Angela Fuller

Doctorate
University of Maine, Orono

Master of Science
University of Maine, Orono

Bachelor of Science
University of Maine at Machias

Research in our lab provides information that contributes to the conservation or management of wildlife species and influences the way species and landscapes are managed. We study the spatial ecology of species, investigating how spatial landscape patterns influence the distribution, density, or dynamics of animal populations. Much of our focus is on understanding how spatial variation in the environment influences resource use, movements, and population ecology of species. We employ methods for population estimation that incorporate spatial or landscape processes, linking population ecology and landscape ecology. We also focus on human-wildlife coexistence.

Our focus on decision science allows us to contribute to informed conservation and management decision making. We apply structured decision making (SDM) and adaptive management to guide natural resource management and policy outcomes. SDM is a process for helping to make management or policy decisions in a clear and transparent way, and involves evaluating how well alternative management strategies do at achieving objectives that have been identified by the decision maker(s) and stakeholders. This work integrates quantitative modeling to help predict outcomes of the management strategies that were developed to achieve the stated objectives.

Selected Publications

• See full list of publications on Google Scholar.
• Sun, C.C., J. E. Hurst, and A.K. Fuller. 2021. Citizen science data collection for integrated wildlife population analyses. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.682124
• Fuller, A. K., J. C. Stiller, W. F. Siemer, and K. A. Perkins. 2021. Engaging hunters in selecting duck season dates when using decision science: problem framing, objective setting, devising management alternatives. Pages 115–127 in K. Pope, and L. Powell, editors. Harvest of Fish and Wildlife: New Paradigms for Sustainable Management. CRC Press.
• Robinson, K.F., A.K. Fuller, and M. Jones. 2021. Using Structured Decision Making to Incorporate Ecological and Social Values into Harvest Decisions: Case Studies of White-Tailed Deer and Walleye. in K. Pope, and L. Powell, editors. Harvest of Fish and Wildlife: New Paradigms for Sustainable Management. CRC Press.
• Augustine, B.C., J.A. Royle, D.W. Linden, and A.K. Fuller. 2020. Spatial proximity moderates genotype uncertainty in genetic tagging studies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences  https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.01.01.892463
• Fuller, A.K., D.J. Decker, M. Schiavone, and A. Forstchen. 2020. Ratcheting up rigor in wildlife management decision making. Wildlife Society Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.1064
• Sun, C.C., J.A. Royle, and A.K. Fuller. 2019. Incorporating citizen science data in spatially explicit integrated population models. 2019. Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2777
• Gupta, A., B. Dilkina, D. Morin, A. K. Fuller, J. A. Royle, C. Sutherland, and C.P. Gomes. 2019. Reserve design to optimize functional connectivity and animal density. Conservation Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13369
• Robinson, K.F., A.K. Fuller, R.C Stedman, W.F. Siemer, and D.J. Decker. 2019. Integration of social and ecological sciences for natural resource decision making: challenges and opportunities. Environmental Management. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-019-01141-2. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00267-019-01141-2
• Sutherland, C., A.K. Fuller, J.A. Royle, M.P. Hare, and S. Madden. 2018. Large-scale variation in density of an aquatic ecosystem indicator species. Scientific Reports. https://rdcu.be/WcKB
• Royle, J.A., A.K. Fuller, and C. Sutherland. 2018. Unifying population and landscape ecology with spatial capture-recapture. Ecography 40: doi: 10.1111/ecog.03170. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ecog.03170&lt
• Miller, J.R.B., R.T. Pitman, G.K.H. Mann, A.K. Fuller, G.A. Balme. 2018. Lions and leopards coexist without spatial, temporal or demographic effects of interspecific competition. Journal of Animal Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.12883
• Morin, D.J., A.K. Fuller, J.A. Royle, and C. Sutherland. 2017. Model-based estimators of density and connectivity to inform conservation of spatially-structured populations. Ecosphere 8(1):e01623. 10.1002/ecs2.1623. https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ecs2.1623
• Robinson, K.F., A.K. Fuller, M.V. Schiavone, B. Swift, D.R. Diefenbach, W.F. Siemer, and D.J. Decker. 2017. Addressing wild turkey (Meleagris gallapavo) population declines using structured decision making.  Journal of Wildlife Management. DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21220. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/jwmg.21220
• Robinson, K. F., and A. K. Fuller. 2017. Participatory modeling and structured decision making.  Pages 83-101 in S. Gray, M. Paolisso, S. Gray, and R. Jordan (eds) Environmental Modeling with Stakeholders: Theory, Methods, and Applications. Springer.
• Sun, C.C., A.K. Fuller, M.P. Hare, and J. Hurst.  2017. Evaluating population expansion of a black bear population using noninvasive, genetic spatial capture-recapture. Journal of Wildlife Management 81: 814–823. doi:10.1002/jwmg.21248. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jwmg.21248
• Fuller, A.K., D.W. Linden, and J.A. Royle.  2016. Management decision making for fisher populations informed by occupancy modeling.  Journal of Wildlife Management. DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21077. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jwmg.21077
• Fuller, A.K., C. Sutherland, J. A. Royle, and M. P. Hare. 2016. Estimating population density and space usage of American mink using spatial capture-recapture.  Ecological Applications 26:1125-1135. Https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1890/15-0315

• Cooperative Research Units Leadership Excellence Award, 2020
• Fellow, The Wildlife Society, a lifetime designation in recognition of exceptional service to the wildlife profession, 2017
• Scientific Excellence Award to the New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit; Angela Fuller Leader, Suresh Sethi Assistant Leader, 2016
• Award of Professional Excellence from the University of Maine, Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology.  In recognition of outstanding and long-term contributions to the wildlife profession and the conservation and management of natural resources, 2014
• Outstanding Professional Award, from the New York Chapter of The Wildlife Society, 2014
• Award of Appreciation (in appreciation of 14 years of exceptional research and outreach to the Cooperative Forestry Research Unit), Maine Cooperative Forestry Research Unit, 2010
• Certificate of Appreciation (in recognition of contributions to the leadership, support, and work of the Chapter and efforts to enhance the mission of conserving the wildlife resources of Maine), Maine Chapter of The Wildlife Society, 2009

• NTRES 4601/6601 Decision Making in Natural Resource Management