Publications

Below are publications, including Mule Deer, Great Gray Owl, Puma (mountain lion, cougar), Black Bear, and Bighorn Sheep genetics and ecology, Sea Otter conservation genetics, and bird disease ecology including hummingbirds. Stay tuned for upcoming publications!

See also Google Scholar

• Multi-population puma connectivity could restore genomic diversity to at-risk coastal populations in California. 2022. KD Gustafson, RB Gagne, MR Buchalski, TW Vickers, SPD Riley, J Sikich, JL Rudd, JA Dellinger, MEF LaCava, HB Ernest. Evolutionary Applications.
• Investigating Associations Among Relatedness, Genetic Diversity, and Causes of Mortality in Southern Sea Otters (Enhydra lutris nereis). 2022. Nicole H. Carter, Melissa A. Miller, Megan E. Moriarty, M. Tim Tinker, Roderick B. Gagne, Christine K. Johnson, Michael J. Murray, Michelle M. Staedler, Berit Bangoura, Shawn Larson, Holly B. Ernest. Journal of Wildlife Diseases.
• Prevalence and diversity of haemosporidians in a migratory high-elevation hummingbird in North America. 2022. Mackenzie, Adrienne M. (co-first author), Dudenhoeffer, Megan (co-first author), Berit Bangoura, Ravinder N. M. Sehgal, Lisa A. Tell, Braden L. Godwin, Holly B. Ernest. Parasitol Research.
• Evaluation of Minimally Invasive Sampling Methods for Detecting Avipoxvirus: Hummingbirds as a Case Example. In press 2022. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. Aoife Nora Galvin, Pranav Pandit, Simon G English, Rachel C Quock, Ruta Rajiv Bandivadekar, Rita R Colwell, Barbara W Robinson, Holly Ernest, Mollie H Brown, Ravinder Sehgal, Lisa Ann Tell.
• Conservation Genetics as Relevant to Cougar Management. In press 2022, Ch. 4 J.A. Jenks, Ed. In “Managing Cougars in North America”. Melanie Culver, Holly Ernest, Eric Gagne, Kyle Gustafson.
• Development of a 95 SNP Panel To Individually Genotype Mountain Lions (Puma Concolor) For Microfluidic and Other Genotyping Platforms. 2022. M Buchalski, B Sacks, K Ahrens, K Gustafson, J Rudd, H Ernest. Conservation Genetics Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12686-022-01255-6
• Demography of two species and one genus of hummingbirds with contrasting population trends in California, USA. 2022. Simon G. English, Rita R. Colwell, Barbara W. Robinson, Holly B. Ernest, Christine A. Bishop, Ruta Bandivadekar, and Lisa A. Tell. J. Field Ornithology. DOI: 10.1111/jofo.12396.
• Spatio-temporal analyses reveal infectious disease-driven selection in a free-ranging ungulate. 2021. Melanie E. F. LaCava, Jennifer L. Malmberg, William H. Edwards, Laura N. L. Johnson, Samantha E. Allen and Holly B. Ernest. Royal Society Open Science.
• Functional connectivity in a continuously distributed, migratory species as revealed by landscape genomics. 2021. Melanie E.F. LaCava, Roderick B Gagne, Kyle D. Gustafson, Sara Oyler-McCance, Kevin L. Monteith Matthew J. Kauffman, Daniel J. Thiele, and Holly B. Ernest. Ecography.  Statewide Wyoming study of mule deer population genomics and landscape ecology. Collaboration among institutions and agencies including University of Wyoming, the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory, Wyoming Department of Game and Fish,  the US Geological Survey, Colorado State University, Arkansas State University, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and others.
• Translocations maintain genetic diversity and increase connectivity in sea otters, Enhydra lutris. 2021, Marine Mammal Science. Shawn Larson, Roderick B. Gagne, Jim Bodkin, Michael J Murray, Katherine Ralls, Lizabeth Bowen, Raphael Leblois, Sylvain Piry, M. Tim Tinker, and Holly Ernest. Collaboration among Seattle Aquatium, Monterey Bay Aquarium, University of Wyoming, Smithsonisn Institution, UC Davis, US Geologic Survey, Alaska Science Center, University of Montpellier, France, UC Santa Cruz, and others.
• Low Prevalence of Haemosporidians in Blood and Tissue Samples from California Hummingbirds. 2021, Journal of Parasitology.  A. N. Galvin, A. C. Bradshaw, B. M. Myers, L. A. Tell, H. B. Ernest, and R. N. M. Sehgal. Collaboration with San Francisco State University, UC Davis, and University of Wyoming.
• Host relatedness and landscape connectivity shape pathogen spread in the puma, a large secretive carnivore. 2021. Nicholas M Fountain-Jones, Simona Kraberger, Roderick B Gagne, Daryl R Trumbo, Patricia E Salerno, W Chris Funk, Kevin Crooks, Roman Biek, Mathew Alldredge, Ken Logan, Guy Baele, Simon Dellicour, Holly B Ernest, Sue VandeWoude, Scott Carver, Meggan E Craft. Communications Biology 4 (1), 1-9
• Novel hybrid finds a peri-urban niche: Allen’s Hummingbirds in southern California. 2020. Braden L. Godwin, Melanie Elizabeth Francis LaCava, Beth Mendelsohn, Roderick B. Gagne, Kyle D. Gustafson, Sierra M. Love Stowell, Andrew Engilis Jr., Lisa A. Tell, Holly B. Ernest. Conservation Genetics. Collaboration among Univ. of Wyoming, UC Davis, Colorado State University, Arkansas State Univ, other bird banders and experts, and research site hosts along the California coastline.
• Minimum habitat thresholds required for conserving mountain lion genetic diversity. 2020. Justin A. Dellinger, Kyle D. Gustafson, Daniel J. Gammons, Holly B. Ernest, and Steven G. Torres.  Ecology and Evolution.  Collaboration among California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Univ. of Wyoming, Arkansas State Univ.
• Bighorn sheep genetic structure in Wyoming reflects geography and management.  2020. Sierra M. Love Stowell, Roderick (Erick) B. Gagne, Doug McWhirter, W. Hank Edwards, Holly B. Ernest. Journal of Wildlife Management.
• Pronghorn population genomics show connectivity in the core of their range. 2020. Melanie E F LaCava, Roderick B Gagne, Sierra M Love Stowell, Kyle D Gustafson, C Alex Buerkle, Lee Knox, Holly B Ernest. Journal of Mammalogy. Broad collaboration among institutions and agencies including University of Wyoming including the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory, Wyoming Department of Game and Fish, Colorado State University, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of California Davis, and others; with funding from University of Wyoming, the Y Cross Ranch endowments, the IDeA fund, and Excellence Chair funds.
• Population genomic diversity and structure at the discontinuous southern range of the Great Gray Owl in North America. 2020. Beth Mendelsohn, Bryan Bedrosian, Sierra M. Love Stowell, Roderick (Erick) B. Gagne, Melanie LaCava, Brady Godwin, Josh Hull, Holly B. Ernest. Conservation Genetics. Broad collaboration among people, institutions and agencies including  Alex Buerkle (UWyo), Teton Raptor Center, Wyoming Game and Fish Dept, Meg and Burt Raynes Wildlife Fund, Raptor Research Foundation Dean Amadon Grant and Raptor Research Foundation, Owl Research Institute, University of California Davis, University of Wyoming College of Agriculture, Colorado State University, and many others who were very important to this work.
• Hematology of mountain lions (Puma concolor) in the Sierra Nevada, California, USA: effect of sex, season, or location? 2020. Vernon C. Bleich, Becky M. Pierce, Holly B. Ernest, Jeffrey T. Villepique. California Fish and Wildlife.
• Carnivore population structure across an urbanization gradient: a regional genetic analysis of bobcats in southern California. 2020. Julia G. Smith, Megan K. Jennings, Erin E. Boydston, Kevin R. Crooks, Holly B. Ernest, Seth P. D. Riley, Laurel E. K. Serieys, Shaelynn Sleater-Squires, Rebecca L. Lewison. Landscape Ecology.
• Genetic source–sink dynamics among naturally structured and anthropogenically fragmented puma populations. 2019. Kyle D. Gustafson, Roderick B. Gagne, T. Winston Vickers, Seth P.D. Riley, Christopher C. Wilmers, Vernon C. Bleich, Becky M. Pierce, Marc Kenyon, Tracy L. Drazenovich, Jeff A. Sikich, Walter M. Boyce, Holly B. Ernest. Conservation Genetics
• 

  A hidden camera records Hollywood’s most reclusive star—this male cougar known as P-22 first seen in Griffith Park several years ago. A radio collar tracks his moves, but residents see scant signs of him. P22 is famous as the “Hollywood Lion” and Griffith Park Lion”. There was a P22 festival in the Park in 2019. Photograph by Steve Winter

  Extinction vortex dynamics of top predators isolated by urbanization. 2019, Ecological Applications. John F. Benson, Peter J. Mahoney, T. Winston Vickers, Jeff A. Sikich, Paul Beier, Seth P. D. Riley, Holly B. Ernest, Walter M. Boyce.

• Urbanization impacts apex predator gene flow but not genetic diversity across an urban-rural divide. Oct 2019. Daryl R Trumbo, Patricia E Salerno, Ken A Logan, Mat Aldredge, Roderick B Gagne, Chris P Kozakiewicz, Simona Kraberger, Nick Fountain-Jones, Meggan E Craft, Scott Carver, Holly B Ernest, Kevin Crooks, Sue VandeWoude and W Chris Funk. Molecular Ecology.  and also preprinted on bioRxiv. 22 June 2019, 10.1101/679720. http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/06/22/679720
• Analysis of insecticide exposure in California hummingbirds using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. 2019, Environmental Science and Pollution Research. Emily E. Graves, Karen A. Jelks, Janet E. Foley, Michael S. Filigenzi, Robert H. Poppenga, Holly B. Ernest, Richard Melnicoe, Lisa A. Tell.
• Genetic Outcomes of Translocation of Bighorn Sheep in Arizona. 2019, Journal of Wildlife Management. Daphne A. Gille, Michael R. Buchalski, Dave Conrad, Esther S. Rubin, Amber Munig, Brian F. Wakeling, Clinton W. Epps, Tyler G. Creech, Rachel Crowhurst, Brandon Holton, Ryan Monello, Walter M. Boyce, M. C. T. Penedo, Holly B. Ernest.  Broad collaboration among institutions and agencies including Arizona Dept. of Game and Fish, Department Of Fisheries And Wildlife, Oregon State University, Nevada Division of Wildlife, National Park Service, Wildlife Health Center and Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at University of California Davis, Wildlife Genetics Research Laboratory at California Department Of Fish And Wildlife, and Center For Large Landscape Conservation in Bozeman, MT. 
• Genetic diversity of Yellow-billed Magpies (Pica nutalli) before and after a West Nile virus epidemic. 2019. A. Vazquez, KD Gustafson, B. Harmeling, HB Ernest.  Journal of Wildlife Diseases.
• Serum chemistry of wild, free-ranging mountain lions (Puma concolor) in the eastern Sierra Nevada, California, USA. 2019. Vernon C. Bleich, Becky M. Pierce, Jeffrey T. Villepique, and Holly B. Ernest. California Fish and Game 105(2):72-86.

Yellow-billed Magpie. Photo credit Jerry Ting.

• Optimal DNA extractions from blood on preservation paper limits conservation genomic but not conservation genetic applications.  2018. Sierra M. Love Stowell, Erin G. Bentley, Roderick B. Gagne, Kyle D. Gustafson, Linda Y. Rutledge, Holly B. Ernest.  Journal for Nature Conservation. Volume 46, December 2018, Pages 89-96.
• Pathogens in space: advancing understanding of pathogen dynamics and disease ecology through landscape genetics.  2018. Invited Review. CP Kozakiewicz, CP Burridge, WC Funk, S VandeWoude, ME Craft, KR Crooks, HB Ernest, NM Fountain-Jones, S Carver. Evolutionary Applications. First and corresponding authors at University of Tasmania engaged a wide network of collaborators at Colorado State University, University of Minnesota, and University of Wyoming.
• Measures of effective population size in sea otters reveal special considerations for wide-ranging species. 2018. RB Gagne, MT Tinker, KD Gustafson, K Ralls, S Larson, LM Tarjan, MA Miller, HB Ernest.  Evolutionary Applications.
• Are all data types and connectivity models created equal? Validating common connectivity approaches with dispersal data. 2018. KA Zeller, MK Jennings, TW Vickers, HB Ernest, SA Cushman, WM Boyce.  Diversity & Distributions. Collaboration with University of Massachusetts, San Diego State University, US Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, UC Davis, and others. Paper won “Editor’s Choice and Biodiversity Research”
  
• Leukocyte reference intervals for free-ranging hummingbirds in northern California. Noa Safra, Mary Christopher, Holly Ernest, Ruta Bandivadekar, and Lisa Tell. 2018. Journal of Wildlife Diseases. Vol. 54, No. 3, pp. 607-611.  https://doi.org/10.7589/2017-10-260
  

  A sea otter using a tool to open a clam in the Elkhorn Slough, CA. Photo by Jessica Fujii.

• Founder events, isolation, and inbreeding: Intercontinental genetic structure of the domestic ferret.  2018. Kyle Gustafson, Michelle Hawkins; Tracy Drazenovich; Robert Church; Susan Brown; Holly Ernest. Evolutionary Applications.
• A single migrant enhances the genetic diversity of an inbred puma population. 2017. Kyle Gustafson, Winston Vickers, Walter Boyce, Holly Ernest. Royal Society Open Science.
• Detection and prevalence of Haemoproteus archilochus (Haemosporida, Haemoproteidae) in two species of California Hummingbirds. 2017. Bradshaw A, Tell LA, Ernest HB, Bahan S, Carlson J, Sehgal RNM. Parasitology Research.
• Wild Pig Genetics and Dynamics: Anthropogenic factors predict movement of an invasive species. 2017. Michael Tabak, Antoinette Piaggio, Ryan Miller, Rick Sweitzer, and Holly Ernest. Ecosphere. 8(6)
• Multi-level, multi-scale resource selection functions and resistance surfaces for conservation planning: Pumas as a case study. Zeller Kathy A, Vickers T Winston, Ernest Holly B, Boyce Walter M. 2017 PLoS One.
• Mitogenomes and relatedness do not predict frequency of tool use by sea otters. 2017. Katherine Ralls, Nancy Rotzel McInerney, Roderick Bashore Gagne, Holly B. Ernest, M. Tim Tinker, Jessica Fujii, Jesus Maldonado. Biology Letters. 13, 20160880.
• Comparing urban and wildland bear densities with a DNA-based capture-mark-recapture approach. 2017. Jonathan L. Fusaro, Mary M. Conner, Michael R. Conover, Timothy J. Taylor, Marc W. Kenyon Jr., Jamie R. Sherman, Holly B. Ernest. Human-Wildlife Interactions journal. Vol 11. 2017.
• Demographic, genetic and landscape interactions increase extinction probability in a small population of large carnivores in a major metropolitan area. 2016. Benson, John; Mahoney, Peter; Sikich, Jeff; Serieys, Laurel; Pollinger, John; Ernest, Holly; Riley, Seth. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
  
• Phylogeographic and population genetic structure of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) in North American deserts. 2016. Michael R. Buchalski; Benjamin N. Sacks; Daphne A. Gille; Maria Cecilia T. Penedo; Holly B. Ernest; Scott A. Morrison; Walter M. Boyce. Journal of Mammalogy. doi: 10.1093/jmammal/gyw011
  

  A female mountain lion (Puma concolor) rubs her cheek on a log in the mountains above Los Angeles. Photo credit: National Park Service.
  Image supports the paper “Demographic, genetic and landscape interactions increase extinction probability in a small population of large carnivores in a major metropolitan area” by Dr John F. Benson et al, published 2016 in Proceedings of The Royal Society B.”

• Sea otter genetic markers developed. 2016. Lam L, RB Gagne, HB Ernest. Conservation Genetics Resources 8:43–81. Development of 24 polymorphic microsatellite loci for the threatened Southern (California) sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis)
• Genetic sequence data reveals widespread sharing of Leucocytozoon lineages in corvids. 2016. Freund D, SS Wheeler, AK. Townsend, WM Boyce, HB Ernest, C Cicero, RNM Sehgal. Parasitology Research. May 2016
• Molecular Sex Identification Markers for Five North American Hummingbird Species. 2016. Hagadorn KA, Tell LA, Drazenovich TL, HB Ernest. Conservation Genetics Resources.
• Sea Otter Conservation Genetics. 2015. Shawn Larson, Katherine Ralls, and Holly Ernest. Chapter 5 in the book, Sea Otter Conservation. Edited by Shawn Larson, James Bodkin, Glenn VanBlaricom. Academic Press/Elsevier. 468 pp. Amazon link.
• Survival and Mortality of Pumas (Puma concolor) in a Fragmented, Urbanizing Landscape. T. Winston Vickers, DVM, MPVM; Jessica N. Sanchez; Christine K. Johnson; Scott A. Morrison; Randy Botta; Trish Smith; Brian S. Cohen; Patrick R. Huber; Holly B. Ernest; Walter M. Boyce. 2015. PLOS ONE.
• Genetic population structure of Peninsular bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) indicates substantial gene flow across US-Mexico border. Michael Buchalski, Asako Navarro, Walter Boyce, T. Winston Vickers, Mathias Tobler, Lisa Nordstrom, Jorge Alaníz García, Daphne Gille, Maria Cecilia Penedo, Oliver Ryder, Holly Ernest. 2015. Biological Conservation. 184:218 International collaboration among Ernest lab members; Veterinary Genetics Lab, San Diego Zoo; and biologists and veterinarians in Mexico. dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2015.01.006
• Fractured genetic connectivity threatens a southern California puma (Puma concolor) population. Ernest HB, T. Winston Vickers, Scott A. Morrison, Michael R. Buchalski, Walter M. Boyce. 2014. PLoS ONE 9(10): e107985. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0107985.
• Individual behavior dominates the dynamics of a mountain lion population in a highly fragmented urban landscape. Seth P. D. Riley, John P. Pollinger, Laurel K. Serieys, Jeffrey A. Sikich, Lisa Dalbeck, Robert K. Wayne, and Holly B. Ernest. 2014. Current Biology. 24:1989–1994.
• Abundance and distribution of the Yellow-billed Magpie. S. Crosbie, L. Souza, H. Ernest. 2014. Western Birds, The Quarterly Journal of Western Field Ornithologists. 45(2).
  In loving memory of Scott Crosbie
• A new subspecies of Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa) in the Sierra Nevada of California, USA. J. Hull, A Engilis, J. Medley, E. Jepsen, J. Duncan, H. Ernest, J. Keane. 2014. Journal of Raptor Research.48(1):68-77.
• Hummingbird Health: Pathogens and disease conditions in the family Trochilidae. LA Godoy, LA Tell, HB Ernest. 2014. Journal of Ornithology. In loving memory of Loreto Godoy.
• Characterization of avian poxvirus in Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna) in California. LA Godoy, LS Dalbeck, LA Tell, LW Woods, RR Colwell, B Robinson, SM Wethington, A Moresco, PR Woolcock, HB Ernest. 2013. Journal of Wildlife Diseases.
• Isolation and Characterization of Microsatellite Markers in the Domestic Ferret (Mustela putorius furo). HB Ernest, TL Drazenovich, LS Dalbeck, MG Hawkins. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Open Access. Online Early 2012. doi:10.3390/ijms131216592.
• Development of a high-throughput microsphere-based molecular assay to identify fifteen common bloodmeal hosts of Culex mosquitoes. TC Thiemann, AC Brault, HB Ernest, WK Reisen. 2012. Molecular Ecology Resources.
• Differential migration in Five Species of Raptors in Central Coastal California. Hull JM, Pitzer SM, Fish AM, Ernest HB, Hull AC. 2012, Journal of Raptor Research. doi:10.3356/JRR-10-116.1
• Estimating Western Scrub-Jay Density in California using multiple covariate distance sampling. Crosbie S, Souza LE, Ernest HB. 2011, The Condor 113(4).2. doi:10.1525/cond.2011.090152
• Winter Distribution and Conservation Status of the Sierra Nevada Great Gray Owl. Jepsen EP, Keane J, Ernest HB. 2011. Journal of Wildlife Management. doi: 10.1002/jwmg.239.
• Reduced MHC and neutral variation in the Galapagos hawk, an island endemic. Bollmer JL, Hull JM, Ernest HB, Sarasola JH, Parker PG. 2011. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 11:143.
• Annual Survival of House Finches in relation to West Nile Virus. Pelligrini AR, Wright S, Reisen WK, Treiterer B, Ernest HB. 2011. The Condor 113(1) 233–238.
• Population structure and plumage polymorphism: The intraspecific evolutionary relationships of a polymorphic raptor, Buteo jamaicensis harlani Hull JM, DP Mindell, Talbot SL, Kay EH, Hoekstra HE, and Ernest HB. 2010. BMC Evolutionary Biology 10:224.
• Range-wide genetic differentiation among North American great gray owls (Strix nebulosa) reveals a distinct lineage restricted to the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Hull JM, Keane JJ, Savage WK, Godwin SA, Shafer J, Jepsen EP, Gerhardt R,Stermer C, and Ernest HB. 2010. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 56:212-221.
• Pathology associated with West Nile Virus infections in the Yellow-billed Magpie (Pica nuttalli): a California endemic bird. Ernest HB, Woods LW, Hoar BR. 2010. Journal of Wildlife Diseases. 46:401-408.
• Molecular genealogy tools for white-tailed deer with Chronic Wasting Disease. Ernest HB, Hoar BR, Well JA, O’Rourke K. 2010. Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research. 74(2)152
• West Nile virus antibody surveillance in three Sierra Nevada raptors of conservation concern. Hull JM, Keane JJ, Tell LA, Ernest HB. 2010. The Condor. 112(1):168-172
• Black Bear Population Genetics in California: Signatures of Population Structure, Competitive Release and Historical Translocation. Brown SK, Hull JM, Updike D, Fain S, Ernest HB. 2009. Journal of Mammalogy. 90:1066–1074.
• Differential Migration between Discrete Populations of Juvenile Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis). Hull JM, Ernest HB, Harley JA, Fish AM, Hull AC. 2009. The Auk- Journal of the American Ornithologists’ Union. 126:389–396.
• Development of nine microsatellite loci for Yellow-billed Magpie (Pica nuttalli) and corvid ecology and West Nile virus studies. Ernest HB, Well JA, and J. Kurushima. 2008. Molecular Ecology Resources. 8:196 – 198
• On the origin the Galápagos hawk: An examination of phenotypic differentiation and mitochondrial paraphyly. Hull JM, Savage WK, Bollmer JL, Kimball RT, Parker PG, Whiteman NK, Ernest HB. 2008. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 95:779 – 789.
• Early Impact of West Nile virus on the Yellow-billed Magpie (Pica nuttalli). Crosbie SP, Koenig WD, Reisen WK, Kramer VL, Marcus L, Carney R, Pandolfino E, Bolen GM, Crosbie LR, Bell DA, Ernest HB. 2008. The Auk- Journal of the American Ornithologists’ Union.125: 542–550.
• Comparative phylogeography and population genetics within Buteo lineatus reveals evidence of distinct evolutionary lineages. Hull JM, BN Strobel, CW Boal, AC Hull, CR Dykstra, AM Irish, AM Fish, HB Ernest, 2008. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 49:988-996.
• Development of 37 microsatellite loci for Great Gray Owls (Strix nebulosa) with cross amplification in Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis) and Barred Owls (Strix varia). Hull J, J Keane, L Tell, and H Ernest. 2008. Conservation Genetics 9: 1357-1361.
• Population structure and genetic diversity in Swainson’s Hawks (Buteo swainsoni), implications for conservation. Hull J.M., R. Anderson, M. Bradbury, J. Estep, H. B. Ernest. 2008. Conservation Genetics 9:305-316.
• Sex determination of three raptor species using morphology and molecular techniques. Pitzer S, Hull J, Ernest H, Hull A. 2008. Journal of Field Ornithology. 79(1):71–79.
• Landscape characteristics influence morphological and genetic differentiation in a widespread raptor (Buteo jamaicensis). Hull JM, Hull AC, Sacks BN, Smith JP, Ernest HB. 2008. Molecular Ecology. 17: 810 – 824.
• Coyotes Demonstrate How Habitat Specialization by Individuals of a Generalist Species Can Diversify Populations in a Heterogeneous Ecoregion. Sacks BN, DL Bannasch, BB Chomel, HB Ernest. 2008. Molecular Biology and Evolution 2008 25(7):1384-1394.
• Mountain lion ecological genetics. Brown S.K., H.B. Ernest. 2007. Wild Cat News. June. www.cougarnet.org
• Hybridization among Buteos: Swainson’s Hawks (Buteo swainsoni) × Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis). Hull J.M., W. Savage, J.P. Smith, N. Murphy, L. Cullen, A.D. Hutchins, H.B. Ernest. 2007. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology,.119(4):579–584.
• Development of 19 microsatellite loci for Swainson’s Hawks (Buteo swainsoni) and other Buteos. Hull J.M., D. Tufts, J.R. Topinka, B.P. May, H.B. Ernest. 2007. Molecular Ecology Notes 7 (2), 346–349.
• Microsatellite analysis of three Elk (Cervus elaphus) subspecies in California. Meredith E.P., J.A. Rodzen, J.D. Banks, R. Schaefer, H.B. Ernest, T.R. Famula, B.P. May. 2007. Journal of Mammalogy.88: 801–808.
• Development of 21 microsatellite loci for puma (Puma concolor) ecology and forensics. Kurushima J., J. Well, J. Collins, H.B. Ernest. 2006. Molecular Ecology Notes 6 (4), 1260–1262.
• West Nile Virus Antibody Prevalence in Free-ranging California Raptors. Hull J.M., A. Hull, H.B. Ernest. 2006. The Condor. 108:435–439.
• San Francisco’s Golden Gate: a bridge between historically distinct coyote (Canis latrans) populations? Sacks B.N., H.B. Ernest, E.E. Boydston. 2006. Western North American Naturalist. 66:263-264.
• Movements and social structure along a cryptic population genetic subdivision in the coyote. Sacks B.N., B.R. Mitchell, C.L. Williams, H.B. Ernest. 2005. Molecular Ecology 14:1241-1249.
• Population structure of California coyotes corresponds to habitat-specific breaks and illuminates species history. Sacks B.N., Sarah Brown, H.B. Ernest. 2004. Molecular Ecology. 13:1265-1275.
• Population Genetic Structure of Mountain Lions in California. Ernest H.B., V.C. Bleich, B.P. May, S.Stiver, S. Torres, W.M. Boyce. 2003. Conservation Genetics. 4(3): 353-366. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024069014911
• Fecal DNA analysis and risk assessment of mountain lion predation of bighorn sheep. Ernest H.B., E.S. Rubin, W.M. Boyce. 2002. Journal of Wildlife Management 66(1) 75-85.
• Captive breeding Contingency plan: A Guide for Captive Breeding of Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep. Ernest HB. 2001. Report for Interagency Agreement # P9980059 between California Department of Fish and Game and Wildlife Health Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis CA. 147 pages.
• DNA analysis for mountain lion conservation. Ernest H.B. Outdoor California. May-June. 61(3)16-19. Invited paper. 2000.
• DNA sampling and research techniques. Ernest H.B. Outdoor California. May-June. 61(3)20-21. Invited paper. 2000.
• Molecular tracking of mountain lions in the Yosemite Valley region in California: genetic analysis using microsatellites and fecal DNA. Ernest, H.B., M.C.T. Penedo, B.P. May, M. Syvanen, and W.M. Boyce. 2000. Molecular Ecology 9:433-441.
• DNA Identification of mountain lions involved in livestock predation and public safety incident. H.B. Ernest, W.M. Boyce. 2000. Proceedings of the 19th Vertebrate Pest Conference. T. P. Salmon and A. C. Crabb, Eds. Published at the University of California, Davis. 290-294.
• Desert bighorn sheep mortality due to presumptive type C botulism. Swift, P.K., J.D. Wehausen, H.B. Ernest, R.S. Singer, A.M. Pauli, H. Kinde, T.E. Rocke, and V.C. Bleich. 2000. Journal of Wildlife Diseases. 36(1):184-189. More on bighorn sheep research.