About

Elizabeth Hunter is an assistant professor in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation at Virginia Tech, with a focus on vertebrate conservation biology and landscape ecology. Her research aims to develop management strategies for at-risk species in the context of global change. She combines field data collection on birds and reptiles with quantitative models to address management-relevant questions. Her interests include the conservation and management of species facing climate change, ecosystem restoration through species reintroductions, and habitat management for multi-species conservation. Hunter's work involves studying the vulnerability of salt marsh bird species to sea level rise, habitat management for declining grassland bird species, climate influences on Gopherus tortoise populations, and the conservation of Galapagos giant tortoises. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia, an M.S. from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin.

Research topics

• Ecology
• Biology
• Geography
• Fishery
• Archaeology
• Demography
• Forestry

Selected publications

• Boxed in or branching out? Movement and resource selection of eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) in an urban green space

  Urban Ecosystems · 2026-02-26

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract The eastern box turtle ( Terrapene carolina carolina ) is a long-lived terrestrial turtle species distributed throughout the eastern United States that has experienced widespread population decline. Many eastern box turtle populations are persisting as remanent populations in small, fragmented urban green spaces. We investigated the movement and resource selection of eastern box turtles within a mid-Atlantic region urban forest in the eastern United States. We used a combination of turtle occurrence data (via visual encounter surveys) and radio telemetry to create resource selection functions. Additionally, we applied a simulation modeling approach and modeled activity areas via dynamic Brownian Bridge Movement Models to quantify interactions between turtles and roads or trails. We also used these models to determine the propensity for turtles to move outside of the managed urban forest boundary and into surrounding development. We observed that turtles selected for deciduous forest patches and avoided roads and trails despite the urban forest having very little available areas where anthropogenic features could be avoided. We also demonstrated observed (and probable) movements outside of the urban forest boundary. Although eastern box turtles are persisting within the urban green space we examined, our work determined that interactions with roads and trails, and movements outside of protected boundaries into developed areas present challenges to individuals navigating the urban forest.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Coastal Farmers' and Agricultural Landowners' Perceptions of Marsh Migration and Emerging Socio‐Ecological Vulnerabilities Related to Sea‐Level Rise

  Rural Sociology · 2026-05-08

  articleSenior author

  ABSTRACT Sea‐level rise (SLR) has the potential to profoundly impact coastal ecosystems and human communities. SLR will cause marshes to erode on their seaward edge, but marsh migration onto uplands may allow for their persistence and continued provision of ecosystem services. Low elevation agricultural land may be well‐suited for marsh migration; however, SLR and associated marsh migration on agricultural land could negatively impact farmers and landowners, underscoring the value of exploring both social and ecological dimensions of marsh migration. We conducted semi‐structured interviews ( n = 12) with coastal farmers and agricultural landowners on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, USA to understand their experiences with and perceptions of impacts of marsh migration on their agricultural lands and in their community. While interviewees acknowledged some benefits of marsh migration, the preservation of farmland was preferred over allowing marsh migration. Participants also shared their views on some of the social consequences of SLR and marsh migration such as impacts to their livelihoods, damage to infrastructure in their communities, and the impact of regulatory boundaries related to wetlands. However, most saw these as distant issues. We outline additional socio‐cultural factors interviewees noted, such as intergenerational ties to the community and desires to see open space conserved, that could influence efforts to promote marsh migration. In revealing current challenges and opportunities facing coastal farmers and agricultural landowners due to SLR, these findings can inform coastal adaptation planning efforts that simultaneously consider ecological and social impacts of marsh migration.

  PublisherDOI

• Sampling effort influence in a heavily forested landscape on bat acoustic modeling

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2026-01-01

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Aggregated Space Use by Soft-Released Translocated Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus)

  Herpetologica · 2025-03-31 · 2 citations

  articleSenior author

  Translocated herpetofauna can exhibit irregular space use and movement patterns when compared with resident conspecifics. In Florida, USA, Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) are translocated throughout the state to mitigate habitat loss due to development. The postrelease space use of translocated Gopher Tortoises within soft-release pens can affect population dynamics and population monitoring efficacy, and understanding spatial patterns can aid wildlife managers with population management. We used a combination of time-lapse cameras, animal tracking devices, and burrow distribution surveys to investigate translocated tortoise space use at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, where tortoises have been translocated since 2015. We investigated 10 soft-release pens that varied in size (4–41 ha) and shape (due to landscape configuration and existing infrastructure). Time-lapse cameras and burrow distribution surveys showed that tortoises used habitat within 20 m of soft-release pens (silt fences) significantly more than the interior of pens. In most pens, the selection of pen-edge habitat resulted in a clustering effect that lessened upon subsequent surveys, after fences were removed. Additionally, our tracking data showed mixed evidence for clustering, where three of the seven tortoises used edge area significantly more than the interior of pens. Such clustering can affect the efficacy of population survey methods while potentially having negative impacts on the health of translocatees by increasing local density.

  PublisherDOI

• Social composition of soft‐release groups is correlated with survival of translocated gopher tortoises

  Journal of Wildlife Management · 2025-03-26 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract The social structure of translocated animal populations can have important effects on the survival and reproduction of translocated individuals for both solitary and social species. The gopher tortoise ( Gopherus polyphemus ) is a reptile of conservation concern that is currently experiencing high levels of mitigation translocation in Florida, USA. Individuals live in aggregations of burrows with frequent agonistic, courtship, and burrow‐sharing interactions between residents. Given that exposure to many unfamiliar individuals may increase the frequency of aggressive interactions and social stress following translocation, we predicted that tortoises with greater numbers of familiar individuals co‐translocated from the same origin site would have higher survival after translocation. To test this, we updated a recently published survival analysis of 2,822 translocated tortoises and 502 identified carcasses from a translocation site in the western Florida panhandle from 2006–2022. After controlling for simultaneous effects of soft‐release enclosure identity, release season, release density, region of origin, sex, and size, adding the number of potentially familiar individuals improved model fit and showed increasing the number of familiars reduced the probability of being found dead. This effect was modulated by release density, being apparent only when density was high, suggesting a role for social interactions. This effect was also present only in the first few years after release, prior to the removal of soft‐release enclosures preventing dispersal, and was similar in magnitude to previously identified effects of density, release season, and region of origin. We suggest that this effect may result from reduced aggressive interactions or social stress for tortoises with a greater number of familiar individuals in their release enclosures but cannot rule out the possibility of reduced novel pathogen exposure for individuals released with a greater number of individuals from the same source site or other factors that may be confounded with the size of translocated groups. Designing and implementing mitigation translocations to account for social composition of gopher tortoise groups could improve survival in release enclosures.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• An integrated model improves inferences about survival in the Mojave desert tortoise

  Endangered Species Research · 2025-11-12

  articleOpen access

  The Mojave desert tortoise Gopherus agassizii experienced population declines during recent decades, which have persisted despite its designation as a federally protected species. A small number of populations were monitored with mark-recapture methods starting in the 1970s, but inconsistent sampling resulted in challenges estimating the range of factors influencing survival. Large amounts of tortoise telemetry data were collected in recent decades, providing an alternative source for survival estimation. Here, we describe an integrated, spatially explicit, analysis that combined mark-recapture (3923 tortoises, 35 sites, 1977-2022) and telemetry (2858 tortoises, 22 sites, 1988-2022) datasets to estimate variation in survival across tortoise populations. We produced robust estimates of annual survival conditioned on climate-related covariates and compared results to non-integrated known-fate and mark-recapture models. Integration allowed for estimation of effects on survival not recovered by non-integrated models, including higher survival of males than females, lower survival of juveniles and subadults than adults, and a positive effect of total precipitation from 2 prior winters and active seasons. The integrated analysis estimated permanent emigration rate as the difference between both true survival (via telemetry data) and apparent survival (via capture-recapture data). Annual emigration probability was ~5% in 1 km 2 plots and decreased with increasing plot size. Our results demonstrate the strength of leveraging multiple data sources in describing historical demographic rates and identifying relationships with covariates that have delayed effects on survival. Our modeling framework could be used to examine the effects of additional factors on tortoise survival and resulting population dynamics.

  PublisherDOI

• Satellite imagery can predict bird species occupancy and inform multispecies management in pine savannas

  Ornithological applications · 2025-04-23

  articleSenior author

  ABSTRACT Multispecies management can contribute to meeting growing challenges of preserving biodiversity, yet current game and threatened species management often focuses on individual species. Satellite imagery available at high spatial and temporal resolution provides a potential tool to overcome the challenge posed by multispecies management of linking patterns of habitat use among species. We sought to determine whether satellite imagery could be used to describe patterns of species occupancy and inform multispecies management in pine savannas in Georgia, USA. We conducted point-count surveys at 7 sites in 2022 for 3 bird species: Colinus virginianus (Northern Bobwhite), Dryobates borealis (Red-cockaded Woodpecker), and Peucaea aestivalis (Bachman’s Sparrow). We built single-season occupancy models comparing a set of models using covariates collected from field vegetation surveys and another set using covariates extracted from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery. We then used a multi-objective optimization algorithm to identify quasi-optimal management solutions (i.e., sets of covariate values from top satellite imagery metric models). We found that models created using satellite imagery performed well at predicting occupancy of all 3 species as measured by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC > 0.8) and had higher AUC scores than field-derived habitat covariate-based models. We found combinations of metrics that could result in high rates of predicted probability of occupancy for all species (within 86% of highest possible occupancy probability), but these combinations did not exist at any of the sites. Our results demonstrate that (1) satellite imagery can allow users to build reliable occupancy models without intensive field-based vegetation surveys; and (2) C. virginianus, D. borealis, and P. aestivalis in pine savanna ecosystems could be simultaneously managed through more frequent burning, changes in canopy cover or by producing suitable heterogeneity of habitats after identifying an appropriate scale of management.

  PublisherDOI

• Spatial Occupancy Patterns of the Endangered Northern Long‐Eared Bat in New England

  Diversity and Distributions · 2025-11-01

  articleOpen access

  ABSTRACT Aim White‐nose syndrome has caused severe declines in eastern North American cave bats, leading to the federal listing of the northern long‐eared bat ( Myotis septentrionalis ) as endangered in the United States and Canada. This has heightened the importance of long‐term monitoring to inform species status assessments. We employed a combination of long‐term repeated and single‐season acoustic survey data to assess the regional presence, spatial distribution, occupancy, and detection probability of northern long‐eared bats. Location New England, United States. Methods We analysed acoustic data from 2357 detector sites, aggregated by year, using Bayesian single‐species occupancy models. We investigated the influence of habitat characteristics, climatic variables, and year (2015–2022) on occupancy and the effects of weather conditions and survey month (May to August) on detection probability. Spatial random effects were included to address residual spatial autocorrelation, with a 1‐km resolution chosen based on significant positive autocorrelation observed in a non‐spatial model. Results Occupancy was highest on steep, forested hillsides with minimal anthropogenic development, higher in warmer regions, particularly along coastlines and on offshore islands, and declined across survey years. Including a 1‐km spatial random effect reduced residual autocorrelation and suggests northern long‐eared bats utilise resources at small to medium landscape scales. Detection probability was highest earlier in the maternity season, but declined when monthly precipitation or temperature exceeded average conditions. Conclusions Conservation efforts that focus on steep, forested hillsides in warmer regions with low anthropogenic development could be beneficial. Our analysis supports the use of spatial random effects at a 1‐km 2 scale, highlighting the importance of survey designs that capture ecological variation at species‐specific resolutions. Additionally, early‐season acoustic surveys conducted during favourable weather conditions may improve monitoring effectiveness. Acoustic sampling and spatial occupancy modelling offer powerful tools for monitoring remnant populations of northern long‐eared bats and guiding conservation practices.

  PublisherDOI

• Evidence of red fox ( <i>Vulpes vulpes</i> ) depredating a Saltmarsh Sparrow ( <i>Ammospiza caudacuta</i> ) nest

  The Wilson Journal of Ornithology · 2025-07-30

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Unexpected effect of geographic origin on post‐translocation survival in a long‐lived reptile, the gopher tortoise

  Animal Conservation · 2024-05-13 · 8 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract Mitigation translocations move wildlife from specific areas due to conflict with humans over land use at the site. A critical decision when carrying out mitigation translocation is the acceptable distance across which animals can be moved. This decision trades off logistical expediency of unrestricted translocation with the risk of reducing translocation success due to environmental mismatch between origin and translocation site conditions. In this study, we used a large dataset of 502 individually identifiable carcasses to examine the role of geographic origin and translocation distance in the relative survival of 2822 translocated subadult and adult gopher tortoises ( Gopherus polyphemus ), a species experiencing large‐scale mitigation translocation, at a recipient site in the Florida panhandle, USA. We hypothesized that if climate or habitat differences between the origin and translocation site influenced survival, tortoises translocated from within the Florida panhandle would have the highest survival. To the contrary, we found that survival slightly increased with increasing climatic difference between origin and recipient site, driven by higher survival of tortoises coming from central Florida sites compared to those from the panhandle and north Florida. This suggests that environmental mismatch due to long‐distance translocation is not a main driver of mortality. These models also indicated an effect of season, with a survival advantage to tortoises translocated in the spring and late fall, relative to summer translocations, and a negative effect of initial density on survival. Finally, we also estimated the upper bound on annual survival in three well‐monitored groups to be quite low (92–95%) for several years following release, suggesting caution when considering large translocated populations to be viable without first assessing adult survival. Our unexpected results highlight the importance of investigating species‐specific sensitivities to translocation distances and indicate the limitations of assumed linear effects of translocation distance on outcomes.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• James P. Gibbs

  Purchase College

  43 shared

• Kevin T. Shoemaker

  University of Nevada, Reno

  27 shared

• Kevin J. Loope

  Virginia Tech

  14 shared

• Washington Tapia

  12 shared

• Michael A. Russello

  University of British Columbia

  12 shared

• M. A. Walden

  University of Nevada, Reno

  10 shared

• Patrick A. Raney

  Ducks Unlimited

  9 shared

• Donald J. Leopold

  SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

  9 shared

Labs

• Elizabeth Hunter LabPI