In this #FurriendlyFriday, we have a black bear responding to recreation noises. In one of our studies, we found that black bears were second to elk in their sensitivity to hearing recreation noises. They tended to flee or turn around to avoid going closer to the sound, like the bear in this video.
Posts by Mark Ditmer
New paper from our lab, led by Leah McTigue
We reviewed 40+ years of research on drought affects on wildlife: 66% of single-species responses were negative, only 2% positive.
As droughts intensify under climate change, wildlife are in trouble. 🌍🌐🧪
📄 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
With the increase of recreation on public lands, there is an increasing need for data on how recreation affects wildlife. We ask whether wildlife responses to recreation depended on previous exposure to recreation
Paper, led by @markdittmer.bsky.social here www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Fun to be a small part of a big 🔥🐆🦌🐻 paper published in @ecography.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1002/ecog...
We all need a little more levity. So, let's start a Furriendly Friday. I'll be using photos and videos from wildlife studies I have done throughout the years. Here's a #grizzly from one of our #RecreationEcology surveys. #FurriendlyFriday
‘NOT FOR SALE’
It turns out that not many Americans wanted to see our country’s public land sold — with polls showing 75-80% opposed — even 65% of Republicans
Late Monday, that proposal got the axe 🪓
news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-...
Vertebrate hotspots are expected to see increased climate extremes in the coming decades; often in places where animals may be most naive to such events. New research out of my lab led by Dr. van den Bosch in @globalchangebio.bsky.social 🧪🌐🌏
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Very excited to be a part of this work led by @mditmer.bsky.social and Heather Abernathy
New research demonstrates how anonymised mobile phone location data can transform our understanding of human recreation behavior, human wildlife interactions, & wildlife habitat 📲🧪
It also offers pathways to improve habitat connectivity mapping 📍🌍
🔗 doi.org/10.1111/1365...
Let's dive into this a bit. A short and very incomplete thread on US Forest Service research. 1/
A well-connected Earth: The science and conservation of organismal movement www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
I never thought I'd see my name in Science and I'm over the moon! Many thanks to Jedediah Brodie @fletcherecology.bsky.social and team. It is an honor to be a part of this!
Super excited to share this new pub led by @wilsonsherm.bsky.social! We used Nextdoor posts to explore human-carnivore interactions in Los Angeles. Nextdoor offers a useful data source for understanding urban human-wildlife interactions, if human biases are accounted for. Check it out! 🧪🌎
We made the cover of TREE!
A fire-killed forest in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Recently after fire with only snags remaining
We are recruiting a postdoctoral ORISE fellow to join an interdisciplinary team focused on issues of ecosystem type conversion, directional biodiversity change, and what to do about it. Please spread the word! 🌎🌐🧪
Details here:
www.zintellect.com/Opportunity/...
Another video in my series on applied time series and forecasting with the {mvgam} #rstats 📦. This one introduces State Space hierarchical GAMs and GPs for tackling multivariate series youtu.be/2POK_FVwCHk?...
Grizzly bears & wolves avoid busy hiking trails more than previously thought 🏞️
Explains how, combining camera traps & modelling, researchers found that the strongest disturbance effects take place within 300m for Grizzly Bears & 600m for Grey Wolves 🐺🌎🧪
🔗 appliedecologistsblog.com/2025/01/23/g...
Integrating human trail use in montane landscapes reveals larger zones of human influence for wary carnivores 🐻
👉Shows how human activity can alter wildlife detection rates 🌏
👉Results identify target buffer distances for protected areas near trails 🧪
🔗
Figure from the publication, a chart and map illustrating range of tradeoffs across different fuel break locations
Fuel breaks –strips of land managed for reduced flammability– are designed to aid wildfire suppression and management. 🔥However, fuel break construction may reduce wildlife habitat & introduce invasive species. New study investigating these potential trade-offs: www.usgs.gov/centers/fort... 🌎
A nice summary of this recent research about that other ecological disturbance in the west and its rising impact on wildlife
phys.org/news/2024-12...
Predicting fine-scale distributions and emergent spatiotemporal patterns from temporally dynamic step selection simulations https://nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ecog.07421 #Buffalo #Movement #Management
Predicting fine-scale distributions and emergent spatiotemporal patterns from temporally dynamic step selection simulations nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ecog.07421 #Buffalo #Movement #Management
Absolutely incredible headline/image pairing from the NYT. No notes.
📣Another paper out📣
This one is a fun collaboration with @emanzo.bsky.social and the Fondazione Ethoikos team. Using #cameratraps, we explored whether European pine marten’s occurrence and activity were associated with the presence of humans and domestic cats on Elba Island. 🏃🚵🐈⬛
Camera trap image of 3 baby feral pigs, all are brown and foraging.
Our new paper was just published on the survival of feral pigs 🐖in the presence of cougars 🦁. Juvenile mortality was mostly due to predation & road kill, not so for adults.
This is part of Mitch's PhD work with CDFW, NWRC, & DoD. We should have more soon! 🧪
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
I’d love an add, please. I work with physiological biologgers and audio playback systems. Thanks!
Please share widely! Apply to come join us at South Dakota State University!
Ready to learn how to use LiDAR for research in #forestry and natural resources using #R? This week I am releasing a 7-part series to help you get started! Share with anyone you know who wants to get started. Part 1 covers acquiring, & viewing LiDAR data! bit.ly/lidR-module1
Interested in quantifying animal diel activity with hierarchical models? Check out this amazing how-to guide from @fa-bio-la.bsky.social , @science-action.bsky.social , and John Fieberg! 🧪
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
New paper out on climate change, drought and consequences for wildlife! 🌎 🧪
Led by the tenacious Dr. van den Bosch (new to blue sky; give him a follow)