Sean Kyle - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Sean Kyle
The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 2014
The 94th ESA Annual Meeting, Aug 6, 2009
Our goal is to assess the opportunity of using earthen livestock tanks to promote amphibian conse... more Our goal is to assess the opportunity of using earthen livestock tanks to promote amphibian conservation in arid rangelands. We examine whether the spatial arrangement and proximity of cattle tanks can influence breeding populations of five species of amphibians using vocalization surveys and visual searches to identify species at breeding sites after rainfall events. We detected Bufo cognatus, B. debilis, Scaphiopus couchii, Spea bombifrons, and S. multiplicata. We analyzed distance and density isolation metrics up to ...
Avian Conservation and Ecology, 2016
We examined effects of a varied-severity wildfire on the community structure of small mammals and... more We examined effects of a varied-severity wildfire on the community structure of small mammals and populations of the 2 most abundant species, the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) and the gray-collared chipmunk (Tamias cinereicollis), in northern Arizona ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests. We examined 2 fire severities and compared them to unburned controls. The average number of species captured was similar among the 3 plot types: 2.0 on high-severity plots, 3.0 on moderate-severity plots, and 3.5 on control plots. However, the species composition differed among these types. Specifically, gray-collared chipmunks were not captured on highseverity plots in the first year following the fire. We found no statistically significant difference among treatments for gray-collared chipmunk densities even though they were not captured on high-severity plots (P = 0.074). Deer mouse densities on high-severity fire plots were greater than on control plots (P = 0.028) and were marginally greater than on moderate-severity plots (P = 0.051). We did not find a significant difference between moderate and control plots (P = 0.25). Deer mouse densities were strongly correlated with forb (P = 0.002) and shrub ( P = 0.038) cover in a stepwise linear regression (adjusted RZ = 0.67). Based on these results, we suggest that a consideration of fire severity in a structural sense does not provide a clear picture of the impacts of wildfires or prescribed fires on the small mammal community. We propose that the composition of the postfire understory plant community must also be considered.
Wildlife Society Bulletin, 2014
The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 2014
Journal of Raptor Research, 2014
A Recovery Plan developed for the threatened Mexican Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis lucida) reco... more A Recovery Plan developed for the threatened Mexican Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis lucida) recommended designating Protected Activity Centers (PACs) with a minimum size of 243 ha to conserve core use areas of territorial owls. The plan assumed that areas of this size would protect ''… the nest site, several roost sites, and the most proximal and highly-used foraging areas.'' The PAC concept remains an important component of the recovery strategy nineteen years later, although use of designated PACs by territorial owls has never been evaluated. We assessed use of PACs for nesting and roosting by Mexican Spotted Owls in the Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico, using location data obtained during a study of owl demography from 2004-2011. High proportions of both nest and roost locations were located within the PAC boundary for most, but not all, PACs. Many locations outside of PAC boundaries were adjacent to those boundaries, but some occurred .1 km from PAC boundaries. Proportions of roost locations within the PAC also were high for most, but not all, individual owls of both sexes, and in all years of the study. Proportions of locations within PACs remained relatively high for periods of up to 24 yr following PAC establishment, suggesting that owls continued to use these areas over relatively long periods. A number of vacant PACs were recolonized by owls during the study, and these owls also used PAC areas at high levels in most, but not all, cases. It would be desirable to assess PAC use over longer time periods, in other geographic areas, and to incorporate foraging use in such evaluations. In the meantime, however, our 1 Email address: jganey@fs.fed.us J. Raptor Res. 48(3):210-218
The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 2014
The Journal of Wildlife Management, 2014
Information on population dynamics is key to gauging the status of threatened or endangered speci... more Information on population dynamics is key to gauging the status of threatened or endangered species. We monitored demography of a population of threatened Mexican spotted owls (Strix occidentalis lucida) in the Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico from 2003 to 2011. We estimated reproductive output for territorial pairs of owls; used mark-recapture methodology and Pradel's reparameterized Jolly-Seber models to estimate annual apparent survival rates, recapture rates, recruitment rates, and annual rate of population change (l RJS ) for 2005-2009; and used estimates of l RJS to assess short-term population viability. Reproductive output was highly variable for 2004-2011, whereas annual apparent survival and recapture rates were less variable among years. Annual rates of population change exceeded 1.0 for both sexes from 2005 to 2009, and empirical observations of numbers of territorial owls supported the model-based trend estimate. Abundance of territorial owls was strongly related to reproduction within the study area, suggesting that population change was driven largely by internal processes. Population viability analyses suggested that population growth was likely to continue in the short term if current conditions persist. The positive growth rates observed in our study populations are encouraging, and may indicate that current recommendations for recovering this owl are succeeding. However, our estimates of l RJS covered a very short time period, given both the potential lifespan of Mexican spotted owls and the extent of temporal variability in weather typical of the southwestern United States. Longer studies of owl demography than we present will be required to understand long-term population trends, and such studies should extend across the range of the subspecies. Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
The Journal of Wildlife Management, 2013
Understanding the habitat relationships of rare species is critical to conserving populations and... more Understanding the habitat relationships of rare species is critical to conserving populations and habitats of those species. Nesting habitat is suspected to limit distribution of the threatened Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida), and may vary among geographic regions. We studied selection of nesting habitat by Mexican spotted owls within their home ranges in the Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico. We compared characteristics of owl nest trees and nest sites to characteristics of randomly located trees and sites at 2 spatial scales: the general nest vicinity and within activity centers used by spotted owls. Owls nested primarily in mixed-conifer forest (92%), and most nested in cavities in trees or snags (48%), or in dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium spp.) witches' brooms (36%). Owl nest trees had greater levels of dwarf mistletoe infection and were larger in diameter than random trees at both of the evaluated spatial scales. Nest trees also were more likely than random trees to be in white fir (Abies concolor) or Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), and in trees or snags with broken tops. Differences between owl nest sites and random sites differed with the scale at which we selected random sites, but at both scales examined, owl nest sites had greater canopy cover and more basal area contributed by large trees and white fir than random sites. In addition, most nest sites occurred in drainage bottoms or on the lower 2 thirds of north-or east-facing slopes. Conservation of owl nesting habitat in this area will require retaining forest patches with high canopy cover and large trees containing cavities or large dwarf mistletoe witches' brooms. Locating forest management treatments on ridgetops or the upper third of slopes and/or on south-or west-facing slopes may reduce impacts to owl nesting habitat while simultaneously targeting the drier forest types most in need of restoration. Ó 2013 The Wildlife Society.
Applied Ergonomics, 2013
Three sets of eight alarms supporting eight functions specified in an international medical equip... more Three sets of eight alarms supporting eight functions specified in an international medical equipment standard (IEC 60601-1-8) were tested for learnability using non-anaesthetist participants. One set consisted of the tonal alarms specified in the standard. A second set consisted of a set of abstract alarms randomly selected from a database of abstract alarm sounds held by the authors. A third set of alarms was designed as indirect metaphors of the functions. Participants were presented with the alarms and then asked to identify them across ten blocks of eight trials. The results indicated a significant difference in learnability across the three sets of alarms. The indirect metaphors were learned significantly better than both other sets of alarms, and the randomly selected abstract alarms were learned significantly better than the alarms specified in the standard. The results suggest therefore that there are more readily learnable possible designs than those proposed in the standard. The use of auditory icons in particular should be given serious consideration as potential alarms for this application.
The 94th ESA Annual Meeting, Aug 6, 2009
Our goal is to assess the opportunity of using earthen livestock tanks to promote amphibian conse... more Our goal is to assess the opportunity of using earthen livestock tanks to promote amphibian conservation in arid rangelands. We examine whether the spatial arrangement and proximity of cattle tanks can influence breeding populations of five species of amphibians using vocalization surveys and visual searches to identify species at breeding sites after rainfall events. We detected Bufo cognatus, B. debilis, Scaphiopus couchii, Spea bombifrons, and S. multiplicata. We analyzed distance and density isolation metrics up to ...
We examined spatial extent of habitat that anaxyrids responded to in an arid environment. We used... more We examined spatial extent of habitat that anaxyrids responded to in an arid environment. We used surveys of vocalizations and searches to identify toads after rainfall events to examine whether the spatial arrangement and proximity of earthen tanks could influence breeding populations of Anaxyrus cognatus and A. debilis. These species responded to the landscape complement of breeding sites inside a buffer of 5 km, a much larger distance than most studies have addressed.
The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 2014
The 94th ESA Annual Meeting, Aug 6, 2009
Our goal is to assess the opportunity of using earthen livestock tanks to promote amphibian conse... more Our goal is to assess the opportunity of using earthen livestock tanks to promote amphibian conservation in arid rangelands. We examine whether the spatial arrangement and proximity of cattle tanks can influence breeding populations of five species of amphibians using vocalization surveys and visual searches to identify species at breeding sites after rainfall events. We detected Bufo cognatus, B. debilis, Scaphiopus couchii, Spea bombifrons, and S. multiplicata. We analyzed distance and density isolation metrics up to ...
Avian Conservation and Ecology, 2016
We examined effects of a varied-severity wildfire on the community structure of small mammals and... more We examined effects of a varied-severity wildfire on the community structure of small mammals and populations of the 2 most abundant species, the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) and the gray-collared chipmunk (Tamias cinereicollis), in northern Arizona ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests. We examined 2 fire severities and compared them to unburned controls. The average number of species captured was similar among the 3 plot types: 2.0 on high-severity plots, 3.0 on moderate-severity plots, and 3.5 on control plots. However, the species composition differed among these types. Specifically, gray-collared chipmunks were not captured on highseverity plots in the first year following the fire. We found no statistically significant difference among treatments for gray-collared chipmunk densities even though they were not captured on high-severity plots (P = 0.074). Deer mouse densities on high-severity fire plots were greater than on control plots (P = 0.028) and were marginally greater than on moderate-severity plots (P = 0.051). We did not find a significant difference between moderate and control plots (P = 0.25). Deer mouse densities were strongly correlated with forb (P = 0.002) and shrub ( P = 0.038) cover in a stepwise linear regression (adjusted RZ = 0.67). Based on these results, we suggest that a consideration of fire severity in a structural sense does not provide a clear picture of the impacts of wildfires or prescribed fires on the small mammal community. We propose that the composition of the postfire understory plant community must also be considered.
Wildlife Society Bulletin, 2014
The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 2014
Journal of Raptor Research, 2014
A Recovery Plan developed for the threatened Mexican Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis lucida) reco... more A Recovery Plan developed for the threatened Mexican Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis lucida) recommended designating Protected Activity Centers (PACs) with a minimum size of 243 ha to conserve core use areas of territorial owls. The plan assumed that areas of this size would protect ''… the nest site, several roost sites, and the most proximal and highly-used foraging areas.'' The PAC concept remains an important component of the recovery strategy nineteen years later, although use of designated PACs by territorial owls has never been evaluated. We assessed use of PACs for nesting and roosting by Mexican Spotted Owls in the Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico, using location data obtained during a study of owl demography from 2004-2011. High proportions of both nest and roost locations were located within the PAC boundary for most, but not all, PACs. Many locations outside of PAC boundaries were adjacent to those boundaries, but some occurred .1 km from PAC boundaries. Proportions of roost locations within the PAC also were high for most, but not all, individual owls of both sexes, and in all years of the study. Proportions of locations within PACs remained relatively high for periods of up to 24 yr following PAC establishment, suggesting that owls continued to use these areas over relatively long periods. A number of vacant PACs were recolonized by owls during the study, and these owls also used PAC areas at high levels in most, but not all, cases. It would be desirable to assess PAC use over longer time periods, in other geographic areas, and to incorporate foraging use in such evaluations. In the meantime, however, our 1 Email address: jganey@fs.fed.us J. Raptor Res. 48(3):210-218
The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 2014
The Journal of Wildlife Management, 2014
Information on population dynamics is key to gauging the status of threatened or endangered speci... more Information on population dynamics is key to gauging the status of threatened or endangered species. We monitored demography of a population of threatened Mexican spotted owls (Strix occidentalis lucida) in the Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico from 2003 to 2011. We estimated reproductive output for territorial pairs of owls; used mark-recapture methodology and Pradel's reparameterized Jolly-Seber models to estimate annual apparent survival rates, recapture rates, recruitment rates, and annual rate of population change (l RJS ) for 2005-2009; and used estimates of l RJS to assess short-term population viability. Reproductive output was highly variable for 2004-2011, whereas annual apparent survival and recapture rates were less variable among years. Annual rates of population change exceeded 1.0 for both sexes from 2005 to 2009, and empirical observations of numbers of territorial owls supported the model-based trend estimate. Abundance of territorial owls was strongly related to reproduction within the study area, suggesting that population change was driven largely by internal processes. Population viability analyses suggested that population growth was likely to continue in the short term if current conditions persist. The positive growth rates observed in our study populations are encouraging, and may indicate that current recommendations for recovering this owl are succeeding. However, our estimates of l RJS covered a very short time period, given both the potential lifespan of Mexican spotted owls and the extent of temporal variability in weather typical of the southwestern United States. Longer studies of owl demography than we present will be required to understand long-term population trends, and such studies should extend across the range of the subspecies. Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
The Journal of Wildlife Management, 2013
Understanding the habitat relationships of rare species is critical to conserving populations and... more Understanding the habitat relationships of rare species is critical to conserving populations and habitats of those species. Nesting habitat is suspected to limit distribution of the threatened Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida), and may vary among geographic regions. We studied selection of nesting habitat by Mexican spotted owls within their home ranges in the Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico. We compared characteristics of owl nest trees and nest sites to characteristics of randomly located trees and sites at 2 spatial scales: the general nest vicinity and within activity centers used by spotted owls. Owls nested primarily in mixed-conifer forest (92%), and most nested in cavities in trees or snags (48%), or in dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium spp.) witches' brooms (36%). Owl nest trees had greater levels of dwarf mistletoe infection and were larger in diameter than random trees at both of the evaluated spatial scales. Nest trees also were more likely than random trees to be in white fir (Abies concolor) or Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), and in trees or snags with broken tops. Differences between owl nest sites and random sites differed with the scale at which we selected random sites, but at both scales examined, owl nest sites had greater canopy cover and more basal area contributed by large trees and white fir than random sites. In addition, most nest sites occurred in drainage bottoms or on the lower 2 thirds of north-or east-facing slopes. Conservation of owl nesting habitat in this area will require retaining forest patches with high canopy cover and large trees containing cavities or large dwarf mistletoe witches' brooms. Locating forest management treatments on ridgetops or the upper third of slopes and/or on south-or west-facing slopes may reduce impacts to owl nesting habitat while simultaneously targeting the drier forest types most in need of restoration. Ó 2013 The Wildlife Society.
Applied Ergonomics, 2013
Three sets of eight alarms supporting eight functions specified in an international medical equip... more Three sets of eight alarms supporting eight functions specified in an international medical equipment standard (IEC 60601-1-8) were tested for learnability using non-anaesthetist participants. One set consisted of the tonal alarms specified in the standard. A second set consisted of a set of abstract alarms randomly selected from a database of abstract alarm sounds held by the authors. A third set of alarms was designed as indirect metaphors of the functions. Participants were presented with the alarms and then asked to identify them across ten blocks of eight trials. The results indicated a significant difference in learnability across the three sets of alarms. The indirect metaphors were learned significantly better than both other sets of alarms, and the randomly selected abstract alarms were learned significantly better than the alarms specified in the standard. The results suggest therefore that there are more readily learnable possible designs than those proposed in the standard. The use of auditory icons in particular should be given serious consideration as potential alarms for this application.
The 94th ESA Annual Meeting, Aug 6, 2009
Our goal is to assess the opportunity of using earthen livestock tanks to promote amphibian conse... more Our goal is to assess the opportunity of using earthen livestock tanks to promote amphibian conservation in arid rangelands. We examine whether the spatial arrangement and proximity of cattle tanks can influence breeding populations of five species of amphibians using vocalization surveys and visual searches to identify species at breeding sites after rainfall events. We detected Bufo cognatus, B. debilis, Scaphiopus couchii, Spea bombifrons, and S. multiplicata. We analyzed distance and density isolation metrics up to ...
We examined spatial extent of habitat that anaxyrids responded to in an arid environment. We used... more We examined spatial extent of habitat that anaxyrids responded to in an arid environment. We used surveys of vocalizations and searches to identify toads after rainfall events to examine whether the spatial arrangement and proximity of earthen tanks could influence breeding populations of Anaxyrus cognatus and A. debilis. These species responded to the landscape complement of breeding sites inside a buffer of 5 km, a much larger distance than most studies have addressed.