Christine A. Ribic

Associate Professor of Wildlife Ecology
Unit Leader, USGS BRD
Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit

204 Russell Labs
1630 Linden Drive
Madison, WI 53706-1598

Phone: 608/263-6556

Email: caribic@wisc.edu

Education

Degree	Institution	Major Field	Granted
B.S.	Colorado State University	Wildlife Biology with high distinction	1976
M.S.	University of Minnesota	Statistics paper: Spatial Statistics in Ecology	1983
M.S.	University of Minnesota	Ecology Thesis: Autumn movements and activity patterns of sea otters (Enhydra lutris) in California	1980
Ph.D.	University of Minnesota	Ecology Dissertation: Growth of a northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) colony.	1984

Responsibility

As Unit Leader, I am responsible for working with the state, University, and federal government in developing research programs in the general area of wildlife ecology. As part of my responsibilities, I train graduate students and teach elective graduate level courses on a wide variety of topics (e.g., metapopulations, wildlife and agroecosystems, null models in community ecology).

Previous Employment

Research Ecologist, U.S. EPA Environmental Research Laboratory, Corvallis, OR (Oct. 1990-August 1994)

Research Assistant Professor, Center for Quantitative Science in Forestry, Fisheries and Wildlife, School of Fisheries, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (April 1985-September 1990)

Professional Affiliations

Ecological Society of America, U.S. Chapter International Association of Landscape Ecology, The Wildlife Society, The Biometric Society, American Statistical Association, Phi Kappa Phi

Current Research

Christine Ribic's current research program is focused upon investigating the importance of the surrounding landscape to the patterns seen in the system of interest, whether the surrounding landscape be adjacent land-use practices surrounding a grazing system in Wisconsin or whether the surrounding landscape is scale-related as in the importance of physical features such as current systems on the distribution of seabirds in the ocean.

Wildlife and Agroecosystems

The impact of agriculture on natural resources in the Midwest has been noted for some time but the implications of such for the restoration of systems or the mitigation of impacts has largely been neglected from an ecological viewpoint. The importance of the surrounding landscape to the patterns of biodiversity and the possible mitigation of agricultural impacts has started to be an important area of study. I have developed a research program concerning the effect of alternative grazing practices on wildlife in Wisconsin. Continuing with my focus on scale and the importance of surrounding land-use, I am investigating the impacts of changing grazing practices on terrestrial vertebrates at different scales. I am interested not only in the localized or farm-level impact but the impacts to the biota at a larger scale, such as the watershed. The goal of my current and future research program is to understand the implication of mitigation practices for terrestrial species of concern at different landscape scales.

Seabird Ecology

The study of seabirds outside of the breeding season has largely been neglected because of the difficulty of doing at-sea work in contrast to the relative ease of studying the large concentrations of seabirds at colonies during the breeding season. However, seabirds spend 2/3 of their yearly life-cycle at sea and, before breeding, can be entirely pelagic for 2-5 years. Thus, the information collected at breeding colonies cannot give a complete picture of the role of seabirds in the marine ecosystem. I am investigating the importance of productivity and hydrographic features to the seabird community in Antarctica during the winter. Evidence is starting to accumulate on the influence of winter sea ice on Adelie Penguin populations dynamics. However, little is known about the winter ecology of these birds. This work also has implications for the effects of global climate change on the Antarctica seabird communities.

Recent Publications

Sample, D.W., C.A. Ribic, and R. B. Renfrew. 2003 Linking landscape management with the conservation of grassland birds in Wisconsin IN Landscape ecology and resource management: linking theory with practice (J. A. Bissonette and I. Storch, eds.). Island Press, Washington, D.C., pp. 359-385.

Ainley, D. G., G. Ballard, K.J. Barton, B. J. Karl, G. H. Rau, C. A. Ribic, and P. R. Wilson. 2003. Spatial and temporal variation of diet within a presumed metapopulation of Adelie penguins. Condor 105:95-106.

Paine, L.K. and C.A. Ribic. 2002. Comparison of riparian plant communities under four land management systems in southwestern Wisconsin. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 92: 93-105.

Renfrew, R.B. and C.A. Ribic. 2002. Influence of topography on density of grassland passerines in pastures. American Midland Naturalist 147: 315-325.

Davis, R.W., J.G. Ortega-Ortiz, C.A. Ribic, W.E. Evans, D.C. Biggs, P.H. Ressler, J.H. Wormuth, R.R. Leben, K.D. Mullin, and B. Wursig. 2002. Cetacean habitat in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Deep-Sea Research I 49: 121-142.

Chapman, E.W. and C.A. Ribic. 2002 The impact of buffer strips and stream-side grazing on small mammals in southwestern Wisconsin. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 88: 49-59.

Ballard, G., D.G. Ainley, C.A. Ribic, and K. Barton. 2001. Effect of instrument attachment on foraging trip duration and nesting success of Adelie penguins. Condor 103: 481-490.

Renfrew, R.B. and C.A. Ribic. 2001. Grassland birds associated with agricultural riparian practices in southwestern Wisconsin. Journal of Range Management 54: 546-552.

Woehler, E.J, J. Cooper, J.P. Croxall, W.R. Fraser, G.L. Kooyman, G.D. Miller, D.C. Nel, D.L Patterson, H-U. Peter, C.A. Ribic, K. Salwicka, W.Z. Trivelpiece, and H. Weimerskirch. 2001. A statistical assessment of the status and trends of Antarctic and Subantarctic seabirds. Report to the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research Bird Biology Subcommittee, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, Tasmania, Australia.

Ribic, C.A. and D.W. Sample. 2001. Associations of grassland birds with landscape factors in southern Wisconsin. American Midland Naturalist 146:105-121.

Ribic, C.A. 1999. Rails in Wisconsin with a focus on Sora and Virginia Rail. The Passenger Pigeon 61: 277-289.

Hess, N.A., C.A. Ribic, and I. Vining. 1999. Benthic marine debris, with an emphasis on fishery-related items, surrounding Kodiak Island, Alaska, 1994-1996. Marine Pollution Bulletin 38: 885-890.

Ribic, C.A., D. Curson, and K. Lewandowski. 1998. Baseline bird surveys of six USFWS Waterfowl Production Areas in Polk and Dunn counties, June 1996. The Passenger Pigeon 60: 313-319.

Ribic, C.A. 1998. Use of indicator items to monitor marine debris on a New Jersey beach from 1991 to 1996. Marine Pollution Bulletin 36:887-891

Ribic, C. A. and T. W. Miller. 1998. An evaluation of alternative model selection criteria in the analysis of unimodal response curves using CART. Journal of Applied Statistics 25: 693-706.

Ainley, D. G., S. Jacobs, C. Ribic, and I. Gaffney. 1998. Seabirds and oceanic features of the Amundsen and southern Bellingshausen Seas, late summer-early autumn 1994. Antarctic Science 10: 111-123.

Ribic, C. A., R. Warner, and P. Mankin. 1998. Changes in upland wildlife habitat on farmland in Illinois, 1920-1987. Environmental Management 22: 303-313.

Graetz, J. L., S. W. Matteson, J. Skoloda, and C. Ribic. 1997. Status and distribution of marsh and sedge meadow birds at Horicon, Necedah, and Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuges in 1995. The Passenger Pigeon 59: 119-130.

Ribic, C. A. and D. G. Ainley. 1997. The relationships of seabird assemblages to physical habitat features in Pacific equatorial waters during spring 1984-1991. ICES Journal of Marine Science 54: 593-599.

Ribic, C. A., R. W. Davis, N. Hess, and D. E. Peake. 1997. Distribution of seabirds in the northern Gulf of Mexico in relation to mesoscale features: initial observations. ICES Journal of Marine Science 54: 545-551.

Ribic, C. A., D. G. Ainley, and L. B. Spear. 1997. Scale-related seabird-environmental relationships in Pacific equatorial waters, with reference to El Nino-Southern Oscillation events. Marine Ecology Progress Series 156: 183-203.

Ribic, C. A., D. G. Ainley, and L. B. Spear. 1997. Seabird associations in Pacific equatorial waters. Ibis 139: 482-487.

Bernert, J. A., J. M. Eilers, T.J. Sullivan, K. E. Freemark, and C. A. Ribic. 1997. A quantitative method for delineating regions: an example for the Western Corn Belt Plains Ecoregion of the USA. Environmental Management 21: 405-420.

Ainley, D. G., L. B. Spear, S. G. Allen, and C. A. Ribic. 1996. Temporal and spatial variation in diet of the common murre in California waters. The Condor 98: 691-705.

Ribic, C. A. and L. Ganio. 1996. Power analysis for beach surveys of marine debris. Marine Pollution Bulletin 32: 554-557.

Spear, L., D. G. Ainley, and C. A. Ribic. 1995. Incidence of plastic in seabirds from the Tropical Pacific, 1984-1991: Relation with distribution of species, sex, age, season, year, and body weight. Marine Environmental Research 40: 123-146.

Ainley, D. G., C. A. Ribic, and W. R. Fraser. 1994. Ecological structure among migrant and resident seabirds of the Scotia-Weddell Confluence region. Journal of Animal Ecology 63: 347-364.

Ainley, D. G., C. A. Ribic, and L. B. Spear. 1993. The basis for habitat selection by Antarctic seabirds: physical or biological factors? Condor 95:806-816.

Champ, M. A., D. A. Flemer, D. H. Landers, C. Ribic, and T. DeLaca. 1992. The roles of monitoring and research in polar environments -- a perspective. Marine Pollution Bulletin 25: 220-226.

Ainley, D. G., C. A. Ribic, and W. R. Fraser. 1992. Does prey preference affect habitat choice in Antarctic sea birds? Marine Ecology Progress Series 90:207-221.

Ribic, C. A., T. R. Dixon, and I. Vining. 1992. Marine debris survey manual. NOAA Tech. Rep. NWS 108. 94 pp.

Ribic, C. A., D. G. Ainley, and L. B. Spear. 1992. The effects of El Nino and La Nina on seabird assemblages in the Equatorial Pacific. Marine Ecology Progress Series 80:109-124.

Sydeman, W. J., H. R. Huber, S. D. Emslie, C. A. Ribic, and N. Nur. 1991. Age-specific weaning success of northern elephant seals in relation to previous breeding experience. Ecology 72: 2204­-2217.

Ribic, C. A., D. G. Ainley, and W. R. Fraser. 1991. Habitat selection by marine mammals in the marginal ice zone of the Scotia/Weddell Confluence region. Antarctic Science 3: 181-186.

Ribic, C. A. and D. G. Ainley. 1988/89. Constancy of seabird species assemblages: an exploratory look. Biological Oceanography 6: 175-202.

Ribic, C. A. 1988. Maternal aggression in northern elephant seals: the effect of the pup. Canadian Journal of Zoology 66: 1693-1698.

Sterner, R. W., C. A. Ribic, and G. E. Schatz. 1986. Testing for life historical changes in spatial patterns of four tropical trees. Journal of Ecology 74: 621-633.

Ribic, C. A. 1982. Autumn movement and home range of sea otters in California. Journal of Wildlife Management 46: 795-801.

Ribic, C. A. 1982. Autumn activity patterns of sea otters in California. Journal of Mammalogy 63: 702-­706.