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Title: |
Professor
of Wildlife Conservation and Assistant Director for Outreach |
| Phone: |
814-863-3201 |
| Email: |
rhy@psu.edu |
| Address: |
The
Pennsylvania State University
School of Forest Resources
119 Forest Resources Building
University Park, PA 16802 |
- Education:
- B.S., The
Pennsylvania State University (1971)
- M.S., University
of Tennessee (1973)
- Ph.D., Ohio
University (1977)
- Academic
Interests:
- Wildlife
ecology and conservation biology in forested and human-induced
landscapes and ecosystems.
- Courses
Taught:
- Conservation
Biology, Wildlife Conservation, Mammalogy, Terrestrial Vertebrate
Lab, Professionalism in Natural Resources, The Vertebrates, Conservation
Ecology
- Professional
Affiliation:
- The Wildlife
Society, Society for Conservation Biologists, Wilson Ornithological
Society
- Recent
Research/Educational Projects:
- Wildlife
Response to Managed Forest Stands in Pennsylvania
The
effects of silvicultural practices, such as even-aged management,
on nongame wildlife are poorly known. Further, there is increasing
concern that forest fragmentation is a major factor causing declines
in some species of forest songbirds. This study is designed to
determine the effects of forest management on population abundance
and distribution, biodiversity, behavior, and habitat use by various
vertebrate taxa, including birds, small mammals, reptiles, and
amphibians. Results obtained from this study will provide important
information on the impact of forested landscapes on wildlife in
Pennsylvania.
Vertebrate
Inventory of Four Pennsylvania National Parks
As part of
a long-term study dealing with the vertebrate biodiversity in
select national park areas in the eastern United States, we are
conducting a study of bird and mammal populations in four Pennsylvania
national parks. The National Park Service is mandated to manage
native flora and fauna. By using standardized protocols for inventorying
vertebrates, we are providing natural resource specialists at
individual parks information on vertebrate presence/absence, relative
abundance, and distribution As large tracts of public lands, such
as national park areas, become more insular with increased fragmentation
due to agriculture, urbanization, or other land uses, these public
lands will be increasingly important for the long-term maintenance
of faunal diversity and ensuring the functional integrity of landscapes
and ecosystems in the eastern United States.
Raccoon
Rabies
A
study has been initiated on the movements of common raccoons in
western Pennsylvania in relation to an oral-vaccination rabies
program.
West Nile Virus
A study has been completed on the interrelationships between
bird populations, mosquito populations, and the incidence of the
West Nile virus in Pennsylvania.
- Selected
Publications:
- Daily Collegian.
Bimonthly wildlife articles written for Penn State newspaper in
Science and Health Section (http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/news_specials/scitech/scitech.asp)
Yahner, R. H. 2000. Eastern deciduous forest: ecology and wildlife
conservation. Second edition. University Minnesota Press, Minneapolis.
295 pp. (first edition was the recipient of the 1997 Conservation
Education Award by The Wildlife Society).
Rodewald, A. D. and R. H. Yahner. 2001. Influence of landscape
composition on avian community structure and associated mechanisms.
Ecology 82:3493-3504.
Yahner, R. H. 2001. Fascinating mammals: conservation and ecology
in the mid-eastern states. University Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh.
333 pp.
Yahner, R. H. and C. G. Mahan. 2002. Animal behavior in fragmented
landscapes. Pages 266-285 In K. Gutzwiller, ed. Concepts and applications
of landscape ecology in biological conservation. Springer-Verlag,
New York.
Talbott, S. C. and R. H. Yahner. 2003. Temporal and spatial use
of even-aged reproduction stands by bird communities in central
Pennsylvania. Northern Journal of Applied Forestry 20:117-123.
Yahner, R. H. 2003. Responses of
bird communities to early successional habitat in a managed
landscape. Wilson Bulletin 115:293-299.
Yahner, R. H., R. J. Hutnik, and
S. A. Liscinsky. 2003. Long-term trends in bird populations
on an electric transmission right-of-way. Journal of Arboriculture
29:156-163.
Yahner, R. H. 2003. Pine squirrels.
Pages 268-275 in Wild mammals of North America. Second
edition. G. Feldhammer, B. Thompson, and J. Chapman, editors.
Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, Baltimore, Maryland.
Yahner, R. H. 2005. Lyme disease
and hantavirus in wildlife. Pages 205-214 in Wildlife
diseases: Landscape epidemiology, spatial distribution and utilization
of remote sensing technology. Majumdar, S. K., J. E. Huffman,
F. J. Brenner, and A. J. Panah. The Pennsylvania Academy of
Science, Easton, PA.
Yahner, R.
H., C. G. Mahan, and A. D. Rodewald. 2005. Managing forestlands
for wildlife. Braun, C., editor. Pages 898-919 in Techniques
for wildlife investigations and management. Sixth Edition. The
Wildlife Society, Bethesda, MD.
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Richard
H. Yahner