North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Staff Member
Dr. Nathan J Hostetter
Assistant Unit Leader
Phone: (541) 410 - 1453
Email: nhostetter@usgs.gov
Faculty Email: njhostet@ncsu.edu
Faculty Website
Education
- Ph D North Carolina State University 2016
- MS Oregon State University 2010
Biography
Dr. Hostetter joined the North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit in 2021, where he is an Assistant Unit Leader and Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Ecology at North Carolina State University. As a quantitative population ecologist, Nathan investigates factors driving spatial and temporal variation in demography, distribution, and abundance of wild populations. His research unites principles in population ecology, movement ecology, and landscape ecology through integrated modeling approaches that link field data to population processes in terrestrial and aquatic landscapes, and across taxonomic lines (birds, mammals, reptiles, and fish). His research broadly focuses on three themes: (1) developing scientifically sound integrated sampling and analytical methods for abundance and demographic rate estimation, (2) applying modeling and decision science tools to support management and conservation actions, and (3) understanding population-level responses to climate change, land use management, and conservation efforts. Nathan’s work has been critical to improving monitoring and management of species of conservation concern, invasive species, game and nongame species, and has resulted in more powerful tools for understanding fish and wildlife populations and the landscapes that support them.
Areas of Expertise
Invasive Species, Movement Ecology, Population Dynamics, Population and Community Ecology, Predator-Prey Dynamics, Species Distribution Modeling, Species Management, Statistics and Modelling, T&E Species Management, Wildlife Management
Taxon Groups Studied
Anadromous Fishes, Carnivores, Furbearers, Marine Mammals, Nongame Fish/Wildlife, Reptiles, Salmonids, Species of Greatest Conservation Need, Ungulates
| Research Publications | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| Regehr EV, NJ Hostetter, RR Wilson, KD Rode, M St. Martin, and SJ Converse. 2018. Integrated population modeling provides the first empirical estimates of vital rates and abundance for polar bears in the Chukchi Sea. Scientific Reports 8:16780. | November 2018 |
| Regehr EV, MC Runge, A Von Duyke, RR Wilson, L Polasek, KD Rode, NJ Hostetter, and SJ Converse. 2021. Demographic risk assessment for a harvested species threatened by climate change: polar bears in the Chukchi Sea. Ecological Applications: e02461. | September 2021 |
| Payton Q, AF Evans, NJ Hostetter, DD Roby, BM Cramer, and K Collis. 2020. Measuring the additive effects of predation on prey survival across multiple spatial scales. Ecological Applications. 30:e02193. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2193 | June 2020 |
| McClintock BT, B Abrahms, R Chandler, PB Conn, SJ Converse, R Emmet, B Gardner, NJ Hostetter, and DS Johnson. 2021. An integrated path for spatial capture-recapture and animal movement modeling. Ecology: e03473. | July 2021 |
| Lloyd NA, NJ Hostetter, CL Jackson, SJ Converse, and A Moehrenschlager. 2019. Response: future directions to escalate benefits of the stepping-stone approach for conservation translocations. Animal Conservation 22:122-123. | April 2019 |
| Lloyd NA, NJ Hostetter, CL Jackson, SJ Converse, and A Moehrenschlager. 2019. Optimizing release strategies: a stepping-stone approach to reintroduction. Animal Conservation 22:105-115. | April 2019 |
| Link WA, SJ Converse, AA Yackel Adams, and NJ Hostetter. 2018. Analysis of population change and movement using robust design removal data. Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and Environmental Statistics 23:463–477. | September 2018 |
| Kazyak DC, AM Flowers, NJ Hostetter, JA Madsen, M Breece, A Higgs, LM Brown, JA Royle, DA. Fox. 2020. Integrating side-scan sonar and acoustic telemetry to estimate the annual spawning run size of Atlantic sturgeon in the Hudson River. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 77:1038–1048. | January 2020 |
| Hostetter, NJ, AF Evans, Q Payton, DD Roby, DE Lyons, and K Collis. 2023. A Review of Factors Affecting the Susceptibility of Juvenile Salmonids to Avian Predation. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. 43:244–256. https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10862 | February 2023 |
| Hostetter, N.J., B. Gardner, A.F. Evans, B.M. Cramer, Q. Payton, K. Collis, and D.D. Roby. Wanted dead or alive: A state-space mark-recapture-recovery model incorporating multiple recovery types and state uncertainty. | July 2018 |
| Hostetter, N.J., A.F. Evans, B.M. Cramer, K. Collis, D.E. Lyons, D.D. Roby. 2015. Quantifying avian predation on fish populations: Integrating predator-specific deposition probabilities in tag-recovery studies. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 144:410-422. | Abstract | June 2015 |
| Hostetter NJ, Q Payton, DD Roby, K Collis, and AF Evans. 2022. Predation probabilities and functional responses: How piscivorous waterbirds respond to pulses in fish abundance. Ecosphere 13:e4220. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4220 | September 2022 |
|
Hostetter NJ, NJ Lunn, ES Richardson, EV Regehr, and SJ Converse. 2021. Age-structured Jolly-Seber model expands inference and improves parameter estimation from capture-recapture data. PLOS ONE 16:e0252748. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0252748 |
June 2021 |
| Hostetter NJ, EV Regehr, RR Wilson, JA Royle, and SJ Converse. 2022. Modeling spatiotemporal abundance and movement dynamics using an integrated spatial capture-recapture movement model. Ecology:e3772. | May 2022 |
| Hostetter NJ, D Ryan, D Grosshuesch, T Catton, S Malick-Wahls, TA Smith, and B Gardner. 2020. Quantifying spatiotemporal occupancy dynamics and multi-year core-use areas at a species range boundary. Diversity and Distributions. 26:795–805. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.13066 | Abstract | March 2020 |
| Hostetter NJ and JA Royle. 2020. Movement-assisted localization from acoustic telemetry data. Movement Ecology. 8:15–26. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-020-00199-6 | January 2020 |
| Gardner B, BT McClintock, SJ Converse, and NJ Hostetter. 2022. Integrated animal movement and spatial capture-recapture models: simulation, implementation, and inference. Ecology:e3771. | May 2022 |
| Evans, AF, Q Payton, NJ Hostetter, K Collis, B. Cramer, and DD Roby. 2022. Cumulative effects of piscivorous colonial waterbirds on juvenile salmonids: a multi predator-prey species evaluation. PLOS ONE 17:e0272875. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272875 | August 2022 |
| Amburgey SM, AA Yackel Adams, B Gardner, NJ Hostetter, SR Siers, BT McClintock, and SJ Converse. 2021. Validation of camera trap-based abundance estimators for unmarked populations. Ecological Applications 31: e02410. | Abstract | July 2021 |
| Presentations | Presentation Date |
|---|---|
| Zulian, V, K Pacifici, NM Bacheler, JA Buckel, WF Patterson III, BJ Reich, KW Shertzer, NJ Hostetter. Integrating mark-resight and count data to estimate effective sampling area and fish density. Ecological Society of America Annual Conference. Portland, Oregon. 6-11 August 2023. | August 2023 |
| Zulian, V, K Pacifici, NM Bacheler, JA Buckel, WF Patterson III, BJ Reich, KW Shertzer, NJ Hostetter. Integrating mark-resight and count data to estimate effective sampling area and fish density. American Fisheries Society - Tidewater Chapter Conference. Dowell, Maryland. 23-25 March 2023. | March 2023 |
| Warlick AJ, NJ Hostetter, and SJ Converse. 2020. Estimating reproductive success using a Bayesian nest survival model with uncertain nest age and nest state for Pigeon Guillemots in Puget Sound, Washington. International Statistical Ecology Conference, Online. 22-26 June. | June 2020 |
| Warlick AJ, F Wood, NJ Hostetter, and SJ Converse. 2021. Integrated population modeling of an unmarked population to examine environmental drivers of demography for an indicator species. EURING 2021 Analytical Meeting & Workshop, Virtual. | May 2021 |
| Tharp RM, AB Paxton, JC Taylor, NJ Hostetter, NM Bacheler, PJ Rudershausen, JA Buckel. 2022. Fine-scale movements and habitat use of recreationally important reef fishes. American Fisheries Society Annual Conference. Spokane, WA. 21-25 August 2022. | August 2022 |
| Tharp RM, AB Paxton, JC Taylor, NJ Hostetter, NM Bacheler, PJ Rudershausen, JA Buckel. 2022. Fine-scale movements and habitat use of recreationally important reef fishes. American Fisheries Society - Tidewater Chapter Conference. Dowell, Maryland. 23-25 March 2023. | March 2023 |
| Tharp RM, AB Paxton, JC Taylor, NJ Hostetter, NM Bacheler, PJ Rudershausen, JA Buckel. 2022. Fine-scale movement and habitat selection of artificial reef materials by reef fishes: implications for offshore wind studies. International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) Annual Conference. Dublin, Ireland. 19-22 September 2022. | September 2022 |
| Rivera, D, NJ Hostetter, J Collazo, R Bell. Assessing Species Boundaries in Antillean Four-lined Skinks (<i>Spondylurus</i>) Using Whole Genome Data. Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. Norfolk VA, USA. 12-16 July 2023. | July 2023 |
| Morin, DJ, JH Vashon, M O’Neal, NJ Hostetter, EA Flaherty. Could hunting over bait increase black bear population growth offsetting the intentions of harvest? 25<sup>th</sup> Eastern Black Bear Workshop. Trego, Wisconsin. April 2023. | April 2023 |
| Morin, DJ, EA Flaherty, JH Vashon, NJ Hostetter. Role of Anthropogenic Foods on black bear demographics in Maine revealed through stable isotope analysis. The Wildlife Society Annual Conference. Spokane WA. November 2022. | November 2022 |
| McIver II JK, WG Cope, NJ Hostetter, R Boyles, TJ Kwak, T Ben-Horin, F Weber, J Nelson, B Watson. 2023. Chronic Effects of Sea Salt on Organ Tissues of Sub-Adult Freshwater Mussels in Reconstituted and Natural Waters. American Fisheries Society North Carolina Chapter Meeting. 22-23 Feb 2023. Durham, North Carolina. | February 2023 |
| Lloyd NA, NJ Hostetter, CL Jackson, SJ Converse, and A Moehrenschlager. 2018. Optimizing release strategies: a stepping-stone approach to reintroduction. International Wildlife Reintroduction Conference, Chicago, Illinois. 13-16 November. | November 2018 |
| Hostetter, NJ, JH Vashon, M O’Neal, AK Fuller, SJ Converse. An integrated age-at-harvest model linking harvest and research data to estimate black bear abundance and demographics. 13th International Mammalogical Congress. Anchorage, Alaska. 14-20 July 2023. | July 2023 |
| Hostetter, NJ, JH Vashon, C McLaughlin, M O’Neal, AK Fuller, SJ Converse. An integrated age-at-harvest model linking harvest and research data to estimate black bear abundance, demographics, and population growth rates in Maine, USA. 25<sup>th</sup> Eastern Black Bear Workshop. Trego, Wisconsin. April 2023. | April 2023 |
| Hostetter NJ, SJ Converse, and EV Regehr. 2017. Study design considerations for integrated population models: improving conservation and management of polar bears. Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, Portland, Oregon, 6-11 August. | August 2017 |
| Hostetter NJ, SJ Converse, SM Amburgey, MG Nafus, LT Huse, L Gray, PD Barnhart, SR Siers, D Vice, AA Yackel Adams. 2021. Brown Treesnakes on Cocos: Using a robust design removal model to investigate abundance and optimize future survey efforts. Brown Treesnake Technical Working Group, Online. 8 Nov - 11 Nov. 2021. | November 2021 |
| Hostetter NJ, SJ Converse, EV Regehr, JA Royle, and RR Wilson. 2018. Integrating spatial capture-recapture and telemetry data to jointly estimate abundance and movement. The Wildlife Society Annual Conference, Cleveland, USA. 7-11 October. | October 2018 |
| Hostetter NJ, NJ Lunn, ES Richardson, EV Regehr, and SJ Converse. 2019. Integrating age data to improve estimation of polar bear abundance, survival, and recruitment in open-population Jolly-Seber models. American Fisheries Society & The Wildlife Society Joint Conference, Reno, Nevada. 29 September - 3 October. | September 2019 |
| Hostetter NJ, EV Regehr, RR Wilson, NJ Lunn, ES Richardson, JA Royle, and SJ Converse. 2020. Data integration approaches to estimate polar bear abundance, survival, movement, and recruitment. Alaska Marine Science Symposium, Anchorage, Alaska. 27-31 January. | January 2020 |
| Hostetter NJ, AA Yackel-Adams, SM Amburgey, WA Link, and SJ Converse. 2020. Optimizing eradication strategies for an incipient population of brown treesnakes on Cocos Island. Brown Treesnake Technical Working Group, Online. 9 Nov - 19 Nov. | November 2020 |
| Gould, NP, NJ Hostetter, C Olfenbuttel, CS Deperno. 2021. Survival and cause-specific mortality for American black bears in a medium-sized city. International Urban Wildlife Conference, Virtual. | May 2021 |
| Gardner B., B.T. McClintock, S.J. Converse, N.J. Hostetter. 2021. Integrating animal movement processes into spatial capture-recapture models. International Conference on Advances In Interdisciplinary Statistics And Combinatorics. Greensboro, NC. 8-10 October 2021. | October 2021 |
| Gardner B, NJ Hostetter, B Abrahms, R Chandler, P Conn, SJ Converse, R Emmet, D Johnson, and B McClintock. 2020. Moving forward: Integrating animal movement into spatial capture-recapture models. International Statistical Ecology Conference, Online. 22-26 June. | June 2020 |
| Davis A, K Pacifici, SH Schweitzer, NJ Hostetter. Illumination of Factors Affecting Occupancy, Detection, and Relative Abundance of Alligators Observed during Annual Spotlight Surveys in North Carolina. 2023. The Wildlife Society - North Carolina Chapter Meeting. 7-9 Feb 2023. Sherrills Ford, North Carolina. Poster. | February 2023 |
| Converse SJ, NJ Hostetter, WA Link, SM Amburgey, and AA Yackel Adams. 2020. Decision analysis for early detection and rapid response: modeling to advance identification of optimal management. World Congress of Herpetology, Dunedin, New Zealand. 5-10 January. | January 2020 |
| Converse SJ, NJ Hostetter, SM Amburgey, AE Bratt, AJ DuVall, BK Thompson, LS Petracca, HA Sipe, MH Sorel, AJ Warlick, and M Kadin. 2022. Synchrony in seabird survival: drivers at multiple spatial scales. Pacific Seabird Group Conference, Online. 23-25 February. | February 2022 |
| Carver-McGinn, M., C. Moorman, N. Peterson, J. Kilgo, E. Kierepka, M. Boggess, H. Evans, J. Shaw, N.J. Hostetter. Connecting urbanization to population dynamics: movement, resource selection, and mortality risk of white-tailed deer across an urbanization gradient. Southeast Deer Study Group Annual Meeting. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Poster. 26-28 Feb 2023. | February 2023 |
| Carver-McGinn, M., C. Moorman, N. Peterson, J. Kilgo, E. Kierepka, M. Boggess, H. Evans, J. Shaw, N.J. Hostetter. Connecting urbanization to population dynamics: movement, resource selection, and mortality risk of white-tailed deer across an urbanization gradient. North Carolina Wildlife Society Annual Meeting. Poster. 7-9 Feb 2023. | February 2023 |
| Carver-McGinn, M., C. Moorman, N. Peterson, J. Kilgo, E. Kierepka, M. Boggess, H. Evans, J. Shaw, N.J. Hostetter. Connecting urbanization to population dynamics: movement, resource selection, and mortality risk of white-tailed deer across an urbanization gradient. International Urban Wildlife Conference. Washington D.C., Poster. 4-7 June 2023. | June 2023 |
| Brautigam, KJ, NP Gould, NJ Hostetter, C Olfenbuttel, CS DePerno. Evaluating the effects of urbanization on American black bear population growth rates in western North Carolina. 25<sup>th</sup> Eastern Black Bear Workshop. Trego, Wisconsin. April 2023. | April 2023 |
| Amburgey SM, AA Yackel Adams, B Gardner, NJ Hostetter, BT McClintock, S Siers, and SJ Converse. 2020. The challenges of using camera trapping for abundance estimation of invasive herpetofauna. Brown Treesnake Technical Working Group, Online. 9 Nov - 19 Nov. | November 2020 |
| Amburgey SM, AA Yackel Adams, B Gardner, N Hostetter, BT McClintock, S Siers, and SJ Converse. 2020. The challenges of using camera trapping for abundance estimation of invasive herpetofauna. The Wildlife Society Annual Conference, Online. 27 Sept - 1 Oct. | September 2020 |