GLSC’s DeBruyne and Ireland Lead Training in Larval Fish Sampling and Identification to Support Cooperative Science at Lake Erie
GLSC’s Bickford and Liggett Present on Approaches to Non-Native Phragmites Management in Public Webinar
GLSC Contributes to American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting
GLSC Scientists Present Research Findings at the International Coregonid Symposium
O’Brien Interviewed Aboard R/V Sturgeon for All Too Clear Documentary
Great Lakes Science Center
Welcome! The Great Lakes Science Center (GLSC) is part of the Midcontinent Region of the USGS, DOI Regions 3 and 5. Our scientists work in the Great Lakes region and other parts of the country to meet the nation’s need for scientific information used by resource managers to restore, enhance, manage, and protect the living resources and habitats in the Great Lakes basin.
News
GLSC’s DeBruyne Interviewed on Lake Whitefish in the Detroit River for Great Lakes Now
GLSC’s DeBruyne Interviewed on Lake Whitefish in the Detroit River for Great Lakes Now
GLSC’s DeBruyne and Ireland Lead Training in Larval Fish Sampling and Identification to Support Cooperative Science at Lake Erie
GLSC’s DeBruyne and Ireland Lead Training in Larval Fish Sampling and Identification to Support Cooperative Science at Lake Erie
Bickford and Liggett to Present on Approaches to Non-Native Phragmites Management in Public Webinar
Bickford and Liggett to Present on Approaches to Non-Native Phragmites Management in Public Webinar
Publications
Declines and shifts in morphological diversity of ciscoes (Coregonus spp.) in lakes Huron and Michigan, 1917–2019
Ciscoes (Coregonus spp.) were historically abundant and ecologically important in Laurentian Great Lakes ecosystems. Despite well-documented declines in their abundance and taxonomic diversity, declines in morphological diversity remain understudied. This knowledge gap is especially pertinent for lakes Michigan and Huron, which have each lost six of eight historical species. Improved understanding
Paired comparisons with quiet surface drones show evidence of fish behavioral response to motorized vessels during acoustic surveys in Lake Superior
Acoustic surveys are important for fish stock assessments, but fish responses to survey vessels can bias acoustic estimates. We leveraged quiet uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) to characterize potential bias in acoustic surveys. Five conventional motorized ships overtook USVs from astern over 2 km transects at night in Lake Superior in 2022. We examined the difference in acoustic backscatter, avera
Origin of the Laurentian Great Lakes fish fauna through upward adaptive radiation cascade prior to the Last Glacial Maximum
The evolutionary histories of adaptive radiations can be marked by dramatic demographic fluctuations. However, the demographic histories of ecologically-linked co-diversifying lineages remain understudied. The Laurentian Great Lakes provide a unique system of two such radiations that are dispersed across depth gradients with a predator-prey relationship. We show that the North American Coregonus s
Science
Long-term Monitoring of Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands and Contributions to the Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program
The Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program (CWMP) is an EPA-led program to monitor the health of all Great Lakes coastal wetlands larger than four hectares. USGS scientists are working with Principal Investigators from many State and academic institutions to conduct data collection, implement standardized sampling protocols, analyze multiparameter data, and communicate results to the public.
Invasive Phragmites Science: Using Microbial Interactions to Foster the Restoration of Great Lakes Wetlands
The USGS is developing innovative Phragmites control measures to keep this rapidly spreading invasive plant from further expanding its range into new wetland habitats and to aid in the development of successful restoration strategies. Scientists are conducting studies and field tests to determine (1) if microbes (i.e., fungi and bacteria) that live within and around Phragmites are enabling the...
Restoring Wetland Habitat and Function at the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge
Hydrologic connectivity is essential to maintaining coastal wetland services and functionality. Impounded wetlands often do not provide essential services such as flood mitigation and nutrient retention, nor can they be utilized as spawning and nursery habitat by important Great Lakes fishes. The Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge manages hundreds of acres of historical coastal wetland habitat...