Kris Metzger

Inventory and Monitoring Coordinator
Regional Office, Albuquerque
Phone: 505-248-6432
Email: kris_metzger at fws.gov

“The goal of the I&M effort is to increase the scientific capacity of the NWRS which ultimately will contribute to the conservation potential of the Refuge network.”

Current Projects:

• Evaluating Sea-Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM) data inputs to improve and refine sea-level rise scenarios on Refuges within the Gulf Coast Prairies Landscape Conservation Cooperative.  Concern has been raised over the quality of data inputs used in model development.  This project will address these data input through refinement.
• Consequences of sea-level rise and anthropogenic stressors on the loss and conversion of wetland habitats for whooping cranes, mottled ducks and redhead ducks on the Gulf Coast Prairie Landscape Conservation Cooperative.For continuing and future protection of USFWS coastal species and the habitat on which they depend, understanding the effects of anthropogenic impacts and sea-level rise on habitat loss and conversion is critical for land protection planning and management activities in the GCPLCC.
  

Previous Projects:
Before moving to the US FWS I was a research associate at the Centre for Biodiversity Research at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. My research focused on understanding the impact of land cover and use change, the effects of human caused and natural disturbances on the conservation and sustainability of biodiversity and ecosystem services in the Serengeti Ecosystem in Tanzania, East Africa.

Education:
Ph.D., 2002, Colorado State University, Ecology
M.S., 1997, Colorado State University, Forestry
B.S., 1991, University of Oregon, Biology

Scientific Interests:
I use field studies, remote sensing, Geographic Information System (GIS) analyses and spatial modeling to understand long term ecosystem dynamics, detect the effect of disturbance, and compare biodiversity among land use areas.

Publications:

Sinclair. A. R. E*. K. L. Metzger*, J. Fryxell*, C. Packer,  A. E. Byron, M. Craft,K. Hampson, T. Lembo , S. Durant, G. J. Forrester, J. Bukombe, J. Mchetto, J. Dempewolf, R. Hilborn, S. Cleveland, A. Nkwabi and  S.A. R. Mduma. Asynchronous food web pathways buffer the response of Serengeti predators to El Niño Southern Oscillation, In Press: Ecology. * shared co-first authorship.

Hampson, K., T. Lembo, P. Bessell, H. Auty, C. Packer, J. Halliday, C. A. Bessley, R. Fyumagwa, R. Hoare, E. Ernest, C. Mentzel, K. L. Metzger, T. Mlengeya, K. Stamey, K. Roberts, P. Wilkins, S. Cleveland. 2011. Predictability of anthrax infection in the Serengeti, Tanzania. Journal of Applied Ecology 46: 1333-1344.get pdf

Nkwabi, A. K., A. R. E. Sinclair, K. L. Metzger and S. A. R. Mduma. 2010. Disturbance, ecosystem function and compensation: the influence of wildfire and grazing on the avian community in the Serengeti ecosystem, Tanzania. Austral Ecology 36:1-9. get pdf

Metzger, K. L., A. R. E. Sinclair, R. Hilborn, J. G. C. Hopcraft and S. A. Mduma. 2010. Evaluating the protection of wildlife in parks: the case of African buffalo in Serengeti. Biodiversity and Conservation 19: 3431-3444. get pdf

Shaw, P., A.R.E. Sinclair, K. L. Metzger, A. Nkwabi, S.A.R. Mduma and N. Baker. 2010. Range expansion of the globally Vulnerable Karamoja apalis Apalis karamojae in the Serengeti ecosystem. African Journal of Ecology 48: 751-758. get pdf

Holdo, R., A. R. E. Sinclair, K. L. Metzger, B. Bolker, A. Dobson, M. Ritchie, and R. Holt. 2009. A disease-mediated trophic cascade in the Serengeti and its implications for ecosystem C. PLoS Bio 7 (9): e1000210 doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio1000210. get pdf

Sinclair, A. R. E, and K. L. Metzger. 2009. Advances in wildlife ecology and the influence of Graeme Caughley. Wildlife Research 36: 8-15. get pdf

Reed, D. N., T. M. Anderson, J. Dempewolf, K. L. Metzger, S. Serneels. 2009. The spatial distribution of vegetation types in the Serengeti Ecosystem: the influence of rainfall and topographic relief on vegetation patch characteristics. Journal of Biogeography 36: 770-782. get pdf

Metzger, K. L., E. A. H. Smithwick, D. B. Tinker, W.H. Romme, T. C. Balser and M. G. Turner. 2008. Influence of course wood and pine saplings on nitrogen mineralization and microbial communities in young post-fire Pinus contorta. Forest Ecology and Management 256: 59-67.get pdf

Mwangomo, E. A., L. A. Hardesty, A. R. E. Sinclair, S. A. R. Mduma, andK. L. Metzger. 2008. Habitat selection, diet and inter-specific associations of the rufous-tailed weaver and Fischer’s lovebird. African Journal of Ecology 46: 267-275.get pdf

Metzger, K. L., A. R. E. Sinclair, K. L. Campbell, R, Hilborn, J. G. C. Hopcraft, S. A. R. Mduma, R. M. Reich. 2007. Using historical data to establish baselines for conservation: The black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) of the Serengeti as a case study. Biological Conservation 139: 358-374. get pdf

Turner, M. G., E. A. H. Smithwick, K. L. Metzger, D. B. Tinker and W. H. Romme. 2007. Inorganic nitrogen availability following severe stand-replacing fire in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104: 4782-4789.get pdf

Anderson, T. M., K. L. Metzger, S. J. McNaughton. 2007. Multi-scale analysis of plant species richness in Serengeti grasslands. Journal of Biogeography 34 (2): 313–323. get pdf

Metzger, K. L., W. H. Romme and M. G. Turner. 2006. Foliar nitrogen in early post-fire vegetation in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (Wyoming, USA). Forest Ecology and Management 227 (1-2): 22-30. get pdf

Smithwick, E. A. H., M. G. Turner, K. L. Metzger, and T. C. Balser. 2005. Variation in NH4+ mineralization and microbial communities with stand age in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) forests, Yellowstone National Park (USA). Soil Biology and Biogeochemistry 37: 1546-1559.get pdf

Sankaran, M., N. P. Hanan, R. J. Scholes, J. Ratnam, D. J. Augustine, B. S. Cade, J. Gignoux, S. I. Higgins, X. Le Roux, F. Ludwig, J. Ardo, F. Banyikwa, A. Bronn, G. Bucini, K. K. Caylor, M. B. Coughenour, A. Diouf, W. Ekaya, C. J. Feral, E. C. February, P. G. H. Frost, P. Hiernaux, H. Hrabar, K. L. Metzger, H. H. T. Prins, S. Ringrose, W. Sea, Jörg Tews, J. Worden and N. Zambatis. 2005. Determinants of woody cover in African savannas. Nature 438: 846-849. get pdf

Metzger, K. L., M. B. Coughenour, R. M. Reich and R. Boone. 2005. Effects of seasonality of grazing on vegetation diversity and structure in a semi-arid ecosystem. Journal of Arid Environments 61 (1): 147-160. get pdf

Reich, R. M., C. D. Bonham and K. L. Metzger. 1997. Modeling small-scale spatial variation of shortgrass prairie species. Ecological Modelling 101: 163-174. get pdf

Reich, R. M., K. L. Metzger and C. D. Bonham. 1997. Applications of permutation procedure for comparing multi-species point patterns of grassland plants. Grassland Science 43: 189-198.