Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush). Lake trout captured in Lake Clark National Park as part of a study to examine mercury biomagnification in lake food webs. Photo courtesy of U.S. National Park Service, Public Domain
Sarah Laske, Ph.D.
Research Interests: Landscape ecology, community ecology, aquatic food webs, and the influence of extreme climates and hydrology on fish ecology
My research focuses primarily on three areas of fisheries research: aquatic food webs, community ecology, and effects of landscape processes and scale in Arctic and subarctic species and ecosystems. The rapidly changing climate in northern ecosystems is shifting the thermal landscape where species live, eliciting a biological response to that change. I am interested in how those changes will influence aquatic systems, including their species composition or diversity, trophic structure, or function. Often, however, there is little to no baseline information available, and study must begin with questions regarding species presence or assemblage composition. By using a suite of modeling tools, I can integrate data from individual fish, communities, and the environment in order to answer questions that are relevant to fishery managers, the public, and other stakeholder groups, while also adding to ecological understanding of high latitude ecosystems and communities.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 32
Scientist holding lake trout
Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush). Lake trout captured in Lake Clark National Park as part of a study to examine mercury biomagnification in lake food webs. Photo courtesy of U.S. National Park Service, Public Domain
Fourhorn sculpin on a measuring board captured near Kaktovik, Alaska
Fourhorn sculpin on a measuring board captured near Kaktovik, Alaska.
Fourhorn sculpin on a measuring board captured near Kaktovik, Alaska.
Fourhorn sculpin captured near Kaktovik, Alaska
Fourhorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus quadricornis) captured near Kaktovik, Alaska
Fourhorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus quadricornis) captured near Kaktovik, Alaska
Beaufort Sea coastline on Arey Island with flock of birds
Flock of birds over Arey Island near Kaktovik on the coastline of the Beaufort Sea.
Flock of birds over Arey Island near Kaktovik on the coastline of the Beaufort Sea.
Beaufort Sea coastline on Arey Island with eroding cliff near Kaktovik
Eroding coastline of the Beaufort Sea on Arey Island near Kaktovik.
Eroding coastline of the Beaufort Sea on Arey Island near Kaktovik.
Pink salmon captured near Kaktovik, Alaska
Pink salmon captured near Kaktovik, Alaska
Pink salmon captured near Kaktovik, Alaska
Sorting aquatic macroinvertebrates in the field
Three researchers from the University of Waterloo hunt for aquatic insects among the detritus scooped from the lake’s nearshore zone.
Three researchers from the University of Waterloo hunt for aquatic insects among the detritus scooped from the lake’s nearshore zone.
A handful of adult ninespine stickleback
A handful of adult ninespine stickleback ready to be measured for total body length. These fish are ubiquitous in freshwater habitats of the Arctic Coastal Plain, outnumbering other fish species by as many as 800 individuals to one.
A handful of adult ninespine stickleback ready to be measured for total body length. These fish are ubiquitous in freshwater habitats of the Arctic Coastal Plain, outnumbering other fish species by as many as 800 individuals to one.
Northern pike captured from an Arctic Coastal Plain lake
Northern pike captured from an Arctic Coastal Plain lake. Predatory fish, like this northern pike, occupied only lakes with strong, permanent channel connections. Permanent channel connections provide movement corridors that fish use to swim between summer feeding areas and winter refuges.
Northern pike captured from an Arctic Coastal Plain lake. Predatory fish, like this northern pike, occupied only lakes with strong, permanent channel connections. Permanent channel connections provide movement corridors that fish use to swim between summer feeding areas and winter refuges.
Stream outflow from a lake on the Arctic Coastal Plain
Stream outflow from a lake on the Arctic Coastal Plain. Surface water connectivity affects the occupancy of fish species in lakes, influencing richness, composition, and food web complexity.
Stream outflow from a lake on the Arctic Coastal Plain. Surface water connectivity affects the occupancy of fish species in lakes, influencing richness, composition, and food web complexity.
Ninespine stickleback experimental release
Ninespine stickleback experimental release. The addition of small-bodied ninespine stickleback to fishless thermokarst ponds provided valuable information on their ability to influence invertebrate prey. Through consumption, ninespine stickleback substantially reduced invertebrate biomass during the 6-week experiment.
Ninespine stickleback experimental release. The addition of small-bodied ninespine stickleback to fishless thermokarst ponds provided valuable information on their ability to influence invertebrate prey. Through consumption, ninespine stickleback substantially reduced invertebrate biomass during the 6-week experiment.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 32
Scientist holding lake trout
Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush). Lake trout captured in Lake Clark National Park as part of a study to examine mercury biomagnification in lake food webs. Photo courtesy of U.S. National Park Service, Public Domain
Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush). Lake trout captured in Lake Clark National Park as part of a study to examine mercury biomagnification in lake food webs. Photo courtesy of U.S. National Park Service, Public Domain
Fourhorn sculpin on a measuring board captured near Kaktovik, Alaska
Fourhorn sculpin on a measuring board captured near Kaktovik, Alaska.
Fourhorn sculpin on a measuring board captured near Kaktovik, Alaska.
Fourhorn sculpin captured near Kaktovik, Alaska
Fourhorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus quadricornis) captured near Kaktovik, Alaska
Fourhorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus quadricornis) captured near Kaktovik, Alaska
Beaufort Sea coastline on Arey Island with flock of birds
Flock of birds over Arey Island near Kaktovik on the coastline of the Beaufort Sea.
Flock of birds over Arey Island near Kaktovik on the coastline of the Beaufort Sea.
Beaufort Sea coastline on Arey Island with eroding cliff near Kaktovik
Eroding coastline of the Beaufort Sea on Arey Island near Kaktovik.
Eroding coastline of the Beaufort Sea on Arey Island near Kaktovik.
Pink salmon captured near Kaktovik, Alaska
Pink salmon captured near Kaktovik, Alaska
Pink salmon captured near Kaktovik, Alaska
Sorting aquatic macroinvertebrates in the field
Three researchers from the University of Waterloo hunt for aquatic insects among the detritus scooped from the lake’s nearshore zone.
Three researchers from the University of Waterloo hunt for aquatic insects among the detritus scooped from the lake’s nearshore zone.
A handful of adult ninespine stickleback
A handful of adult ninespine stickleback ready to be measured for total body length. These fish are ubiquitous in freshwater habitats of the Arctic Coastal Plain, outnumbering other fish species by as many as 800 individuals to one.
A handful of adult ninespine stickleback ready to be measured for total body length. These fish are ubiquitous in freshwater habitats of the Arctic Coastal Plain, outnumbering other fish species by as many as 800 individuals to one.
Northern pike captured from an Arctic Coastal Plain lake
Northern pike captured from an Arctic Coastal Plain lake. Predatory fish, like this northern pike, occupied only lakes with strong, permanent channel connections. Permanent channel connections provide movement corridors that fish use to swim between summer feeding areas and winter refuges.
Northern pike captured from an Arctic Coastal Plain lake. Predatory fish, like this northern pike, occupied only lakes with strong, permanent channel connections. Permanent channel connections provide movement corridors that fish use to swim between summer feeding areas and winter refuges.
Stream outflow from a lake on the Arctic Coastal Plain
Stream outflow from a lake on the Arctic Coastal Plain. Surface water connectivity affects the occupancy of fish species in lakes, influencing richness, composition, and food web complexity.
Stream outflow from a lake on the Arctic Coastal Plain. Surface water connectivity affects the occupancy of fish species in lakes, influencing richness, composition, and food web complexity.
Ninespine stickleback experimental release
Ninespine stickleback experimental release. The addition of small-bodied ninespine stickleback to fishless thermokarst ponds provided valuable information on their ability to influence invertebrate prey. Through consumption, ninespine stickleback substantially reduced invertebrate biomass during the 6-week experiment.
Ninespine stickleback experimental release. The addition of small-bodied ninespine stickleback to fishless thermokarst ponds provided valuable information on their ability to influence invertebrate prey. Through consumption, ninespine stickleback substantially reduced invertebrate biomass during the 6-week experiment.
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government