Jonathan J. Spurgeon, PhD
Unit Leader - Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Jonathan joined the Nebraska Unit in 2020. A major focus of Jonathan's research is quantifying the patchwork of habitat conditions needed by stream fishes across their life-history. Research outcomes are intended to inform decisions regarding habitat restoration and conservation strategies including translocation and non-native species suppression. Jonathan uses a diversity of study designs and analytical techniques including occupancy modelling and mark-recapture methods. Jonathan is currently working across a gradient of systems from small streams in the Nebraska Sandhills and Ouachita Mountains to the largest rivers in North America. Jonathan teaches graduate courses in vertebrate population ecology and ecological statistics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Jonathan received graduate degrees from the University of Missouri-Columbia and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he studied large-river ecology and conservation and management of fish populations. Jonathan was an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
Professional Experience
Assistant Unit Leader, Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 2020-
Science and Products
Use of otolith microchemistry to determine natal origin for Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix in the lower Mississippi River basin
Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) populations have established and expanded throughout the lower Mississippi River basin (LMRB). Information pertaining to Silver Carp population mixing among rivers within the LMRB is lacking. Documented relations between Silver Carp otolith and river water barium (Ba) and strontium (Sr) microchemical signatures may enable estimation of origins of Silver Ca
Authors
CE Barshinger, MA Eggleton, Jonathan J Spurgeon
Retention of p-Chip microtransponders and posttagging survival of small-bodied stream fishes
ObjectiveObtaining demographic rates often requires complex open-population capture–mark–recapture (CMR) study designs. Conducting such studies for small-bodied fishes has been limited in part by excessive mortality after tagging procedures and poor tag retention. As new tag types emerge, information regarding fish survival and tag retention over varying time scales may benefit resource managers t
Authors
Joseph Spooner, Jonathan J Spurgeon
Comparison of two otolith processing methods for silver carp age estimation
Accurate age estimates are critical in the development, implementation, and assessment of silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) management plans. Lapilli otoliths are the most commonly used calcified structures for silver carp age estimation, but studies on the precision of two established preparation methods [i.e., grind-and-burn (GB), thin-section (TS)] are lacking. Therefore, we assessed wi
Authors
Jeff N. Stevens, Cooper E. Barshinger, Jonathan J Spurgeon, Michael A. Eggleton, Steve E. Lochmann
Rivers of the Lower Mississippi Basin
Discussed in this chapter are seven significant tributaries of the Lower Mississippi River and its major distributary. As a group, these eight rivers and their basins encompass substantial variation in physical form, hydrology, biota, ecology, and human impacts. The Current River, Ouachita River, and Saline River, flow to the Mississippi out of the U.S. Interior Highlands. The Cache River basin, c
Authors
C. Ochs, J.J. Baustian, A. Harrison, P. Hartfield, C.S. Johnston, Catherine A. Justis, D. Larsen, A. Mickelson, B. Piazza, Jonathan J. Spurgeon
Diverse portfolios: Investing in tributaries for restoration of large river fishes in the Anthropocene
Rehabilitation of large Anthropocene rivers requires engagement of diverse stakeholders across a broad range of sociopolitical boundaries. Competing objectives often constrain options for ecological restoration of large rivers whereas fewer competing objectives may exist in a subset of tributaries. Further, tributaries contribute toward building a “portfolio” of river ecosystem assets through phys
Authors
Kristen L. Bouska, Brian Daniel Healy, Michael J. Moore, Corey Garland Dunn, Jonathan J Spurgeon, Craig Paukert
Trout responses to stocking rates and river discharge within a southeast U.S. hydropeaking tailwater
Freshwater fish populations often exist in systems characterized by novel ecological processes resulting from human alteration. Salmonid populations embedded within coldwater sections of warmwater rivers are spatially constrained by habitat availability. Tailwater fish contend with fluctuating river discharges and density-dependent processes associated with fish stocking and exploitation. Salmonid
Authors
Jonathan J Spurgeon, Joseph Kaiser, Christy Graham, Steve Lochmann
Ecosystem-specific growth responses to climate pattern by a temperate freshwater fish
Somatic growth patterns among animal populations are maintained through complex processes that vary among ecosystems. Changes in growth patterns may be concomitant with changes in climate; however, understanding how growth will manifest among ecosystems is limited. Information embedded within fish hard-parts (i.e., otoliths, spines, vertebrae) can account for variation in growth patterns resulting
Authors
Jonathan J. Spurgeon, Mark A. Pegg, Kevin L. Pope, Lin Xie
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.
Science and Products
Use of otolith microchemistry to determine natal origin for Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix in the lower Mississippi River basin
Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) populations have established and expanded throughout the lower Mississippi River basin (LMRB). Information pertaining to Silver Carp population mixing among rivers within the LMRB is lacking. Documented relations between Silver Carp otolith and river water barium (Ba) and strontium (Sr) microchemical signatures may enable estimation of origins of Silver Ca
Authors
CE Barshinger, MA Eggleton, Jonathan J Spurgeon
Retention of p-Chip microtransponders and posttagging survival of small-bodied stream fishes
ObjectiveObtaining demographic rates often requires complex open-population capture–mark–recapture (CMR) study designs. Conducting such studies for small-bodied fishes has been limited in part by excessive mortality after tagging procedures and poor tag retention. As new tag types emerge, information regarding fish survival and tag retention over varying time scales may benefit resource managers t
Authors
Joseph Spooner, Jonathan J Spurgeon
Comparison of two otolith processing methods for silver carp age estimation
Accurate age estimates are critical in the development, implementation, and assessment of silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) management plans. Lapilli otoliths are the most commonly used calcified structures for silver carp age estimation, but studies on the precision of two established preparation methods [i.e., grind-and-burn (GB), thin-section (TS)] are lacking. Therefore, we assessed wi
Authors
Jeff N. Stevens, Cooper E. Barshinger, Jonathan J Spurgeon, Michael A. Eggleton, Steve E. Lochmann
Rivers of the Lower Mississippi Basin
Discussed in this chapter are seven significant tributaries of the Lower Mississippi River and its major distributary. As a group, these eight rivers and their basins encompass substantial variation in physical form, hydrology, biota, ecology, and human impacts. The Current River, Ouachita River, and Saline River, flow to the Mississippi out of the U.S. Interior Highlands. The Cache River basin, c
Authors
C. Ochs, J.J. Baustian, A. Harrison, P. Hartfield, C.S. Johnston, Catherine A. Justis, D. Larsen, A. Mickelson, B. Piazza, Jonathan J. Spurgeon
Diverse portfolios: Investing in tributaries for restoration of large river fishes in the Anthropocene
Rehabilitation of large Anthropocene rivers requires engagement of diverse stakeholders across a broad range of sociopolitical boundaries. Competing objectives often constrain options for ecological restoration of large rivers whereas fewer competing objectives may exist in a subset of tributaries. Further, tributaries contribute toward building a “portfolio” of river ecosystem assets through phys
Authors
Kristen L. Bouska, Brian Daniel Healy, Michael J. Moore, Corey Garland Dunn, Jonathan J Spurgeon, Craig Paukert
Trout responses to stocking rates and river discharge within a southeast U.S. hydropeaking tailwater
Freshwater fish populations often exist in systems characterized by novel ecological processes resulting from human alteration. Salmonid populations embedded within coldwater sections of warmwater rivers are spatially constrained by habitat availability. Tailwater fish contend with fluctuating river discharges and density-dependent processes associated with fish stocking and exploitation. Salmonid
Authors
Jonathan J Spurgeon, Joseph Kaiser, Christy Graham, Steve Lochmann
Ecosystem-specific growth responses to climate pattern by a temperate freshwater fish
Somatic growth patterns among animal populations are maintained through complex processes that vary among ecosystems. Changes in growth patterns may be concomitant with changes in climate; however, understanding how growth will manifest among ecosystems is limited. Information embedded within fish hard-parts (i.e., otoliths, spines, vertebrae) can account for variation in growth patterns resulting
Authors
Jonathan J. Spurgeon, Mark A. Pegg, Kevin L. Pope, Lin Xie
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.