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James D. (Jim) Fraser
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Jim's TweetsTo see news of Jim's lab, see this site or follow on twitter www.twitter.com/VT_Wildlife (note, Jim's Tweets requires Adobe Flash Player) |
Chasing plover chicks in the Alkalai Wetlands of ND |
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Courses Taught:
Endangered Species Management
Conservation Biology
Research Interests:
Conservation biology, endangered species management, conservation biology, population ecology, behavioral ecology, piping plover, caracara, red knot, Wilson’s plover, shorebirds, raptors
Research Highlight:
Piping plover foraging ecology, habitat requirements and population dynamics
Piping plovers breed on the Atlantic barrier islands from North Carolina to Newfoundland, on the Great Lakes, and on western rivers, lakes, and potholes in the U.S. and Canadian Great Plains. Piping plovers are threatened (Endangered in the Great Lakes) due to population declines caused by low reproductive rates and habitat loss. We have studied piping plover ecology from North Carolina to Massachusetts, and on the Missouri River and nearby potholes from 1986 to the present, with funding from The National Park Service, USGS BRD, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. We developed and tested the hypothesis that variations in food across foraging habitats are an important determinant of breeding density and reproductive output. Early successional habitats such as ephemeral pools, bay intertidal flats and river sandbars provide abundant food, but they are in short supply due to economic development of barrier islands, beach stabilization, and water management in rivers of the Great Plains, including the Missouri River. We currently are working with the regulatory and management agencies to seek remedies to this increasing shortage of suitable habitat.
Selected Publications:
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Karpanty, S.M., Cohen, J., Fraser, J.D., and Berkson, J. 2011. Sufficiency of Horseshoe Crab Eggs for Red Knot During Spring Migration Stopover in Delaware Bay USA. Journal of Wildlife Management 75: 984-994.
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Catlin, D. H., J. D. Fraser, J.H. Felio and J. B. Cohen. Piping Plover Nest-Site Selection and Nest Success on Natural, Managed, and Engineered Missouri River Sandbars. Jounal of Wildlife Management 75: 305-310.
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Catlin, D. H. R. Jacobson, M. Sherfy3, M. Anteau, M. Bomberger-Brown, J. Felio, J. D. Fraser, J’ Jenniges, C. Lott, T. Shaffer, C. Smith, and J. Stucker. 2011. Discussion of “Natural Hydrograph of the Missouri River near Sioux City and the Least Tern and Piping Plover” by Donald Jorgensen. Journal of Hydrologic Engineering 15:1076-1078.
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Catlin, D. H., J.H. Felio, and J. D. Fraser. 2011. Effect of Great Horned Owl Trapping on Chick Survival in Piping Plovers. Journal of Wildlife Management. 75: 458-462.
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Cohen, J.B., S. M. Karpanty, and J. D. Fraser. 2010. Habitat selection and behavior of Red Knots (Calidris canutus) on the New Jersey Atlantic Coast during spring stopover. Condor: 112: 665-662.
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Cohen, J.B., Fraser JD. 2010. Piping Plover foraging distribution and prey abundance in the pre-laying period. Wilson Journal of Ornithology. 122: 578-582.
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Fraser,.J.D. S.M. Karpanty, and J.B. Cohen. 2010. Shorebirds forage disproportionately in horseshoe crab nest depressions. Waterbirds 33(1): 96-100.
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Cohen J.B. S.M. Karpanty, J.D. Fraser, and B.R. Truitt. 2009. The effect of benthic prey on Red knot (Calidris canutus) distribution at an alternative migratory stopover site on the US Atlantic Coast. Journal of Ornithology (Online First, October 2009).
- Cohen, J.B.*, L.M. Houghton, and J. D. Fraser. 2009. Piping Plover breeding ecology on Long Island, New York. Wildlife Monographs. 173:1-24
Current Research Projects :
Other Activites :
Chandeleurs Expedition:
Sandhill cranes, Rowe Sanctuary, Platte River, Nebraska:
Trapping Piping Plovers on Raccoon Island, Louisiana:
Graduate Students:
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Graduate Student Websites
| Jon Cohen(Research Scientist) | http://www.fishwild.vt.edu/grad_student_sites/jon_cohen.htm |
| Dan Catlin(Research Scientist) | http://www.fishwild.vt.edu/Catlin |
| James Dwyer | http://filebox.vt.edu/users/jfdwyer/Webpage/Dwyer Webpage.htm |
| Joy Felio | |
| Kacy Ray | https://filebox.vt.edu/users/klray/Web Page/index.htm |
| Kelsi Hunt |
Last updated April 2013