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Brett Jesmer

Assistant Professor
Photograph of Assistant Professor Brett Jesmer
148 Cheatham Hall
brettjesmer@vt.edu
540-231-0492

Ph.D., University of Wyoming, Laramie (2018)
B.S., State University of New York College of Environmental Science & Forestry (2006)
A.A.S, State University of New York (2003)

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Behavioral ecology, animal movement, nutritional ecology, demography, conservation and management of mammals

  • Principles of Fish and Wildlife Conservation
  • Mammalogy
  • Movement Ecology
  • White-tailed deer ecology (Belize and Virginia)
  • Wildlife habitat connectivity and corridor modeling
  • Cultural transmission and evolution of ungulate knowledge
  • COVID-19 Biologging Initiative: Using the Anthropause to better understand human-wildlife interactions
  • Using animal tracking to advance community ecology and global conservation planning

Peer-Reviewed Publications (*mentee, ‡ equal contribution first authorship)

  • ‡Costa-Pereira, R., ‡R. J. Moll, ‡B. R. Jesmer, and ‡W. Jetz. 2022. Animal tracking moves community ecology: opportunities and challenges. Journal of Animal Ecology. (in press)
  • *Abraham, J. O., N. S. Upham, A. Damian-Serrano, and B. R. Jesmer. 2022. Evolutionary causes and consequences of ungulate migration. Nature Ecology and Evolution. (in press)
  • Stuber, E. F., *B.S. Carlson, and B.R. Jesmer, (2022). Many avenues for spatial personality research: a response to comments on Stuber et al. (2022) Comment. Behavioral Ecology. arac018
  • Stuber, E., *B. Carlson, and B. R. Jesmer. 2022. Spatial Personalities: a meta-analysis of consistent individual differences in spatial behavior. Behavioral Ecology. arab147
  • *Esmaeili, S., B. R. Jesmer et al. (38 authors). 2021. Body size and digestive system shape resource selection by ungulates: a cross-taxa test of the Forage Maturation Hypothesis. Ecology Letters. 24: 2178-2191.
  • Jesmer B. R., M. J. Kauffman, S. Kilpatrick, K. L. Monteith, T. Thomas, J. Yost, and J. R. Goheen. 2021. Life history theory provides a framework for detecting resource limitation: a test of the Nutritional Buffer Hypothesis. Ecological Applications. 31(4): e02299
  • Jesmer B. R., M. J. Kauffman, M. A. Murphy, and J. R. Goheen. 2020. A test of the Niche Variation Hypothesis in a ruminant herbivore. Journal of Animal Ecology. 89:2825-2839
  • DeCesare, N., K. Pilgrim, B. Weckworth, A. Walker, E. Bergman, K. Colson, R. Corrigan, R. Harris, M. Hebblewhite, B. R. Jesmer, J. Newby, J. Smith, R. Tether, T. Thomas, and M. K. Schwartz. 2019. Phylogeography of a range edge subspecies: is there such thing as Shiras moose? Journal of Mammalogy. 101(1): 10-23.
  • ‡Billerman, S. M., ‡B. R. Jesmer, A. G. Watts, P. Schlichting, M. J. Fortin, C. Funk, P. Hapeman, E. L. Muths, and M. A. Murphy. 2019. Testing theoretical metapopulation conditions with genotypic data from Boreal Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris maculata). Canadian Journal of Zoology. 97: 1042–1053
  • Alston, J. M., B. M. Maitland, B. T. Britto, S. Esmaeili, A. T. Ford, B. Hays, B. R. Jesmer, F. J. Molina, and J. R. Goheen. 2019. Reciprocity in restoration ecology: when might large carnivore reintroductions restore ecosystems? Biological Conservation. 234: 82-89
  • Jesmer, B. R., J. A. Merkle, J. R. Goheen, E. O. Aikens, D. E. McWhirter, A. B. Courtemanch, M. A. Hurley, H. M. Miyasaki, K. L. Monteith, J. L. Beck, and M. J. Kauffman. 2018. Is ungulate migration culturally transmitted? Evidence of social learning from translocated animals. Science. 361(6406): 1023-1025.
  • Jachowski, D. S., M. J. Kauffman, B. R. Jesmer, H. Sawyer, J. J. Millspaugh. 2018. Integrating physiological stress into the movement ecology of migratory ungulates: a spatial analysis with mule deer. Conservation Physiology. 6(1): 54-64.
  • Jesmer, B. R., J. R. Goheen, K. L. Monteith, and M. J. Kauffman. 2017. State-dependent behavior alters endocrine-energy relationship: implications for conservation and management. Ecological Applications. 27(8): 2303-2312.
  • Sikes, R. S., J. A. Bryan, D. Byman, B. J. Danielson, J. Eggleston, M. R. Gannon, W. L. Gannon, D. W. Hale, B. R. Jesmer, D. K. Odell, L. E. Olson, R. D. Stevens, T. A. Thompson, R. M. Timm, S. A. Trewhitt, J. R. Willoughby. 2016. Guidelines of the American Society of Mammalogists for the use of wild mammals in research and education. Journal of Mammalogy 97(3): 663-688
  • Watts, A. G., P. Schlichting, S. Billerman, B. R. Jesmer, S. Micheletti, M.-J. Fortin, C. Funk, P. Hapeman, E. L. Muths, and M. A. Murphy. 2015. How spatio-temporal habitat connectivity affects amphibian genetic structure. Frontiers in Genetics 6:275.
  • Kelt, D. A., D. H. Van Vuren, M. L. Johnson, J. A. Wilson, R. J. Innes, B. R. Jesmer, K. P. Ingram, J. R. Smith, S. W. Bigelow, and R. D. Burnett. 2013. Small mammals exhibit limited spatiotemporal structure in Sierra Nevada forests. Journal of Mammalogy 94:1197-1213.
  • Jesmer, B. R., D. H. Van Vuren, J. A. Wilson, D. A. Kelt, and M. L. Johnson. 2011. Spatial organization in female golden-mantled ground squirrels. The American Midland Naturalist 165:162-168.