Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Utah
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Utah Staff Member


Erica Stuber

Erica Stuber, AUL UT Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Assistant Unit Leader
Email: estuber@usgs.gov
Faculty Email: erica.stuber@usu.edu
Faculty Website

Education

  • Ph D Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich 2015
  • MS The Pennsylvania State University 2011
  • BS The Pennsylvania State University 2009

Biography

Dr. Stuber received graduate degrees from the Pennsylvania State University and the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, and was a Research Scientist with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Yale University, and Cornell Lab of Ornithology before joining the Utah Unit in 2021. The central theme of her research revolves around spatial ecology of wildlife - from individuals to populations and communities. Much of her research investigates the spatial scales at which organisms respond to their environment to inform spatial 'precision conservation' and management. She is also interested in individual variation in spatial behaviors, and the consequences of that variation on population distributions and dynamics. Dr. Stuber is active in multi-scale analytics development, Bayesian data integration, and incorporation of citizen science information within management decision-making contexts. Dr. Stuber has taught graduate-level courses on Spatial Ecology, and Global Biodiversity Change, and currently teaches Landscape Ecology.

Areas of Expertise

Behavioral Ecology, GIS/Spatial Analysis, Habitat Management, Population and Community Ecology, Species Distribution Modeling, Statistics and Modelling, Wildlife Management

Taxon Groups Studied

Gamebirds, Songbirds, Ungulates

Research Publications Publication Date
Zink, R.M. and Stuber, E.F., 2017. No relationship between brain size and risk of being shot in hunted birds: a comment on Møller & Erritzøe (2016). Biology letters, 13(5), p.20160946. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2016.0946 December 2017
Wszola, L.S., L.N. Messinger, L.F. Gruber, E.F. Stuber, C.J. Chizinski, and J.J. Fontaine. 2020. Use and expenditures on public access hunting lands. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism 29:100256. December 2020
Wszola, L.S., E.F. Stuber, C.J. Chizinski, J.J. Lusk, and J.J. Fontaine. 2019. Prey availability and accessibility drive hunter movement. Wildlife Biology 2019:wlb.00526. https://doi.org/10.2981/wlb.00526 December 2019
Wszola, L., V. Simonsen, C. Gillespie, L.N. Messinger, J.J. Lusk, K.L. Decker, C.F. Jorgensen, E.F. Stuber, and J.J. Fontaine. 2017. Translating statistical wildlife-habitat models to interactive decision support tools. Plos One 12:e0188244. https://doi.org/10.1371/
journal.pone.0188244
December 2017
Wszola, L. S., A. L. Madsen, E. F. Stuber, C. J. Chizinski, J. J. Lusk, J. S. Taylor, K. L. Pope, and J. J. Fontaine. 2020. Public access for pheasant hunters: understanding an emerging need. Journal of Wildlife Management 84:45-55. | Download January 2020
Van Tatenhove, A.M., Neill, J., Norvell, R.E., Stuber, E.F. and Rushing, C.S., 2024. Scale‐dependent population drivers inform avian management in a declining saline lake ecosystem. Ecological Applications, p.e3021. September 2024
Van Doren, B.M., Willard, D.E., Hennen, M., Horton, K.G., Stuber, E.F., Sheldon, D., Sivakumar, A.H., Wang, J., Farnsworth, A. and Winger, B.M., 2021. Drivers of fatal bird collisions in an urban center. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(24). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2101666118 April 2021
Stuber, EF, BC Carlson, and B Jesmer. 2022. Many avenues for spatial personality research: a response to comments on Stuber et al. 2022. Behavioral Ecology 33(3): 492-3 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arac018 | Abstract June 2022
Stuber, E.F., Verpeut, J., Horvat-Gordon, M., Ramachandran, R. and Bartell, P.A., 2013. Differential regulation of adipokines may influence migratory behavior in the white-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis). PLoS One, 8(6), p.e59097.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0059097
December 2013
Stuber, E.F., O. Robinson, E.R. Bjerre, M.C. Otto, B.A. Millsap, G.S. Zimmerman, M. G. Brasher, K. M. Ringelman, A.M.V. Fournier, A. Yetter, J.E. Isola, V. Ruiz-Gutierrez. The potential of semi-structured citizen science data as a supplement for conservation decision-making: Validating the performance of eBird against targeted avian monitoring efforts. 270, p.109556. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109556 June 2022
Stuber, E.F., Mathot, K.J., Kempenaers, B., Dingemanse, N.J. and Mueller, J.C., 2015. Sex-specific association between sleep and basal metabolic rate in great tits. Animal Behaviour, 109, pp.15-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.08.004 December 2015
Stuber, E.F., L.F. Gruber, and J.J. Fontaine. 2017. A Bayesian method for assessing multiscale species-habitat relationships. Landscape Ecology 32:2365-2381.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-017-0575-y
December 2017
Stuber, E.F., L. Gruber, and J.J. Fontaine. 2018. Predicting species-habitat relationships: does body size matter? Landscape Ecology 33:1049-1060. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-018-0648-6 July 2018
Stuber, E.F., Gruber, L.F. 2020. Recent Methodological Solutions to Identifying Scales of Effect in Multi-scale Modeling. Current Landscape Ecology Reports 5, 127–139. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40823-020-00055-8 January 2020
Stuber, E.F., Grobis, M.M., Abbey-Lee, R., Kempenaers, B., Mueller, J.C. and Dingemanse, N.J., 2014. Perceived predation risk affects sleep behaviour in free-living great tits, Parus major. Animal Behaviour, 98, pp.157-165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.10.010 December 2015
Stuber, E.F., Dingemanse, N.J., Kempenaers, B. and Mueller, J.C., 2015. Sources of intraspecific variation in sleep behaviour of wild great tits. Animal Behaviour, 106, pp.201-221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.05.025 December 2015
Stuber, E.F., Dingemanse, N.J. and Mueller, J.C., 2017. Temperature affects frequency but not rhythmicity of nocturnal awakenings in free-living great tits, Parus major. Animal Behaviour, 128, pp.135-141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.03.004 December 2017
Stuber, E.F., C.J. Chizinski, J.J. Lusk, and J.J. Fontaine. 2019. Multivariate models and analyses. Pp. 32-62 in L.A. Brennan, A.N. Tri, and B.G. Marcot (editors). Quantitative Analyses in Wildlife Science. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD. December 2019
Stuber, E.F., Baumgartner, C., Dingemanse, N.J., Kempenaers, B. and Mueller, J.C., 2016. Genetic correlates of individual differences in sleep behavior of free-living great tits (Parus major). G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics, 6(3), pp.599-607. https://doi.org/10.1534/g3.115.024216 December 2016
Stuber, E.F., Araya-Ajoy, Y.G., Mathot, K.J., Mutzel, A., Nicolaus, M., Wijmenga, J.J., Mueller, J.C. and Dingemanse, N.J., 2013. Slow explorers take less risk: a problem of sampling bias in ecological studies. Behavioral Ecology, 24(5), pp.1092-1098. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/art035 December 2013
Stuber, E.F. and J.J. Fontaine. 2019. How characteristic is the species characteristic selection scale? Global Ecology and Biogeography 28:1839-1854. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.12998 December 2019
Stuber, E.F. and J.J. Fontaine. 2018. Ecological neighborhoods as a framework for umbrella species selection. Biological Conservation 223:112–119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2018.04.026 May 2018
Stuber, E.F. and Bartell, P.A., 2013. Seasonal differences in behavior patterns of the migratory white-throated sparrow. Journal of ethology, 31(2), pp.151-158. DOI 10.1007/s10164-013-0361-5 December 2013
Stuber, E., B. Carlson, and B. Jesmer. Spatial Personalities: a meta-analysis of consistent individual differences in spatial behavior. Behavioral Ecology. 33(3): 477-86. DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab147 | Abstract June 2022
Stillman, A.N., P.E. Howell, G.S. Zimmerman, E.R. Bjerre, B.A. Millsap, O.J. Robinson, D. Fink, E.F. Stuber, V. Ruiz-Gutierrez. Leveraging the strengths of citizen science and structured surveys to achieve scalable inference on population size. November 2023
Simonsen, V.*, E. Stuber, and J.J. Fontaine. (2022) Examining the effects of patch size and nest density on artificial nest survival. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology - 134(2): 182–192. https://doi.org/10.1676/19-00063 May 2022
Ruiz‐Gutierrez, V., Bjerre, E.R., Otto, M.C., Zimmerman, G.S., Millsap, B.A., Fink, D., Stuber, E.F., Strimas‐Mackey, M. and Robinson, O.J., 2021. A pathway for citizen science data to inform policy: A case study using eBird data for defining low‐risk collision areas for wind energy development. Journal of Applied Ecology, 58(6), pp.1104-1111. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13870 April 2021
Roberts CP, Ludwig A, Fogarty DT, Stuber E, Uden DR, Walker TJ, Twidwell D. Population increases of the threatened American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus) linked to large-scale conservation strategies in a private lands ecoregion. Biological Conservation. 301: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110865 | Abstract November 2024
Pershyn, N.A., Gese, E.M., Stuber, E.F. and Kluever, B.M., 2024. Kit foxes demonstrate adaptive compromise characteristics under intraguild predation pressure by coyotes in the Great Basin desert. Scientific Reports, 14(1), p.14446. June 2024
O. Robinson, J. Socolar, E. F. Stuber, T. Auer, A. Berryman, P. H. Boersch-Supan, D. Brightsmith, A. Burbidge, S. Butchart, C. L. Davis, A. M. Dokter, A. S. Di Giacomo, A. Farnsworth, D. Fink, W. M. Hochachka, P. E. Howell, F. A. La Sorte, A. C. Lees, S. Marsden, R. Martin, R. O. Martin, J. F. Masello, E. T. Miller, Y. Moodley, A. Musgrove, D. Noble, V. Ojeda, P. Quillfeldt, J. A. Royle, V. Ruiz-Gutierrez, J. L. Tella, P. Yorio, C. Youngflesh, A. Johnston. Extreme uncertainty and unquantifiable bias do not inform population sizes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119 (10) e2113862119 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2113862119 March 2022
N.A. Pershyn, E.M. Gese, E.F. Stuber, and B.M. Kluever. Coyotes in the Great Basin Desert Do Not Exhibit a Spatial Response Following Removal of Anthropogenic Water Sources. Journal of Arid Environments - Submitted February 2024
Mirochnitchenko, N., E. Stuber, and J.J. Fontaine. 2021. Biodiversity scale-dependence, and opposing multi-level covariance lead to mismatches among taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity. Journal of Biogeography, 48, 2989– 3003. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.14248 January 2022
Messinger, L.N., E.F. Stuber, C.J. Chizinski and J.J. Fontaine. 2019. Mortality, perception, and scale: Understanding how predation shapes space use in a wild prey population. Plos One 14:e0222272.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222272
December 2019
Gruber, L.F., E.F. Stuber, L.S. Wszola and J.J. Fontaine. 2019. Estimating use of public lands: Integrated model of open populations with convolution likelihood ecological abundance regression. Bayesian Analysis 14:1-27. December 2019
Fontaine, J.J., A.D. Fedele, L.S. Wszola, L.N. Messinger, C.J. Chizinski, J.L. Lusk, K.L. Decker, J.S. Taylor, and E.F. Stuber. 2019. Hunters and their perceptions of public access: a view from afield. Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 10:589-601. December 2019
Corral, L., E. Stuber, T. Frink, A. Bishop, and J.J. Fontaine. Scale-dependent land cover relationships, not intraguild occupancy explains canid community habitat relationships. Landscape Ecology 37, 249–266 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-021-01350-3 October 2021
Chambers, S., M. L. Villarreal, O. Duane, S. M. Munson, E.F. Stuber, G. Tyreef, E. K. Waller, and M.C. Duniway. Conflict of Energies: Mapping Mule Deer’s Caloric Expenditure in Response to Oil and Gas Development. Landscape Ecology – In Press. September 2022
Abbey‐Lee, R.N., Araya‐Ajoy, Y.G., Mouchet, A., Moiron, M., Stuber, E.F., Kempenaers, B. and Dingemanse, N.J., 2018. Does perceived predation risk affect patterns of extra‐pair paternity? A field experiment in a passerine bird. Functional Ecology, 32(4), pp.1001-1010. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13052 December 2018
Borah, Binod
Post Doc
binod.borah@usu.edu

Rasmussen, Jack
Master's
A02375549@usu.edu

Presentations Presentation Date
Wszola, L.S., E.F. Stuber, L.F. Gruber, and J.J. Fontaine. 2018. Hunter distribution in a unique public access landscape. South Dakota Chapter of The Wildlife Society. Chamberlain, SD. February 2018
Wszola, L.S., E.F. Stuber, L. Gruber, and J.J. Fontaine. 2018. Mapping anthropogenic predation risk at the landscape scale. Gordon research conversant predator prey interaction. Santa Barbara, CA February 2018
Van Tatenhove, Aimee M., Stuber, Erica F., Rushing, Clark S. 2023. Modeling survival and connectivity of a migratory waterbird in a continuous-time framework. The Waterbird Society Annual Meeting, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA. October 2023
Van Tatenhove, A.M., J. Neill, R.E. Norvell, E.F. Stuber, C.S. Rushing. Scale-dependent population drivers inform waterbird management in an imperiled saline lake ecosystem. 2023 UT Chapter of the Wildlife Society Annual Meeting. March 8-10 Grand Junction, CO March 2023
Van Tatenhove, A., E Stuber, and C Rushing. 2024. Modeling survival and connectivity of a migratory waterbird using a continuous-time, multi-state approach. American Ornithological Society Annual Meeting. Estes Park, CO. 1-5 Oct., 2024 October 2024
Van Tatenhove, A. M., Horton, K. G., Stuber, E.F., and Rushing, C. S. 2022. Weather radar as a tool to quantify local airspace-use of a large migratory waterbird. The Waterbird Society Annual Conference. Corpus Christi, TX. 31 Oct. - 4 Nov. 2022 November 2022
Stuber, E.F., and J.J. Fontaine. 2022. Precision conservation and management: scale-explicit analyses for organism-environment relationships. The Wildlife Society - Utah Chapter Virtual Conference March 2022
Stuber, E.F., R. Norvell, and L.F. Gruber. Data integration to inform species’ status and trend estimates using structured surveys and eBird observations. 2023 UT Chapter of the Wildlife Society Annual Meeting. March 8-10 Grand Junction, CO March 2023
Stuber, E.F., O. Robinson, E. Bjerre, M. Otto, B. Millsap, G. Zimmerman, V. Ruiz-Gutierrez. 2021. Validating the performance of citizen science establishes novel evidence base for conservation decision-making. American Ornithological Society and Society of Canadian Ornithologists Joint Virtual Meeting 9-13 August August 2021
Stuber, E.F., L.F. Gruber, and J.J. Fontaine. 2016. A Bayesian model for assessing multiscale species-habitat relationships. North American Ornithological Conference, Washington, D.C. August 2016
Stuber, E.F. and and J.J. Fontaine. 2017. The importance of scale in evaluating the effectiveness of umbrella species. Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference, Lincoln, NE. February 2017
Stuber, E.F. and J.J. Fontaine. 2018. Human-induced rapid environmental change and spatial mismatches in species distribution. International association for landscape ecology annual meeting. Chicago, IL. April 2018
Stuber, E.F. and J.J. Fontaine. 2018. Human-induced rapid environmental change and spatial mismatches in species distribution. Central Mountains and Plains Section of the Wildlife Society Annual Meeting. Kearney, NE. February 2018
Stuber, E.F. and J.J. Fontaine. 2017. The value of scale in optimizing umbrella species. American Ornithological Society meeting, East Lansing, MI. August 2017
Stuber, E., and W. Jetz. August 2019. “Towards a global, high resolution map of biodiversity” Ecological Society of America Conference. Louisville, KY. August 2019
Stuber, E., R. Norvell, and L. Gruber. Jan. 2024. Integrating IMBCR's time-removal surveys, and eBird's continuous-time analog to improve population estimates: a case study in Utah. <i>The Bird Conservancy of the Rockies</i> <i>Integrated Monitoring of Bird Conservation Regions</i> Annual Winter Meeting. Fort Collins, CO. January 2024
Stuber, E., R Norvell, and L Gruber. 2024. Integrating IMBCR and semi-structured eBird data to improve distribution modeling for under-sampled species, and species of conservation concern. American Ornithological Society Annual Meeting. Estes Park, CO. 1-5 Oct., 2024 October 2024
Stuber, E. September 2020. “Using citizen science data to drive decision making” Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Virtual Conference. September 2020
Solberg, J., K. Hersey, D. Summers, and E.F. Stuber. 2022. Accounting for Ecological Neighborhoods to Understand Mule Deer Abundance on Restored Habitat in Utah. The Wildlife Society Annual Conference. Spokane, WA. 6-10 Nov. 2022 November 2022
Solberg, J., K. Hersey, D. Summers, and E. F. Stuber. 2023. Accounting for Ecological Neighborhoods to Understand Mule Deer Abundance on Restored Habitat in Utah. The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting. Louisville, KY, USA. November 2023
Rasmussen, J., and E.F. Stuber. Restoration Effects on Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemonius) Space-use in Utah. 2023 UT Chapter of the Wildlife Society Annual Meeting. March 8-10 Grand Junction, CO March 2023
Rasmussen, J., E.F. Stuber, D. Summers, and K. Hersey. Mule deer (Odocoileus hemonius) space-use on Utah restored lands. July 2023. American Society of Mammalogists Annual Meeting. Anchorage AK, USA. July 2023
Rasmussen, J.*,<b> </b>and<b> </b>E. Stuber. August 2023. "Effects of restoration on Mule deer space in Utah" <i>Nevada Mule Deer Summit</i>. Winnemucka, NV, USA. August 2023
Puttfarcken, A.H., R. Norvell, and E. F. Stuber. Avian Resilience: Estimating Occupancy Patterns Across Gradients of Habitat Quality. 2023 UT Chapter of the Wildlife Society Annual Meeting. March 8-10 Grand Junction, CO March 2023
Puttfarcken, A.H., R. Norvell, and E. F. Stuber. 2022. Avian Resilience: Estimating Occupancy Patterns Across Gradients of Habitat Quality. Spokane, WA. 6-10 Nov. 2022 November 2022
Mirochnitchenko, N., E.F. Stuber, and J.J. Fontaine. 2018. Phylogenetic and functional diversity of grassland bird communities across an alter landscape. Central Mountains and Plains Section of the Wildlife Society Annual Meeting. Kearney, NE. February 2018
Mirochnitchenko, N., E.F. Stuber, and J.J. Fontaine. 2017. Influence of environmental gradients on the relationship between taxonomic and functional diversity in grassland birds. American Ornithological Society meeting, East Lansing, MI. August 2017
Mirochnitchenko, N., E.F. Stuber and J.J. Fontaine. 2017. Free food is not free: Do food plots pose greater predation risk than benefit for Northern bobwhite quail? Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference, Lincoln, NE. February 2017
Jesmer, B., E.F. Stuber, B. Carlson, R. Larsen, and B. McMillan. Incidence and implications of consistent individual differences in spatial behavior. July 2023. American Society of Mammalogists Annual Meeting. Anchorage AK, USA. July 2023
E. F. Stuber, O. Robinson, E. R. Bjerre, M. C. Otto, B. A. Millsap, G. S. Zimmerman, and Viviana Ruiz-Gutierrez. 2022. The potential of semi-structured citizen science data as a supplement for conservation decision-making: Validating the performance of eBird against targeted avian monitoring efforts. Joint Meeting of the American Ornithological Society & BirdsCaribbean. Puerto Rico, USA. 27 June–2 July 2022 July 2022
Aimee M. Van Tatenhove, Kyle G. Horton, Erica F. Stuber, Clark S. Rushing. Weather radar as a tool to quantify local airspace-use of a large migratory waterbird. Joint Meeting of the American Ornithological Society and BirdsCarribean. Puerto Rico, USA. 27 June 2022 - 2 July 2022. June 2022
A.L. Hayes-Puttfarcken, and E. Stuber. 2023. How does habitat quality affect avian occupancy and determine species resilience? Association of Field Ornithologists Annual Meeting. 1-4 August. Gramado, Brazil. August 2023
A. L. Hayes-Puttfarcken, R. Norvell, E. F. Stuber. 2022. Avian resilience to land-use change. Joint Meeting of the American Ornithological Society and BirdsCarribean. Puerto Rico, USA. 27 June 2022 - 2 July 2022. July 2022
<b>Stuber, E.</b>, and J.J. Fontaine. February 2018. “Navigating trade-offs when managing for multi-species avian communities” <i>Rainwater Basin Joint Venture Information Seminar</i>. Grand Island, NE, USA. February 2018
<b>Stuber, E.</b>, L. Wszola, L. Gruber, J.J. Fontaine. July 2018. “Sportspersons across the landscape: where do they come from, where do they go?” <i>Sportsperson Summit</i>. Nebraska City, NE, USA. July 2018
Technical Publications Publication Date
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2020. Final Report: Bald Eagle Population Size: 2020 Update. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Migratory Bird Management, Washington, D.C. U.S.A. March 2021
Type Citation Publication Date
Software Release Van Tatenhove, A.M., Stuber, E., Neill, J., Norvell, R., and Rushing, C., 2024, Colony counts and environmental covariates of the American white pelican colony on Gunnison Island, UT, USA: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9T41I3X. June 2024
Data Release Van Tatenhove, A., Neill, J., Norvell, R.E., Stuber, E.F., and Rushing, C.S. Code for Scale-dependent population drivers inform avian management in a declining saline lake ecosystem. Version 1.0.0: U.S. Geological Survey software release. Reston, Va. https://doi.org/10.5066/P92IQ9BV October 2023
Data Release Van Tatenhove, A., Neill, J., Norvell, R.E., Stuber, E.F., and Rushing, C.S. Code for Scale-dependent population drivers inform avian management in a declining saline lake ecosystem. Version 1.0.0: U.S. Geological Survey software release. Reston, Va. https://doi.org/10.5066/P92IQ9BV December 2021
Data Release Stuber, Erica; Carlson, Ben; Jesmer, Brett (2021), Spatial personalities: a meta-analysis of consistent individual differences in spatial behavior, Dryad, Dataset, https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.pc866t1pw 2021
Software Release Stillman, Andrew et al. (2023). Leveraging the strengths of citizen science and structured surveys to achieve scalable inference on population size [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.dfn2z357x October 2023
Software Release Stillman, A., et al. 2023. Leveraging the strengths of citizen science and structured surveys to achieve scalable inference on population size. Version 1.0.0: U.S. Geological Survey software release. Reston, Va. https://doi.org/10.5066/P9LY5F6R August 2023