Collin Eagles-Smith
I am a Research Ecologist with the USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center in Corvallis, Oregon. My research focuses on the interactions among ecological processes, contaminant bioaccumulation, and effects on wild populations.
My work specifically focuses on (1) the ecological factors regulating contaminant bioaccumulation and trophic transfer, with an emphasis on food web processes and contaminant cycling, (2) land use practices and ecosystem restoration effects on contaminant cycling through food webs, and (3) the sublethal effects of contaminants on individuals and contaminant-induced impairment to reproduction in the wild. My research is broadly applied across taxa - primarily fish and waterbirds, and habitat types - including lakes, freshwater wetlands, agricultural fields, and estuarine habitats.
Professional Experience
2010-present: Supervisory Research Ecologist, USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Corvallis, OR
2007-2010: Wildlife Biologist, USGS Western Ecological Research Center, Davis, CA
2003-2007: Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sacramento, CA
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA (2006)
B.S., Environmental Resource Sciences - Magna Cum Laude, University of California, Davis, CA (2000)
Science and Products
Contaminant Ecology Research Team (FRESC)
Ecological Effects of Contaminants
Contaminant Bioaccumulation through Food Webs
Body Symmetry in Forster's Terns Related to Mercury Exposure
New Method Improves Measurement of Bullet Fragments in Culled Varmints
Synthesis of Mercury Distribution and Bioaccumulation Across Western North America
Mercury in Fish from 21 National Parks in the West
Mercury cycling, bioaccumulation, and risk across western North America: a landscape scale synthesis linking long-term datasets
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Assessment of Mercury and Mercury Stable Isotopes in Sediments and Biota from Reservoirs and Remedial Zones within the Saint Louis River, Minnesota
Contaminants in larval, juvenile, and adult Pacific lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus), Oregon, 2017-2021
Total mercury, methylmercury, and isotopic composition in various life stages of boreal chorus frogs (Pseudacris maculata) at two subalpine ponds in the Rocky Mountains, CO, USA, 2015
Mercury and biogeochemical parameters in surface water and sediment from U.S. National Parks, 2014-2015 (ver. 2.0, December 2023)
Total mercury and methylmercury in biota from Cottage Grove Reservoir, Coast Fork Willamette River, and additional reservoirs in Oregon (ver. 2.0, February 2024)
Survival, growth, behavior and mercury concentrations of mayflies exposed to elevated dietary methylmercury and aqueous selenium
Anticoagulant rodenticide concentrations in blood and tissue of California condors and turkey vultures (ver. 2.0, May 2023)
Biomass and methylmercury concentrations in biweekly biological samples from Brownlee and Oxbow Reservoir outflows, Snake River Hells Canyon Complex (Idaho-Oregon), 2018-2019
Mercury in fishes from Clear Lake, California, 2019 and 2020 (ver. 2.0, February 2022)
Total Mercury Concentrations in Dragonfly Larvae from U.S. National Parks (ver. 8.0, December 2022)
Mercury Concentrations and Stable Isotopes in Riparian Songbirds and Invertebrates from the Willamette River, Oregon, 2013
Mercury Concentrations and Mercury Isotopes in Salmonid fishes from the Snake River and tributaries in Idaho and Oregon, 2015 and 2019 (ver. 2.0, February 2021)
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Anticoagulant rodenticides are associated with increased stress and reduced body condition of avian scavengers in the Pacific Northwest
A multi-level assessment of biological effects associated with mercury concentrations in smallmouth bass, Micropterus dolomieu
Complex life histories alter patterns of mercury exposure and accumulation in a pond-breeding amphibian
Using mercury stable isotope fractionation to identify the contribution of historical mercury mining sources present in downstream water, sediment and fish
The influence of short-term temporal variability on the efficacy of dragonfly larvae as mercury biosentinels
In-reservoir physical processes modulate aqueous and biological methylmercury export from a seasonally anoxic reservoir
Collateral damage: Anticoagulant rodenticides pose threats to California condors
Using carbon, nitrogen, and mercury isotope values to distinguish mercury sources to Alaskan lake trout
What are the toxicological effects of mercury in Arctic biota?
Mercury exposure of tidal marsh songbirds in the northeastern United States and its association with nest survival
Lethal impacts of selenium counterbalance the potential reduction in mercury bioaccumulation for freshwater organisms☆
Small mammal shooting as a conduit for lead exposure in avian scavengers
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
To request an interview, contact fresc_outreach@usgs.gov or call (541) 750-1030.
Science and Products
Contaminant Ecology Research Team (FRESC)
Ecological Effects of Contaminants
Contaminant Bioaccumulation through Food Webs
Body Symmetry in Forster's Terns Related to Mercury Exposure
New Method Improves Measurement of Bullet Fragments in Culled Varmints
Synthesis of Mercury Distribution and Bioaccumulation Across Western North America
Mercury in Fish from 21 National Parks in the West
Mercury cycling, bioaccumulation, and risk across western North America: a landscape scale synthesis linking long-term datasets
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Assessment of Mercury and Mercury Stable Isotopes in Sediments and Biota from Reservoirs and Remedial Zones within the Saint Louis River, Minnesota
Contaminants in larval, juvenile, and adult Pacific lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus), Oregon, 2017-2021
Total mercury, methylmercury, and isotopic composition in various life stages of boreal chorus frogs (Pseudacris maculata) at two subalpine ponds in the Rocky Mountains, CO, USA, 2015
Mercury and biogeochemical parameters in surface water and sediment from U.S. National Parks, 2014-2015 (ver. 2.0, December 2023)
Total mercury and methylmercury in biota from Cottage Grove Reservoir, Coast Fork Willamette River, and additional reservoirs in Oregon (ver. 2.0, February 2024)
Survival, growth, behavior and mercury concentrations of mayflies exposed to elevated dietary methylmercury and aqueous selenium
Anticoagulant rodenticide concentrations in blood and tissue of California condors and turkey vultures (ver. 2.0, May 2023)
Biomass and methylmercury concentrations in biweekly biological samples from Brownlee and Oxbow Reservoir outflows, Snake River Hells Canyon Complex (Idaho-Oregon), 2018-2019
Mercury in fishes from Clear Lake, California, 2019 and 2020 (ver. 2.0, February 2022)
Total Mercury Concentrations in Dragonfly Larvae from U.S. National Parks (ver. 8.0, December 2022)
Mercury Concentrations and Stable Isotopes in Riparian Songbirds and Invertebrates from the Willamette River, Oregon, 2013
Mercury Concentrations and Mercury Isotopes in Salmonid fishes from the Snake River and tributaries in Idaho and Oregon, 2015 and 2019 (ver. 2.0, February 2021)
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Anticoagulant rodenticides are associated with increased stress and reduced body condition of avian scavengers in the Pacific Northwest
A multi-level assessment of biological effects associated with mercury concentrations in smallmouth bass, Micropterus dolomieu
Complex life histories alter patterns of mercury exposure and accumulation in a pond-breeding amphibian
Using mercury stable isotope fractionation to identify the contribution of historical mercury mining sources present in downstream water, sediment and fish
The influence of short-term temporal variability on the efficacy of dragonfly larvae as mercury biosentinels
In-reservoir physical processes modulate aqueous and biological methylmercury export from a seasonally anoxic reservoir
Collateral damage: Anticoagulant rodenticides pose threats to California condors
Using carbon, nitrogen, and mercury isotope values to distinguish mercury sources to Alaskan lake trout
What are the toxicological effects of mercury in Arctic biota?
Mercury exposure of tidal marsh songbirds in the northeastern United States and its association with nest survival
Lethal impacts of selenium counterbalance the potential reduction in mercury bioaccumulation for freshwater organisms☆
Small mammal shooting as a conduit for lead exposure in avian scavengers
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
To request an interview, contact fresc_outreach@usgs.gov or call (541) 750-1030.