Andrew (Andy) Little

Andrew (Andy) Little

  • Contact Information
  • My Story
  • Publications
  • Background
  • Grants
  • Advising
  • Courses Taught

Contact Information

TitleLandscape and Habitat Management Ecologist | SNR Extension Coordinator
Faculty RankAssistant Professor
Address306 South Hardin Hall
3310 Holdrege Street
Lincoln NE
68583–0973

East Campus
Phone
  • office: 402-219-1913
  • fax: 402-472-4915
E-mailalittle6@unl.edu
VitaeDownload file

 

Contact Preference

email

My Story

Hi, I'm Andrew Little, and I'm an assistant professor of Landscape and Habitat Management with the School of Natural Resources.

My primary research focus is improving the ability of wildlife conservationists and managers to understand wildlife-habitat relationships in an increasingly human-dominated landscape. I study the ecology and management of ungulates, mesopredators, and gamebirds; wildlife-habitat relationships; landscape ecology; and predator-prey ecology.

As a Nebraska Extension and research scientist, my goals are to create innovative solutions to the growing wildlife conservation and management needs in a multi-functional Nebraska landscape where there are competing interests for agricultural production, wildlife conservation, and ecosystem services.

Andrew speaking to Extension group
Andrew (front right) is explaining to members of a Georgia hunting club about how to properly conduct a deer population survey using trail cameras.

A little history about myself ...

I grew up near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in a small farming community. At a young age, I developed a strong passion for natural resource conservation. I spent many days afield with my father hunting and fishing, and learning about our natural world. My father was previously a Water Quality Specialist with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection agency, which is where I garnered an appreciation for our natural resources including the importance of water conservation and management.

During high school, I became an active member in 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA), which helped strengthen my passion for natural resource conservation, particularly from the agricultural perspective. In 2004, I was honored to receive one of the highest awards from the FFA organization, the American FFA degree, which is given to members who have demonstrated a high level of commitment to FFA and have made significant accomplishments in their supervised agricultural experiences.

I later attended The Pennsylvania State University where I received my bachelor's degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences. After college, I worked for the Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit as a forestry technician. I then moved on to the Smithsonian Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia, where I served as an ecology intern. I worked on a variety of research projects including evaluating the influence of land-use patterns on deer-vehicle collisions.

Andrew Little and nice catch
Andrew is shown with buck #6 from his M.S. research in Oklahoma where he evaluated the influence of hunting pressure on adult, male white-tailed deer behaviors. Note: deer #6 was under sedation and was successfully released following capture.

I continued to recognize the importance of natural resource conservation through my internship projects and decided to attend graduate school at Mississippi State University. Interestingly, my master's research combined my passion for natural resource conservation and deer hunting where I had the opportunity to evaluate the behavioral responses of hunting pressure on deer behavior. See my Publications tab to learn more about what we found.

After completing my master's degree, I began working at Ducks Unlimited as a Geographic Information Systems Technician. I assisted with managing the southern United States GIS database for Ducks Unlimited and worked with engineers and biologists on programs such as the Conservation Easement Priority program. While working at Ducks Unlimited, the biologists I interacted with regularly, instilled a desire in me to continue my education and pursue a doctorate in wildlife ecology.

In January 2012, I began my Ph.D. at the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources-University of Georgia where my researched focused on evaluating Eastern wild turkey nest site selection and survival, female turkey habitat selection and survival in frequently-burned longleaf pine savannas. After completing my doctorate, I moved into a Post-Doctoral Research Scientist position at the University of Georgia where I served as University liaison between the Warnell School and Georgia Department of Natural Resources-Wildlife Resources Division and coordinator of collaborative wildlife research projects. I later moved into a Senior Research Associate role where I continued my liaison duties and helped manage complex long-term DNR-WRD data sets. I also organized and moderated a day-long Georgia DNR Wildlife Research Symposium each year to facilitate distribution of latest research to state agency biologists and administrators.

On July 1, 2018, I began my new role as an Assistant Professor in the School of Natural Resources.


Feature Stories

Selected Publications

Edge AC, Rosenberger JP, Yates CJ, Little AR, Killmaster CH, Johannsen KL, et al. (2023) White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawn survival and the influence of landscape characteristics on fawn predation risk in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, USA. PLoS ONE 18(8): e0288449. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0288449Online
Noonan, M., Martinez-Garcia, C., Fleming, C. H., DeFigueiredo, B. G., Ali, A. H., Attias, N., Belant, J. L., Beyer, Jr., D. E., Berteaux, D., Bidner, L. R., Boone, R., Boutin, S., Brito, J., Brown, M., Carter, A., Castellanos, A., Castellanos, F. X., Chitwood, C., Darlington, S., de la Torre, J. A., Dekker, J., DePerno, C., Droghini, A., Farhadinia, M., Fennessy, J., Fichtel, C., Ford, A., Gill, R., Goheen, J. R., Oliveira-Santos, L. G. R., Hebblewhite, M., Hodges, K. E., Isbell, L. A., Janssen, R., Kappeler, P., Kays, R., Kaczensky, P., Kauffman, M., LaPoint, S., Lashley, M. A., Leimgruber, P., Little, A. R., Macdonald, D. W., Masiaine, S., McBride, Jr., R. T., Medici, E. P., Mertes, K., Moorman, C., Morato, R. G., Mourão, G., Mueller, T., Nelison, E. W., Pastorini, J., Patterson, B. D., Pereira, J., Petroelje, T. R., Piecora, K., Power, R. J., Rachlow, J., Ranglack, D. H., Roshier, D., Safford, K., Scott, D. M., Serrouya, R., Songer, M., Songsasen, N., Stabach, J., Stacy-Dawes, J., Swingen, M. B., Thompson, J., Tucker, M. A., Velilla, M., Yarnell, R. W., Young, J., Fagan, W. F., Calabrese, J. M. The search behavior of terrestrial mammals. Nature Ecology and Evolution.Online
Rosenberger, J.P., A.R.Little, A.C.Edge, C.J. Yates, D.A.Osborn, C.H. Killmaster, K.L. Johnnsen, K.V. Miller, G.J. D'Angelo. 2022. Resource selection of deer hunters in Georgia's Appalachian Mountains. Wildlife Society Bulletin e1356. https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.1356Online
Sullivan D. J., A. R. Little, M. L. Poteet, B. A. Collier, and M. J. Chamberlain. 2022. Selection of landcover types by translocated female eastern wild turkeys in east Texas. Wildlife Society Bulletin e1282. https://doi.org/10.1002/wsb.1282Online
Tendle, A., Little, A., Hasan, M., Scott, S. (2022). Self-supervised learning in the twilight of noisy real-world datasets. Proceedings of the 21st IEEE International Conference on Machine Learning and Applications
Little, A. R. (2021). The Biology of Agroecosystems. Lincoln:. 3310 Holdrege St
Quebedeaux, K. B., Little, A., Nibbelink, N. P., D'Angelo, G. J., Killmaster, C. H., Miller, K. V. 2019. Variation in white-tailed deer antler size: the effects of age, landscape composition, and physiographic province. Journal of the Southeastern AssociaOnline
Quebedeaux, K. B., Little, A., Nibbelink, N. P., D'Angelo, G. J., Killmaster, C. H., Miller, K. V.. Variation in white-tailed deer antler size: the effects of age, landscape composition, and physiographic province. Journal of the Southeastern AssociationOnline
Little, A. R., G. J. D'Angelo, C. H. Killmaster, K. L. Johannsen, and K. V. Miller. 2018. Understanding deer, bear, and forest trends in the northern Georgia mountains: the value of long-term data. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and WilOnline
Little, A. R., L. M. Conner, M. J. Chamberlain, N. P. Nibbelink, and R. J. Warren. 2018. Adult bobcat(Lynx rufus) habitat selection in a longleaf pine savanna. Ecological Processes DOI: 10.1186/s13717-018-0129-5Online
Pollander, K. M., A. R. Little, J. W. Hinton, M. E. Byrne, G. D. Balkcom, and M. J. Chamberlain. 2018. Seasonal Habitat Selection and Movements by Mottled Ducks. Journal of Wildlife Management.Online
Little, A. R., A. Hammond, J. A. Martin, K. L. Johannsen, and K. V. Miller. 2017. Population growth and mortality sources of the black bear population in northern Georgia. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 4:130-138.Online
Yeldell, N. A., B. S. Cohen, A. R. Little, B. A. Collier, and M. J. Chamberlain. 2017. Nest site selection and survival of Eastern wild turkeys in a pyric landscape. Journal of Wildlife Management 81:1073-1083.Online
Little, A. R., J. F. Benson, M. J. Chamberlain, L. M. Conner, and R. J. Warren. 2016. Survival and cause-specific mortality of female Eastern wild turkeys in 2 frequently-burned longleaf pine savannas. Wildlife Biology 22:238-245.Online
Little, A. R., M. J. Chamberlain, L. M. Conner, and R. J. Warren. 2016. Habitat selection of female Eastern wild turkeys in 2 frequently-burned pine savannas. Journal of Wildlife Management 80:1280-1289.Online
Little, A. R., N. P. Nibbelink, L. M. Conner, M. J. Chamberlain, and R. J. Warren. 2016. Eastern wild turkey nest site selection in 2 frequently-burned pine savannas. Ecological Processes 5:4. DOI 10.1186/s13717-016-0051-7.Online
Little, A. R., S. L. Webb, S. Demarais, K. L. Gee, S. K. Riffell, and J. A. Gaskamp. 2016. Hunting intensity alters movement behaviour of white-tailed deer. Basic and Applied Ecology 17:360-369.Online
Marantz, S. A., J. A. Long, S. L. Webb, K. L. Gee, A. R. Little, and S. Demarais. 2016. Impacts of harvest risk on spatial behavior of white-tailed deer. Canadian Journal of Zoology 10.1139/cjz-2016-0125.Online
Gross, J. T., A. R. Little, B. A. Collier, and M. J. Chamberlain. 2015. Space use, daily movements, and roosting behavior of male wild turkeys during spring in Louisiana and Texas. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 2:Online
Streich, M. M., A. R. Little, M. J. Chamberlain, L. M. Conner, and R. J. Warren. 2015. Habitat characteristics of Eastern wild turkey nest and ground-roost sites in 2 longleaf pine forests. Journal of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife AgOnline
Little, A. R., M. M. Streich, M. J. Chamberlain, L. M. Conner, and R. J. Warren. 2014. Eastern wild turkey reproductive ecology in frequently-burned longleaf pine savannas. Forest Ecology and Management 331:180-187.Online
Little, A. R., S. Demarais, K. L. Gee, S. L. Webb, S. K. Riffell, J. A. Gaskamp, and J. Belant. 2014. Does human predation risk affect harvest susceptibility of white-tailed deer during hunting season? Wildlife Society Bulletin 38:797-805.Online
Webb, S. L., J. A. Gaskamp, K. L. Gee, S. Demarais, and A. R. Little. 2011. Design of an underwater telemetry antenna for locating and retrieving submerged radiocollars. Wildlife Society Bulletin 35:101-104.Online

Background

Education

DegreeMajorInstitutionYear Awarded
Doctorate of PhilosophyWildlife EcologyUniversity of Georgia2015
Master of ScienceWildlife EcologyMississippi State University2011
Bachelor of ScienceWildlife and Fisheries SciencePennsylvania State University2006

 

Affiliations

 

Awards

TitleAwarded byYear Awarded
Great Plains FellowCenter for Great Plains Studies - UNL2018
Outstanding Wildlife Technical Paper of the YearSoutheastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies2018
E. L. Cheatum Distinguished Graduate StudentUniversity of Georgia2015
Stoddard-Burleigh-Sutton award for excellence in ornithologyUniversity of Georgia2015
Archie E. Patterson ScholarshipUniversity of Georgia2014

 

Professional Organizations

NamePosition
The Wildlife SocietyMember (2006-Present)

 

Websites

 

SNR Program Areas

  • Applied Ecology

Grants

Currently this page only displays grants that were awarded on 1/1/ 2009 to the present. If a grant was awarded prior to 1/1/ 2009 and is still active, it will not be displayed on this page.

Grant TitleThe Utility of Ring-Necked Pheasants (Phasianus Colchicus) as an Umbrella Species in Ag Landscapes (UCARE: Kol Tafka)
Starting Date05/03/2024

Investigator(s)

Ending Date05/01/2025
Funding Level$3,600.00
Funding AgencyInternal - 24-25 UCARE

 

Grant TitlePronghorn Movement Ecology and Resource Selection in the Nebraska Sandhills (Additional Funding)
Starting Date03/21/2024

Investigator(s)

Ending Date08/31/2024
Funding Level$12,550.00
Funding AgencyNebraska Game and Parks Commission

 

Grant TitleNatural Resources Conservation Connection Points Workshop
Starting Date02/26/2024

Investigator(s)

Ending Date07/31/2024
Funding Level$3,000.00
Funding AgencyARD Strategic Funding

 

Grant TitleNebraska Farmers and Farmland Owners Attitudes of Targeted Conservation
Starting Date04/26/2023

Investigator(s)

Ending Date06/30/2023
Funding Level$42,448.00
Funding AgencyNebraska Environmental Trust

 

Grant TitleEvaluating Reproduction, Harvest, Timing of Season, Connectivity, and Spatial Ecology of Wild Turkeys in Nebraska
Starting Date09/15/2022

Investigator(s)

Ending Date12/31/2026
Funding Level$1,885,893.00
Funding AgencyNebraska Game and Parks Commission

 

Grant TitlePronghorn Movement Ecology and Resource Selection in the Nebraska Sandhills (Additional Funding)
Starting Date08/05/2022

Investigator(s)

Ending Date08/31/2023
Funding Level$25,000.00
Funding AgencyNebraska Game and Parks Commission

 

Grant TitleImproving Midwestern Agricultures Environmental, Social, and Economic Footprint with Prairie Strips (Additional Funding)
Starting Date01/04/2022

Investigator(s)

Ending Date12/31/2023
Funding Level$50,746.00
Funding AgencyIowa State University

 

Grant TitleImproving Midwestern Agricultures Environmental, Social, and Economic Footprint with Prairie Strips
Starting Date07/01/2021

Investigator(s)

Ending Date12/31/2021
Funding Level$23,897.00
Funding AgencyIowa State University

 

Grant Title Nebraska Farmers and Farmland Owners Attitudes of Targeted Conservation (Additional Funding)
Starting Date04/08/2021

Investigator(s)

Ending Date06/30/2022
Funding Level$109,999.00
Funding AgencyNebraska Environmental Trust

 

Grant TitleIdentifying and Prioritizing Habitat for Pheasant Conservation and Mgt in Agriculturally Dominated Landscapes
Starting Date03/10/2021

Investigator(s)

Ending Date12/31/2025
Funding Level$699,940.00
Funding AgencyNebraska Games and Park Commission

 

Grant TitlePronghorn Movement Ecology and Resource Selection in NE Sandhills
Starting Date01/05/2021

Investigator(s)

Ending Date08/31/2023
Funding Level$175,000.00
Funding AgencyNebraska Games and Park Commission

 

Grant TitleNebraska Farmers and Farmland Owners Attitudes of Targeted Conservation
Starting Date06/29/2020

Investigator(s)

Ending Date06/30/2021
Funding Level$104,971.00
Funding AgencyNebraska Environmental Trust

 

Grant TitlePrecision Conservation - Increase Farm Profitability While Conserving Soil, Water, and Wildlife
Starting Date05/14/2020

Investigator(s)

Ending Date06/30/2021
Funding Level$19,975.00
Funding AgencyUNL Collaborative Initiative Planning Grant

 

Grant TitleNE NCCPI to Crop Yield Relationship
Starting Date09/30/2019

Investigator(s)

Ending Date09/30/2022
Funding Level$151,396.00
Funding AgencyUSDA/NRCS

 

Advising

Graduate Programs

Master of Applied Science

Master of Science in Natural Resource Sciences
including specializations in

  • Applied Ecology
  • Geographic Information Systems

Doctorate of Philosophy in Natural Resource Sciences
including specializations in

  • Applied Ecology

Courses Taught

Course NumberCourse TitleFall Even YearsFall Odd YearsSpring Even YearsSpring Odd YearsSummer SessionCross Listing
NRES 810Landscape EcologyXXHORT 812