Damon B. Lesmeister

• Biology and ecology of the northern spotted owl and its prey base
• Responses of northern spotted owls to landscape and wildlife community changes
• Land management influence on wildlife interactions and space use based on those interspecific interactions
• Developing and testing methods for multi-scale monitoring of wildlife to improve effectiveness monitoring under the Northwest Forest Plan

Dr. Lesmeister's past research has focused on species distribution, space use, resource selection, and coexistence of species with high niche overlap. He evaluated the spatial ecology of eastern spotted skunks, a species of conservation concern throughout much of its historical range. The research has provided the only detailed multi-scale assessment of eastern spotted skunk space-use dynamics. Dr. Lesmeister found that predation risk has a powerful role in space use and resource selection of this small carnivore, especially their strong selection of young dense forest. Small forest carnivores are highly susceptible to predators in open habitat; therefore, often prefer habitat with characteristics that mediate those trophic and competitive interactions. In addition to his work with small carnivores, Dr. Lesmeister quantified the spatial and temporal structure of a widely-occurring mesocarnivore guild in the Central Hardwood Forest Region. He used a multi-scale occupancy modeling framework to reveal that anthropogenic disturbance and the structure of hardwood forest habitat influence competitive interactions and coexistence in the carnivore guild. His research suggests that in many landscapes bottom-up factors such as habitat consistently influence carnivore distribution and that top-down factors causing a competitor-driven adjustment in space use is not a universal phenomenon.

• Wildlife Ecology and Management
• Population Dynamics
• Resource Selection
• Space Use
• Landscape Ecology
• Community Ecology
• Wildlife Monitoring
• Predator-Prey Dynamics
• Mammalian Carnivores
• Northern Spotted Owl

By integrating innovative approaches to address questions in ecology, Dr. Lesmeister's research helps clarify multiple biological scales of forest wildlife distribution, resource selection, space use dynamics, survival, and mechanisms of coexistence. His work provides valuable information to natural resource managers and policy makers so they are able to make sound decisions for the stewardship of healthy and sustainable ecosystems.