Jared Wolfe

Contact

jdwolfe@mtu.edu
906-487-3608
Noblet Building

Associate Professor

PhD, Louisiana State University
MSc, Cal Poly Humboldt
BSc, Cal Poly Humboldt

Biography

I study the ecological mechanisms that shape bird populations and biodiversity in a rapidly changing world. My research combines long-term field studies, demographic modeling, and large-scale experiments in temperate and tropical forests to understand how climate, habitat change, migration, and disease affect wildlife populations.

A complementary focus of my work is avian molt, plumage evolution, and the development of field methods for studying bird demography, including the Wolfe–Ryder–Pyle system for classifying avian age.

Links of Interest

Fields of Expertise

Temperate and tropical avian ecology
Climate change and wildlife demography
Migration and habitat quality
Quantitative population ecology
Wildlife disease and resilience
Avian molt, plumage, and age classification

Recent Publications

Wolfe, J. D., D. A. Luther, V. Jirinec, J. Collings, E. I. Johnson, R. O. Bierregaard Jr., and P. C Stouffer. 2025. Climate change aggravates bird mortality in pristine tropical forests. Science Advances, 11,eadq8086(2025).DOI:10.1126/sciadv.adq8086.
Nikolaou, P., B.A. Krochuk, P. F. Rodrigues, K. E. Brzeski, C. M. Tonra, J. C. Cooper, J. D. Wolfe, L. L. Powell, S. E. Malanza and S. L. Mufumu. 2025. Insights on Avian Life History and Physiological Traits in Central Africa: Ant-following Species have Young-dominated age ratios in Secondary Forest Journal. Frontiers in Conservation Science 6: 1504320.
Luther, D., E. I. Johnson, J. D. Wolfe, P. C. Stouffer, J. Batchelor, C. Tarwater, 2024. Habitat use of Amazonian birds varies by age and foraging guild along a disturbance gradient. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 291: 20240866.
DeGroot, T. L., J. D. Wolfe, L. L. Powell, F. Esono, A. Ebana, C. Barrientos, L. Torrent, and K. E. Brzeski. 2023. Gorillas, Chimpanzees and Forest Elephants Thrive in the Rio Campo Nature Reserve. Berggorilla, 67, 2/2023.
Tsetagho, G., T. Bradfer-Lawrence, T. Taku, A. Abernethy, K. Abwe, E. Tsi Angwafo, F. Atuo, M. Fichtler, R. Fotso, M. H. Shirley, B. J. Morgan, M. Languy, F.a Maisels, R. Oslisly, L. Powell, T. Smith, H. A. Thomassen, M. Waltert, J. D. Wolfe and R. C. Whytock. 2023. Modeling the potential distribution of the threatened Grey-necked Picathartes Picathartes oreas across its entire range. Bird Conservation International, 33, E65. doi:10.1017/S0959270923000175
Long, L. L., F. K. Lake, J. L. Stephens, J. D. Alexander, and J. D. Wolfe. 2023. Using culturally significant birds to guide the timing of prescribed burns in the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion. Ecosphere https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4541.
DeGroot, T. L., J. D. Wolfe, L. L. Powell, F. Esono, A. Ebana, C. Barrientos, L. Torrent, K. E. Brzeski. 2023. Human impacts on mammal communities in Rio Campo Nature Reserve, Equatorial Guinea. Journal of African Ecology
Oliveira, S. L., D. J. Flaspohler, and J. D. Wolfe. 2022. Winter Territoriality of the American Redstart in Oil Palm Plantations. Diversity 14, 1079.
Luther, D. A., W. J. Cooper, V. Jirinec, J. D. Wolfe, C. L. Rutt, R. O. Bierregaard Jr, T. E. Lovejoy, and P. C. Stouffer. 2022. Long-term changes in avian biomass and functional diversity within disturbed and undisturbed Amazonian rainforest. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 289(1981), p.20221123.
Tobias, J. A., C. Sheard, [...] J. D. Wolfe, [...], and 104 other authors. 2022. AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25:581-597.
Oliveira, S. L., D. J. Flaspohler, J. L. Knowlton, and J. D. Wolfe. 2022. Do oil palm plantations provide quality habitat for migratory birds? A case study from Mexico. Ecological Indicators 139: 108964.
Rodrigues, P., L. L. Powell, C. Rutt, K. Mokross, J. D. Wolfe, E. I. Johnson and P. C. Stouffer. 2022. Sociality and morphology differentiate niches of 13 sympatric Amazonian woodcreepers (Dendrocolaptinae). Ornithology 139, p.ukac002.
Jirinec, V., R. C. Burner, R. O. Bierregaard Jr., A. Hernández-Palma, E. I. Johnson, T. E. Lovejoy, L. L. Powell, C. L. Rutt, J. D. Wolfe, P. C. Stouffer. 2021. Morphological consequences of climate change for birds in “intact” Amazonia. Science Advances.