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Mason Fidino, Ph.D.

Department
Conservation & Science
Center
Urban Wildlife Institute
Title
Quantitative Ecologist
Education
  • Ph.D. – Ecology and Evolution, Brown Lab, University of Illinois at Chicago
  • B.S. – Environmental Science with an Emphasis in Terrestrial Ecology, Western Washington University
Headshot

Areas of Expertise

  • Community and population ecology
  • Computer programming
  • Data visualization
  • Statistics

About

Mason’s research is in biodiversity informatics. He integrates large and complex data sources, develops novel quantitative techniques, and uses high-performance computing to determine how biodiversity responds to environmental change across multiple spatiotemporal scales. Mason is especially interested in understanding ecological principles in urban environments and, through their research, looks for ways to leverage the vast data sources that exist in cities to answer pressing ecological issues. In addition to their own research, Mason provides statistical support to fellow researchers at Lincoln Park Zoo’s Conservation & Science department and serves as the analytics advisor for the Urban Wildlife Information Network—the world’s first multi-city biodiversity-monitoring network designed to systematically connect ecological findings across cities.

An image captured by a motion-activated field camera of a fox staring into the distance
In the Wild, Helping People and Wildlife Coexist
Chicago Wildlife Watch
Aerial view of Lincoln Park with coordinates of wildlife spottings
In the Wild, Helping People and Wildlife Coexist
A Community Effort to Monitor Chicago’s Bats
Helping People and Wildlife Coexist, In the Wild
The Chicago Rat Project
Zoo scientist installing a motion-activated field camera in Chicago
Helping People and Wildlife Coexist, In the Wild
The Urban Wildlife Information Network
A motion-activated field camera tied to a tree in Chicago
Helping People and Wildlife Coexist, In the Wild
Urban Wildlife Biodiversity Monitoring
Helping People and Wildlife Coexist, In the Wild
Urban Ecology at Nature Boardwalk

Publications

  • Gerber, B., Devarajan, K., Farris, Z., and Fidino, M.(2023). A model-based hypothesis framework to define and estimate the diel niche via the ‘Diel.Niche’ R package. Journal of Animal Ecology, Early View. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.14035  
  • Cervantes, A. M., Schooley, R. L., Lehrer, E. W., Gallo, T., Allen, M. L., Fidino, M., & Magle, S. B. (2023). Carnivore coexistence in Chicago: Niche partitioning of coyotes and red foxes. Urban Ecosystems, 26(5), 1293–1307. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-023-01368-2
  • Bates, J. M., Fidino, M., Nowak-Boyd, L., Strausberger, B. M., Schmidt, K. A., and Whelan, C. J. (2022). Climate change affects bird nesting phenology: comparing contemporary field and historical museum nesting records. Journal of Animal Ecology. 
  • Gallo, T., Fidino, M., Gerber, B., Ahlers, A. A., Angstmann, J. L., Amaya, M., Concilio, A. L., Drake, D., Gray, D., Lehrer, E. W., Murray, M. H., Ryan, T. J., Cassady St. Clair, C., Salsbury, C. M., Sander, H. A., Stankowich, T., Williamson, J., Belaire, J. A., Simon, K., and Magle, S. B. (2022). Mammals adjust diel activity across gradients of urbanization. ELife. 
  • Leinwand, J. G., Fidino, M., Ross, S. R., and Hopper, L. M. (2022). Familiarity mediates apes’ attentional biases towards human faces. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 
  • Rivera, K., Fidino, M., Farris, Z. J., Magle, S. B., Murphy, A., and Gerber, B. D. (2022). Rethinking habitat occupancy modeling and the role of diel activity in an anthropogenic world. American Naturalist. 
  • Fidino, M., Lehrer, E. W., Kay, C. A. M., Yarmey, N., Murray, M. H., Fake, K., Adams, H. C., and Magle, S. B. (2022). Integrated species distribution models reveal spatiotemporal patterns of human-wildlife conflict. Ecological Applications. 
  • Murray, M. H., Buckley, J., Lehrer, E. W., Kay, C., Fidino, M., Magle, S. B., and German, D. (2022). Public perception of urban wildlife during a covid-19 stay-at-home quarantine order in Chicago. Urban Ecosystems. 
  • Hursh, S. H., Bauder, J. M., Fidino, M., and Drake, D. (2022). An urban cast of characters: Landscape use and cover influencing mammal occupancy in an american midwestern city. Landscape and Urban Planning. 
  • Magle, S. B., Kay, C., Fake, K., Fidino, M., Murray, M. H., Buckley, J., and Lehrer, E. W. (2021). Why do animals live in cities? Frontiers for Young Minds, 9:566272. 
  • Lehrer, E. W., Gallo, T., Fidino, M., Kilgour, R. J., Wolff, P., and Magle, S. B. (2021). Urban bat occupancy is highly influenced by noise and the location of water: considerations for nature-based urban planning. Landscape and Urban Planning, 210:104063. 
  • Fidino, M., Gallo, T., Lehrer, E. W., Murray, M. H., Kay, C., Sander, H. A., MacDougall, B., Salsbury, C. M., Ryan, T. J., Angstmann, J. L., Belaire, J. A., Dugelby, B., Schell, C., Stankowich, T., Amaya, M., Drake, D., Hursh, S. H., Ahlers, A. A., Williamson, J., Hartley, L. M., Zellmer, A. J., Simon, K., and Magle, S. B. (2021). Landscape-scale differences among cities alter common species’ responses to urbanization. Ecological Applications, 31(2):e02253. 
  • Murray*, M. H., Fidino*, M., Lehrer, E. W., Simonis, J. L., and Magle, S. B. (2021). An multi-state occupancy model to non-invasively monitor visible signs of wildlife health with camera traps that accounts for image quality. Journal of Animal Ecology, 90(8):1973-1984. 
  • Magle*, S., Fidino*, M., Sander, H., Rohnke, A. T., Larson, K. L., Gallo, T., Kay, C. A. M., Lehrer, E. W., Murray, M. H., Adalsteinsson, S. A., Ahlers, A. A., Anthonysamy, W. J. B., Gramza, A. R., Green, A. M., Jordan, M. J., Lewis, J., Long, R. A., MacDougall, B., Pendergast, M. E., Remine, K., Simon, K. C., Cassady St. Clair, C., Shier, C. J., Stankowich, T., , Stevenson, C. J., Zellmer, A. J., and Schell, C. J. (2021). Wealth and urbanization shape medium and large terrestrial mammal communities. Global Change Biology, 27(21):5446-5459. 
  • Kay, C. A. M., Rohnke, A. T., Sander, H. A., Stankowich, T., Fidino, M., Murray, M. H., Lewis, J. S., Taves, I., Lehrer, E. W., Zellmer, A. J., Schell, C. J., and Magle, S. B. (2021). Barriers to building wildlife-inclusive cities: Insights from a joint summit of urban ecologists, urban planners, and landscape designers. People and Nature. 
  • Fidino, M., Limbrick, K., Bender, J., Gallo, T., and Magle, S. B. (2021). Strolling through a century: recreating historical bird surveys to explore 100 years of change in an urban bird community. American Naturalist. 
  • Zellmer, A. J., Wood, E., Surasinghe, T., Putman, B. J., Pauly, G., Magle, S. B., Lewis, J., Kay, C., and Fidino, M. (2020). What can we learn from wildlife sightings during the covid-19 global shutdown? Ecosphere, 11(8):e03215 
  • Murray, M. H., Fidino, M., Fyffe, R., Byers, K. A., Pettengill, J. B., Sondgeroth, K. S., Magle, S. B., Rios, M. J., Ortinau, N., and Santymire, R. M. (2020). City sanitation and socioeconomics predict rat zoonotic infection across diverse neighbourhoods. Zoonoses and Public Health, 67(6):673–683. 
  • Fidino, M., Barnas, G. R., Lehrer, E. W., Murray, M., and Magle, S. B. (2020). The influence of lure on detecting mammals with camera traps. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 44(3):543–552. 
  • Fidino, M., Simonis, J. L., and Magle, S. B. (2019). A multi-state dynamic occupancy model to estimate local colonization-extinction rates and patterns of co-occurrence between two or more interacting species. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 10(2):233–244 
  • Hopper, L. M., Egelkamp, C. L., Fidino, M., and Ross, S. R. (2019). An assessment of touchscreens for testing primate food preferences and valuations. Behavior Research Methods, 51(2):639–650. 
  • Gallo*, T., Fidino*, M., Lehrer, E. W., and Magle, S. B. (2019). Urbanization alters predator avoidance behaviors. Journal of Animal Ecology, 88(5):793–803. Voorhies, K. J., Szymanski, J., Nail, K. R., & Fidino, M. 2019. A Method to Project Future Impacts From Threats and Conservation on the Probability of Extinction for North American Migratory Monarch (Danaus plexxipus) Populations. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2019.00384.
  • Magle, S. B., Fidino, M., Lehrer, E. W., Gallo, T., Mulligan, M. P., Ríos, M. J., Ahlers, A. A., Angstmann, J., Belaire, A., Dugelby, B., Gramza, A., Hartley, L., MacDougall, B., Ryan, T., Salsbury, C., Sander, H., Schell, C., Simon, K., Onge, S. S., & Drake, D. 2019. Advancing urban wildlife research through a multi-city collaboration. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 17(4), 232–239. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2030.
  • Hopper, L. M., Egelkamp, C. L., Fidino, M., & Ross, S.R. 2019. An assessment of touchscreens for testing primate food preferences and valuations. Behavior Research Methods, 51(2), 639–650. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-018-1065-0.
  • Magle, S. B., & Fidino, M. 2018. Long-term declines of a highly interactive urban species. Biodiversity and Conservation. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-018-1621-z.
  • Fidino, M., Simonis, J. L., & Magle, S. B.   2018. A multi-state dynamic occupancy model to estimate local colonization-extinction rates and patterns of co-occurrence between two or more interacting species. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, Early View. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13117.
  • Fidino, M., Herr, S. W., & Magle, S. B. 2018. Assessing online opinions of wildlife through social media. Human Dimensions of Wildlife, Early View. https://doi.org/10.1080/10871209.2018.1468943.
  • Gallo, T., & Fidino, M. 2018. Biodiversity: Making wildlife welcome in urban areas. eLife, 7, e41348.
  • Murray, M. H., Fyffe, R., Fidino, M., Byers, K. A., Rios, M. J., Mulligan, M. P., & Magle, S. B.   2018. Public Complaints Reflect Rat Relative Abundance across Diverse Urban Neighborhoods. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2018.00189.
  • Saiyed ST, Liubicich RC, Fidino M, Ross SR.   2018. Stillbirth rates across three ape species in accredited American zoos. American Journal of Primatology. 2018; e22870. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.22870.
  • Gallo, T., Fidino, M., Lehrer, E. W., & Magle, S. B. 2017. Mammal diversity and metacommunity dynamics in urban green spaces: implications for urban wildlife conservation. Ecological Applications. 27:2330–2341.
  • Gallo, T., Lehrer, E. W., Fidino, M., Kilgour, R. J., Wolff, P. J., & Magle, S. 2017. Need for multiscale planning for conservation of urban bats. Conservation Biology: The Journal of the Society for Conservation Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13047.
  • Fidino, M., & Magle, S. B. 2017. Trends in Long-Term Urban Bird Research. In E. Murgui & M. Hedblom (Eds.), Ecology and Conservation of Birds in Urban Environments (pp. 160–186). Springer.
  • Fidino, M., & Magle, S. B. 2017. Using Fourier series to estimate periodic patterns in dynamic occupancy models. Ecosphere, 8(9): e01944.
  • Bender, J., M. Fidino, K. Limbrick, and S. B. Magle. 2016. Assessing nest success of black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) in an urban landscape using artificial cavities. Wilson Journal of Ornithology.
  • Fidino, M.,  E. W. Lehrer, and S. B. Magle. 2016. Habitat dynamics of the Virginia opossum in a highly urban landscape. American Midland Naturalist 175:155-167.
  • Magle, S. B., E. W. Lehrer, and M. Fidino. 2016. Urban mesopredator distribution: examining the relative effects of landscape and socioeconomics factors. Animal Conservation 19:163-175.

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