Kyle Dougherty

Kyle Dougherty

  • Contact Information
  • My Story
  • Publications
  • Background

Contact Information

TitleWildlife Ecologist
Faculty RankPost-Doctoral Research Associate
Address522 South Hardin Hall
3310 Holdrege Street
Lincoln NE
68583–0995

East Campus
E-mailkyle.dougherty@unl.edu

 

My Story

I am broadly interested in the behavior of carnivores living in anthropogenically modified landscapes, particularly as they relate to health, coexistence with humans, and population dynamics. My dissertation research is exploring movement patterns and diets of mountain lions across California to better understand factors contributing to home range size, dispersal, and connectivity, risk of exposure to anticoagulant rodenticides, and risk of mortality associated with human-wildlife conflicts. Prior to joining the Benson lab, my master’s research with Dr. Elizabeth VanWormer focused on relative density and resource selection of urban red foxes here in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Feature Stories

Selected Publications

Dougherty, K.D., Dellinger, J.A., Cristescu, B., Gammons, D.J., Garcelon, D.K., Higley, J.M., Martins, Q.E., Riley, S.P.D., Sikich, J.A., Stephenson, T.R.,Vickers, T.W., Wengert, G.M., Wilmers, C.C., Wittmer, H.U., Benson, J.F. 2025. A functional response in resource selection links multi-scale responses of a large carnivore to human mortality risk. Ecology LettersOnline
Dougherty, Kyle D, Justin A Dellinger, Bogdan Cristescu, Daniel J Gammons, David K Garcelon, J Mark Higley, Phillip Johnston, Quinton E Martins, John F Randolph, Seth PD Riley, Jeff A Sikich, Trish Smith, Thomas R Stephenson, T Winston Vickers, Greta M Wengert, Christopher C Wilmers, Heiko U Wittmer, John F Benson 2025. Movement decisions of dispersing mountain lions in California: implications for statewide connectivity. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.70020
Harvey, J. A., Q. Martins, K. D. Dougherty, A. M. Hettena, D. K. Garcelon, and J. F. Benson. 2025. Functional habitat characteristics influencing spatial variation in mountain lion predation in a human-dominated landscape. Biological Conservation 302:110975.
Harvey, J., Martins, Q., Dougherty, K.D., Hettena, A., Garcelon, D.K., Benson, J.F. 2025. Functional habitat characteristics influencing spatial variation in mountain lion predation in a human-dominated landscape. Biological Conservation 302Online
Rooney, B., et al… Benson, J.F., Dougherty, K.D.*, Grewal, J*.… (many authors). 2025. SNAPSHOT USA 2019–2023: The first five years of data from a coordinated camera trap survey of the United States. Global Ecology and Biogeography
Dougherty, Kyle D. 2024. Spatial Ecology of Mountain Lions Throughout Their Distribution in California (PhD Diss., University of Nebraska-Lincoln). pp. 197Online
Benson, J.F., Dougherty, K.D., Beier, P., Boyce, W.M., Cristecu, B., Gammons, D.J., Garcelon, D.K., Higley, J.M. Martins, Q.E., Nisi, A.C., Riley, S.P.D., Sikich, J.A., Stephenson, T.R., Vickers, T.W., Wengert, G.M., Wilmers, C.C., Wittmer, H.U., Delinger, J.A. 2023. The ecology of human-caused mortality for a protected large carnivore. PNAS 2023 Vol. 120 No. 13. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2220030120Online

Background

Education

DegreeMajorInstitutionYear Awarded
Master of ScienceNatural Resource Sciences (Applied Ecology)University of Nebraska-Lincoln2019
Bachelor of ScienceBaldwin-Wallace University

 

SNR Program Areas

  • Applied Ecology