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John M. Pearce

Title: Research Wildlife Biologist
Address: 4210 University Dr., Anchorage, AK 99508-4626
Phone: (907) 786-7094
Fax: (907) 786-7021
Email: jpearce@usgs.gov

Image of John M. Pearce

Education and/or Training

Ph.D.2008University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AKBiology
M.S.1996University of Idaho, Moscow, IDZoology
B.S.1990Lewis and Clark CollegeBiology

Areas of Specialization and/or Research Interests

Since 1990, I have worked at the Alaska Science Center (ASC-BSO) as a wildlife biologist on a variety of bird projects focusing on species of shorebird, waterfowl, and landbird. Since 1994, I have worked in the ASC-BSO Molecular Ecology Laboratory in order to add a genetics component to our study of wild birds. Currently, we use nuclear and mitochondrial DNA markers to: investigate differences among breeding and wintering populations of birds; examine behaviors and movements of birds; and apply results from these studies to the monitoring of wild bird species.

Professional Experience

1999 - PresentWildlife Biologist, USGS, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
1997 - 1999Geneticist, USGS, Alaska Biological Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
1990 - 1997Biological Science Technician, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and National Biological Service, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska

Professional Activities and/or Memberships

American Ornithologists' Union
Cooper Ornithological Society

Honors and/or Awards

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Geological Survey performance awards in 1991-1995, 1997-1998 and 2000-2005 for contributions made during field and laboratory projects.

Significant Recent Publications

Pearce, J. M., K. G. McCracken, T. K. Christensen, and Y. N. Zhuravlev. 2009. Migratory patterns and population structure among breeding and wintering Red-breasted (Mergus serrator) and Common mergansers (M. merganser). Auk, In Press.

Pearce, J. M., A. M. Ramey, P. L. Flint, A. V. Koehler, J. P. Fleskes, J. C. Franson, J. S. Hall, D. V. Derksen and H. S. Ip. 2009. Avian influenza at both ends of a migratory flyway: Characterizing viral genomic diversity to optimize surveillance plans for North America. Evolutionary Applications, In Press.

Pearce, J. M., D. Zwiefelhofer, and N. Maryanski. 2009. Mechanisms of population heterogeneity among molting Common Mergansers on Kodiak Island, Alaska: Implications for genetic assessments of migratory connectivity. Condor, In Press.

Pearce, J. M., and M. R. Petersen. 2009. Post-fledging movements of juvenile Common Mergansers (Mergus merganser) in Alaska as inferred by satellite telemetry. Waterbirds, 32:133–137.

Koehler, A. V., J. M. Pearce, P. L. Flint, J. Christian Franson, and H. S. Ip. 2008. Genetic evidence of intercontinental movement of avian influenza by a migratory bird: The Northern Pintail (Anas acuta). Molecular Ecology, 17:4754-4762.

Pearce, J. M., P. Blums, and M. S. Lindberg. 2008. Site fidelity is an inconsistent determinant in population structure of the Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus): evidence from genetic, mark-recapture, and comparative data. Auk 125: 711-722.

Pearce, J.M. 2007. Philopatry: A return to origins. Auk 124:1085-1087.

Hupp, J.W., J.M. Pearce, D.M. Mulcahy, and D.A. Miller. 2006. Effects of abdominally implanted radiotransmitters with percutaneous antennas on migration, reproduction, and survival of Canada geese. Journal of Wildlife Management 70, 812-822. [Abstract][PDF]

Pearce, J. M. and S. L. Talbot. 2006. Demography, genetics and the valve of mixed messages. Condor 108:474-479.

Pearce, J. M.. 2006. Minding the gap: Frequency of indels in mtDNA control region sequence data and influence on population genetic analyses. Molecular Ecology 15:333-341.

Pearce, J. M., J. A. Reed, and P. L. Flint. 2005. Geographic variation in survival and migratory tendency among North American Common mergansers. Journal of Field Ornithology, 76:109-216.

Pearce, J. M., S. L. Talbot, M. R. Petersen, and J. R. Rearick. 2005. Limited genetic differentiation among breeding, molting, and wintering groups of the Threatened Steller's eiders: The role of historic and contemporary factors. Conservation Genetics 6:743-757.

Pearce, J. M., S. L. Talbot, B. J. Pierson, M. R. Petersen, K. T. Scribner, D. L. Dickson, and A. Mosbech. 2004. Lack of spatial genetic structure among nesting and wintering king eiders. Condor 106:229-240.

Pearce, J. M., and K. S. Bollinger. 2003. Morphological traits of Pacific Flyway Canada Geese to aid idenfiticaion and mangement. Journal of Field Ornithology, 74(4):357-369.

Talbot, S. L., J. M. Pearce, B. J. Pierson, D. V. Derksen, and K. T. Scribner. 2003. Molecular status of the Dusky Canada Goose (Branta canadensis occidentalis): A genetic assessment of a translocation effort. Conservation Genetics 4:367-381.

Scribner, K. T., S. L. Talbot, J. M. Pearce, B. J. Pierson, K. S. Bollinger, and D. V. Derksen. 2003. Phylogeography of Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) in western North America. Auk 120:889-907.

Hupp, J. W., G. A. Ruhl, J. M. Pearce, D. M. Mulcahy, and M. A. Tomeo. 2003. Effects of abdominally-implanted radio transmitters with percutaneous antennas on behaviors of Canada Geese. Journal of Field Ornithology, 74(3):250-256.

Pearce, J. M. 2002. First observation of a Greater Shearwater (Puffinus gravis) in Alaska. Western Birds 33(2): 121-122. HTML

Scribner, K. T., M. R. Petersen, R. L. Fields, S. L . Talbot, J. M. Pearce, and R. K. Chesser. 2001. Sex-biased gene flow in Spectacled Eiders (Anatidae): infereces from molecular markers with contrasting modes of inheritance. Evolution. 55(10):2105-2115.

Scribner, K. T., and J. M. Pearce. 2000. Microsatellites: Evolutionary and methodological background and empirical applications at individual, population, and phylogenetic levels. Pages 235-273 in A. Baker (ed.), Molecular Methods in Ecology. Blackwell Science, Ltd., Oxford, U.K.

Pierson, B. J., J. M. Pearce, S. L. Talbot, G. F. Shields, and K. T. Scribner. 2000. Molecular genetic status of Aleutian Canada geese from Buldir and the Semidi Islands, Alaska. Condor 102:172-180.

Pearce, J. M., B. J. Pierson, S. L. Talbot, D. V. Derksen, D. Kraege, and K. T. Scribner. 2000. A genetic evaluation of morphology used to identify harvested Canada geese. Journal of Wildlife Management 64(3):863-874.

Buchholz, W., J. Pearce, B. Pierson, and K. Scribner. 1998. Dincleotide repeat polymorphisms in waterfowl (family Anatidae): Characterization of a sex-linked (Z-specific) and 14 autosomal loci. Animal Genetics 29:1-2.

Pearce, J. M., D. Esler, and A. G. Degtyarev. 1998. Nesting ecology of spectacled eiders (Somateria fischeri) on the Indigirka River Delta, Russia. Wildfowl 49:110-123.

Pearce, J. M., D. Esler, and A. G. Degtyarev. 1998. Birds of the Indigirka River Delta, Russia: historical and biogeographic comparisons. Arctic 51:361-370.

Pearce, J. M., R. L. Fields, and K. T. Scribner. 1997. Nest materials as a source of genetic data for avian ecological studies. Journal of Field Ornithology 68:471-481.

Websites of Interest

Population dynamics and genetics of North American Mergansers
Population dynamics and ecology of Spectacled and Steller's eiders
Using genetic markers to determine population status and management strategies of migratory birds
Alaska Biological Science Center Banding and Radio Telemetry Program

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