Peter Coates
Researcher
Wildlife Biology
The U.S. Geological Survey
United States Virgin Islands
Biography
Dr. Peter Coates is interested in sound science and management practices aimed at restoring wildlife communities and their habitats. He is committed to progressive, scientifically defensible conservation actions in the face of increasing human population size and individual consumption. Abundance and distribution of wild populations often can be linked to changes in their environments caused by human land use practices, but identifying the ecological mechanisms of declining populations are often challenging. Specifically, Dr. Coates is interested in investigating the links between nesting habitat, predator composition, and incubation behavior and success of birds. Additionally, he is interested in the effects of anthropogenic-resource subsidies on the survival and reproduction of predators and how these changes influence demographics and distribution of prey populations. Dr. Coates seeks to develop a broader understanding of how human-caused landscape changes affect communities and aim to identify restoration practices that preserve natural ecological processes. He is also interested in behavioral traits of grouse that affect population establishment and persistence in the face of environmental challenges.
Research Interest
Avian Ecology Behavioral ecology of vertebrates Conservation biology Effects of Anthropogenic Disturbance Geographic Information Systems Habitat modeling Telemetry (radio and/or satellite)
Publications
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Reproductive Success of Black-Crowned Night-Herons and Snowy Egrets on Alcatraz Island
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Stressors to Greater Sage-Grouse
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Greater Sage-Grouse Population Ecology