Publications

Land transformation can have cascading effects on hydrology, water quality, and human users of water resources, with serious implications for human health. An interdisciplinary analysis is presented, whereby remote-sensing data of changing land use and cover are related to surface hydrology and microbial contamination in domestic use areas of three indigenous Maya communities in Belize, Central Am

In this chapter we present a hypothesis, and data supporting it, that vascular plants in diverse families possess symbiotic/endophytic bacteria that frequently vector on or within their seeds; seedlings degrade symbiotic bacteria within roots. Evidence of widespread microbivory was found in a survey for intracellular bacteria that we conducted including seedlings in 36 species of vascular plants d

Hearing ability is well studied across teleost fishes in general, and vertebrates more broadly, but little is known about sound detection abilities of lampreys (Petromyzontiformes), a basal extant vertebrate group. The sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) is a destructive invader of the Laurentian Great Lakes, while numerous lamprey species (including the sea lamprey) are imperiled in their native ran

To improve understanding of how recent changes in lower trophic levels in Lake Michigan could be affecting prey-fish biomass and production, the Lake Michigan Committee (LMC) convened a Lower Trophic Level Task Group and provided several charges that are responded to in this report. First, we compiled a comprehensive summary of lower trophiclevel data in Lake Michigan, separating out nearshore ver

Stream entry of many fishes is influenced by environmental factors including water temperature, stream discharge, and photoperiod (Leggett 1977; Jonsson 1991). Environmental factors influence stream entry differently depending on the species and life stage of fish, likely because of varying physiologies and life histories (Lucas and Baras 2008). Many spring-run migratory fishes occupy Laurentian G

Loss of shallow water riparian zones in the St. Clair River has reduced availability of nursery areas and refuge for fishes. To remediate habitat losses and provide fish nursery areas, five remediation projects were carried out along the river’s United States bank from 2012 to 2014, replacing seawalls with sloping banks and adding in-stream structure (e.g., root wads and boulders). Project evaluat

This study describes growth and reproductive characteristics of a facultative elasmobranch symbiont, Echeneis naucrates. Females grew slower but achieved a larger size than males (growth coefficient, K = 0.25 and 0.38 year−1, and mean maximum size, L∞= 603 and 477 mm, respectively). Mean relative batch fecundity was 39.5 (s.d. = 13.1). Gonadosomatic indices peaked in July and August for males and

Using Dual-Frequency Identification Sonar (DIDSON), fishery acoustic observation data was collected from the Ocqueoc River, a tributary of Lake Huron in northern Michigan, USA. Data were collected March through July 2013 and 2016 and included the identification, via technology or expert analysis, of eight fish species as they passed through the DIDSON’s field of view. A set of short DIDSON clips c

Basin-scale assessment of fish habitat in Great Lakes coastal ecosystems would increase our ability to prioritize fish habitat management and restoration actions. As a first step in this direction, we identified key habitat factors associated with highest probability of occurrence for several societally and ecologically important coastal fish species as well as community metrics, using data from t

Bioenergetics modeling was used to assess the relative importance of food availability and water temperature in determining walleye (Sander vitreus) growth. Temperature regimes experienced by both female and male adult walleye in three basins of Lake Huron and in Lake Erie were determined by use of surgically implanted temperature loggers and acoustic telemetry. Temperatures experienced by walleye

Stock assessments are critical to modern fisheries management, supporting the calculation of key reference variables used to make informed management decisions. However, there is still considerable uncertainty as to which class of assessment models is appropriate to use under different circumstances. A common class of models used when age data are available are statistical catch-at-age assessment

Lake sturgeon populations show a variety of movement patterns, but this variation is poorly understood. To compare two migratory phenotypes of lake sturgeon in the St. Clair River, multiple data types were analyzed. Individual fish were classified into migratory phenotypes based on acoustic telemetry data from 2012-2015. Lake sturgeon consistently showed movement from the St. Clair River upriver i