Dede Olson
Supervisory Research Ecologist, Team Leader
Pacific Northwest Research Station
Corvallis Forestry Sciences Lab
Contact via email
Phone: (541)750-7373
Fax: (541)750-7329
Curriculum Vitae (73 KB)
Statement of Research:
I study the conservation biology, behavioral ecology, and population and community ecology of amphibians. My current projects address: 1) the effects of forest management practices and riparian buffer widths; 2) microhabitat- to landscape-scale habitat modeling; 3) the effects of climate variation; and 4) the amphibian chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis.
Projects & Activities:
 Density Management and Riparian Buffer Study |
 Global Bd Mapping Project Downloadable map for presentations available here. (large file, may be slow) |
| Climate Change and Herpetofauna Amphibians and reptiles are particularly sensitive to temperature and moisture conditions. Our international working group looks at what might be done at local scales to accommodate effects of climate variation. A library of practical actions is being assembled. Read more |
RRTH = Relocation, Reintroduction, Translocation, and Headstarting These are stop-gap measures for rare species conservation. To promote communication of lessons learned from past and ongoing projects, photos and information on existing projects is being compiled. Read more |
| Ranavirus Reporting System Ranavirus is an OIE-notifiable emerging infectious disease associated with amphibian losses; it also affects fish and reptiles. Ranavirus is relatively poorly understood, and there is a need to enhance communications among researchers and managers. In cooperation with world Ranavirus experts, we are helping to create a Ranavirus Reporting System. Thanks to Amanda Duffus, Gordon College, Georgia, for taking the lead on coordinating world efforts to develop a global ranavirus database to initiated this reporting system. Thanks also to Matt Gray, University of Tennessee, who has taken a lead role in organizing the world science community to advance our Ranavirus knowledge and identify key research needs. With several partners, in 2011, we co-sponsored an international symposium on Ranavirus: 2011 Ranavirus Symposium. This session resulted in the formation of a Global Ranavirus Consortium The Symposium is summarized in these publications: Lesbarreres et al. 2011 Robert and Chinchar 2011 Kerby 2011 Ranavirus General Information: "The Rise of Ranavirus", Gray and Miller 2013 |
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 2011 PARC Year of the Turtle |
 2012 PARC Year of the Lizard |
 2013 PARC Year of the Snake |
 Coming in 2014: PARC Year of the Salamander
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Selected Publications:
2013
Gervasi, S.S., C. Gondhalekar, D.H. Olson, and A.R. Blaustein. 2013. Host identity matters in the amphibian-Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis system: fine-scale patterns of variation in responses to a multi-host pathogen. PLOS ONE PLoS ONE 8(1): e54490. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0054490
Graeter, G.J., K.A. Buhlmann, L.R. Wilkinson, and J. W. Gibbons (eds.). 2013. Inventory and Monitoring: Recommended Techniques for Reptiles and Amphibians, with Application to the United States and Canada. PARC Technical Report. Aiken, South Carolina. [My contribution was to coordinate the Northwest section of Table 5-1: Species x Techniques Table and Table 14-1: Photo Vouchering Table.]
Olson, D.H., D.M. Aanensen, K.L. Ronnenberg, C.I. Powell, S.F. Walker, J. Bielby, T.W.J. Garner, G. Weaver, the Bd Mapping Group, and M.C. Fisher. 2013. Mapping the global emergence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, the amphibian chytrid fungus. PLOS ONE 8(2): e56802. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0056802
Supplemental information text and tables, including infected species table
Supplemental information figures
Olson, D.H., and D. Saenz. 2013. Climate Change and Amphibians. 2013. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Climate Change Resource Center. http://www.fs.fed.us/ccrc/topics/wildlife/amphibians/
Olson, D.H., and D. Saenz. 2013. Climate Change and Reptiles. 2013. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Climate Change Resource Center. http://www.fs.fed.us/ccrc/topics/wildlife/reptiles/
Olson, D.H. 2013 in press. The New Normal, as I Heard it. Herpetological Review. Invited article for June issue.
Olson, D.H. 2013 in press. Scott Bar Salamander, Plethodon asupak. In: Green, D.M., L. Weir, G.S. Casper, and M. Lannoo. North American Amphibians: Distribution and Diversity. Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press
Olson, D.H., J.B. Leirness, P.G. Cunningham, and A. Steel. 2013 in press. Riparian buffers and forest thinning: Effects on headwater vertebrates 10 years after thinning. Forest Ecology and Management.
Burton, J.I., A. Ares, S.E. Mulford, D.H. Olson and K.J. Puettmann. 2013 in press. Above-ground carbon storage, downed wood, and understory plant species richness after thinning in western Oregon. In: Anderson, P.D. and K.L. Ronnenberg, eds. Density management in the 21st century: west side story. General Technical Report PNW-GTR-880. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station: 91-100.
Olson, D.H. Riparian buffers and thinning in headwater drainages in western Oregon: Effects on amphibians. 2013 in press. In: Anderson, P.D. and K.L. Ronnenberg, eds. Density management in the 21st century: west side story. General Technical Report PNW-GTR-880. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station: 148-162.
Olson, D.H. and K.M. Burnett. Geometry of forest landscape connectivity: Pathways for persistence. 2013 in press. In: Anderson, P.D. and K.L. Ronnenberg, eds. Density management in the 21st century: west side story. General Technical Report PNW-GTR-880. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station: 220-238.
Ruzicka, K.J. Jr., D.H. Olson, K.J. Puettmann. 2013 in press. The intertwining paths of the Density Management and Riparian Buffer Study and the Northwest Forest Plan. In: Anderson, P.D. and K.L. Ronnenberg, eds. Density management in the 21st century: west side story. General Technical Report PNW-GTR-880. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station: 10-21.
2012
Barela, K.L. and D.H. Olson. 2012. Distribution of the Western Pond Turtle. In: Bury, R.B., H.H. Welsh, Jr. D.J. Germano, and D. Ashton, eds. Western Pond Turtle: Sampling techniques, inventory and monitoring, conservation and management. Northwest Fauna 7: 4-5.
Olson, D.H. 2012. State of the Lizard. Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation. Also available in Spanish at: www.yearofthelizard.org.
Olson, D.H., K.L. Ronnenberg, D. Aanensen, and M. Fisher. 2012. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis global locality map. In: Wessner, D., C. Dupont, and T. Charles. Microbiology. John Wiley & Sons.
2011
Bancroft, B., B. Han, C. Searle, L. Michael, D. H. Olson, J. Lawler, and A. R. Blaustein. 2011. Species-level correlates of susceptibility to the pathogenic amphibian fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in the United States. Biodiversity Conservation 20:1911-1920.
Duffus, A. and D. Olson. 2011. The establishment of a global Ranavirus reporting system. Froglog 96: 37.
Graeter, G.J., K.A. Buhlmann, L.R. Wilkinson, and J. W. Gibbons (eds.). 2011 in press. Inventory and Monitoring: Recommended Techniques for Reptiles and Amphibians, with Application to the United States and Canada. PARC Technical Report. Aiken, South Carolina. [My contribution was to complete the Northwest section of Table 5-1: Species x Techniques Table and Table 14-1: Photo Vouchering Table.]
Kiester, A.R. and D.H. Olson. 2011. Prime time for turtles. Herpetological Review 42(2): 198-204.
Olson, D.H. 2011. Rocky Mountain tailed frog, Ascaphus montanus, Conservation Assessment. USDA Forest Service, Region 6, and Oregon BLM, Special Status Species Program.
Olson, D.H. 2011. Bridging Science and Management: Climate Change. Brochure, Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation.
Olson, D.H. and A. R. Kiester. 2011. State of the Turtle. Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation. Also available in French and Spanish: www.yearoftheturtle.org.
Paoletti, D. J. D.H. Olson, and A.R. Blaustein. 2011. Responses of foothill yellow-legged frog (Rana boylii) larvae to an introduced predator. Copeia: 161-168.
Riley, T.Z., P. Nanjappa, D.H. Olson, A.R. Breisch. 2011. Annual Report: 2010. Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC). Annual Report No. 1, Hagerstown, MD. 16 pp. Also available at: www.parcplace.org.
Searle, C.L., S.S. Gervasi, J. Hua, J.I. Hammond, R.A. Relyea, D.H. Olson, and A.R. Blaustein. 2011. Differential host susceptibility to Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, an emerging amphibian pathogen. Conservation Biology 25(5): 965-974.
Shoo, L. P. et al. 2011. Engineering a future for amphibians under climate change. J. Applied Ecol: 48: 487-492.
Shoo, L.P., D.H. Olson, and J-M. Hero. 2011. A call to amphibian biologists to share innovative ideas to minimize loss of species under climate change. Froglog 96: 32-33.
2010
Oliver, Marie with K. Burnett and D. Olson. 2010. Linked in: connecting riparian areas to support forest biodiversity. Science Findings 120. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 5 p.
2009
Kluber, M.R., D.H. Olson, and K.J. Puettmann. 2009. Thermal profiles of downed wood under different forest management regimes in the Oregon Coast Range and their potential impact on plethodontid salamander habitat. Northwest Science 83:25-34.
Olson, D.H. (coord. Ed.). 2009. Herpetological conservation in northwestern North America. Northwestern Naturalist 90: 61-96.
Olson, D.H. and K.M. Burnett. 2009. Design and management of linkage areas across headwater drainages to conserve biodiversity in forest ecosystems. Forest Ecology and Management 259S:S117-S126.
Olson, D.H., D.R. Clayton, E.C. Reilly, R.S. Nauman, B. Devlin, and H.H. Welsh, Jr. 2009. Conservation of the Siskiyou Mountains Salamander (Plethodon stormi). Northwest Fauna 6:1-73.
Olson, D.H. and R. Davis. 2009. Conservation assessment for the Foothill Yellow-legged Frog (Rana boylii). USDA Forest Service, Region 6, and Oregon BLM, Special Status Species Program.
Olson, D.H., E. Garcia, P. Nanjappa Mitchell (Coord. Eds.). 2009. 10 years of PARC. Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, National Brochure No. 5. USDI BLM, Denver, CO, 20 p.
2008
Clayton, D.R. and D.H. Olson. 2008. Conservation assessment for the Oregon Slender Salamander (Batrachoseps wrighti). Version 1.0. USDA Forest Service, Region 6, and Oregon BLM, Special Status Species Program.
Crisafulli, C.M., D.H. Olson, and D.R. Clayton. 2008. Conservation assessment for the Larch Mountain Salamander (Plethodon larselli), Version 1.3. USDA Forest Service, Region 6, and Oregon BLM, Special Status Species Program.
Kluber, M.R., D.H. Olson, and K.J. Puettmann. 2008. Amphibian distributions in riparian and upslope areas and their habitat associations on managed forest landscapes of the Oregon Coast Range. Forest Ecology and Management 256:529-535.
Nauman, R.S. and D.H. Olson. 2008. Distribution and conservation of rare Plethodon salamanders on federal lands in Siskiyou County, California. Northwestern Naturalist 89:1-9.
Olson, D.H. 2008. Moist coniferous forest. Pp 47-49 In: Pilliod, D. and E. Wind (eds.). Habitat management guidelines for amphibians and reptiles of the Northwestern United States and Western Canada. Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, Technical Publication HMG-4, Birmingham AL.
Olson, D.H. 2008. Riparian areas. Pp 82-86 In: Pilliod, D. and E. Wind (eds.). Habitat management guidelines for amphibians and reptiles of the Northwestern United States and Western Canada. Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, Technical Publication HMG-4, Birmingham AL.
Olson, D.H. 2008. Conservation Assessment for the black salamander (Aneides flavipunctatus) in Oregon, Version 1.0. USDA Forest Service, Region 6, and Oregon BLM, Special Status Species Program.
Olson, D.H. 2008. Conservation Assessment for the California slender salamander (Batrachoseps attenuatus) in Oregon, Version 1.0. USDA Forest Service, Region 6, and Oregon BLM, Special Status Species Program.
Suzuki, N., D.H. Olson, and E.C. Reilly. 2008. Developing landscape habitat models for rare amphibians with small geographic ranges: a case study of Siskiyou Mountains salamander in the western USA. Biodiversity and Conservation 17:2197-2218.
2007
Suzuki, N. and D.H. Olson. 2007/2008/2009. Options for biodiversity conservation in managed forest landscapes of multiple ownerships in Oregon and Washington, USA. Biodiversity and Conservation 16:3895-3917. Reprinted Biodiversity and Conservation 17:1017-1039. Reprinted in: Brockerhoff, E.G., H. Jactel, J.A. Parrotta, C.P. Quine, J. Sayer, and D.L. Hawksworth (eds.). 2009. Plantation Forests and Biodiversity: Oxymoron or Opportunity? Springer, NY. 288 p.
Olson, D.H. 2007. Implementation considerations. Chapter 11. pp 303-333 In: Raphael, M.G. and R. Molina, eds. Conservation of Rare or Little-Known Species: Biological, Social, and Economic Considerations. Island Press.
Raphael, Martin G., Randy Molina, Curtis H. Flather, Richard Holthausen, Richard L. Johnson, Bruce G. Marcot, Deanna H. Olson, John D. Peine, Carolyn Hull Sieg, and Cindy S. Swanson. 2007. A Process for Selection and Implementation of Conservation Approaches. Chapter 12. In: Raphael, M.G. and R. Molina, eds. Conservation of Rare or Little-Known Species: Biological, Social, and Economic Considerations. Island Press.
Olson, D.H., P.D. Anderson, C.A. Frissell, H.H. Welsh Jr., and D.F. Bradford. 2007. Biodiversity management approaches for stream riparian areas: Perspectives for Pacific Northwest headwater forests, microclimate and amphibians. Forest Ecology and Management 246(1):81-107. [Recipient of Forest Ecology and Manaagment “Highly Cited Author” award, 2007-2010]
Olson, D.H. and C. Rugger. 2007. Preliminary study of the effects of headwater riparian reserves with upslope thinning on stream habitats and amphibians in western Oregon. Forest Science 53(2):331-342.
Olson, D. H. and G. Weaver. 2007. Vertebrate assemblages associated with headwater hydrology in western Oregon managed forests. Forest Science 53(2):343-355.
Rundio, D.E. and D.H. Olson. 2007. Influence of headwater site conditions and riparian buffers on terrestrial salamander response to forest thinning. Forest Science 53(2):320-330.
Rykken, J.J, A.R. Moldenke, and D.H. Olson. 2007. Headwater riparian forest-floor invertebrate communities associated with alternative forest management practices. Ecological Applications 17(4):1168-1183.
2006
Olson, D.H. (ed.) 2006. Biodiversity. Northwestern Naturalist 87.
Olson, D.H. 2006. Biodiversity conservation in the Pacific Northwest: a place holder. Northwestern Naturalist 87:1-9.
Sagar, J., D.H. Olson, and R. Schmitz. 2006. Survival and growth of larval coastal giant salamanders (Dicamptodon tenebrosus) in streams in the Oregon Coast Range. Copeia 2007: 123-130.
2005
Jones, L.L.C., W.P Leonard, and D.H. Olson (eds.). 2005. Amphibians of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle Audubon Society.
Mead, L.S., D.R. Clayton, R.S. Nauman, D.H. Olson, and M.E. Pfrender. 2005. Newly discovered populations of salamanders from Siskiyou County California represent a species distinct from Plethodon stormi. Herpetologica 61:158-177.