitat conservation. Preliminary results support the hypothesis that frugivores are more abundant with time since restoration; the opposite is the case for granivores/insectivores. An ecological effect is detectable at 5-6 years post-restoration.

INVESTIGATOR Jaime A. Collazo

STUDENT Amarilys Irizarry, M.S., Zoology

LOCATION Puerto Rico, North Carolina State University



The endangered St. Francis’ Satyr butterfly lives in ephemeral wetlands and uses sedges in the Carex genus as a larval host plant.

Amarilys Irizarry conducting avian point counts in a Puerto Rico coffee plantation.

These Red-Cockaded Woodpecker nestlings were collected from their nest with care to be banded as part of conservation efforts in the Sandhills region, NC.

Optimal sampling of animal communities

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has approximately 2.4-2.5 million acres of private lands enrolled in the Safe Harbor Program (SHMA). The objective of this work is to develop a sampling scheme that will help USFWS quantify the benefits of SHMAs on non-surrogate species across southeastern United States. The sampling scheme will be geared towards estimating parameters that quantify species richness and the dynamics of single species or avian communities over time. This work will tap existing occupancy-based models, develop extensions if needed, but center their application around a sound and flexible sampling design for implementation across the southeast. The first phase of the work was completed in 2016. The second phase, optimizing sampling, will be conducted in spring 2017.


STUDENT Jessica H. Page, M.S., Zoology

STAFF Krishna Pacifici, Brian Reich, Eric Laber

LOCATION Sandhills Physiographic Region, North Carolina

DURATION September 2014–September 2018


BRIAN HUDGENS ORLANDO MEDINA JESSICA PAGE

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Reducing burning impacts on native forage: implications for terrestrial vertebrate nutrition and food availability

Frequent fire-return intervals (<3-yr) have been suggested to optimize the benefits of prescribed fire in many fire-dominated ecosystems. There are several ecological benefits to frequent fires such as suppression of encroaching fire-intolerant plant species, increased reproductive allocations of native herbaceous plant species, and increased plant diversity at the stand level. However, declines in frugivorous wildlife species have been documented in frequently burned areas, raising concern for fire-regime effects on fruit production. Additionally, fire prescriptions used in restoration programs often are based on average historical fire regimes and do not consider natural stochastic variability in fire season and frequency. Applying prescribed fire based on averages could alter the relative abundance of important plant species and structure. Thus, we used two approaches to quantify the effects of homogeneous application of frequent fire on fruit and forage availability for wildlife; (1) a manipulative, replicated field experiment following 4 or more rotations of a 1-yr, 2-yr, and 3-yr fire-return interval; and (2) a large-scale assessment of soft hard mast abundance after 22 years of a historical-based growing-season fire prescription that failed to consider the variability in historical fire regimes. Results indicated managed fire regimes may fail to

mimic spatial distribution, frequency, and intensity of historical disturbances even when the fire prescription is based on empirical reference fire regimes. To maximize structural heterogeneity and conserve key ecosystem functionality, fire prescriptions should include variations in frequency, season, application method, and fire weather conditions, rather than focusing on an average historical fire regime.

INVESTIGATORS Christopher E. Moorman and Christopher S. DePerno

STUDENTS Colter Chitwood, Ph.D., Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology; Marcus

Lashley, Ph.D., Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology

STAFF Colter Chitwood, Marcus Lashley, Indrani Sasmal

DURATION September 2013–December 2016


New growth on woody plants following prescribed fire was collected and analyzed to determine nutritional quality as deer forage.

MARCUS LASHLEY

Reproductive ecology of three endangered plant species on Fort Bragg, North Carolina

Fort Bragg currently sustains populations of three federally listed endangered species of plants. Populations of all three, Michaux’s Sumac (Rhus michauxii), Rough-Leaved Loosestrife (Lysimachia asperulaefolia), and American Chaffseed (Schwalbea americana), are dependent on frequent disturbance in the form of the low-intensity fire necessary for the maintenance of the longleaf pine savanna ecosystem. Recruitment to existing populations of these plants is generally low, and gaps in our knowledge of their natural history hinder recovery efforts. The pollination ecology of all three species is poorly known, as is the extent of gene flow between populations and the fate of seed. We have initiated investigations to identify important arthropod pollinators for these plant species and to characterize their pollination efficacy. We have collected materials to establish microsatellite libraries for these plants, so that gene flow and seed paternity can be measured. We have also initiated construction of pollen libraries, and are developing techniques and protocols to measure seed predation and disappearance. This project was initiated relatively late in the flowering season for these plants, but we have made progress on identifying pollinators of R. michauxii.

INVESTIGATORS Clyde E. Sorenson

STAFF Elsa Youngsteadt, Post-Doctoral Research Associate; Erika Bonnema,

Student Technician


DURATION May 2016–August 2018

FUNDING U.S. Army, Endangered Species Branch

Sweat bee on Michaux’s Sumac flowers, an endangered plant species on Fort Bragg, NC.

CLYDE SORENSON


Strategic management and monitoring for the recovery of the Key Largo Woodrat

The Key Largo Woodrat (KLWR) is a federally endangered subspecies endemic to the island of Key Largo, Florida. More than two-thirds of the KLWR’s historic habitat – tropical hardwood hammock – has been lost to development. The habitat that remains is fragmented and occupied by at least two known non-native, invasive predators – feral cats and pythons. The recovery of the KLWR has also been limited by a lack of natural nesting habitat. Nest supplementation is used as a recovery strategy and while woodrats readily use nests and are easily sampled at nests, the distribution of supplemental nests is still limited. Additional nests, deployed in a grid pattern, would allow for a robust assessment of the KLWR’s entire distribution via non-invasive sampling methods, and population estimation via capture-recapture. This innovative work is particularly valuable considering the KLWR’s recent population decline (prompting captive breeding 2003 to 2011) and low detectability using more invasive methods. Furthermore, the placement of supplemental nests and genetic sampling of individual KLWR along the landscape will serve to link subpopulations and determine the effectiveness of supplemental nests as corridors.

INVESTIGATOR Theodore R. Simons

STAFF Michael V. Cove, Post-doctoral Research Associate

LOCATION Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Key Largo, Florida

DURATION September 2016–December 2017


Testing a decision model to maximize suitable habitat for migratory shorebirds in saline lagoons

Managers of the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge, Puerto Rico, wish to provide quality feeding habitat for aquatic birds through hydrologic management of impoundments. We developed a decision model designed to maximize accessible habitat (depth) for foraging shorebirds at salinity levels that promote high prey density. The model needs to be tested. Companion work indicated that shorebird numbers have decreased 70% (1980s–2015). Shorebirds use three neighboring wetland areas, complementing each other as resources, and accessible habitat varies seasonally. Results advocate for coordinated management of managed and natural wetlands.


STUDENT Morgan A. Parks, M.S., Zoology

STAFF Paul L. Fackler

LOCATION Puerto Rico and North Carolina State University

DURATION July 2012–September 2015


Saline lagoons in Puerto Rico provided quality feeding habitat for migratory shorebirds.

Camera trap photo of an American Alligator walking through the pine rocklands of the National Key Deer Refuge, Big Pine Key, FL.

JAIME COLLAZOMICHAEL COVE

27Honey Bee feeding on a coffee flower in Puerto Rico; see its pollen- and nectar-packed legs. SARA PRADO

Research: Integrated EcologyAdvancing the use and application of diverse data sources and species distribution models ................................................................................. 28

Applying downscaled climate projections to inform decisions on strategic habitat conservation for amphibians in Puerto Rico ................. 28

Assessing South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative terrestrial indicators............................................................................................................. 28

Conservation design and habitat conservation in Puerto Rico ............... 29

Cooperative landscape and conservation and adaptive science collaborative conservation design project: science support for the South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative Conservation blueprint ....................................................................... 29

Demographic rates and prioritization of habitat for conservation for Painted Buntings in North Carolina ................................................................... 29

Identifying likely Conservation Opportunity Areas (COAs) and providing GIS data and mapping for the 2015 revision of North Carolina Wildlife Action Plan ........................................................................... 30

Interactions of human-caused mortality, genetic introgression, and management among wild Red Wolves: developing scientific consensus ............................................................................................................ 30

Modeling and mapping landscape pattern resilience and vulnerability ............................................................................................................................. 30

National biogeography analysis and synthesis.................................................. 31

Research and applications in support of the National Gap Analysis Program .................................................................................................................. 31

Restoration and management of coastal lagoons in Puerto Rico ......... 31

Strategic decision planning for threatened and endangered (T&E) species recovery in Puerto Rico ..................................................................... 32

Statewide terrestrial habitat threats and risks projections based on climate change, urbanization, and strategic conservation decisions ..................................................................................................... 32

Vertebrate biodiversity of agricultural fields: a database and metrics to facilitate conservation partnerships in productive landscapes ................................................................................................................................ 32


Assessing South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative terrestrial indicators

The South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (SALCC) developed a list of terrestrial data products expected to serve as indicators to both guide landscape-scale, long-term natural resource conservation planning and to monitor the success of the plan as it is implemented. Selected through regional workshops and expert elicitation, these indicators are believed to broadly represent the critical ecosystem processes and components necessary to ensure the integrity of the targeted natural resources. We showed that these data allow the SALCC to assess performance of the terrestrial indicators for their ability to capture other spatial ecosystem components (species and habitats), processes (fire, freshwater flow), and threats (land use change, climate change, and sea level rise). When combined with other ongoing discussions and data review by the SALCC, it resulted in multiple updates and improvements to the terrestrial indicators.


STAFF Louise B. Alexander-Vaughn, C. Ashton Drew


DURATION September 2013–September 2014

FUNDING South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative

Terrestrial indicators (species and habitats) were assessed to represent critical ecosystem and ecological integrity.

Posterior mean occupancy for Brown-Headed Nuthatch based on a shared data model.

Two Eleutherodactylus frogs calling in the Puerto Rican rainforest.

AMARILYS IRIZARRY

Advancing the use and application of diverse data sources and species distribution models

Change in land use patterns and climate are factors influencing avian species status and trends in North America. Changes are expected to be pervasive, and thus, central to discussions about sustainable populations and how to inform decisions aimed at strategic habitat conservation and monitoring. We will develop an analytical framework that integrates multiple data sources to efficiently and effectively understand current and future avian distribution patterns and the potential for sustaining populations. In recent years, non-traditional data gathering approaches (e.g., citizen science) have gained impetus and prominence, due to their appeal and acceptance by the public. The analytical foundation to model such diverse data (i.e., Breeding Bird Survey, citizen scientists) was completed and published (Ecology, In Press). Results indicate substantial gains in modeling species distribution for avian species. Work continues to make the analytical framework dynamic (multi-year) and suitable for decision problems.


STUDENT Two students, to be selected

STAFF Krishna Pacifici, Brian Reich, Eric Laber, Alexa McKerrow



FUNDING U.S. Geological Survey, Gap Analysis Program

Applying downscaled climate projections to inform decisions on strategic habitat conservation for amphibians in Puerto Rico

The Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service want to implement a strategic habitat conservation strategy that ensures the long-term persistence of amphibians in the advent of climate change. We partnered with the U.S. Geological Survey, Southeast Climate Science Center to obtain foundation data regarding patterns of occupancy and abundance as a function of climatic and habitat covariates. Results indicate higher occupancy and abundance at intermediate elevations and precipitation rates. Shaded coffee plantations harbored intermediate levels of occupancy, highlighting their potential for multi-species conservation. Next steps are aimed at determining physiological limits and identifing areas of conservation interest with the aid of climatic projections.


STUDENT Kelen Dowdy, M.S., Zoology

STAFF Krishna Pacifici, Adam Terando, Brian Reich, Eric Laber

LOCATION Puerto Rico and North Carolina State University

DURATION June 2014–June 2017

FUNDING U.S. Geological Survey, Science Support Program

ALEXA MCKERROW KELEN DOWDY

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Conservation design and habitat conservation in Puerto Rico

The Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources wants to implement a habitat conservation strategy that ensures the long-term persistence of resident avifauna. This project will (1) develop an implementable and robust framework to optimally allocate conservation efforts, (2) generate demographic data across the central mountains of Puerto Rico, the focal area of this project, and (3) determine how farming management practices in dominant agro-ecosystems in the region (e.g., coffee plantations) might influence decisions. The decision framework has been developed, ecological data on three taxonomic groups collected (only 1 season left), and an assessment of incentives and other mechanisms to achieve objectives is in progress. Implementation plan is expected in December 2017.


STUDENTS Amarilys Irizarry, M.S., Zoology; Kathryn Battle, M.S., Fisheries, Wildlife, and

Conservation Biology; Phillip Patton, M.S., Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology

STAFF Sara Prado, Krishna Pacifici, Brian Reich, Eric Laber

LOCATION Puerto Rico

DURATION October 2013–September 2017

FUNDING Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources

Cooperative landscape and conservation and adaptive science collaborative conservation design project: science support for the South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative Conservation blueprint

The South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (SALCC) has sponsored a project to design a shared blueprint for landscape conservation actions that sustain natural and cultural resources in the South Atlantic region. The blueprint was based on natural resource indicators and targets already selected by the SALCC (http://www.southatlanticlcc.org/page/indicators) and cultural resource indicators and targets under development. The evaluation of indicator representation within prioritizations was a useful method to show where improvements could be made; some indicators dictated hotspots, some had a limited extent and were well represented, and others had a limited effect. Overall, we demonstrate that a broad-scale (408,276 km2 of terrestrial and 411,239 km2 of marine environments) conservation plan can be realized at a fine-scale resolution, which will allow implementation of the regional plan at a local level relevant to decision-making.


STAFF Bradley Pickens, Louise B. Alexander-Vaughn, C. Ashton Drew



FUNDING South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative

Sun coffee farm in Maricao, Puerto Rico, that has just recently begun participating in the NRCS shade incentive program.

Natural resource indicators were evaluated for identifying management priorities in the South Atlantic region.

SARA PRADO SARA PRADO

Demographic rates and prioritization of habitat for conservation for Painted Buntings in North Carolina

Populations of Painted Buntings have been declining since the 1970s, and thus, a it is a species of conservation interest in North Carolina. We estimated age and sex-specific survival, and estimates of recruitment rates to better assess the status of the species in North Carolina. Although findings come from two North Carolina populations, adult survival estimates were consistent with previously reported estimates in southeastern U.S. coastal habitats (~60%). Recruitment rates were consistent with successful reproduction and connectivity among coastal populations (in-situ and external recruitment). We estimated persistence probability for areas of conservation interest using occupancy analyses and a habitat threat-risk assessment tool. The approach informs decisions regarding area-selection for habitat conservation.

INVESTIGATORS Jaime A. Collazo

STUDENTS Liani M. Yirka, M.S., Zoology

LOCATION Eastern North Carolina

DURATION April 2015–December 2016


Male painted bunting being banded and weighed on Bald Head Island, NC.

LIANI YIRKA


Identifying likely Conservation Opportunity Areas (COAs) and providing GIS data and mapping for the 2015 revision of North Carolina Wildlife Action Plan

This project is an effort to augment and enhance the 2015 North Carolina State Wildlife Action Plan. We evaluated various threats to habitats and identify likely Conservation Opportunity Areas (COAs) to benefit Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN). We integrated data from the 2015 North Carolina Wildlife Action Plan (WAP), USGS Gap Analysis Program (GAP), and the “Statewide Terrestrial Habitat Threats and Risks Projections: A Decision Support Tool for Strategic Wildlife Habitat Conservation in North Carolina.” By combining these datasets, we generated a measure of unprotectedness for each habitat. The most unprotected for each region/community were then submitted to the online Habitat Threats tool to assess the number and severity of habitat threats. This enables end users to identify potential COAs where protection of SGCNs is low and habitat threats are high. We also developed an online GIS portal to serve the NCWRC and their conservation partners.


STAFF Steven G. Williams


DURATION January 2014–December 2016


Interactions of human-caused mortality, genetic introgression, and management among wild Red Wolves: developing scientific consensus

After being nearly driven to extinction, Red Wolves (Canis rufus) were rescued from extinction by the establishment of a captive breeding program in 1973 and in 1987. Red Wolves were first released into a Coyote-free (Canis latrans) area in northeastern North Carolina. Since then, there has been great uncertainty about the future of the Red Wolf population. To understand this uncertainty and to provide valuable information regarding the future of the Red Wolf, a workshop involving world-class, leading experts in endangered species policy, law, conservation genetics, taxonomy, and population biology was convened. The main contribution of the workshop was the evaluation of the primary competing evolutionary origin hypotheses for the Red Wolf. Under all scenarios, it was clear there was a logical and valid pathway to make a determination that the Red Wolf is a listable entity under the Endangered Species Act or other protective classifications. Under the three hypotheses that have scientific evidence (2 species, 3 species, or 4 species) there was unanimous support by the participants for the Red Wolf to be a listable entity.

INVESTIGATORS Krishna Pacifici, Scott Mills, Jaime A. Collazo

LOCATION Atlanta, Georgia and North Carolina State University

DURATION October 2015–September 2017


Modeling and mapping landscape pattern resilience and vulnerability

Understanding how landscape pattern has changed in the past is critical for conserving those resources in the future. This project uses state-of-the-art landscape pattern analysis along with global data on forest change from 2000 to 2012 to measure the resilience of interior forests. We analyzed changes in forest interior over that period in relation to changes in total forest area. We found that the global net rate of forest interior area loss was 3.1 times the global net rate of all forest area loss and the net loss of forest interior area was more than twice the net loss of all forest area. Therefore, forest interior patterns were not resilient over time. We also found that landscape patterns as well as land cover history were two of the major factors associated with whether a Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plot was classified as forest land use. Our results show that globally, forests have been shifting to a more fragmented condition. This increase in fragmentation has important implications for wildlife habitat, and especially species that depend on interior forests.


STAFF Jennifer Costanza, Kurt Ritters


DURATION August 2012–July 2015

FUNDING U.S. Forest Service

Highlighted subwatersheds with the highest ratio of unprotected habitat for SGCN species associated with cove forests.

Captive Red Wolf at Species Survival Plan facility, Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium (Tacoma, WA). Satellite image of fragmentation in an Atlantic forest landscape.

STEVEN WILLIAMS B. BARTEL, USFWS JENNIFER COSTANZA

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National biogeography analysis and synthesis

Threats posed by climate change, urbanization, and invasive species, underscore the need for proactive management. However, conservation planning at regional and national extents continues to be limited by the lack of consistent, detailed and current data on biological resources. The current challenge is to find reliable and efficient methods to characterize the Nation’s biological resources while enhancing and maintaining the currency of the information and broadening the application of those data. The goal of this project is to provide data, synthesis and analyses to increase our understanding of the status of biodiversity and drivers of change. We will emphasize factors affecting national trust resources. To meet the project’s goal, we will (1) analyze trends in biodiversity, investigating drivers of change and potential implications for future changes in diversity; (2) synthesize data and update species-habitat distribution maps to determine the current status of biodiversity in the Nation; and (3) assist in building a National Biogeographic Map and a central tool for disseminating the synthesis of information.

INVESTIGATORS Jaime A. Collazo

STUDENTS Two students, to be selected

STAFF Curtis M. Belyea, Todd S. Earnhardt, Matthew J. Rubino, Nathan M. Tarr,

Steven G. Williams


DURATION May 2016–September 2019


Research and applications in support of the National Gap Analysis Program

This project is focused on three critical themes for the National Gap Analysis Program: applications, monitoring, and refinement. The Program completed nationally consistent core datasets (i.e., land cover, public areas database, vertebrate predicted distributions), and seeks to conduct various analyses on a national extent and develop decision support tools for landscape level applications. We completed the national extent distribution models for a wide range of terrestrial vertebrates and are developing the approach for incorporating expert/knowledge base and uncertainty into the Gap species-habitat models. We also partnered with the Biofuels Center of North Carolina and U.S. National Park Service to integrate GAP land cover and species models to assess potential impacts of biofuels production and model species responses to prescribed fire, respectively. Work also included assessment of LiDAR to assess effects of fire in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and conducted assessment on the utility of expert opinion to guide management of human-modified habitats in western North Carolina.


STUDENTS Eli Rose, M.S., Zoology; Kara E. Dziwulski, M.S., Zoology

STAFF Krishna Pacific, Jennifer Costanza, C. Ashton Drew, Todd Earnhardt, Matt Rubino,

Nathan Tarr, Curtis M. Belyea, Todd S. Earnhardt, Steven G. Williams

LOCATION North Carolina statewide, North Carolina State University



Amphibian Richness Map based on GAP’s Habitat Distribution Models for the Conterminous U.S.

National Terrestrial Ecosystems of the Conterminous U.S. A detailed map of existing vegetation and land cover based on LANDSAT satellite imagery.

ALEXA MCKERROW ALEXA MCKERROW

Restoration and management of coastal lagoons in Puerto Rico

The Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) partnered with the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) Program to manage the hydrology of La Providencia Lagoon, Puerto Rico, for aquatic birds. We developed a decision tool designed to assist with the hydrologic management of the lagoon. We found that, in its current state, the lagoon is suitable for waterfowl, large shorebirds, and wading birds. Management for smaller shorebirds would require substantial resources and effort (e.g., time). This is partly because sea level rise has increased about 3 inches since the 1960s, and water levels fluctuate with tide cycles.


STUDENTS Morgan A. Parks, M.S., Zoology; Beatriz Gonzalez, M.S., Marine

and Earth Science

STAFF David Eggleston, Stacy Nelson

LOCATION Puerto Rico


FUNDING Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources

Graduate students sampled coastal lagoons in Puerto Rico to develop a decision tool for hydrologic management.

JAIME COLLAZO


Strategic decision planning for threatened and endangered (T&E) species recovery in Puerto Rico

We will facilitate a Structured Decision Making process with the T&E Species Program staff of the Caribbean Field Office (Ecological Services), Puerto Rico. The goal of this project is to identify the decisions made to conserve endangered species, characterize the reasons for and outcomes from these decisions, and estimate the opportunities and constraints affecting these decisions. These decisions require varying amounts of resources and effort, depending on such factors as knowledge of the species biology and ecology, location of the species on public or private lands, and nature of the threats to the species. Our project facilitated the design of a structured approach to a previously unstructured problem. Together, we completed a decision-making workshop and created a fully-functional decision tool to prioritize recovery actions. Importantly, this prioritization is not a panacea, and model output must always be carefully weighed, as no model captures all biological, social, economic, and political variables.


STAFF C. Ashton Drew

LOCATION Puerto Rico, North Carolina State University

DURATION September 2014–March 2015


Statewide terrestrial habitat threats and risks projections based on climate change, urbanization, and strategic conservation decisions

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) has taken steps to facilitate science-based, publicly-informed prioritization of the lands proposed for acquisition or management. This project delivered a spatially-explicit Decision Support Tool (DST) to support state-wide habitat acquisition and management decisions by projecting future threats/risks to terrestrial and aquatic habitats. A total of 22 threats were included in the tool, including climate and land use projections to 2050. The tool outputs threat or exposure characterization analysis, summarizing the number of threats, their occurrence (proportion within an area of interest), and their intensity or severity relative to an area of interest. Depending on how an Area of Interest (AOI) polygon is created, the DST also yields an estimate of proximity (spatial) of threats. These data are essential to assess the ecological effects of a given threat.


STAFF Steven G. Williams, Alexa McKerrow




Vertebrate biodiversity of agricultural fields: a database and metrics to facilitate conservation partnerships in productive landscapes

Opportunities to engage private landowners in the management and conservation of the State’s fish and wildlife species offer tremendous potential benefits. We proposed to develop and empirically test a biodiversity metric for agricultural landscapes using Christmas tree agriculture as a case study, and in doing so, promote better understanding and stronger partnerships between conservation managers and agricultural land owners. This project expanded our knowledge of Eastern Cottontail ecology on Christmas tree farms and suggested that these agricultural lands provide suitable habitat for the species. We also explicitly evaluated the utility of expert knowledge to guide wildlife management in human-modified habitats. We stress the importance of collecting expert knowledge data using a standardized elicitation protocol that minimizes expert subjectivity, followed by quantitative assessments, such as the one described in this study. Results showed that expert knowledge is no substitute for empirical data, particularly when little is known about the ecological setting in question.


STUDENT Kara E. Dziwulski, M.S., Zoology

STAFF Steven G. Williams, Alexa McKerrow

LOCATION Western North Carolina



Ashton Drew facilitated design of a structures approach to planning for threatened and endangered species recovery.

Predicted urban growth in 2050, one of 16 habitat threats represented in an online threat and risk assessment tool.

Kara Dziwulski holds an Eastern Cottontail trapped and released as part of her work to test the utility of expert-opinion in guiding wildlife management in Christmas Tree Farms in Western North Carolina.

KARA DZIWULSKI STEVEN WILLIAMS KARA DZIWULSKI

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JOURNAL ARTICLES

Archambault, J. M., C. M. Bergeron, W. G. Cope, R. J. Richardson, M. A. Heilman, J. E. Corey III, M. E. Netherland, and R. J. Heise. 2015. Sensitivity of freshwater molluscs to Hydrilla-targeting herbicides: providing context for invasive aquatic weed control in diverse ecosystems. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 30: 335–348.

Archambault, J. M. and W. G. Cope. 2016. Life stage sensitivity of a freshwater snail to herbicides widely used in invasive aquatic weed control. Freshwater Mollusk Biology and Conservation 19: 69–79.

Archambault, J. M., C. M. Bergeron, W. G. Cope, P. R. Lazaro, J. A. Leonard, and D. Shea. 2016. Assessing toxicity of contaminants in riverine suspended sediments to freshwater mussels. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry DOI: 10.1002/etc.3540.

Archambault, J. M., C. M. Bergeron, W. G. Cope, P. R. Lazaro, J. A. Leonard, and D. Shea. 2017. Assessing toxicity of contaminants in riverine suspended sediments to freshwater mussels. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. In press.

Aschehoug, E. T., F. S. Sivakoff, H. L. Cayton, W. F. Morris, and N. M. Haddad. 2015. Habitat restoration affects immature stages of a wetland butterfly through indirect effects on predation. Ecology 96: 1761–1767.

Borneman, T. E., E. T. Rose, and T. R. Simons. 2016. Off-road vehicles affect nesting behavior and reproductive success of American Oystercatchers. Ibis 158: 261–278.

Callihan, J. L., J. E. Harris, and J. E. Hightower. 2015. Coastal migration and homing of Roanoke River Striped Bass. Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science 7: 301–315.

Costanza, J. K, R. C. Abt, A. J. McKerrow and J. A. Collazo. 2015. Linking state-and-transition simulation and timber supply models for forest biomass production scenarios. AIMS Environmental Science 2,(2): 180–202.

Costanza, J. K., A. J. Terando, A. J. McKerrow, J. A. Collazo. 2015. Modeling climate change, urbanization, and fire effects on Pinus palustris ecosystems of the southeastern U.S. Journal of Environmental Management 151: 186–199.

Costanza, J. K., R. C. Abt, N. M. Tarr, A. J. McKerrow, and J. A. Collazo. 2016. Bioenergy production and forest landscape change in the southeastern U.S. Global Change Biology: Bioenergy. GCB Bioenergy (2016), DOI: 10.1111/gcbb.12386.

Cove, M. V., T. R. Simons, B. Gardner, A. S. Maurer, and A. F. O’Connell. 2016. Evaluating nest supplementation as a recovery strategy for the endangered rodents of the Florida Keys. Restoration Ecology.

DOI:10.1111/rec.12418.

DeRolph, C. R., S. A. C. Nelson, T. J. Kwak, and E. F. Hain. 2015. Predicting fine-scale distributions of peripheral aquatic species in headwater streams. Ecology and Evolution 5: 152–163.

Favrot, S. D. and T. J. Kwak. 2016. Efficiency of two-way weirs and prepositioned electrofishing for sampling potamodromous fish migrations. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 36: 167–182.

Felton, S. K., N. J. Hostetter, K. H. Pollock, and T. R. Simons. 2017. Managing American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) population growth by targeting nesting season vital rates. Waterbirds. In press.

Fisk, J. M. II, T. J. Kwak, and R. J. Heise. 2015. Effects of regulated river flows on habitat suitability for the Robust Redhorse. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 144: 792–806.

Flowers, H. J. and J. E. Hightower. 2015. Estimating sturgeon abundance in the Carolinas using side-scan sonar. Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics,

Management, and Ecosystem Science 7: 1–9.

Grieshaber, C. A., S. R. Midway, F. S. Scharf, H. Koopman, J. A. Luckenbach, and M. A. Middleton. 2016. Seasonal physiological dynamics of maturing female southern flounder (Paralichthys lethostigma). Conservation Physiology 4: 1–12.

Henareh Khalyani, A., W. Gould, E. Harmsen, A. Terando, M. Quinones, and J. Collazo. 2016. Climate change implications for tropical islands: interpolating and interpreting statistically downscaled GCM projections for management and planning. Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology 55: 265–282. DOI:10.1175/JAMC-D-15-0182.1.

Hightower, J. E., M. Loeffler, W. C. Post, and D. L. Peterson. 2015. Estimated survival of subadult and adult Atlantic Sturgeon in four river basins in the southeastern United States. Marine and Coastal Fisheries: Dynamics, Management, and Ecosystem Science 7: 514–522.

Hostetter, N. J., B. Gardner, S. H. Schweitzer, R. Boettcher, A. L. Wilke, L. Addison, W. R. Swilling, K. H. Pollock, and T. R. Simons. 2015. Repeated count surveys help standardize multi-agency estimates of American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) abundance. The Condor 117: 354–363.

Hughes, J. B. and J. E. Hightower. 2015. Combining split-beam and DIDSON sonars to estimate abundance of anadromous fishes in the Roanoke River, North Carolina. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 35: 229–240.

Publications and Presentations

A 2015 Symposium on the Ecology and Conservation of American Oystercatchers resulted in a recently published Special Issue of the journal Waterbirds.

TED SIMONS


Irizarry, J. I., J. A. Collazo, and S. J. Dinsmore. 2016. Patch dynamics of resident avian species in three habitat matrices that separate forest reserves in southwestern Puerto Rico. Diversity and Distributions 22: 410–421.

Ivasauskas, T. J., W. N. Xiong, A. C. Engman, J. R. Fischer, T. J. Kwak, and K. R. Rundle. 2017. Relationships among catch, angler satisfaction, and the fish assemblage of an urban small impoundment fishery. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. In press.

Kerns, J. A., M. S. Allen, and J. E. Hightower. 2016. Components of mortality within a black bass high-release recreational fishery. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 145: 578–588.

Kerns, J. A., M. S. Allen, J. R. Dotson, and J. E. Hightower. 2015. Estimating regional fishing mortality for freshwater systems: a Florida Largemouth Bass example. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 35: 681–689.

Lashley, M. A., M. C. Chitwood, C. A. Harper, C. E. Moorman, and C. DePerno. 2015. Poor soils and density-mediated body weight in deer: forage quality or quantity? Wildlife Biology 21: 213–219.

Lashley, M. A., M. C. Chitwood, J. R. Thompson, C. A. Harper, C. S. DePerno, and C. E. Moorman. 2015. Variability in fire prescriptions to promote wildlife foods in the longleaf pine ecosystem. Fire Ecology 11: 62–79.

Lashley, M. A., M. C. Chitwood, R. Kays, C. A. Harper, C. S. DePerno, and C. E. Moorman. 2015. Prescribed fire affects female White-Tailed Deer habitat use during summer lactation. Forest Ecology and Management 348: 220–225.

Lee Pow, C., J. M. Law, T. J. Kwak, W. G. Cope, J. A. Rice, S. W. Kullman, and D. D. Aday. 2017. Endocrine active contaminants in aquatic systems and intersex in common sport fishes. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. In press.

Lynch, A. J., B. J. E. Myers, C. Chu, L. A. Eby, J. A. Falke, R. P. Kovach, T. J. Krabbenhoft, T. J. Kwak, J. Lyons, C. P. Paukert, and J. E. Whitney. 2016. Climate change effects on North American inland fish populations and assemblages. Fisheries 41: 346–361.

Lyons, J. E., J. A. Collazo, and G. Herring. 2015. Benthic invertebrates, migratory shorebirds, and assumptions for conservation of coastal managed wetlands. Wetlands Ecology and Management. DOI: 10.1007/s11273-015-9477-4, p. 1–14.

Matechou, E., G. Nicholls, B. J. T. Morgan, J. A. Collazo, and J. E. Lyons. 2016. Bayesian mixture models for stopover data. Environmental and Ecological Statistics. DOI: 10.1007/s10651-016-0352-0.

Miller, D. A. W., L. L. Bailey, E. H. Campbell Grant, B. T. McClintock, L. A. Weir, and T. R. Simons. 2015. Performance of occupancy estimators when basic assumptions are not met: a test with field data where truth is known. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 6: 557–565.

Pacifici, J. K., B. J. Reich, D. A. W. Miller, B. Gardner, G. Stauffer, S. Singh, A. McKerrow, and J. A. Collazo. 2017. Integrating multiple data sources in species distribution modeling: a framework for data fusion. Ecology. In press.

Pandolfo, T. J., T. J. Kwak, and W. G. Cope. 2016. Microhabitat suitability and niche breadth of common and imperiled Atlantic Slope freshwater mussels. Freshwater Mollusk Biology and Conservation 19: 27–50.

Pandolfo, T. J., T. J. Kwak, W. G. Cope, R. J. Heise, R. B. Nichols, and K. Pacifici. 2017. Declining occurrence and low colonization probability in freshwater mussel assemblages: a dynamic occurrence modeling approach. Freshwater Mollusk Biology and Conservation. In press.

Pandolfo, T. J., T. J. Kwak, W. G. Cope, R. J. Heise, R. B. Nichols, and K. Pacifici. 2016. Species traits and catchment-scale habitat factors influence the occurrence of freshwater mussel populations and assemblages. Freshwater Biology 61: 1671–1684.

Parks, M. A., J. A. Collazo, and K. R. Ramos-Alvarez. 2016. Local movement and residency rates of wintering Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) among coastal wetlands in southwestern Puerto Rico. Waterbirds 39: 250–259.

Parks, M. A., J. A. Collazo, and K. R. Ramos-Alvarez. 2016. Numbers and species composition of resident and migratory shorebirds at the Cabo Rojo salt flats, Puerto Rico (1985-2014). Waterbirds 39: 204–214.

Parsons, A. W., T. R. Simons, A. F. O’Connell, K. Pollock, M. K. Stoskopf, and J. J. Stocking. 2015. Camera traps and mark-resight models: the value of ancillary data for evaluating assumptions. Journal of Wildlife Management 79: 1163–1172.

Pickens, B. A., J. F. Marcus, J. P. Carpenter, S. Anderson, P. J. Taillie, and J. A. Collazo. 2017. The effect of urban growth on landscape restoration of a fire-dependent bird. Journal of Environmental Management. In press.

Pickens, B. A., R. S. Mordecai, C. A. Drew, L. B. Alexander-Vaughn, A. S. Keister, H. L. C. Morris, and J. A. Collazo. 2017. Indicator-driven conservation planning across terrestrial, freshwater aquatic, and marine ecosystems of the South Atlantic, USA. Journal of Fish and Wildlife. In press.

Rose, E. T. and T. R. Simons. 2016. Avian response to fire in pine-oak forests of Great Smoky Mountains National Park following decades of fire suppression. The Condor 118: 179–183.

Rose, E. T., T. R. Simons, R. Klein, and A. J. McKerrow. 2016. Normalized burn ratios link fire severity with patterns of avian occurrence. Landscape Ecology 31: 1537–1550.

Rudershausen, P. J., J. E. Hightower, and J. A. Buckel. 2016. Can optimal trap mesh size be predicted from fish morphometry? Fisheries Research 179: 259–270.

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Rudershausen, P. J., and J. E. Hightower. 2016. Retention probability varies with cull ring size in traps fished for blue crab. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 36: 122–130.

Sackett, D. K., C. Lee Pow, M. J. Rubino, D. D. Aday, W. G. Cope, S. Kullman, J. A. Rice, T. J. Kwak, and M. Law. 2015. Sources of endocrine-disrupting compounds in North Carolina waterways: a geographic information systems approach. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 34: 437–445.

Schulte, S. A. and T. R. Simons. 2015. Factors affecting the reproductive success of American Oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus) on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Marine Ornithology 43: 37–47.

Schulte, S. A., and T. R. Simons.2016. Hurricane disturbance benefits nesting American Oystercatchers. Waterbirds 9: 327–337.

Simons, T. R. 2017. The American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus) Working Group: 15 Years of collaborative focal species research and management. Waterbirds 40: 1–9.

Sivakoff, F. S., W. F. Morris, E. T. Aschehoug, B. R. Hudgens, and N. M. Haddad. 2016. Habitat restoration alters adult butterfly morphology and potential fecundity through effects on host plant quality. Ecosphere 7(11):e01522.10.1002/ecs2.1522.

Smith, J. A., H. J. Flowers, and J. E. Hightower. 2015. Fall spawning of Atlantic Sturgeon in the Roanoke River, North Carolina. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 144: 48–54.

Smith, W. E. and T. J. Kwak. 2015. Tropical insular fish assemblages are resilient to flood disturbance. Ecosphere 6: article 279 (16 pages + supplemental material).

Stocking, J. J., T. R. Simons, A. W. Parsons, and A. F. O’Connell. 2017. Managing native predators to protect shorebirds: evidence from a partial removal of raccoons (Procyon lotor) on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Waterbirds 40: 10–18.

Tarr, N. M., M. J. Rubino, J. K. Costanza, A. J. McKerrow, J. A. Collazo, R. C. Abt. 2016. Projected gains and losses of wildlife habitat from bioenergy induced landscape change. Global Change Biology: Bioenergy. GCB Bioenergy, DOI: 10.1111/gcbb.12383.

Tavernia, B. G., J. E. Lyons, B. Loges, A. Wilson, J. A. Collazo, and M. C. Runge. 2015. An evaluation of rapid methods for monitoring wetland bird habitats. Wetlands Ecology and Management. 10.1007/s11273-015-9476-5, p. 1-11.

Terando, A. J, J. Costanza, C. Belyea, R. R. Dunn, A. McKerrow, and J. A. Collazo. 2014. The southern megalopolis: using the past to predict the future of urban sprawl in the Southeast U.S. PLOS One 9(1)| e102261

Van Beusekom, A. E., L. E. Hay, R. J. Viger, W. A. Gould, J. A. Collazo, and A. Henareh Khalyani. 2014. The effects of changing land cover on streamflow simulation in Puerto Rico. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 1-19. DOI: 10.1111/jawr.12227.

Van Beusekom, A. E., W. Gould, A. Terando, and J. Collazo. 2015. Climate changes and water resources in a tropical island system: predicting hydrology with statistically downscaled climate data. International Journal of Climatology. DOI: 10.1002/joc.4560.

Williams, S. G, D. T. Cobb, and J. A. Collazo. 2015. Elk habitat suitability map for North Carolina. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 2: 181–186.

BOOK CHAPTERS

Cayton, H. L., N. M. Haddad, B. Ball, E. Henry, and E. Aschehoug. 2015. Habitat restoration as a recovery tool for a disturbance-dependent butterfly, the endangered St. Francis’ Satyr. Pages 147–159 in J. C. Daniels, editor. Butterfly Conservation in North America.

Kwak, T. J., A. C. Engman, J. R. Fischer, and C. G. Lilyestrom. 2016. Drivers of Caribbean freshwater ecosystems and fisheries. Pages 219–232 in W. W. Taylor, D. M. Bartley, C. I. Goddard, N. J. Leonard, and R. Welcomme, editors. Freshwater, fish and the future: proceedings of the global cross-sectoral conference. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome; Michigan State University, East Lansing; and American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland.

Terando, A. J., B. Reich, K. Pacifici, J. Costanza, A. McKerrow, and J. Collazo. 2015. Uncertainty quantification and propagation for projections of extremes in monthly area burned under climate change: a case study in the coastal plain of Georgia, USA. Invited chapter in P. Webley, K. Riley, M. Thompson, A. Patra, and M. Bursik, editors. AGU Monograph Series: Characterizing Uncertainties in Natural Hazard Modeling. John Wiley and Sons, Hoboken, New Jersey.

TECHNICAL REPORTS

Archambault, J. M. and W. G. Cope. 2015. Facilitating responsible hydrilla control: evaluating the chronic toxicity of aquatic herbicides on the rare Panhandle Pebblesnail (Somatogyrus virginicus). Final Completion Report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission, Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

Bergeron, C. M., J. M. Archambault, W. G. Cope, P. R. Lazaro, J. Jones, B. Beaty, D. Shea, S. Alexander, and B. Evans. 2016. Recent precipitous declines of freshwater mussels in the Clinch River: an in situ assessment of water quality stressors related to energy development and other land use. Final Completion Report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Regions 4 and 5 offices, Cookeville, Tennessee, and Abingdon, Virginia.

Cayton, H., E. Henry, E. Kiekebusch, and N. Haddad. 2015. Research for the conservation and restoration of an endangered butterfly, the St. Francis’ Satyr. Final report to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Atlanta, Georgia.

Cayton, H., E. Henry, G. Himes-Boor, and N. Haddad. 2015. Research for the conservation and restoration of an endangered butterfly, the St. Francis’ Satyr. Final report to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Atlanta, Georgia.


Williams, S. G., J. A. Collazo, and A. J. McKerrow. 2015. Statewide terrestrial habitat threats and risks Projections: a decision support tool for strategic wildlife habitat conservation in North Carolina. Final Report to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, Raleigh, North Carolina.

THESES AND DISSERTATIONS

Cove, M. V. 2016. On the recovery of the endangered small mammals of the Florida Keys: evaluating exotic predator management and habitat restoration. Doctoral Dissertation, North Carolina State University, Raleigh.

Dowdy, K. E. 2016. Occupancy and abundance of Eleutherodactylus frogs in coffee agroecosystems and along an elevational gradient in the mountains of southwestern Puerto Rico. Master of Science Thesis, North Carolina State University, Raleigh.

Dziwulski, K. 2016. Habitat use and survival of Eastern Cottontails (Sylvilagus floridanus) on Christmas tree farms, and the utility of expert knowledge in informing management decisions on human-modified landscapes. Master of Science Thesis, North Carolina State University, Raleigh.

Engman, A. C. 2016. Amphidromous fish recruitment and its ecological role in Caribbean freshwater–marine ecotones. Doctoral Dissertation, North Carolina State University, Raleigh.

Flowers, H. J. 2015. Methods for monitoring and assessing sturgeon populations using technology. Doctoral Dissertation, North Carolina State University, Raleigh.

Grieshaber, C. A. 2016. Relation of fish intersex and survival to contaminants in a riverine system. Master of Science Thesis. North Carolina State University, Raleigh.

Hostetter, N. J. 2016. Data fusion: using multiple data sources to improve demographic parameter estimation in ecology. Doctoral Dissertation, North Carolina State University, Raleigh.

Parks, M. A. 2015. Shorebird numbers, distribution and wetland connectivity among coastal wetlands in southwestern Puerto Rico. Master of Science Thesis, North Carolina State University, Raleigh.

Popp, A. 2016. Advancing the tools of freshwater mussel conservation: determining the relative chemical sensitivity of in vitro and in vivo propagated juvenile mussels. Master of Science Thesis, North Carolina State University, Raleigh

Rose, E. T. 2015. Using remotely sensed indices of fire severity and vegetation structure to identify patterns of avian occurrence following changes in fire management policy within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Master of Science Thesis, North Carolina State University, Raleigh.

Yirka, L. M. 2016. Demographic rates and prioritization of habitat for conservation for Painted Buntings in North Carolina. Master of Science Thesis, North Carolina State University, Raleigh.

Collazo, J. A. 2015. Restoration and management of coastal lagoons in Puerto Rico. Final Report to the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Federal Aid Project W-34.

Cope, W. G. and J. W. Jones. 2016. Recent precipitous declines of endangered freshwater mussels in the Clinch River: an in situ assessment of water quality stressors related to energy development and other land-use. Final report to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Abingdon, Virginia, and Cookeville, Tennessee.

Costanza, J., S. Beck, M. Pyne, A. Terando, M. Rubino, R. White, and J. Collazo. 2016. Assessing climate-sensitive ecosystems in southeastern U.S. Open-file Report 1073, U.S. Geological Survey, Southeast Climate Science Center, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Drew, C. A., B. Pickens, R. White, and J. Collazo. 2015. Assessment of South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative terrestrial indicators. Final Report, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Raleigh, North Caroliona.

Drew, C. A., J. J. Stocking, and J. A. Collazo. 2015. Strategic decision planning for endangered species recovery in Puerto Rico. Final Report, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Caribbean Ecological Services Field Office, Puerto Rico.

Drew, C. A., T. J. Kwak, W. G. Cope, and T. Augspurger. 2015. Hierarchical landscape models for endemic unionid mussels: building strategic habitat conservation tools for mussel recovery in the South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative. Final Report Submitted to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Kwak, T. J., H. J. Flowers, J. R. Fischer, and W. G. Cope. 2016. Stocked trout survival, behavior, and ecology in North Carolina streams. Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Project F-98-R, Final Report to Division of Inland Fisheries, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Lee Pow, C., C. A. Grieshaber, D. K. Sackett, D. D. Aday, S. W. Kullman, W. G. Cope, T. J. Kwak, J. M. Law, and J. A. Rice. 2016. A comprehensive examination of endocrine disrupting compounds and intersex fish in North Carolina water bodies. Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Project F-99-R, Final Report to Division of Inland Fisheries, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Simons, T. R. and E. T. Rose. 2015. Assessing the effects of the National Park Service prescribed fire program on the breeding bird community in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Final Report to the National Park Service, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

Simons, T. R., S. A. Schweitzer, K. Spear, N. Tarr, and C. Belyea. 2016. Assessing the effects of storms, coastal development, and shoreline erosion on shorebird populations in coastal North Carolina. Final Report to the U. S. Geological Survey, National Wetlands Research Center, Lafayette, Louisiana.

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PRESENTATIONS

Alia, E. W., J. R. Fischer, A. C. Engman, A. O. Gill, C. S. Lee Pow, H. V. Daniels, T. J. Kwak, and J. A. Collazo. 2015. Characterization of the salinity profile of the Arecibo River estuary, a Caribbean island ecosystem. Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America. August 9–14, Baltimore, Maryland. Poster presentation.

Archambault, J. M., C. M. Bergeron, W. G. Cope, P. R. Lazaro, J. A. Leonard, and D. Shea. 2015. Assessing the toxicity of recently-deposited sediments of the Clinch River watershed to juvenile freshwater mussels. 9th Biennial Symposium of the Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society. March 22-26, 2015, St. Charles, Missouri.

Archambault, J. M. and W. G. Cope. 2015. Ecosystem health: balancing risks of hydrilla invasion and treatment. Eno River Hydrilla Management Task Force Public Information Open House. April 29, Hillsborough, North Carolina. Poster presentation.

Archambault, J. M., W. G. Cope, and T. J. Kwak. 2015. Thermal stress and dewatering negatively impact freshwater mussel survival and behavior. Invited speaker to the 5th Thermal Ecology and Regulation Workshop. September 15–16, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Archambault, J. M., C. M. Bergeron, W. G. Cope, R. J. Richardson, M. A. Heilman, J. E. Corey III, M. D. Netherland, and R. J. Heise. 2015. Consideration of the effects of herbicides on non-target species in management of invasive aquatic weeds. 9th Biennial Symposium of the Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society. March 22-26, St. Charles, Missouri.

Archambault, J. M., C. M. Bergeron, W. G Cope, P. R. Lazaro, J. A. Leonard, and D. Shea. 2016. Assessing the toxicity of the Clinch River Basin sediment load to the endangered freshwater mussel Epioblasma brevidens (Cumberlandian combshell). Joint Meeting of the North Carolina and Virginia Chapters of the American Fisheries Society. March 15-17, 2016, Danville, Virginia.

Archambault, J. M., C. M. Bergeron, W. G. Cope, P. R. Lazaro, J. A. Leonard, and D. Shea. 2016. Using field and laboratory techniques to investigate the role of contaminants in Clinch River mussel population declines. Invited speaker to the monthly meeting of the North Carolina State University, Student Subunit of the American Fisheries Society. April 5, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Battle, K., K. Pacifici, and J. A. Collazo. 2015. Local landscape-level drivers of avian community assemblages in subtropical forested and agricultural habitats. IALE World. Portland, Oregon. Poster presentation.

Battle, K. E., K. Pacifici, and J. A. Collazo. 2016.Perception is reality: does the biodiversity metric of choice determine the biodiversity drivers? Contributed paper presented at the 23rd Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society. Raleigh, North Carolina.

Bergeron, C. M., J. M. Archambault, W. G. Cope, P. R. Lazaro, J. W. Jones, B. Beaty, D. Shea, T. J. Kwak, B. Evans, and S. Alexander. 2015. The influence of sediment and water quality stressors on the unexplained decline of freshwater mussels in the Clinch River. Annual Meeting of the Chesapeake Potomac Regional Chapter of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. April 24, Columbia, Maryland.

Bergeron, C. M., J. M. Archambault, W. G. Cope, P. R. Lazaro, J. W. Jones, B. Beaty, D. Shea, T. J. Kwak, B. Evans, and S. Alexander. 2015. Water and sediment quality stressors and unexplained declines of freshwater mussels in the Clinch River. 9th Biennial Symposium of the Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society. March 22-26, St. Charles, Missouri.

Bragina, E. V., R. Kays, J. Hody, C. E. Moorman, C. DePerno, and L.S. Mills. 2016. No signal of Eastern Coyotes affecting White-Tailed Deer population growth at large scale. Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society. October 15-20, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Buckel, J.A. and J.E. Hightower. 2015. Using telemetry to estimate natural and fishing mortality in estuarine fishes. Integrated tracking of aquatic animals in the Gulf of Mexico (iTAG) workshop, Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. October 29, St. Petersburg, Florida. .

Buczek, S. B., W. G. Cope, R. A. McLaughlin, and T. J. Kwak. 2015. Turbidity control in aquatic systems with polyacrylamide: assessing differences in formulation and resulting toxicity to native freshwater mussels. Biennial Symposium of the Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society. March 22–27, St. Charles, Missouri.

Buczek, S. B., W. G. Cope, R. A. McLaughlin, and T. J. Kwak. 2015. Controlling turbidity in streams: assessing polyacrylamide toxicity to native freshwater mussels. Annual Meeting of the North Carolina Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. February 24–25, Carolina Beach, North Carolina.

Gus Engman presents research findings at the Puerto Rico Chapter of the American Fisheries Society annual meeting in Cerillos, PR.

TOM KWAK


Engman, A. C., T. J. Kwak, J. R. Fischer, and W. G. Cope. 2016. A half-moonlight feast: trophic function of postlarval amphidromous goby recruitment in Caribbean freshwater-marine ecotones. Invited speaker to the Best Student Paper Symposium at the 146th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society. August 21–25, Kansas City, Missouri.

Engman, A. C., T. J. Kwak, J. R. Fischer, C. G. Lilyestrom, D. J. Padilla Rivera, A. S. Maurer, R. J. Benítez Joubert, and C. A. Greishaber. 2015. Life history and ecological research to inform the management of Puerto Rico riverine fisheries. Estudios del ciclo de vida y ecologicos con el fin de informar al manejo de las pesquerías ribereñas de Puerto Rico. Invited speaker to the Annual Meeting of the Puerto Rico Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. January 17, Cerillos, Puerto Rico.

Felton, S., T. R. Simons, and K. Pollock. 2016. Behavioral and physiological responses of nesting American Oystercatchers to off-road vehicles on North Carolina’s National Seashores. Waterbird Society Annual Meeting. September 2016, New Bern, North Carolina.

Felton, S. K., N. J. Hostetter, and T. R. Simons. 2015. Managing American Oystercatcher population growth by targeting nesting season vital rates. Waterbird Society Annual Meeting. August, Bar Harbor, Maine.

Fischer, J. R., T. J. Kwak, A. C. Engman, and W. E. Smith. 2015. Use of post-larval otoliths to compare age, growth, and pelagic larval durations of Caribbean amphidromous gobies. Invited speaker to a symposium entitled “Use of Scales, Otoliths and Fin Rays to Determine Age, Growth, and Life History Characteristics of Fishes” at the 145th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society. August 15–20, Portland, Oregon.

Fischer, J. R., T. J. Kwak, A. C. Engman, C. A. Grieshaber, and W. E. Smith. 2015. Determination of pelagic larval duration and growth of Caribbean amphidromous fishes. Annual Meeting of the Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society. January 28–February 1, Savannah, Georgia.

Fischer, J. R., T. J. Kwak, and A. C. Engman. 2016. Growth, pelagic larval duration, and exploitation of Caribbean amphidromous gobies. 146th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society. August 21–25, Kansas City, Missouri.

Fischer, J. R., T. J. Kwak, H. J. Flowers, W. G. Cope, J. M. Rash, and D. A. Besler. 2016. Condition, diet, and trophic relations of stocked trout in southern Appalachian Mountain streams. Joint Meeting of the North Carolina and Virginia Chapters of the American Fisheries Society. March 14–17, Danville, Virginia.

Fish, A. C., C. E. Moorman, C. S. DePerno and J. M. Schillaci. 2016. Juvenile songbird survival, habitat selection and movement: a Bachman’s Sparrow case study. 2016 Annual Meeting of the North Carolina Chapter of The Wildlife Society. March 16-17, Browns Summit, North Carolina.

Fish, A. C., C. E. Moorman, C. S. DePerno and J. M. Schillaci. 2016. Juvenile Bachman’s Sparrow survival, movement and habitat selection in a landscape managed with frequent fire. Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society. October 15-20, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Buzuleciu, S. and C. E. Sorenson. 2016. Effects of pine straw removal on arthropods in longleaf pine communities. 25th International Congress of Entomology. Orlando, Florida.

Buzuleciu, S. and C. E. Sorenson. 2016. Effects of pine straw removal on arthropods in longleaf pine communities. North Carolina Entomological Society Annual Meeting. Raleigh, North Carolina. Poster presentation.

Chitwood, C. M., M. A. Lashley, A. Schultz, J. Jones, C. S. DePerno, and C. E. Moorman. 2016. Fruit production indicates a lack of mosaic in fire-spread in the longleaf pine ecosystem. Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society. October 15-20, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Collazo, J. A., P. L. Fackler, and M. A. Parks. 2016. Decision model to maximize quality of managed, coastal wetlands for migratory shorebirds in the tropics. Invited speaker to the Sixth Western Hemisphere Shorebird Group Meeting – Shorebirds Without Borders. Chincoteague Bay Field Station, Wallops Island, Virginia.

Cope, W. R., T. J. Kwak, and T. R. Black. 2016. Status, trends, and ecology of the endemic Carolina Madtom. Invited speaker to a symposium entitled “Catfish Research and Management” at the Joint Meeting of the North Carolina and Virginia Chapters of the American Fisheries Society. March 14–17, Danville, Virginia.

Cove, M., T. Simons, B. Gardner, and A. O’Connell. 2015. Determining spatial and temporal overlaps of endangered small mammals and their invasive predators. American Society of Mammalogists. June, 2015, Jacksonville, Florida.

Cove, M. V. 2016. Co-occurrence dynamics of endangered Lower Keys Marsh Rabbits and free-ranging Cats. Annual Meeting of The Wildlife Society. October, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Cove, M. V., T. R. Simons, B. Gardner, and A. O’Connell. 2016. Exotic predators affect prey behavior with potential for trophic cascades in island ecosystems. Annual Meeting of The Wildlife Society. October, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Engman, A. C., T. J. Kwak, and J. R. Fischer. 2015. Patterns and drivers of recruitment in Caribbean amphidromous fishes. 145th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society. August 15–20, Portland, Oregon.

Engman, A. C., T. J. Kwak, and J. R. Fischer. 2016. Temporal and spatial patterns of recruitment in Caribbean amphidromous fishes. Annual Meeting of the Puerto Rico Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. January 8, Cerillos, Puerto Rico.

Engman, A. C., T. J. Kwak, J. R. Fischer, and C. A. Grieshaber. 2015. Temporal dynamics and the ecological role of recruitment in Caribbean amphidromous fishes. Invited speaker to a Symposium entitled “Do macro-consumers matter? Researching the effects of large-bodied biota on aquatic ecosystems” at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society. January 28–February 1, Savannah, Georgia.

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Fish, A. C., C. E. Moorman, C. S. DePerno and J. M. Schillaci. 2016. Fledgling Bachman’s Sparrow survival, movement, and habitat selection in a landscape managed with frequent fire. North American Ornithological Conference VI. August 18, Washington, DC.

Fish, A. C., C. E. Moorman, C. S. DePerno and J. M. Schillaci. 2016. Bachman’s Sparrow research on Fort Bragg. Sandhills Natural History Society. June 27, Southern Pines, North Carolina.

Fish, A. C., C. E. Moorman, C. S. DePerno and J. M. Schillaci. 2016. Juvenile songbird survival, habitat selection, and movement: a Bachman’s Sparrow case study. An Evening with David Allen Sibley. April 5, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Fish, A. C., C. E. Moorman, C. S. DePerno and J. M. Schillaci. 2016. Juvenile songbird survival, habitat selection, and movement: a Bachman’s Sparrow case study. North Carolina State University 11th Annual Graduate Student Research Symposium. March 23, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Fish, A. C., C. E. Moorman, C. S. DePerno and J. M. Schillaci. 2015. The next stage of ornithological research: understanding fledgling survival, movement and habitat selection. Annual Meeting of North Carolina Partners in Flight. November 17, Browns Summit, North Carolina.

Fish, A. C., C. E. Moorman, C. S. DePerno, and J. M. Schillaci. 2015. Effects of military training on Bachman’s Sparrow reproductive success and occupancy. Annual Meeting of the North Carolina Chapter of The Wildlife Society. April 8-9, Canton, North Carolina.

Fish, A. C., C. E. Moorman, C. S. DePerno, and J. M. Schillaci. 2015. Effects of military training on Bachman’s Sparrow reproductive success and occupancy. North Carolina State University 10th Annual Graduate Student Research Symposium. March 25, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Fish, A. C., C. E. Moorman, C. S. DePerno, and J. M. Schillaci. 2015. Effects of military training on Bachman’s Sparrow reproductive ecology. 2015 Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society. October 17-22, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Flowers, H. J. and J. E. Hightower. 2015. Annual movement patterns of Roanoke River Atlantic sturgeon, including inter-DSP marine movements and spawning periodicity. 145th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society. August 16-20, Portland, Oregon.

Flowers, H. J. and J. E. Hightower. 2015. Annual movement patterns of Roanoke River Atlantic sturgeon, including inter-DSP marine movements and spawning periodicity. Tidewater Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. March 5-7, Pine Knoll Shores, North Carolina.

Flowers, H. J., T. J. Kwak, J. R. Fischer, W. G. Cope, J. M. Rash, and D. A. Besler. 2016. Behavior and survival of stocked trout in southern Appalachian Mountain streams. Joint Meeting of the North Carolina and Virginia Chapters of the American Fisheries Society. March 14–17, Danville, Virginia.

Freeman, B. J. and T. J. Kwak. 2016. Status of the Chattahoochee Bass, Micropterus chattahoochae, in Puerto Rico. Annual Meeting of the Puerto Rico Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. January 8, Cerillos, Puerto Rico.

Grieshaber, C. A., T. N. Penland, T. J. Kwak, W. G. Cope, R. J. Heise, F. W. Sessions, J. R. Fischer, J. M. Law, and D. Shea. 2016. Relation of intersex and fish health to contaminants in riverine fishes. Invited speaker to the Best Student Paper Symposium at the 146th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society. August 21–25, Kansas City, Missouri.

Grieshaber, C., T. Penland, T. Kwak, G. Cope, R. Heise, F. Sessions, J. Fischer, J. Leonard, C. Lee Pow, J. Archambault, F. Weber, D. Shea, M. Law, J. Rice, S. Kullman, and D. Aday. 2015. Water quality and intersex fish in the Yadkin-Pee Dee River. Annual Meeting of the North Carolina Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. February 24–25, Carolina Beach, North Carolina.

Gyovai, M. N., J. R. Fischer, A. C. Engman, A. O. Gill, C. S. Lee Pow, H. V. Daniels, T. J. Kwak, and J. A. Collazo. 2015. Characterization of a Caribbean estuarine fishery by use of a creel survey. Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America. August 9–14, Baltimore, Maryland. Poster presentation.

Handa, S., J. R. Fischer, A. C. Engman, A. O. Gill, C. S. Lee Pow, H. V. Daniels, T. J. Kwak, and J. A. Collazo. 2015. Estimation of return migration swimming speed of the sirajo goby, a Caribbean diadromous fish. Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America. August 9–14, Baltimore, Maryland. Poster presentation.

Heise, R. J., J. M. Fisk II, and T. J. Kwak. 2015. From rediscovery to augmentation: conservation of the Robust Redhorse in the Pee Dee River. Invited speaker to a Symposium entitled “Ecology and conservation of southeastern cypriniform fishes” at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society. January 28–February 1, Savannah, Georgia.

Hightower, J. E., M. Loeffler, D. L. Peterson, and W. C. Post. 2015. Estimated survival of subadult and adult Atlantic Sturgeon in four river basins in the southeastern United States. Southern Division, American Fisheries Society. January 28-February 1, Pine Knoll Shores, North Carolina.

Hughes, J. B., B. Bentz, and J. E. Hightower. 2016. White Sturgeon abundance: side-scan sonar vs. capture-recapture. North American Sturgeon and Paddlefish Society. September 19-22, Hood River, Oregon.

Hughes, J. B., B. Bentz, and J. E. Hightower. 2017. Just count ‘em!? A sonar approach to enumerating sturgeon. Idaho Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. March 1-3, Boise, Idaho.

Iberra, S., J. R. Fischer, A. C. Engman, A. O. Gill, C. S. Lee Pow, H. V. Daniels, T. J. Kwak, and J. A. Collazo. 2016. Shifts in the diet of Caribbean riverine predators during amphidromous fish migrations. Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America. August 7–12, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Poster presentation.


Kwak, T. J., A. C. Engman, J. R. Fischer, and C. G. Lilyestrom. 2015. Ecological drivers, functions, and services of Caribbean freshwater fishes. Invited speaker to a Symposium entitled “Do macro-consumers matter? Researching the effects of large-bodied biota on aquatic ecosystems” at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society. January 28–February 1, Savannah, Georgia.

Kwak, T. J., A. C. Engman, J. R. Fischer, and C. G. Lilyestrom. 2015. Ecological services and drivers of Caribbean freshwater fisheries. Invited speaker to a Global Conference on Inland Fisheries. Freshwater, Fish, and the Future: Cross-Sectional Approaches to Sustain Livelihoods, Food Security, and Aquatic Ecosystems. January 26-30, United Nations, Food and Agriculture Organization Headquarters, Rome, Italy.

Kwak, T. J., H. J. Flowers, J. R. Fischer, W. G. Cope, J. M. Rash, and D. A. Besler. 2016. Behavior and survival of stocked trout in southern Appalachian Mountain streams. 146th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society. August 21–25, Kansas City, Missouri.

Kwak, T. J., J. R. Fischer, H. J. Flowers, W. G. Cope, J. M. Rash, and D. A. Besler. 2015. Condition, diet, and trophic relations of stocked trout in Appalachian streams. Invited speaker to a symposium entitled “Economic and Social Impacts of Stocking Cultured Fish” at the 145th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society. August 15–20, Portland, Oregon.

Kwak, T. J., W. G. Cope, T. J. Pandolfo, J. M. Archambault, and C. A. Drew. 2016. Breaking traditional barriers to model climate change and land use impacts on freshwater mussels. Invited speaker to a symposium entitled “Effects of Climate Change on Inland Freshwater Fisheries: Looking Back and Moving Forward” at the 7th World Fisheries Congress. May 23–27, Busan, South Korea.

Kwak, T.J. 2016. Sleeping giants: the ecology and impacts of domestic invasive large catfish. Invited speaker to a symposium entitled “Catfish Research and Management” at the Joint Meeting of the North Carolina and Virginia Chapters of the American Fisheries Society. March 14–17, Danville, Virginia.

LaPlante, J. J., J. R. Fischer, A. C. Engman, A. O. Gill, C. S. Lee Pow, H. V. Daniels, T. J. Kwak, and J. A. Collazo. 2015. Nearshore larval fish assemblages in a Caribbean estuary. Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America. August 9–14, Baltimore, Maryland. Poster presentation.

Lashley, M. A., M. C. Chitwood, C. S. DePerno, and C. E. Moorman. 2015. The pyric herbivory paradigm does not explain fire-browser interactions. Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society. October 10-15, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Lee Pow, C., M. Law, T. Kwak, D. Shea, G. Cope, J. Rice, S. Kullman, and D. Aday. 2015. Estrogenic contaminant concentrations and the incidence of intersex in centrarchid fishes: landscape-level relationships in North Carolina. Invited speaker to the Best Student Paper Symposium at the 145th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society. August 15–20, Portland, Oregon.

Irizarry, A., J. A. Collazo, and K. Pacifici. 2016. Avian response to shade layer restoration in coffee plantations in Puerto Rico.North American Ornithological Conference. Washington, DC.

Ivasauskas, T. J. 2015. The curious case of the Sicklefin Redhorse. Monthly meeting of the Raleigh-Durham Chapter of Trout Unlimited (Triangle Flyfishers). Durham, North Carolina.

Ivasauskas, T. J., T. J. Kwak, and M. E. Raley. 2016. Phenology, growth, and early life history of six sympatric suckers. 146th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society. August 21–25, Kansas City, Missouri.

Ivasauskas, T. J., T. J. Kwak, and P. L. Rakes. 2015. Swimming ability and early development of an imperiled redhorse species and other river fishes. 145th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society. August 15–20, Portland, Oregon.

Ivasauskas, T. J., T. J. Kwak, and P. L. Rakes. 2015. Swimming ability of Sicklefin Redhorse early life stages and implications for conservation of an imperiled species. Annual Meeting of the North Carolina Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. February 24–25, Carolina Beach, North Carolina.

Ivasauskas, T. J., T. J. Kwak, and P. L. Rakes. 2015. Swimming ability of Sicklefin Redhorse early life stages and implications for conservation of an imperiled species. Invited speaker to a Symposium entitled “Ecology and conservation of southeastern cypriniform fishes” at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Division of the American Fisheries Society. January 28–February 1, Savannah, Georgia.

Ivasauskas, T. J., T. J. Kwak, W. G. Ballard, and T. C. Glenn. 2016. Detecting predation impact of an introduced fish using next-generation sequencing. Joint Meeting of the North Carolina and Virginia Chapters of the American Fisheries Society. March 14–17, Danville, Virginia.

Keilhauer, M., J. R. Fischer, A. C. Engman, A. O. Gill, C. S. Lee Pow, H. V. Daniels, T. J. Kwak, and J. A. Collazo. 2016. Characterization of a Caribbean riverine fish assemblage: potential effects of postlarval amphidromous migration. Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America. August 7–12, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Poster presentation.

Khalyani, A. H., W. A. Gould, J. A. Collazo, and M. J. Falkowski. 2016. Temporal stability in spatial suitability: examining the assumptions of empirically fitted spatially explicit models of LULC change. US-IALE. Asheville, North Carolina.

Krause, J. R., J. A. Buckel, and J. E. Hightower. 2015. Sources of mortality of Weakfish tagged in North Carolina. Tidewater Chapter, American Fisheries Society. March 5-7, Pine Knoll Shores, North Carolina.

Kwak, T. J. 2015. Sleeping giants: the ecology and impacts of domestic invasive large catfish. Invited speaker to the 69th Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. November 1–4, Asheville, North Carolina.

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Lee Pow, C., M. Law, T. Kwak, D. Shea, G. Cope, J. Rice, S. Kullman, and D. Aday. 2015. Relating the incidence of intersex in centrarchid fishes to estrogenic contaminant concentrations across North Carolina. Annual Meeting of the North Carolina Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. February 24–25, Carolina Beach, North Carolina.

Levan, B. M., C. E. Moorman, C. S. DePerno, and C. A. Harper. 2015. Effects of plant composition and establishment practice on habitat quality of wildlife openings. Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society, October 17-22, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Levan, B., C. E. Moorman, C. S. DePerno, and C. A. Harper. 2015. Effects of plant composition and establishment practice on habitat quality of wildlife openings. Annual Meeting of the North Carolina Chapter of The Wildlife Society, April 8-9, Canton, North Carolina.

Moorman, C. E., E. Kilburg, A. Fish, J. Winiarski, S. Rosche, J. Carpenter, J. Schillaci, C. Harper, and C. DePerno. 2016. Do growing-season prescribed fires post a threat to ground-nesting birds? Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society. October 15-20, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Moorman, C. E., M. A. Lashley, M. C. Chitwood, and C. S. DePerno. 2015. Fire effects on deer in longleaf pine forest. NC Prescribed Fire Council Annual Meeting. August 11, New London, North Carolina.

Myers, B. J. E., A. J. Lynch, T. J. Krabbenhoft, R. P. Kovach, T. J. Kwak, J. A. Falke, C. Chu, D. B. Bunnell, and C. P. Paukert. 2016. Global synthesis of climate change effects on inland fish. Invited speaker to a symposium entitled “Climate Change Effects on North American Inland Fish Physiology, Populations, and Assemblages” at the 146th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society. August 21–25, Kansas City, Missouri.

Myers, B. J., A. J. Lynch, D. B. Bunnell, C. Chu, J. A. Falke, R. Kovach, T. J. Krabbenhoft, and T. J. Kwak. 2016. Global synthesis of climate change effects on inland fish. Invited speaker to a symposium entitled “Effects of Climate Change on Inland Freshwater Fisheries: Looking Back and Moving Forward” at the 7th World Fisheries Congress. May 23–27, Busan, South Korea.

Pacifici, K., B. J. Reich, D. A.W. Miller, B. Gardner, G. Stauffer, S. Singh, A. McKerrow, and J. Collazo. 2016. Integrating multiple data sources in species distribution modeling: a framework for data fusion. International Statistical Ecology Conference. Seattle, Washington.

Pandolfo, T. J., T. J. Kwak, W. G. Cope, R. J. Heise, R. B. Nichols, and K. Pacifici. 2015. Biotic and abiotic influences on the occurrence and detection of freshwater mussels at multiple scales. Biennial Symposium of the Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society. March 22–27, St. Charles, Missouri.

Parsons, A. W., T. R. Simons, A. F. O’Connell, K. Pollock, M. K. Stoskopf, and J. J. Stocking. 2015. Evaluating assumptions of mark-resight models: an island case study. The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting. October, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Patton, P. T., K. Pacifici, and J. A. Collazo. 2016. Incorporating multiple sources of error in hierarchical models of community occupancy. 23rd Annual Conference, The Wildlife Society. Raleigh, North Caroliona.

Patton, P. T., K. Pacifici, and J. A. Collazo. 2016. Joint host–brood parasite occurrence models can improve predictions and reveal ecological traps. International Statistical Ecology Conference. Seattle, Washington.

Penland, T. N., C. A. Grieshaber, T. J. Kwak, W. G. Cope, R. J. Heise, and F. W. Sessions. 2016. Food web structure and contaminant trophodynamics of a freshwater riverine system: implications for an imperiled sucker species. 146th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society. August 21–25, Kansas City, Missouri.

Pickens, B. A., P. Taillie, S. Anderson, J. Carpenter, J. F. Marcus, and J. A. Collazo. 2015. Advancing species distribution models to identify optimal restoration sites for Bachman’s Sparrow (Peucaea aestivalis). Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Asheville, North Carolina.

Pickens, B., C. Ashton Drew, L. Alexander-Vaughn, A. Keister, R. Mordecai, and J. A. Collazo. 2015. Assessing the role of indicators and connectivity for conservation planning of southeastern U.S. pine woodlands and savanna. 9th IALE World. Portland, Oregon.

Popp, A., W. G. Cope, M. McGregor , L. Koch, T. J. Kwak, T. Augspurger, and J. F. Levine. 2016. Assessing the influence of propagation and culture methods on juvenile mussel chemical sensitivity: implications for conservation. Joint Meeting of the North Carolina and Virginia Chapters of the American Fisheries Society. March 14–17, Danville, Virginia.

Popp, A., W. G. Cope, M. McGregor, C. Owen, L. Koch, A. Velasco, C. Ingersoll, N. Wang, T. J. Kwak, and D. Shea. 2015. Advancing the tools of freshwater mussel conservation: determining the relative chemical sensitivity of in vitro and in vivo propagated juvenile mussels. 9th Biennial Symposium of the Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society. March 22–26, St. Charles, Missouri.

Popp, A., W. G. Cope, M. McGregor, L. Koch, T. J. Kwak, T. Augspurger, and J. F. Levine. 2016. Does mussel culture propagation method influence juvenile chemical sensitivity? Invited paper presented at the 37th Annual Meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) and the 7th SETAC World Congress. November 5–10, Orlando, Florida.

Popp, A., W. G. Cope, M. McGregor, L. Koch, T. J. Kwak, T. Augspurger, and J. F. Levine. 2016. Do propagation and culture methods for native freshwater mussels influence their chemical sensitivity? Invited speaker to a symposium entitled “Freshwater Mussel Conservation” at the 146th Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society. August 21–25, Kansas City, Missouri.

Raabe, J. K., B. Gardner, and J. E. Hightower. 2015. A spatial capture-recapture model to estimate fish survival and location from linear continuous monitoring arrays. Wisconsin Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. February 24–26, Eau Claire, Wisconsin.


Tillery, D. S., J. R. Fischer, A. C. Engman, A. O. Gill, C. S. Lee Pow, H. V. Daniels, T. J. Kwak, and J. A. Collazo. 2015. Fish assemblages in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America. August 9–14, Baltimore, Maryland. Poster presentation.

Wells, T., M. Gyovai, E. Diaz, J. R. Fischer, A. C. Engman, A. O. Gill, C. S. Lee Pow, H. V. Daniels, T. J. Kwak, and J. A. Collazo. 2016. Estimation of harvest for a Caribbean artisanal postlarvae goby fishery. Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America. August 7–12, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Poster presentation.

Wilcox, D., A. C. Engman, J. R. Fischer, A. O. Gill, C. S. Lee Pow, H. V. Daniels, T. J. Kwak, and J. A. Collazo. 2016. Diel patterns, abundance, and biomass of a goby postlarval migration in a Caribbean river. Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America. August 7–12, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Poster presentation.

Winiarski, J. M., A. C. Fish, J. P. Carpenter, C. E. Moorman, C. S. DePerno and J. M. Schillaci. 2016. Nest-site selection and nest survival of Bachman’s Sparrows in contrasting longleaf pine ecosystems. Annual Meeting of the North Carolina Chapter of The Wildlife Society, March 16–17, Browns Summit, North Carolina.

Wootten, A., A. Terando, and J. Collazo. 2016. Ultra-high resolution ecologically-relevant climate projections for the U.S. Caribbean. Biodiversity Without Borders, NatureServe. San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Xiong, W. N, T. J. Ivasauskas, J. R. Fischer, T. J. Kwak, J. D. Wehbie, S. T. Gardner, and K. R. Rundle. 2016. Recreational angler catch, effort, and satisfaction in an urban setting. Joint Meeting of the North Carolina and Virginia Chapters of the American Fisheries Society. March 14–17, Danville, Virginia.

Xiong, W., A. C. Engman, J. R. Fischer, A. O. Gill, C. S. Lee Pow, H. V. Daniels, T. J. Kwak, and J. A. Collazo. 2016. The diet composition of Caribbean estuarine predatory fishes. Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America. August 7–12, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Poster presentation.

INVITED SEMINARS

Drew, C. A., T. J. Kwak, W. G. Cope, and T. Augspurger. 2015. Progress, challenges, and opportunities in landscape-scale decision support for conservation of freshwater aquatic species. Invited speaker to the South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative Webinar Series. August 20, Online Webinar.

Kwak, T. J. 2015. Double trouble: amphidromy and conservation of Caribbean stream fish. Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology, University of Maine. September 28, Orono, Maine.

Kwak, T. J. 2016. Double trouble: amphidromy and conservation of Caribbean stream fish. Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University. September 26, Richmond, Virginia.

Simons, T. R. 2015. The importance of estimating detection probability in animal sampling. Invited seminar, Clemson University. February, Clemson, South Carolina.

Raabe, J. K., T. A. Ellis, C. Collier, and J. E. Hightower. 2015. Effectiveness of a rock arch rapids for fish passage at a lock and dam on a large coastal river. North Carolina Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. February 24–25, Carolina Beach, North Carolina.

Rosche, S. B., C. E. Moorman, C. S. DePerno, and J. G. Jones. 2016. Northern Bobwhite nesting ecology in the presence of frequent early growing-season fire. Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society. October 15–20, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Rudershausen, P. J., J. A. Buckel1, J. E. Hightower, M. J. O’Donnell, T. Dubreuil, J. H. Merrell, and B. H. Letcher. 2015. Survival of a dominant salt marsh fish among variably altered tidal creeks in a coastal landscape. Southern Division, American Fisheries Society. January 28–February 1, Savannah, Georgia.

Rudershausen, P. J., J. A. Buckel, and J.E. Hightower. 2015. Having your cake and eating it too: simple gear modifications to reduce sub-legal bycatch but maintain target catch in the U.S. South Atlantic Black Sea Bass and Blue Crab trap fisheries. Southern Division, American Fisheries Society. January 28–February 1, Savannah, Georgia.

Scheffel, T. K., J. A. Buckel, J. E. Hightower, and F. S. Scharf. 2015. Estimating mortality for Southern Flounder using a combined telemetry and conventional tagging approach. Tidewater Chapter, American Fisheries Society. March 5–7, Pine Knoll Shores, North Carolina.

Simons, T. R. 2015. Haematopology – the ecology and conservation of American Oystercatchers: 15 years of collaborative focal species research in shorebird conservation. Invited Plenary Lecture, Western Hemisphere Shorebird Conference. October 2015, Wallops Island, Virginia.

Simons, T. R. 2015. The American Oystercatcher Working Group – 15 years of collaborative focal species research and management. Waterbird Society Annual Meeting. August 2015, Bar Harbor, Maine.

Spear, K. A., S. H. Schweitzer, T. R. Simons, C. Thatcher, and C. Wells. 2016. Assessment of storm impacts on coastal bird populations, behavior, and nesting along the Outer Banks barrier islands, North Carolina. Waterbird Society Annual Meeting. September, New Bern, North Carolina.

Stocking, J., T. Simons, A. Parsons, and A. O’Connell. 2015. Managing native predators to protect shorebirds: evidence from an experimental removal of Raccoons on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Waterbird Society Annual Meeting. August, Bar Harbor, Maine.

Tarr, N. M., M, J. Rubino, J. K. Costanza, A. J. McKerrow, J. A. Collazo, and R. C. Abt. 2015. Gains and losses in wildlife habitat from bioenergy production in North Carolina. Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Asheville, North Carolina

Tarr, N., J. K. Costanza, R. C. Abt, A. J. McKerrow, and J. A. Collazo. 2016. Modeling the effects of biomass production on landscapes and wildlife habitat. US-IALE Conference. Asheville, North Carolina.

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Jesse Fischer and students sample the fishes of Lake Raleigh on the Centennial Campus of NC State University using boat electrofishing in a course on the Management of Small Impoundments. TOM KWAK

COOPERATORS

North Carolina State University




Wildlife Management Institute

U.S.FISH & WILDLIFE

SERVICE

department of the interior

Campus Box 7617

Department of Applied Ecology

NC State University

Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7617

Telephone: 919-515-2631

Fax: 919-515-4454

appliedecology.cals.ncsu.edu/nccoopunit

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