Current:
A collaborative approach for adaptive management of imperiled young forest dependent wildlife in Massachusetts Jonathan Cohen, Amanda Cheeseman, Adrienne Kovach, Tracy Rittenhouse, and Chad Rittenhouse Using forestry practices developed to promote New England cottontails, this project will implement these newly developed recommendations for managing modern young forest systems and assess their impact on New England cottontails and other young forest dependent wildlife. Assessing the physiological condition and diet of the imperiled New England cottontail in newly-restored early successional forest Cynthia Downs, Amanda Cheeseman, Jonathan Cohen, Christopher Whipps To inform forest management strategies for imperiled New England Cottontail, we will use molecular genomics analyses to determine diet and will use fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM) to assess physiological health. We will correlate diet and FGM data with habitat and survival data to determine how habitat use affects survival through these mechanisms Adaptive management to promote an imperiled native cottontail over a non-native competitor Drew Eline, Amanda Cheeseman, and Jonathan Cohen Recent research strongly suggested that as a result of competitive interactions with eastern cottontails, New England cottontail resource use and survival is lower in open, low-canopy closure early successional shrublands than in older, high canopy closure shrublands. Management strategies that retain a higher degree of residual canopy closure may lessen competitive interactions, as eastern cottontails avoid these areas; however, these areas may not provide high quality forage and cover resources to New England cottontails. Our project goal is to evaluate the effectiveness of forest management strategies prescribed to promote the imperiled New England cottontail over its non-native competitor, the eastern cottontail. We will evaluate resource selection, survival, and behavior of New England cottontails under different management prescriptions in New York State, to ensure that habitat restoration is creating the food and cover resources that the species needs. Behavior of New England cottontail in response to habitat quality and translocation efforts Drew Eline, Amanda Cheeseman, Jonathan Cohen, T.J. McGreevy Impacts of targeted shrubland management on non-target species Amanda Cheeseman |
Past*:
Is conservation based on best available science creating an ecological trap for an imperiled lagomorph? 2021. Amanda Cheeseman, Jonathan Cohen, Sadie Ryan, Chris Whipps. Ecology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7104 Evaluation of cottontail pellets collected in suboptimal conditions for DNA analysis. 2020. Chris Whipps, Amanda Cheeseman, K. Alice Fox, Jonathan Cohen. Wildlife Society Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.1073 Hierarchical population structure of a rare lagomorph indicates recent fragmentation has disrupted metapopulation function. 2019. Amanda Cheeseman, Jonathan Cohen, Chris Whipps, Adrienne Kovach, Sadie Ryan. Conservation Genetics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-019-01206-z Gastrointestinal parasites of the New England cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus transitionalis) and eastern cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus) in the Hudson Valley, New York. 2019. Chris Whipps, Emily Gavard, Jonathan Cohen, Sadie Ryan. Parasitology Research. doi.org/10.1007/s00436-019-06351-5 Best Management Practices for the New England Cottontail, New York. 2019 Amanda Cheeseman, Jonathan Cohen. PDF Determinants of home range size of imperiled New England and introduced eastern cottontails. 2019. Amanda Cheeseman, Jonathan Cohen, Sadie Ryan, Chris Whipps. Canadian Journal of Zoology. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2018-0277 Competition alters seasonal resource selection and promotes use of invasive shrubs by an imperiled native cottontail. 2018. Amanda Cheeseman, Sadie Ryan, Chris Whipps, Jonathan Cohen. Ecology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.4580 Factors limiting recovery of the New England cottontail in New York. 2017. Amanda Cheeseman Dissertation. State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY. PDF Reference and baseline hematocrit measures for the threatened New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) and comparison with sympatric eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) rabbits. 2016. Sadie Ryan, Emily Gavard, Amanda Cheeseman, Jonathan Cohen, Chris Whipps. Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1638/2015-0157.1 *Please contact for access as needed |