Leandro Miranda, PhD
Unit Leader - Mississippi Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Steve is Unit Leader and Professor at Mississippi State. He is a fish ecologist with 40 years of experience and has been with the Coop Units since 1986. Prior to 1986 he was a research intern with Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife and research biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife. His long-standing research interests include lentic aquatic ecosystems, natural resource conservation and management, fish population and community dynamics, and aquatic habitat management. He teaches Fisheries Science and Management of Impounded River Basins and has directed over 60 MS and PhD students. Steve's most current research has been published in journals such as Aquatic Sciences, Climatic Research, Fish and Fisheries, Freshwater Biology, Journal of Environmental Management, Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, and Water Resources Research. In 2017 he published a book entitled Reservoir Fish Habitat Management. He has held several editorial appointments, including Co-editor of the North American Journal of Fisheries Management and currently Chief Editor of Frontiers in Freshwater Sciences.
Research Interests
Fish populations and fish communities in reservoirs and floodplain lakes
Teaching Interests
Fisheries science and management of standing water bodies and their watersheds
Professional Experience
Unit Leader, Mississippi Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 2020-
Assistant Unit Leader, Mississippi Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 1986-2019
Education and Certifications
Ph D Mississippi State University 1986
MS Auburn University 1981
BS Morehead State University 1977
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 96
A direct-gradient multivariate index of biotic condition
Multimetric indexes constructed by summing metric scores have been criticized despite many of their merits. A leading criticism is the potential for investigator bias involved in metric selection and scoring. Often there is a large number of competing metrics equally well correlated with environmental stressors, requiring a judgment call by the investigator to select the most suitable...
Authors
Leandro E. Miranda, J.N. Aycock, K. J. Killgore
Fish assemblage dynamics in a Neotropical floodplain relative to aquatic macrophytes and the homogenizing effect of a flood pulse
The presence of aquatic macrophytes is a key factor in the selection of habitats by fish in floodplain lakes because these plants enhance the physical and biological complexities of aquatic habitats. The seasonal flood pulse may influence this interaction, but there is no information in the literature about the effects that flood events may have on macrophytes assemblages and its...
Authors
L.C. Gomes, C. K. Bulla, Angelo A. Agostinho, L. P. Vasconcelos, Leandro E. Miranda
Factors affecting fish biodiversity in floodplain lakes of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley
River-floodplain ecosystems offer some of the most diverse and dynamic environments in the world. Accordingly, floodplain habitats harbor diverse fish assemblages. Fish biodiversity in floodplain lakes may be influenced by multiple variables operating on disparate scales, and these variables may exhibit a hierarchical organization depending on whether one variable governs another. In...
Authors
Leandro E. Miranda, Daniel J. Dembkowski
Trolling may intensify exploitation in crappie fisheries
In some parts of the USA, anglers targeting crappies Pomoxis spp. are transitioning from mostly stationary angling with a single pole around submerged structures to using multiple poles while drifting with the wind or under power. This shift in fishing methods could result in a change in catch efficiency, possibly increasing exploitation rates to levels that would be of concern to...
Authors
K. O. Meals, A. W. Dunn, Leandro E. Miranda
Comparison of fish assemblages in two disjoined segments of an oxbow lake in relation to connectivity
Disconnection between adjacent habitat patches is one of the most notable factors contributing to the decreased biotic integrity of global ecosystems. Connectivity is especially threatened in river–floodplain ecosystems in which channel modifications have disrupted the lateral links between the main river channel and floodplain lakes. In this study, we examined the interaction between...
Authors
Daniel J. Dembkowski, Leandro E. Miranda
Catfish spatial distribution in the free-flowing Mississippi River
No abstract available.
Authors
Leandro E. Miranda, K. Jack Kilgore
The ichthyofauna of drifting macrophyte mats in the Ivinhema River, upper Paraná River basin, Brazil
We describe the fish assemblages associated with drifting macrophyte mats and consider their possible role as dispersal vectors in the Ivinhema River, a major tributary of the upper Paraná River, Brazil. Fish associated with drifting mats were sampled in the main river channel during January and March 2005, when the wind and/or the increased water level were sufficient to transport...
Authors
C. K. Bulla, Luiz Carlos Gomes, Leandro E. Miranda, Angelo A. Agostinho
Fish entrainment rates through towboat propellers in the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers
A specially designed net was used to study fish entrainment and injury through towboat propellers in 13 pools of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers. The net was attached to the stern of a 48.8‐m‐long towboat with twin propellers (in Kort propulsion nozzles), and sampling typically took place while the towboat pushed 15 loaded barges upstream at a time. In total, 254 entrainment...
Authors
Killgore K. Jack, Leandro E. Miranda, C.E. Murphy, D.M. Wolff, J.J. Hoover, T.M. Keevin, S.T. Maynord, M.A. Cornish
Depth as an organizer of fish assemblages in floodplain lakes
Depth reduction is a natural process in floodplain lakes, but in many basins has been accelerated by anthropogenic disturbances. A diverse set of 42 floodplain lakes in the Yazoo River Basin (Mississippi, USA) was examined to test the hypothesis of whether depth reduction was a key determinant of water quality and fish assemblage structure. Single and multiple variable analyses were...
Authors
Leandro E. Miranda
Large reservoirs: Chapter 17
Large impoundments, defined as those with surface area of 200 ha or greater, are relatively new aquatic ecosystems in the global landscape. They represent important economic and environmental resources that provide benefits such as flood control, hydropower generation, navigation, water supply, commercial and recreational fisheries, and various other recreational and esthetic values...
Authors
Leandro E. Miranda, Phillip William Bettoli
Unintended effects of electrofishing on nongame fishes
Most studies of injury associated with electrofishing have focused on game fishes, but few have given attention to cohabiting small nongame species. Under controlled laboratory conditions, we subjected small nongame cyprinids, ictalurids, and percids to a wide range of voltages and waveforms to examine potential harmful effects. Fish were treated with power levels distributed uniformly...
Authors
Leandro E. Miranda, R. H. Kidwell
Fish habitat degradation in U.S. reservoirs
As the median age of the thousands of large reservoirs (> 200 ha) in the United States tops 50, many are showing various signs of fish habitat degradation. Our goal was to identify major factors degrading fish habitat in reservoirs across the country, and to explore regional degradation patterns. An online survey including 14 metrics was scored on a 0 (no degradation) to 5 (high...
Authors
Leandro E. Miranda, M. Spickard, T. Dunn, K.M. Webb, J.N. Aycock, K. Hunt
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 96
A direct-gradient multivariate index of biotic condition
Multimetric indexes constructed by summing metric scores have been criticized despite many of their merits. A leading criticism is the potential for investigator bias involved in metric selection and scoring. Often there is a large number of competing metrics equally well correlated with environmental stressors, requiring a judgment call by the investigator to select the most suitable...
Authors
Leandro E. Miranda, J.N. Aycock, K. J. Killgore
Fish assemblage dynamics in a Neotropical floodplain relative to aquatic macrophytes and the homogenizing effect of a flood pulse
The presence of aquatic macrophytes is a key factor in the selection of habitats by fish in floodplain lakes because these plants enhance the physical and biological complexities of aquatic habitats. The seasonal flood pulse may influence this interaction, but there is no information in the literature about the effects that flood events may have on macrophytes assemblages and its...
Authors
L.C. Gomes, C. K. Bulla, Angelo A. Agostinho, L. P. Vasconcelos, Leandro E. Miranda
Factors affecting fish biodiversity in floodplain lakes of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley
River-floodplain ecosystems offer some of the most diverse and dynamic environments in the world. Accordingly, floodplain habitats harbor diverse fish assemblages. Fish biodiversity in floodplain lakes may be influenced by multiple variables operating on disparate scales, and these variables may exhibit a hierarchical organization depending on whether one variable governs another. In...
Authors
Leandro E. Miranda, Daniel J. Dembkowski
Trolling may intensify exploitation in crappie fisheries
In some parts of the USA, anglers targeting crappies Pomoxis spp. are transitioning from mostly stationary angling with a single pole around submerged structures to using multiple poles while drifting with the wind or under power. This shift in fishing methods could result in a change in catch efficiency, possibly increasing exploitation rates to levels that would be of concern to...
Authors
K. O. Meals, A. W. Dunn, Leandro E. Miranda
Comparison of fish assemblages in two disjoined segments of an oxbow lake in relation to connectivity
Disconnection between adjacent habitat patches is one of the most notable factors contributing to the decreased biotic integrity of global ecosystems. Connectivity is especially threatened in river–floodplain ecosystems in which channel modifications have disrupted the lateral links between the main river channel and floodplain lakes. In this study, we examined the interaction between...
Authors
Daniel J. Dembkowski, Leandro E. Miranda
Catfish spatial distribution in the free-flowing Mississippi River
No abstract available.
Authors
Leandro E. Miranda, K. Jack Kilgore
The ichthyofauna of drifting macrophyte mats in the Ivinhema River, upper Paraná River basin, Brazil
We describe the fish assemblages associated with drifting macrophyte mats and consider their possible role as dispersal vectors in the Ivinhema River, a major tributary of the upper Paraná River, Brazil. Fish associated with drifting mats were sampled in the main river channel during January and March 2005, when the wind and/or the increased water level were sufficient to transport...
Authors
C. K. Bulla, Luiz Carlos Gomes, Leandro E. Miranda, Angelo A. Agostinho
Fish entrainment rates through towboat propellers in the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers
A specially designed net was used to study fish entrainment and injury through towboat propellers in 13 pools of the Upper Mississippi and Illinois rivers. The net was attached to the stern of a 48.8‐m‐long towboat with twin propellers (in Kort propulsion nozzles), and sampling typically took place while the towboat pushed 15 loaded barges upstream at a time. In total, 254 entrainment...
Authors
Killgore K. Jack, Leandro E. Miranda, C.E. Murphy, D.M. Wolff, J.J. Hoover, T.M. Keevin, S.T. Maynord, M.A. Cornish
Depth as an organizer of fish assemblages in floodplain lakes
Depth reduction is a natural process in floodplain lakes, but in many basins has been accelerated by anthropogenic disturbances. A diverse set of 42 floodplain lakes in the Yazoo River Basin (Mississippi, USA) was examined to test the hypothesis of whether depth reduction was a key determinant of water quality and fish assemblage structure. Single and multiple variable analyses were...
Authors
Leandro E. Miranda
Large reservoirs: Chapter 17
Large impoundments, defined as those with surface area of 200 ha or greater, are relatively new aquatic ecosystems in the global landscape. They represent important economic and environmental resources that provide benefits such as flood control, hydropower generation, navigation, water supply, commercial and recreational fisheries, and various other recreational and esthetic values...
Authors
Leandro E. Miranda, Phillip William Bettoli
Unintended effects of electrofishing on nongame fishes
Most studies of injury associated with electrofishing have focused on game fishes, but few have given attention to cohabiting small nongame species. Under controlled laboratory conditions, we subjected small nongame cyprinids, ictalurids, and percids to a wide range of voltages and waveforms to examine potential harmful effects. Fish were treated with power levels distributed uniformly...
Authors
Leandro E. Miranda, R. H. Kidwell
Fish habitat degradation in U.S. reservoirs
As the median age of the thousands of large reservoirs (> 200 ha) in the United States tops 50, many are showing various signs of fish habitat degradation. Our goal was to identify major factors degrading fish habitat in reservoirs across the country, and to explore regional degradation patterns. An online survey including 14 metrics was scored on a 0 (no degradation) to 5 (high...
Authors
Leandro E. Miranda, M. Spickard, T. Dunn, K.M. Webb, J.N. Aycock, K. Hunt