Research Branch
Our Mission
To conduct robust research and provide scientific information to inform and support the sound management and professional stewardship of Arizona’s fish and wildlife resources, and to ensure the credibility of the Department’s science.
Goals
Research
Address the Department’s programmatic management information needs.
Information Transfer
Provide research findings, scientific expertise, guidance, and training to inform management decisions and activities, sustain a skilled Department workforce, and maintain the Department’s role as a leader in wildlife management.
Capacity and Partnership Building
Build and maintain research partnerships, outside funding, and a high level of expertise within the Branch to maximize Research Branch productivity and quality.
About the Branch
The Research Branch has a staff of 18-20 full-time biologists who are assisted seasonally by interns and seasonal technicians. Our main office is located in Phoenix; however, projects are conducted throughout Arizona. The Research Branch conducts aquatic and terrestrial research, and provides biometrics support to the Department, based on management information needs identified within the Department. Research projects address a wide range of topics and are targeted to provide information to inform management decisions. This information often includes aspects of population dynamics, habitat relations, predator-prey interactions, population monitoring techniques, and the effect of management or development actions.
In addition to management-oriented research, the branch develops new and innovative techniques to assist in managing and monitoring wildlife populations, and provides training and scientific expertise to Department personnel. Funding comes from a variety of sources, including Federal funding through the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act and the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act, as well as various contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements with other state, federal, or private organizations.
Contacts
Esther Rubin
Research Branch Chief – Erubin@azgfd.gov
Vacant
Research Programs & Project Specialist
Larisa Harding
Research Terrestrial Program Manager – AJones@azgfd.gov
Ryan Mann
Research Aquatic Program Manager – Rmann@azgfd.gov
Read About our Work
Research Branch Annual Update – Spring 2019
Research Branch Publications Since 2010
| Journals |
O’Brien, C. S., P. R. Krausman, H. M. Boyd.2010.Influence of Coyotes on Habitat Use by Mule Deer Following a Wildfire. California Game and Fish. 96(1):7-22.
http://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=47319. |
Atwood, T. C., J. K. Young, J. P. Beckman, S. W. Breck, J. Fike, O. E. Rhodes, K. D. Bristow.2011.Modeling Connectivity of Black Bears in a Desert Sky Islands Archipelago. Biological Conservation.144:2851-2862.
http://www.skyislandalliance.org/images/2011_sky%20island%20bear%20study_Bio%20Conservation.pdf |
Avery, L. A., D. Ward, J. Marks.2011.Exercise Conditioning of Pond-Reared Razorback Suckers Decreases downstream Movement Upon Release into a Stream Environment. Western North American Naturalist.71:78-85.
http://nau.edu/Centers-Institutes/Ecoss/_Forms/Publications/Avery-et-al-2011/. |
Justice-Allen, A. E., C. J. Luedtke, M. Overstreet, J. W. Caine III, T. R. Stephenson.2011.Prevalence of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae in Desert Bighorn Sheep in Arizona. Desert Bighorn Council Transactions.51:1-12.
http://s3.amazonaws.com/file-storage.INDIVIDUAL-ACTIVITIES-CooperativeResearchUnits.digitalmeasures.usgs.edu/jwcain/intellcont/Justice-Allen%20et%20alDesert%20Bighorn%20Council%20Transactions%20Volume%2051.pdf%20-%20Adobe%20Acrobat%20Pro-1.pdf. |
| Loberger, C. L., T. C. Theimer, S. S. Rosenstock, C. S. Wightman.2011.Use of restoration-treated ponderosa pine forest by tassel-eared squirrels. Journal of Mammalogy.92:1021-1027. |
| Sesnie, S. E., B. G. Dickson, S. S. Rosenstock, J. Rundall.2011.A Comparison of Landsat TM and MODIS Vegetation Indices for Estimating Forage Phenology in Desert Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) Habitat in the Sonoran Desert, USA. International Journal of Remote Sensing.DOI:10.1080/01431161.2011.592865. |
| Besser, T. E., E. F. Cassirer, M. A. Highland, P. Wolff, A. Justice-Allen, K. Mansfield, M. A. Davis, W. Foreyt.2012.Bighorn Sheep Pneumonia: Sorting Out the Cause of a Polymicrobial Disease. Preventative Veterinary Medicine.109 (3-4):185.pdf. |
| Schuler, K. L., D. E. Green, A. E. Justice-Allen, R. Jaffe, M. Cunningham, N. J. Thomas, M.G. Spalding, H. S. Ip.2012.Expansion of an Exotic Species and Concomitant Disease Outbreaks: Pigeon Paramyxovirus in Free-Ranging Eurasian Collared Doves.Ecohealth.9(2):163-170. |
| Korman, J., S. J. D. Martell, C. J. Walters, A. S. Makinster, L. G. Coggins, M. D. Yard, W. R. Persons.2012. Estimating Recruitment Dynamics and Movements of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon Using an Integrated Assessment Model. Canadian Journal of Fisheries Aquatic Science.69:1-23.pdf. |
Bunch, A. J., C. J. Walters, L. G. Coggins, Jr. 2013. Measurement Error in Fish Lengths: Evaluation and Management Implications. Fisheries.38 (7):320-326.
http://afs.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/03632415.2013.803472 |
Horncastle, V. J., R. F. Yarborough, B. G. Dickson, S. S. Rosenstock.2013.Summer Habitat Use by Adult Female Mule Deer in a Restoration-Treated Ponderosa Pine Forest. Wildlife Society Bulletin.DOI: 10.1002/wsb.301.
http://library.eri.nau.edu/gsdl/collect/erilibra/index/assoc/D2014001.dir/doc.pdf |
| Kalies, E. L., S. S. Rosenstock.2013.Stand Structure and Breeding Birds: Implications for Restoring Ponderosa Pine Forests. Journal of Wildlife Management.9999:1-9;DOI:10.1002/jwmg.577. http://library.eri.nau.edu/gsdl/collect/erilibra/index/assoc/D2013017.dir/doc.pdf |
| Stewart, W. T., M. Burrell.2013.Striped Bass Dispersion and Effects on Fisheries Management in Lakes Mohave and Pleasant, Colorado River Basin. American Fisheries Society Symposium.80:431-448 |
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| Lucas S. Bair, David L. Rogowski & Chris Neher.2016.Economic Value of Angling on the Colorado River at Lees Ferry: Using Secondary Data to Estimate the Influence of Seasonality, North American Journal of Fisheries Management, 36:6, 1229-1239, DOI:10.1080/02755947.2016.1204388 |
| Harding, L. E., Heffelfinger, J., Paetkau, D., Rubin, E., Dolphin, J., Aoude, A.2016.Genetic Managment and setting recovery goals for Mexican Wolves in the wild. Bio. Conserv.203, 151-159 |
| Harding, L. E., J. Heffelfinger, D. Paetkau, E. Rubin, J. Dolphin, and A. Aoude. 2016. Reply to Hedrick: Genetics and recovery goals for Mexican wolves. Biological Conservation, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2016.12.034. |
| Bair, L. S., D. L. Rogowski, C. Neher. 2016. Economic Value of Angling on the Colorado River at Lees Ferry: Using Secondary Data to Estimate the Influence of Seasonality. North American Journal of Fisheries Management.36(6):1229-1239 |
| Clement, M. J. 2016. Designing occupancy studies when false-positive detections occur. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 7(12):1538-1547. |
| Clement, M. J., J. E. Hines, J. D. Nichols, K. L. Pardieck, and D. J. Ziolkowski Jr. 2016. Estimating indices of range shifts in birds using dynamic models when detection is imperfect. Global Change Biology 22(10):3273-3285. |
| Jones, A. S., J. J. Anderson, B. G. Dickson, S. Boe, E. S. Rubin. 2016. Off-Highway Vehicle Road Networks and Kit Fox Space Use. Journal of Wildlife. 81(2):230-237, DOI:10.1002/jwmg.21204 |
| Stahr, K. J., and D. E. Shoup. 2016. The effects of macrophyte stem density and structural complexity on foraging return of invertivorous juvenile largemouth bass. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 36(4):788-792. |
| Perez, C. R., S. A. Bonar, J. J. Amberg, B. Ladell, C. Rees, W. T. Stewart, C. J. Gill, C. Cantrell, A. T. Robinson. 2017. Comparison of American Fisheries Society (AFS) Standard Fish Sampling Techniques and Environmental DNA. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 35(5):1010-1027. |
| Clement, M. J., S. J. Converse, J. A. Royle. 2017. Accounting for Imperfect Detection of Groups and Individuals When Estimating Abundance. Wiley Ecology and Evolution DOI10.1002/eca3.3284. |
| Boyer, J. K., C. S. Guy, M. A. H. Webb, T. B. Horton, T. E. McMahon. 2017. Gear Comparison for Sampling Age-0 Mountain Whitefish in the Madison River, Montana. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 37:189-195. |
| Boyer, J. K., C. S. Guy, M. A. H. Webb, T. B. Horton, T. E. McMahon. 2017. Reproductive Ecology, Spawning Behavior, and Juvenile Distribution of Mountain Whitefish in the Madison. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 146:939-954. |
| Mower, E. B., W. Strain, L. Rice, L. McCormick. 2017. Are Standard Protocols Needed for Performing Weight Counts? Journal of Applied Aquaculture DOI:10.1080/10454438.2017.1406421. |
| Stahr, K. J., Rebecca L. Knudsen. 2018. Evaluating the Efficacy of Using Time-Lapse Cameras to Assess Angling Use: An Example from a High-Use Metropolitan Reservoir in Arizona. North American Journal of Fisheries Management DOI:10.1002/nafm.10026. |
| Mann, R. D., C. G. Snow. 2018. Population-Specific Migration Patterns of Wild Adult Summer-Run Chinook Salmon Passing Wells Dam, Washington. North American Journal of Fisheries Management DOI.10.1002.nafm.10042. |
| Beard, Z. S., M. C. Quist, R. S. Hardy, and T. J. Ross. 2017. Survival, movement, and distribution of juvenile Burbot in a tributary of the Kootenai River. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 37:1274-1288 |
| Beard, Z. S., M. C. Quist, R. S. Hardy, and T. J. Ross. 2017. Habitat associations of juvenile Burbot in a tributary of the Kootenai River. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 146:1008-1015 |
| Griffin, K. M., Z. S. Beard, M. C. Quist, and J. M. Flinders. 2017. Age estimation of Utah Chubs using pectoral fin rays, otoliths, and scales. Western North American Naturalist 77:189-194 |
| Stahr, K. J., and M.A. Kaemingk. 2017. An evaluation of emergent macrophytes and use among groups of aquatic taxa. Lake and Reservoir Management 33(3):314‒323 |
| Beard, Z. S. M. C. Quist, R. S. Hardy, and T. J. Ross. 2018. Patterns in fish assemblage structure in a small western stream. Copeia 104(4):589-599 |
| Carter, J.M., M.J. Clement, A.S. Makinster, C.D. Crowder and B. Hickerson. 2018. Classification success of species within the Gila robusta complex using morphological and meristic characters – a reexamination. Copeia 106(2):279-291 |
| Rogowski, D. L., R. J. Osterhoudt, H. E. Mohn, and J. K. Boyer. 2018. Humpback chub (Gila cypha) range expansion in the western Grand Canyon. Western North American Naturalist 78(1):26-38 |
| Clement, M. J., L. E. Harding, R. W. Lucas, and E.S. Rubin. 2019. An evaluation of biotic and abiotic factors influencing aspen regeneration in Arizona. Forest Ecology and Management 441:32-41. doi: 10.1016/j.foreco.2019.03.026 |
| Bristow, K. D., M. J. Clement, M. L. Crabb, L. E. Harding, and E. S. Rubin. 2019. Comparison of aerial survey methods for elk (Cervus canadensis) in Arizona. Wildlife Society Bulletin; DOI:10.1002/wsb.940 |
| Clement, M.J., J.D. Nichols, J.A. Collazo, A.J. Terando, J.E. Hines, and S. Williams. 2019. Partitioning global change: assessing the relative importance of changes in climate and land cover for changes in avian distribution. Ecology and Evolution 9:1985-2003 |
| Gill, D. A., M. R. Buchalski, D. Conrad, E. S. Rubin, A. Munig, B. Wakeling, C. W. Epps, T. G. Creech, R. Crowhurst, B. Holton, R. Monello, W. Boyce, C. Penedo, and H. Ernest. Genetic outcomes of translocation of bighorn sheep in Arizona. Submitted to the Journal of Wildlife Management. |
| Snow, C.G. and R.D. Mann. 2019. Identification of Summer-run Chinook Salmon Spawning Areas in the Main-stem Columbia River Upstream of Wells Dam, Washington. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. DOI: 10.1002/nafm.10269 |
| Reports |
| O’Neill, M. W., D. L. Ward, W. T. Stewart.2011.Growth of Razorback Sucker (Xyrauchen texanus) at Bubbling Ponds Fish Hatchery. Report. U. S. Bureau of Reclamation. https://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/documents/c10_growth_rasu_nov11.pdf |
Reif, S., R. F. Yarborough, S. S. Rosenstock, E. L. Kalies, S. Hedwall.2013.Wildlife Habitat Values and Forest Structure in Southwestern Ponderosa Pine: Implications for Restoration. Working Paper. Ecological Restoration Institute.
http://library.eri.nau.edu/gsdl/collect/erilibra/index/assoc/HASH8e44.dir/doc.pdf |
| Rosenstock, S. S., R. F. Yarborough.2012.Yuma Proving Ground Wildlife Studies: Final Report. Final Report Contract No: W9124R-11-R-0007 Tasks A-D, 28 pp.pdf |
| Bristow, K. D., L. E. Harding, S. R. Boe, M. L. Crabb, E. S. Rubin.2014.Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) Movements and Habitat Use in the Big Chino Valley, Arizona. Technical Guidance Bulletin 15.Arizona Game and Fish Department. |
| Stewart, B., A. Makinster, A. Vasey, L. Avenetti.2013.Salt River Reservoirs Golden Alga Project. Technical Guidance Bulletin.13.pdf. |
Justice-Allen, A., A. C. Knox.2014.The Prevalence of Pigeon Paramyxovirus 1 and Trichomonas gallinae in band-tailed pigeons (Patagioenas fasciata), mourning doves (Zenaida macroura) and white-winged doves (Zenaida asiatica).Final Report. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
https://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/documents/DoveStudyFinalReportDraft16Apr2014.pdf |
| Knox, A. C. 2014. Chronic Wasting Disease Report. Annual Report. Arizona Game and Fish Department.pdf. |
| Rogowski, D. L., R. O. Osterhoudt, P. W. Wolters.2015. Status of the Lees Ferry Rainbow Trout Fishery-2014. Annual Report. U. S. Geological Survey, Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, Flagstaff, AZ. |
| Rogowski, D. L., P. W. Wolters.2015. Colorado River Fish Monitoring in Grand Canyon, Arizona-2014. Annual Report .U. S. Geological Survey, Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, Flagstaff, AZ. |
| Osterhoudt, R. O., D. L. Rogowski.2015. Little Colorado River Fish Monitoring in the Lower 1,200 Meters-2014. Annual Report. U. S. Geological Survey, Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, Flagstaff, AZ. |
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| Popular Reading |
| Rosenstock, S. S., B. Wolf.2010.What Photos and Neutrons Tell Us: How Wildlife Water Developments Benefit Nongame Wildlife in the Sonoran Desert. Arizona Wildlife Views .53(4):21-24.pdf. |
| Warren, J., A. Jones.2011.The Fox and the (Four-Wheel) Hound. Arizona Wildlife Views.54 (2):27-30. |
| Bunch, A., B. Stewart.2012.Tight Lines at Lee’s Ferry. Arizona Wildlife Views.55 (1):12-14. |
| Stewart, B. 2012. A Changing Grand Canyon: Can High Flows Help? .Arizona Wildlife Views. 55(5):30-33.pdf. |
| Bristow, K., M. Crabb.2013.Black Bears and the Wallow Fire. Arizona Wildlife Views.56 (1):8-13.pdf. |
For other publications, contact Esther Rubin erubin@azgfd.gov
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