Wildlife Management on Shoemaker Lab

An integrated model improves inferences about survival in the Mojave desert tortoise

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Combining mark-recapture and telemetry data reveals survival patterns missed by either data source alone

Late season frosts and changing snowpack may exacerbate human-bear conflicts

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Late frosts and low snowpack are linked to higher human-black bear conflict in northwestern Nevada

We need better ways to re-evaluate conservation policies when they're founded on flawed research

Wed, 07 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

An opinion piece on why flawed models are hard to correct once they've shaped conservation policy

Common-garden experiment reveals outbreeding depression and region-of-origin effects in a frequently translocated tortoise

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Hatching success in translocated gopher tortoises declines with parental genetic distance and depends on mothers' region of origin

Inflated predictions from a flawed model influenced the decision to deny federal protection to the gopher tortoise

Tue, 16 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

A coding error in a widely-cited population model overstated the resilience of gopher tortoise populations

Simulation modeling to support restoration of extinct Galapagos giant tortoise populations

Thu, 23 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000

In the 19th century, populations of giant tortoises in the Galapagos Islands were decimated by whalers and pirates, who kept and killed tortoises on their ships as a resilient source of fresh meat for long ocean voyages. Particularly hard-hit were “saddlebacked” species that inhabited the islands’ arid lowlands closer to the coasts. Of the five saddlebacked species, two have been declared extinct: Chelonoidis elephantopus from Floreana Island and C. abingdonii from Pinta Island (the latter only recently declared extinct in 2012 with the death of the Lonesome George). However, geneticists have recently discovered that, through the translocating behaviors of the very same sailors, the genotypes of these extinct species still exist within individuals of mixed ancestry on Wolf Volcano on Isabela Island. An expedition in 2015 recovered some of these mixed ancestry tortoises and brought them into captivity with the hope of starting a captive breeding program to restore tortoise populations on Floreana and Pinta Islands that represent the original genotype of the native species.

Understanding the conservation status and habitat needs of the pygmy rabbit

Fri, 17 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Rangewide demography, genetics and habitat mapping

Predictive modeling of plague die-offs in prairie dog colonies

Tue, 23 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Several published studies have already shown that temperature, precipitation and topography can affect the probability of a die-off event. However, a broader synthesis of datasets from across the BTPD range may enable more accurate prediction of when and where die-offs will occur. The APE lab is leading a large collaborative project to create predictive models of BTPD colony die-offs caused by the plague bacterium. We have acquired colony history data from across the BTPD range and are working on using machine learning techniques to create a model of plague outbreaks that can help managers determine how best to target their anti-plague management activities (such as “dusting” for fleas and vaccine administration). This model will also help us better understand the selection pressures that could lead to genetic resistance to plague.

Understanding the potential for widespread plague resistance in prairie dogs

Wed, 17 Jan 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Modeling host evolution in a dynamic metapopulation

Understanding the broader ecological impacts of PJ removal

Wed, 12 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Assessing small and large-scale effects on insects, small mammals, herps, birds, and bats