Nicholas S Johnson, PhD
Nicholas Johnson is a Supervisory Research Ecologist based in Millersburg, MI.
I study fisheries with a focus on invasive species control and native species restoration in the Great Lakes. My work links the experimental sciences of sensory ecology, physiology, and behavior with applied fish population dynamics and adaptive management to inform policy. I became a research ecologist with USGS, Great Lakes Science Center, Hammond Bay Biological Station in 2009, serve in adjunct appointments at several universities in Michigan, and am an assoicate editor of the Journal of Great Lakes Research. My research is mostly in collaboration with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission where I am a member of several Task Forces and Coordinator of the Supplemental Sea Lamprey Control Initative. Research brings me the most joy when done with students and when my neighbors in Northern Michigan understand why it matters.
Professional Experience
Acting Station Supervisor, USGS, Great Lakes Science Center, Hammond Bay Biological Station 03Jan11 to 12Sep11 and 18Jan2020 to 01Feb2021
Coordinator of Supplemental Sea Lamprey Control Initative, 2019- present
Advised or co-advised 15 graduate students/USGS interns
SCUBA Dive Team Member. USGS. 19Aug11 to present
Member of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission Sea Lamprey Trapping Task Force, 2012 – present
Cheboygan River Sea Lamprey Work Group member. 2012 to present
Member of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission Sea Lamprey Reduction in Reproduction Task Force, 2009-2012
Member of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission Sea Lamprey Assessment Task Force, 2009-2011
Member of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission Sea Lamprey Barrier Task Force, 2010-present
Education and Certifications
Ph. D., Michigan State University, Dec 2008
Dual degree in Fisheries and Wildlife and Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior Program
M.S., Michigan State University, Dec 2005
Department of Fisheries and Wildlife
B.S., summa cum laude, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, May 2004.
College of Natural Resources
Majors: Fisheries/Limnology and Biology
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 117
American eels produce and release bile acids that vary across life stage
The American eel (Anguilla rostrata ) is an imperilled fish hypothesized to use conspecific cues, in part, to coordinate long‐distance migration during their multistage life history. Here, holding water and tissue from multiple American eel life stages was collected and analysed for the presence, profile and concentration of bile acids. Distinct bile acid profiles were identified in...
Authors
Andrew K. Schmucker, Nicholas S. Johnson, Ugo Bussy, Ke Li, Heather S. Galbraith, Yu-Wen Chung-Davidson, Weiming Li
Behavioral responses of sea lamprey to varying application rates of a synthesized pheromone in diverse trapping scenarios
Use of the first fish pheromone biopesticide, 3-keto petromyzonol sulfate (3kPZS) in sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) control requires an understanding of both how the amount 3kPZS applied to a trap relates to catch, and how that relationship varies among stream types. By conducting 3kPZS dose-response experiments over two years and across six varied trapping contexts, we conclude (1)...
Authors
Nicholas S. Johnson, Sean Alois Lewandoski, Bethany Alger, Lisa M. O'Connor, Gale A. Bravener, Peter J. Hrodey, Belinda Huerta, Jessica Barber, Weiming Li, C. Russell Wagner, Michael J. Siefkes
Push and pull of downstream moving juvenile sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) exposed to chemosensory and light cues
Visual and olfactory stimuli induce behavioural responses in fishes when applied independently, but little is known about how simultaneous exposure influences behaviour, especially in downstream migrating fishes. Here, downstream moving juvenile sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) were exposed to light and a conspecific chemosensory alarm cue in a flume and movement were monitored with...
Authors
Nicholas S. Johnson, Scott M. Miehls, Alexander Haro, C. Russell Wagner
Bloom forming cyanobacteria can adversely affect zebra and quagga mussel veligers
Quagga (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) and zebra (D. polymorpha) mussels are broadcast spawners that produce planktonic, free swimming veligers, a life history strategy dissimilar to native North American freshwater bivalves. Dreissenid veligers require highly nutritious food to grow and survive, and thus may be susceptible to increased mortality rates during harsh environmental...
Authors
Anna G. Boegehold, Nicholas S. Johnson, Donna R. Kashian
Intra- and interspecific variation in production of bile acids that act as sex pheromones in lampreys
Pheromones are important sexual signals in most animals, but research into their evolution is largely biased toward insects. Lampreys are a jawless fish with a relatively well-understood pheromone communication system and offer a useful opportunity to study pheromone evolution in a vertebrate. Once sexually mature, male sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), and likely other lampreys, produce...
Authors
Tyler J. Buchinger, Ugo Bussy, Ke Li, Liang Jia, Cindy F. Baker, Ethan G. Buchinger, Zhang Zhen, Nicholas S. Johnson, Weiming Li
Is there convergence of gut microbes in blood-feeding vertebrates?
Animal microbiomes play an important role in dietary adaptation, yet the extent to which microbiome changes exhibit parallel evolution is unclear. Of particular interest is an adaptation to extreme diets, such as blood, which poses special challenges in its content of proteins and lack of essential nutrients. In this study, we assessed taxonomic signatures (by 16S rRNA amplicon profiling...
Authors
Se Jin Song, Jon G Sanders, Daniel T Baldassarre, Jaime A Chaves, Nicholas S. Johnson, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Matthew J Stuckey, Eva Novakova, Jessica L. Metcalf, Bruno B Chomel, Alvaro Aguilar-Setién, Rob Knight, Valerie J. McKenzie
Cyanobacteria reduce motility of quagga mussel (Driessena rostriformis bugensis) sperm
The temporal expansion of harmful algal blooms, primarily associated with cyanobacteria, may impact aquatic organisms at vulnerable life history stages. Broadcast spawning species release gametes into the water column for external fertilization, directly exposing sperm to potential aquatic stressors. To determine if cyanobacteria can disrupt reproduction in freshwater broadcast spawners...
Authors
Anna G. Boegehold, Karim Alame, Nicholas S. Johnson, Donna R. Kashian
Hearing capabilities and behavioural response of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) to low frequency sounds
Hearing ability is well studied across teleost fishes in general, and vertebrates more broadly, but little is known about sound detection abilities of lampreys (Petromyzontiformes), a basal extant vertebrate group. The sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) is a destructive invader of the Laurentian Great Lakes, while numerous lamprey species (including the sea lamprey) are imperiled in their...
Authors
Megan Mickle, Scott M. Miehls, Nicholas S. Johnson, Dennis M. Higgs
Environmental factors influencing entry of fishes into a Great Lakes tributary during spring and summer
Stream entry of many fishes is influenced by environmental factors including water temperature, stream discharge, and photoperiod (Leggett 1977; Jonsson 1991). Environmental factors influence stream entry differently depending on the species and life stage of fish, likely because of varying physiologies and life histories (Lucas and Baras 2008). Many spring-run migratory fishes occupy...
Authors
Erin L. McCann, Nicholas S. Johnson, Daniel P. Zielinski
An underwater observation dataset for fish classification and fishery assessment
Using Dual-Frequency Identification Sonar (DIDSON), fishery acoustic observation data was collected from the Ocqueoc River, a tributary of Lake Huron in northern Michigan, USA. Data were collected March through July 2013 and 2016 and included the identification, via technology or expert analysis, of eight fish species as they passed through the DIDSON’s field of view. A set of short...
Authors
Erin L. McCann, Liling Li, Kevin L. Pangle, Nicholas S. Johnson, Jesse Eickholt
A simple, cost-effective emitter for controlled release of fish pheromones: development, testing, and application to management of the invasive sea lamprey
Semiochemicals that elicit species-specific attraction or repulsion have proven useful in the management of terrestrial pests and hold considerable promise for control of nuisance aquatic species, particularly invasive fishes. Because aquatic ecosystems are typically large and open, use of a semiochemical to control a spatially dispersed invader will require the development of a cost...
Authors
C. Russell Wagner, James E. Hanson, Trevor D. Meckley, Nicholas S. Johnson, Jason D. Bals
A distributed pipeline for DIDSON data processing
Technological advances in the field of ecology allow data on ecological systems to be collected at high resolution, both temporally and spatially. Devices such as Dual-frequency Identification Sonar (DIDSON) can be deployed in aquatic environments for extended periods and easily generate several terabytes of underwater surveillance data which may need to be processed multiple times. Due...
Authors
Liling Li, Tyler Danner, Jesse Eickholt, Erin L. McCann, Kevin L. Pangle, Nicholas S. Johnson
Non-USGS Publications**
Johnson, N.S., Yun, S-S., Thompson, H.T., Brant, C.O., Li, W. 2009. A synthesized pheromone induces upstream movement in female sea lamprey and summons them into traps. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, USA 106: 1021-1026.
Johnson, N.S., Luehring, M.A., Siefkes, M.J., Li, W. 2006. Pheromone induced behavior and pheromone reception in ovulating female sea lampreys. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 26: 88-96.
Johnson, N.S., Siefkes M.J., Li, W. 2005. Capture of ovulating female sea lampreys in traps baited with spermiating male sea lampreys. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 25: 67-72.
**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.
News about this scientist
Filter Total Items: 14
Science and Products
Science pages by this scientist
Data releases by this scientist
Multimedia related to this scientist
Publications by this scientist
Filter Total Items: 117
American eels produce and release bile acids that vary across life stage
The American eel (Anguilla rostrata ) is an imperilled fish hypothesized to use conspecific cues, in part, to coordinate long‐distance migration during their multistage life history. Here, holding water and tissue from multiple American eel life stages was collected and analysed for the presence, profile and concentration of bile acids. Distinct bile acid profiles were identified in...
Authors
Andrew K. Schmucker, Nicholas S. Johnson, Ugo Bussy, Ke Li, Heather S. Galbraith, Yu-Wen Chung-Davidson, Weiming Li
Behavioral responses of sea lamprey to varying application rates of a synthesized pheromone in diverse trapping scenarios
Use of the first fish pheromone biopesticide, 3-keto petromyzonol sulfate (3kPZS) in sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) control requires an understanding of both how the amount 3kPZS applied to a trap relates to catch, and how that relationship varies among stream types. By conducting 3kPZS dose-response experiments over two years and across six varied trapping contexts, we conclude (1)...
Authors
Nicholas S. Johnson, Sean Alois Lewandoski, Bethany Alger, Lisa M. O'Connor, Gale A. Bravener, Peter J. Hrodey, Belinda Huerta, Jessica Barber, Weiming Li, C. Russell Wagner, Michael J. Siefkes
Push and pull of downstream moving juvenile sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) exposed to chemosensory and light cues
Visual and olfactory stimuli induce behavioural responses in fishes when applied independently, but little is known about how simultaneous exposure influences behaviour, especially in downstream migrating fishes. Here, downstream moving juvenile sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) were exposed to light and a conspecific chemosensory alarm cue in a flume and movement were monitored with...
Authors
Nicholas S. Johnson, Scott M. Miehls, Alexander Haro, C. Russell Wagner
Bloom forming cyanobacteria can adversely affect zebra and quagga mussel veligers
Quagga (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) and zebra (D. polymorpha) mussels are broadcast spawners that produce planktonic, free swimming veligers, a life history strategy dissimilar to native North American freshwater bivalves. Dreissenid veligers require highly nutritious food to grow and survive, and thus may be susceptible to increased mortality rates during harsh environmental...
Authors
Anna G. Boegehold, Nicholas S. Johnson, Donna R. Kashian
Intra- and interspecific variation in production of bile acids that act as sex pheromones in lampreys
Pheromones are important sexual signals in most animals, but research into their evolution is largely biased toward insects. Lampreys are a jawless fish with a relatively well-understood pheromone communication system and offer a useful opportunity to study pheromone evolution in a vertebrate. Once sexually mature, male sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), and likely other lampreys, produce...
Authors
Tyler J. Buchinger, Ugo Bussy, Ke Li, Liang Jia, Cindy F. Baker, Ethan G. Buchinger, Zhang Zhen, Nicholas S. Johnson, Weiming Li
Is there convergence of gut microbes in blood-feeding vertebrates?
Animal microbiomes play an important role in dietary adaptation, yet the extent to which microbiome changes exhibit parallel evolution is unclear. Of particular interest is an adaptation to extreme diets, such as blood, which poses special challenges in its content of proteins and lack of essential nutrients. In this study, we assessed taxonomic signatures (by 16S rRNA amplicon profiling...
Authors
Se Jin Song, Jon G Sanders, Daniel T Baldassarre, Jaime A Chaves, Nicholas S. Johnson, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Matthew J Stuckey, Eva Novakova, Jessica L. Metcalf, Bruno B Chomel, Alvaro Aguilar-Setién, Rob Knight, Valerie J. McKenzie
Cyanobacteria reduce motility of quagga mussel (Driessena rostriformis bugensis) sperm
The temporal expansion of harmful algal blooms, primarily associated with cyanobacteria, may impact aquatic organisms at vulnerable life history stages. Broadcast spawning species release gametes into the water column for external fertilization, directly exposing sperm to potential aquatic stressors. To determine if cyanobacteria can disrupt reproduction in freshwater broadcast spawners...
Authors
Anna G. Boegehold, Karim Alame, Nicholas S. Johnson, Donna R. Kashian
Hearing capabilities and behavioural response of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) to low frequency sounds
Hearing ability is well studied across teleost fishes in general, and vertebrates more broadly, but little is known about sound detection abilities of lampreys (Petromyzontiformes), a basal extant vertebrate group. The sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) is a destructive invader of the Laurentian Great Lakes, while numerous lamprey species (including the sea lamprey) are imperiled in their...
Authors
Megan Mickle, Scott M. Miehls, Nicholas S. Johnson, Dennis M. Higgs
Environmental factors influencing entry of fishes into a Great Lakes tributary during spring and summer
Stream entry of many fishes is influenced by environmental factors including water temperature, stream discharge, and photoperiod (Leggett 1977; Jonsson 1991). Environmental factors influence stream entry differently depending on the species and life stage of fish, likely because of varying physiologies and life histories (Lucas and Baras 2008). Many spring-run migratory fishes occupy...
Authors
Erin L. McCann, Nicholas S. Johnson, Daniel P. Zielinski
An underwater observation dataset for fish classification and fishery assessment
Using Dual-Frequency Identification Sonar (DIDSON), fishery acoustic observation data was collected from the Ocqueoc River, a tributary of Lake Huron in northern Michigan, USA. Data were collected March through July 2013 and 2016 and included the identification, via technology or expert analysis, of eight fish species as they passed through the DIDSON’s field of view. A set of short...
Authors
Erin L. McCann, Liling Li, Kevin L. Pangle, Nicholas S. Johnson, Jesse Eickholt
A simple, cost-effective emitter for controlled release of fish pheromones: development, testing, and application to management of the invasive sea lamprey
Semiochemicals that elicit species-specific attraction or repulsion have proven useful in the management of terrestrial pests and hold considerable promise for control of nuisance aquatic species, particularly invasive fishes. Because aquatic ecosystems are typically large and open, use of a semiochemical to control a spatially dispersed invader will require the development of a cost...
Authors
C. Russell Wagner, James E. Hanson, Trevor D. Meckley, Nicholas S. Johnson, Jason D. Bals
A distributed pipeline for DIDSON data processing
Technological advances in the field of ecology allow data on ecological systems to be collected at high resolution, both temporally and spatially. Devices such as Dual-frequency Identification Sonar (DIDSON) can be deployed in aquatic environments for extended periods and easily generate several terabytes of underwater surveillance data which may need to be processed multiple times. Due...
Authors
Liling Li, Tyler Danner, Jesse Eickholt, Erin L. McCann, Kevin L. Pangle, Nicholas S. Johnson
Non-USGS Publications**
Johnson, N.S., Yun, S-S., Thompson, H.T., Brant, C.O., Li, W. 2009. A synthesized pheromone induces upstream movement in female sea lamprey and summons them into traps. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, USA 106: 1021-1026.
Johnson, N.S., Luehring, M.A., Siefkes, M.J., Li, W. 2006. Pheromone induced behavior and pheromone reception in ovulating female sea lampreys. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 26: 88-96.
Johnson, N.S., Siefkes M.J., Li, W. 2005. Capture of ovulating female sea lampreys in traps baited with spermiating male sea lampreys. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 25: 67-72.
**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.
News about this scientist
Filter Total Items: 14