Staff Member
Dr. Staci M Amburgey
Education
- Ph D Pennsylvania State University 2019
- MS Colorado State University 2013
- BS Colorado State University 2010
Biography
Staci is from Colorado Springs, Colorado and did undergraduate and Master's degrees at Colorado State University. She completed her PhD at Penn State University and is now a postdoctoral researcher with the Converse Lab at University of Washington's Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit.. Staci is interested in using quantitative modeling methods to help better understand the ecology of natural systems and to provide information to management partners for the conservation of wildlife species. Currently Staci is developing capture-mark-recapture models to estimate the density of invasive brown treesnakes on the island of Guam in order to better understand the effects of removal efforts. Management of this species aims to mitigate the ecological impacts of brown treesnakes on the island's native avifauna and eventually facilitate the reintroduction of locally extirpated species. A first step in this process is identifying modeling approaches that lead to accurate density estimates of unmarked animals using camera trapping photos at bait stations. Staci's other main interests include advancing species distribution modeling and understanding the impacts of habitat fragmentation on species communities, particularly in the highly disturbed landscape of Southern California. For more information on past and current projects, visit Staci's website or contact her.
| Research Publications | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| Muths, E, RD Scherer, SM Amburgey, T Matthews, AW Spencer, PS Corn. 2016. “First estimates of the probability of survival in a small-bodied, high elevation frog or, how historical data can be useful”. Canadian Journal of Zoology 94: 599-606. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2016-0024 | September 2016 |
| Muths, E, R Scherer, SM Amburgey, PS Corn. 2018. "Twenty-nine years of population dynamics in a small-bodied montane amphibian". Ecosphere 9: e02522. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2522 | December 2018 |
| Miller, DAW, EHC Grant, E Muths, SM Amburgey, MJ Adams, MB Joseph, JH Waddle, PTJ Johnson, ME Ryan, BR Schmidt, DL Calhoun, CL Davis, RN Fisher, DM Green, BR Hossack, TAG Rittenhouse, SC Walls, LL Bailey, SS Cruickshank, GM Fellers, TA Gorman, CA Haas, W Hughson, DS Pilliod, SJ Price, AM Ray, W Sadinski, D Saenz, WJ Barichivich, A Brand, CS Brehme, R Dagit, KS Delaney, BM Glorioso, LB Kats, PM Kleeman, CA Pearl, CJ Rochester, SPD Riley, M Roth, BH Sigafus. 2018. “Quantifying climate sensitivity and climate driven change in North American amphibian communities”. Nature Communications 9: 3926. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-06157-6 | September 2018 |
| J. Bosch, S. Fernández-Beaskoetxea, R.D. Scherer, S.M. Amburgey, E. Muths. 2014. "Demography of common toads after local extirpation of co-occurring midwife toads". Amphibia-Reptilia 35: 293-303. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685381-00002952 | September 2014 |
| Grant, EHC, DAW Miller, BR Schmidt, MJ Adams, SM Amburgey, T Chambert, SS Cruickshank, RN Fisher, DM Green, BR Hossack, PTJ Johnson, MB Joseph, T Rittenhouse, M Ryan, JH Waddle, SC Walls, LL Bailey, GM Fellers, TA Gorman, AM Ray, DS Pilliod, SJ Price, D Saenz, W Sadinski, E Muths. “Quantitative evidence for the effects of multiple drivers on continental-scale amphibian declines”. Sci. Rep. 6: 10.1038/srep25625. | May 2016 |
| Funk, WC, MA Murphy, KL Hoke, E Muths, SM Amburgey, EM Lemmon, AR Lemmon. 2016. “Elevational speciation in action? Restricted gene flow associated with adaptive divergence across an altitudinal gradient”. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 29: 241–252. doi: 10.1111/jeb.12760 | February 2016 |
| Amburgey, SM, M Murphy, WC Funk. “Phenotypic plasticity in developmental rate insufficient to offset high tadpole mortality in rapidly drying ponds”. Ecosphere 7: 10.1002/ecs2.1386. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.1386 | July 2016 |
| Amburgey, SM, LL Bailey, M Murphy, E Muths, WC Funk. 2014. “The effects of hydropattern and predator communities on amphibian occupancy”. Canadian Journal of Zoology 92: 927-937. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2014-0106 | November 2014 |
| Amburgey, SM, DAW Miller, EHC Grant, TAG Rittenhouse, MF Benard, JL Richardson, MC Urban, W Hughson, A Brand, CJ Davis, CR Hardin, PWC Paton, CJ Raithel, RA Relyea, AF Scott, DK Skelly, DE Skidds, CK Smith, EE Werner. “Range position and climate sensitivity: The structure of among-population demographic responses to climatic variation”. Global Change Biology 24: 439–454. doi 10.1111/gcb.13817 | January 2018 |
| Amburgey, SM, DAW Miller, CJ Rochester, KS Delaney, SPD Riley, CS Brehme, SA Hathaway, RN Fisher. 2021. The influence of species life history and distribution characteristics on species responses to habitat fragmentation in an urban landscape. Journal of Animal Ecology 90: 685-697. | Abstract | March 2021 |
| Amburgey, S, WC Funk, M Murphy, E Muths. 2012. “Effects of hydroperiod duration on survival, developmental rate, and size at metamorphosis in boreal chorus frog tadpoles (Pseudacris maculata)”. Herpetologica 68: 456–467. https://doi.org/10.1655/HERPETOLOGICA-D-11-00093 | December 2012 |
| 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 | October 2021 |
| Amburgey SM, AA Yackel Adams, B Gardner, B Lardner, AJ Knox, SJ Converse. 2021. Tools for increasing visual encounter probabilities for invasive species removal: a case study of brown treesnakes. Neobiota 70: 107-122. | Abstract | December 2021 |
| Project | Completion Date |
|---|---|
| Evaluating and mitigating the effects of brown treesnakes on Guam's birds | June 2024 |
| Integrated abundance and movement models for marine mammals | March 2021 |
| Presentations | Presentation Date |
|---|---|
| Yackel Adams AA, S Amburgey, SM Goetz, SR Siers, M Nafus, B Gardner, and SJ Converse. 2020. Optimizing brown treesnake monitoring strategies. Brown Treesnake Technical Working Group, Online. 9 Nov - 19 Nov. | November 2020 |
| Prakash A*, SM Amburgey*, AA Yackel Adams, SR Siers, and SJ Converse. 2021. Engineering remote PIT tag readers for individual identification of brown treesnakes. The Brown Treesnake Technical Working Group. Virtual. *Co-presenters | November 2021 |
| Prakash A*, SM Amburgey*, AA Yackel Adams, SR Siers, and SJ Converse. 2021. Engineering for wildlife: collaborative generation of improved monitoring platforms. The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting. Virtual. *Co-presenters | November 2021 |
| Mistry K, SJ Converse, S Amburgey, A Yackel Adams, and S Siers. 2024. Dynamic monitoring and management of brown treesnakes: modeling removal data to identify optimal eradication strategies. Mariana Islands Conservation Conference, Guam, 26 February. | February 2024 |
| 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, 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 |
| 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 |
| Amburgey SM, AA Yackel-Adams, B Gardner, and SJ Converse. 2020. Camera traps for early detection and rapid response and management of an invasive reptile. World Congress of Herpetology, Dunedin, New Zealand. 5-10 January. | January 2020 |
| Amburgey SM, AA Yackel Adams, SR Siers, B Gardner, SJ Converse. 2022. Optimizing monitoring of invasive brown treesnakes. Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. Spokane, WA, USA. | July 2022 |
| Amburgey SM, AA Yackel Adams, SR Siers, B Gardner, SJ Converse. 2022. Optimization of effective invasive species monitoring decisions. The Wildlife Society. Spokane, WA, USA. | November 2022 |
| Amburgey SM, AA Yackel Adams, B Gardner, and SJ Converse. 2019. Assessing the use of camera trapping for estimation of abundance of invasive brown treesnakes on Guam. Brown Treesnake Technical Working Group Meeting, Garapan, Saipan. 20-21 November. | November 2019 |
| Amburgey SM, AA Yackel Adams, B Gardner, and SJ Converse. 2019. Assessing spatial capture-recapture models for unmarked individuals when estimating density of invasive brown treesnakes on Guam. American Fisheries Society & The Wildlife Society Joint Conference, Reno, Nevada. 29 September - 3 October. | September 2019 |
| 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 |
| Amburgey SM, AA Yackel Adams, B Gardner, B Lardner, AJ Knox, and SJ Converse. 2021. An evaluation of tools for increasing brown treesnake detection probabilities to enhance early detection and rapid response. Marianas Terrestrial Conservation Conference. Virtual. | June 2021 |
| Amburgey SA, AA Yackel Adams, SR Siers, B Gardner, and SJ Converse. 2022. Optimizing monitoring of invasive brown treesnakes. Brown Treesnake Technical Working Group Annual Meeting, Guam; 14-18 November. | November 2022 |
| Type | Citation | Publication Date |
|---|---|---|
| Data Release | Amburgey, S., Yackel, A., and Converse, S. 2023. Brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis) scanning and behavioral data collected in experimental setup in Guam for testing remote PIT-tag reader: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9K7MJNT. | May 2021 |
| Role and Organization | Individual | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Wildlife Society - Member | Amburgey | August 2014 | Present |
| Other - Co-leader of survey team | Amburgey | November 2017 | Present |