Rate My Professor Bill Severud

William Severud is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Natural Resource Management at South Dakota State University. He earned a B.A. in biology from Carleton College, an M.S. in biology from Northern Michigan University, and a Ph.D. in natural resources science and management with a specialization in wildlife ecology and management from the University of Minnesota. As a Certified Wildlife Biologist, Severud conducts research designed to inform wildlife management practices. His research group explores the impacts of disease, movement ecology, predator-prey interactions, and human-wildlife dynamics on population dynamics of large North American mammals, including moose, bison, white-tailed deer, and bighorn sheep. Methods employed by his lab include GPS collaring, conservation detection dogs for locating carcasses and scat, and sampling of soils, plants, and animal tissues to assess health and disease risks.

Severud collaborates with Tribal natural resource agencies to tackle issues affecting subsistence and culturally important species. His publications include Severud et al. (2023), 'Mineral licks as a potential nidus for parasite transmission,' in Food Webs; Struck et al. (2023), 'Refining the moose serum progesterone threshold to diagnose pregnancy,' in Conservation Physiology; Severud et al. (2023), 'Terrestrial gastropod species-specific responses to forest management: Implications for Parelaphostrongylus tenuis transmission to moose,' in Forest Ecology and Management; Severud et al. (2022), 'Sandhill crane colt survival in Minnesota,' in Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management; and Severud et al. (2022), 'Statistical population reconstruction of moose (Alces alces) in northeastern Minnesota using integrated population models,' in PLOS ONE. Additional works encompass Candler et al. (2022) on bear hunter cameras indexing nontarget species in Conservation Science and Practice; Tischler et al. (2022) on aquatic forage for moose in Alces; and earlier contributions such as Severud et al. (2019), 'Survival and cause-specific mortality of moose calves in northeastern Minnesota,' in The Journal of Wildlife Management, and Severud et al. (2015), 'Using GPS collars to determine parturition and cause-specific mortality of moose calves,' in Wildlife Society Bulletin. With over 900 citations on Google Scholar, his research advances understanding of wildlife population dynamics and informs conservation strategies.