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Bioaccumulation of perfluoroalkyl substances in a Lake Ontario food web
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of synthetic chemicals detected throughout the environment. To better understand the distribution of PFAS in an aquatic system (the Laurentian Great Lakes), stable isotope enrichment (δ13C and δ15N), fatty acid (FA) profiles, and PFAS were measured in various species from the Lake Ontario (LO) aquatic food web. Sampled organisms included top p
Authors
Junda Ren, Adam Point, Sadjad Fakouri Baygi, Sujan Fernando, Philip K. Hopke, Thomas M. Holsen, Brian F. Lantry, Brian C. Weidel, Bernard S. Crimmins
Microbial source tracking and evaluation of best management practices for restoring degraded beaches of Lake Michigan
Attempts to mitigate shoreline microbial contamination require a thorough understanding of pollutant sources, which often requires multiple years of data collection (e.g., point/nonpoint) and the interacting factors that influence water quality. Because restoration efforts can alter shoreline or beach morphology, revisiting source inputs is often necessary. Microbial source tracking (MST) using so
Authors
Meredith B. Nevers, Paul M. Buszka, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli, Travis Cole, Steven R. Corsi, P. Ryan Jackson, Julie L. Kinzelman, Cindy H Nakatsu, Mantha S. Phanikumar
Results of the collaborative Lake Ontario bloater restoration stocking and assessment, 2012–2020
Bloater, Coregonus hoyi, are deepwater planktivores native to the Laurentian Great Lakes and Lake Nipigon. Interpretations of commercial fishery time series suggest they were common in Lake Ontario through the early 1900s but by the 1950s were no longer captured by commercial fishers. Annual bottom trawl surveys that began in 1978 and sampled extensively across putative bloater habitat only yielde
Authors
Brian C. Weidel, Amanda Susanne Ackiss, Marc Chalupnicki, Michael Connerton, Steve Davis, John M. Dettmers, Timothy Drew, Aaron T. Fisk, Roger Gordon, S. Dale Hanson, Jeremy Holden, Mark E. Holey, James H. Johnson, Timothy B. Johnson, Colin Lake, Brian F. Lantry, Kevin K. Loftus, Gregg E. Mackey, James E. McKenna, Michael J. Millard, Scott P. Minihkeim, Brian O'Malley, Andrew C. Todd, Steven Lapan, Adam Rupnik
Depth drives growth dynamics of dreissenid mussels in Lake Ontario
Understanding dreissenid mussel population dynamics and their impacts on lake ecosystems requires quantifying individual growth across a range of habitats. Most dreissenid mussel growth rates have been estimated in nutrient rich or nearshore environments, but mussels have continued to expand into deep, cold, low-nutrient habitats of the Great Lakes. We measured annual quagga mussel (Dreissena rost
Authors
Ashley Elgin, Paul Glyshaw, Brian C. Weidel
Evaluation of post-stocking dispersal and mortality of juvenile lake trout Salvelinus namaycush in Lake Ontario using acoustic telemetry
Wild reproduction by stocked lake trout Salvelinus namaycush in Lake Ontario has yet to produce a self-sustaining population, requiring a reliance on stocking. Once released, age-1 juvenile lake trout are not typically surveyed until age-2, creating a gap in knowledge of fine-scale post-release behaviors. A method to track fine-scale movements and estimate mortality of juvenile lake trout could co
Authors
Alexander J. Gatch, Stacy L. Furgal, Dimitry Gorsky, J. Ellen Marsden, Zy F. Biesinger, Brian F. Lantry
An evaluation of fish spawning on degraded and remnant reefs in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron
Saginaw Bay is a shallow, nutrient-rich embayment in Lake Huron that historically had a complex network of natural rocky reefs. These reef habitats were used as spawning and nursery areas for a variety of fish species, but decades of land-use related sedimentation caused many of these reefs to be degraded. Our study objectives were to analyze abiotic and biotic conditions on degraded and remnant r
Authors
N Kalejs, Mitchell T. Zischke, J. Beugly, P. Collingsworth, Edward F. Roseman, R. Douglas Hunter, D. Fielder, T. Hook
Anthropogenic stressors compound climate impacts on inland lake dynamics: The case of Hamun Lakes
Inland lakes face unprecedented pressures from climatic and anthropogenic stresses, causing their recession and desiccation globally. Climate change is increasingly blamed for such environmental degradation, but in many regions, direct anthropogenic pressures compound, and sometimes supersede, climatic factors. This study examined a human-environmental system – the terminal Hamun Lakes on the Iran
Authors
Arash Modaresi Rad, Jason R. Kreitler, John T. Abatzoglou, Kendra Fallon, Kevin Roche, Mojitaba Sadegh
Estimating detection and occupancy of secretive marsh bird species in low and high saline marshes in southwestern Louisiana using automated recording units
Secretive marsh birds (SMBs) are important indicator species of coastal wetlands but are difficult to detect and monitor. In coastal Louisiana, an important stronghold for these species, climate and hydrological models predict that freshwater and intermediate marshes will expand in the next 50 years, while brackish marshes will shrink. We used a multi-species Bayesian hierarchical occupancy model
Authors
Hardin Waddle, Landon R. Jones, Phillip L. Vasseur, Clint W. Jeske
Heterogeneous patterns of aged organic carbon export driven by hydrologic flow paths, soil texture, fire, and thaw in discontinuous permafrost headwaters
Climate change is thawing and potentially mobilizing vast quantities of organic carbon (OC) previously stored for millennia in permafrost soils of northern circumpolar landscapes. Climate-driven increases in fire and thermokarst may play a key role in OC mobilization by thawing permafrost and promoting transport of OC. Yet, the extent of OC mobilization and mechanisms controlling terrestrial-aquat
Authors
Joshua C. Koch, Matthew Bogard, David Butman, Kerri Finlay, Brian A. Ebel, Jason James, Sarah Ellen Johnston, Torre Jorgenson, Neal Pastick, Rob Spencer, Rob Striegl, Michelle A. Walvoord, Kimberly Wickland
A comparison of eDNA and visual survey methods for detection of longnose darter Percina nasuta in Missouri
The longnose darter Percina nasuta is a rare and cryptic fish that recently disappeared from much of its historic range. We developed and used an environmental DNA (eDNA) assay for longnose darter paired with visual surveys to better determine the species’ range and compare detection probability between sampling approaches in an occupancy modeling framework. We detected longnose darter eDNA furthe
Authors
Jacob Thomas Westhoff, Leah K. Berkman, Katy E. Klymus, Nathan Thompson, Cathy A. Richter
Errors in aerial survey count data: Identifying pitfalls and solutions
Accurate estimates of animal abundance are essential for guiding effective management, and poor survey data can produce misleading inferences. Aerial surveys are an efficient survey platform, capable of collecting wildlife data across large spatial extents in short timeframes. However, these surveys can yield unreliable data if not carefully executed. Despite a long history of aerial survey use in
Authors
Kayla L. Davis, Emily D Silverman, Allison Sussman, R. Randy Wilson, Elise F. Zipkin
Estimating the aboveground biomass and carbon stocks of tall shrubs in a prerestoration degraded salt marsh
Wetlands play a vital role in Earth's carbon cycle and provide important ecosystem services. Their ability to perform their roles can be compromised by human activities that destroy or impair their functioning. The restoration of degraded wetlands may allow carbon cycle functioning, as well as other services, to be recovered. Predicting the potential outcomes from any restoration project requires
Authors
Jacqualyn Fouse, Meagan J. Eagle, Kevin D. Kroeger, Timothy P. Smith