Mark W Chynoweth

• SUNY Geneseo, BA; University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, MS; University of Utah, PhD
• Professor (Associate) at Utah State University

Plastic behavioral adaptation to human activities can result in the enhancement andestablishment of distinct behavioral types within a population. Such inter-individualbehavioral variations, if unaccounted for, can lead to biases in our understandingof species’feeding habits, movement pattern and habitat selection. We tracked themovements of 16 adu...

Large carnivorous mammals are wide-ranging animals and thus frequently come into contact with human settlements in agrarian landscapes. This often generates human–wildlife conflict; carnivores potentially damage livestock, agricultural products, or human well-being. In Turkey, the cooccurrence of eight medium-large carnivore species combined with a...

We investigated wolf feeding ecology in Kars province, north-eastern Turkey, by analyzing 72 scat samples collected in spring 2013. Ongoing camera trap surveys suggest that large wild ungulates are exceptionally rare in the region. On the contrary, livestock is abundant. Accordingly, scats analysis revealed that livestock constituted most of the bi...

Advances in wildlife telemetry and remote sensing technology facilitate studies of broad-scale movements of ungulates in relation to phenological shifts in vegetation. In tropical island dry landscapes, home range use and movements of non-native feral goats (Capra hircus) are largely unknown, yet this information is important to help guide the cons...

Gray wolves Canis lupus comprise one of the most widely distributed carnivore species on the planet, but they face myriad environmental and anthropogenic pressures. Previous research suggests that wolves adjust their time‐ and space‐use seasonally to mitigate risks from humans, conspecifics, and other predators while maximizing their hunting and re...

Large carnivores are known for altering their life-history strategies in response to environmental change. One such shift was recently discovered in Eurasian brown bears ( Ursus arctos arctos ) in Sarıkamış, Eastern Türkiye where an open city garbage dump has led to the emergence of two distinct life strategists: sedentary bears that use the city d...

We report the first recent photographic evidence of cheetah Acinonyx jubatus in Djibouti. The occurrence of cheetah in Djibouti has been unconfirmed for the past three decades. This new record indicates that Djibouti may provide important habitat for this rapidly declining species and merits further investigation.

Biotic interactions are expected to influence species' responses to climate change, but they are usually not included when predicting future range shifts. We assessed the importance of biotic interactions to understand future consequences of climate and land use change for biodiversity using as a model system the brown bear (Ursus arctos) in Europe...

Predator-prey interactions and human presence are among the key factors shaping large mammal activity patterns. In human-dominated landscapes, large carnivores must balance their activity rhythms between optimizing their feeding opportunities and avoiding encounters with humans. In north-eastern Turkey, the Caucasian lynx (Lynx lynx dinniki), a thr...

COVID-19 has altered many aspects of everyday life. For the scientific community, the pandemic has called upon scientists to continue their work in novel ways, curtailing field and lab research. However, this unprecedented situation also offers an opportunity for researchers to optimize and further develop available field methods. Camera traps are...

Camera traps have become an important research tool for both conservation biologists and wildlife managers. Recent advances in spatially explicit capture-recapture (SECR) methods have increasingly put camera traps at the forefront of population monitoring programs. These methods allow for benchmark analysis of species density without the need for i...

The raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) was recorded for the first time in Turkey on May 10, 2019, and June 5, 2019, in the same location after 4668 nights of camera trapping in the forests of the Sarıkamış region and Allahuekber Mountains in eastern Turkey. It was recorded in a Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) forest at 2340 m above sea level with...

Wetland-dependent migratory songbirds represent one of the most vulnerable groups of birds on the planet, with .67% of wetland-obligate species threatened with extinction. One of the major hurdles for conservation efforts is determining the migration routes, stopover sites, and wintering sites of these species. We describe an annual migration cycle...

Wetland-dependent migratory songbirds represent one of the most vulnerable groups of birds on the planet, with .67% of wetland-obligate species threatened with extinction. One of the major hurdles for conservation efforts is determining the migration routes, stopover sites, and wintering sites of these species. We describe an annual migration cycle...

The use of remote sensing in ecosystem management has transformed how land managers, practitioners, and policymakers evaluate ecosystem loss, gain, and change at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Less developed is the use of these spatial tools for planning, implementing, and evaluating ecosystem restoration projects and especially so in multif...

Researchers in the Biodiversity and Conservation Ecology Lab at the University of Utah use camera traps as a noninvasive approach to document species that are present in Red Butte Canyon. A camera trap is a battery powered, motion-activated camera that can be set up at a given location to operate long term. These cameras take a series of photograph...

Current data on the distribution and ecology of the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in Turkey is limited. Furthermore, lynx in the Caucasus region are likely to represent a subspecies of the Eurasian lynx, the Caucasian lynx (L. l. dinniki). Throughout its range, lynx increasingly face threats due to human activity with habitat loss and prey depletion be...

Human dimensions of wildlife management are critical to the success of a wildlife management program. The input of stakeholders at the local level can help determine how governments or conservation organizations can mitigate potential human-wildlife conflicts. In the Sarıkamış-Allahuekber Mountains National Park and surrounding forests in eastern T...

Domestic goats, Capra hircus, were intentionally introduced to numerous oceanic islands beginning in the sixteenth century. The remarkable ability of C. hircus to survive in a variety of conditions has enabled this animal to become feral and impact native ecosystems on islands throughout the world. Direct ecological impacts include consumption and...

Background/Question/Methods The world’s population is nearing 7 billion and is predicted to reach 9.1 billion by 2050. Continued population growth will result in increased resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing the effects of climate change. Synergisms between population growth and climate change will therefore have substant...

Background/Question/Methods As the world’s population passed the 7 billion mark last October, we were reminded of the tremendous impact that a growing human population has on our planet’s natural resources. Previous research has shown that the university professorate is generally knowledgeable of human population dynamics. Unfortunately, many uni...

Background/Question/Methods Large populations of nonnative, feral goats (Capra hircus) are present on five of the eight main Hawaiian Islands where they have been notable components of the landscape for at least a century. However, very little information exists on their behavioral ecology (e.g., habitat use, seasonal movement patterns, movement...

Nonnative feral ungulates have both direct and indirect impacts on native ecosystems. Hawai‘i is particularly susceptible to biological invasions, as the islands have evolved in extreme geographic isolation. In this paper we explore the ecological impacts of nonnative feral goats in the Hawaiian Islands, including what is known and what remains to...