School of protogynous reef fishes, including red porgy.

Incorporating protogyny into stock assessment models:

Commercial harvest of fishes often removes the largest, most productive individuals from the population. For species that change sex during their lifetimes, harvest may selectively remove one sex, possibly affecting population productivity. I am currently working on a project to investigate ways to incorporate the effects of protogyny (female to male sex transition) into stock assessments and management of reef fishes, particularly red porgy and black sea bass.
Grass carp

Modeling grass carp bioenergetics and movement:

By evaluating grass carp movement patterns, growth, and consumption rates, we will develop bioenergetic models to predict optimum stocking densities, locations, and frequencies, with the goal of controlling hydrilla in Lake Gaston, NC.
Red knot, with spawning horseshoe crabs

Horseshoe crab-shorebird multispecies assessment:

I am working with a team of researchers to develop an assessment model that links population dynamics of horseshoe crabs in the Delaware Bay with population dynamics of migrating shorebirds, including red knot. Shorebirds rely on horseshoe crab eggs as a vital food source during their long spring migrations.
Black bear

Evaluating population reconstruction for bears and deer:

I conducted model simulations to evaluate the effects of violated assumptions on the accuracy and precision of Downing population reconstruction, a method that uses harvest-at-age data to estimate minimum population size. This technique proved to be most appropriate for populations with high, relatively constant harvest rates and low natural mortality (like deer and bears). The results of this project were published in the Journal of Wildlife Management (view pdf). I also developed a software package that conducts population reconstruction (download the software).
Eastern chipmunk

Effects of timber harvest and disturbance on small mammals:

Jeff Kaminski investigated the effects of timber harvest on small mammal communities in West Virginia. Many of the species increased in abundance in disturbed areas and often selected microhabitats representative of disturbed and regenerating areas. Results of this study were published in American Midland Naturalist (view pdf).
Horseshoe crabs

Horseshoe crab population assessment:

The horseshoe crab is used by fishermen as bait, biomedical companies to detect toxins, and migrating shorebirds that feed on horseshoe crab eggs. In recent years, there has been concern that horseshoe crab populations were declining in abundance. I constructed a number of regional surplus production models to identify trends in horseshoe crab abundance. These models identified a decrease in horseshoe crab abundance in some regions, including the Delaware Bay. Results of this study were published in Fishery Bulletin (view pdf).
Horseshoe crabs

Changes in horseshoe crab spawning habitat:

Every spring, horseshoe crabs spawn on sandy beaches. The decline in horseshoe crab abundance led to questions about whether spawning habitat was decreasing, as well. I used land cover data from NOAA's Coastal Change Assessment Program to evaluate changes to sandy beach habitat over time. Coastwide, I found only minimal net changes, although larger changes were evident at a more localized scale.
Red porgy

Effects of data loss on stock assessment:

For a depleted fish population, strict regulations may be required to rebuild the stock. However, much of the information available for marine fish is a direct result of harvest. I conducted model simulations to determine the effects of losing data (as during a moratorium) on variability of stock assessment estimates. Results of this study were published in Fishery Bulletin (view pdf) and were the subject of my thesis (view pdf).