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: 118
An anti-steroidogenic inhibitory primer pheromone in male sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)
Reproductive functions can be modulated by both stimulatory and inhibitory primer pheromones released by conspecifics. Many stimulatory primer pheromones have been documented, but relatively few inhibitory primer pheromones have been reported in vertebrates. The sea lamprey male sex pheromone system presents an advantageous model to explore the stimulatory and inhibitory primer pheromone...
Authors
Yu-Wen Chung-Davidson, Huiyong Wang, Mara B. Bryan, Hong Wu, Nicholas S. Johnson, Weiming Li
A thermogenic secondary sexual character in male sea lamprey
Secondary sexual characters in animals are exaggerated ornaments or weapons for intrasexual competition. Unexpectedly, we found that a male secondary sexual character in sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus ) is a thermogenic adipose tissue that instantly increases its heat production during sexual encounters. This secondary sexual character, developed in front of the anterior dorsal fin of...
Authors
Yu-Wen Chung-Davidson, M. Cody Priess, Chu-Yin Yeh, Cory Brant, Nicholas S. Johnson, Ke Li, Kaben G. Nanlohy, Mara B. Bryan, C. Titus Brown, Jongeun Choi, Weiming Li
Effects of sex pheromones and sexual maturation on locomotor activity in female sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)
Synchronization of male and female locomotor rhythmicity can play a vital role in ensuring reproductive success. Several physiological and environmental factors alter these locomotor rhythms. As sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus, progress through their life cycle, their locomotor activity rhythm changes multiple times. The goal of this study was to elucidate the activity patterns of adult...
Authors
Erin J. Walaszczyk, Nicholas S. Johnson, Juan Pedro Steibel, Weiming Li
Gaussian process regression for sensor networks under localization uncertainty
In this paper, we formulate Gaussian process regression with observations under the localization uncertainty due to the resource-constrained sensor networks. In our formulation, effects of observations, measurement noise, localization uncertainty, and prior distributions are all correctly incorporated in the posterior predictive statistics. The analytically intractable posterior...
Authors
M. Jadaliha, Yunfei Xu, Jongeun Choi, N.S. Johnson, Weiming Li
Thermal sensitivity of immune function: evidence against a generalist-specialist trade-off among endothermic and ectothermic vertebrates
Animal body temperature (Tbody) varies over daily and annual cycles, affecting multiple aspects of biological performance in both endothermic and ectothermic animals. Yet a comprehensive comparison of thermal performance among animals varying in Tbody (mean and variance) and heat production is lacking. Thus, we examined the thermal sensitivity of immune function (a crucial fitness...
Authors
Michael W. Butler, Zachary R. Stahlschmidt, Daniel R. Ardia, Scott Davies, Jon Davis, Louis J. Guillette, Nicholas S. Johnson, Stephen D. McCormick, Kevin J. McGraw, Dale F. DeNardo
Pheromonal bile acid 3-ketopetromyzonol sulfate primes the neuroendocrine system in sea lamprey
Background Vertebrate pheromones are known to prime the endocrine system, especially the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. However, no known pheromone molecule has been shown to modulate directly the synthesis or release of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), the main regulator of the HPG axis. We selected sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) as a model system to determine...
Authors
Yu-Wen Chung-Davidson, Huiyong Wang, Michael J. Siefkes, Mara B. Bryan, Hong Wu, Nicholas S. Johnson, Weiming Li
Sea lamprey orient toward a source of a synthesized pheromone using odor-conditioned rheotaxis
Characterization of vertebrate chemo-orientation strategies over long distances is difficult because it is often not feasible to conduct highly controlled hypothesis-based experiments in natural environments. To overcome the challenge, we couple in-stream behavioral observations of female sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) orienting to plumes of a synthesized mating pheromone, 7a,12a,24...
Authors
Nicholas S. Johnson, Azizah Muhammad, Henry T. Thompson, Jongeun Choi, Weiming Li
Multiple functions of a multi-component mating pheromone in sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus
The role of the C24 sulphate in the mating pheromone component, 7α,12α,24-trihydroxy-5α-cholan-3-one 24-sulphate (3kPZS), to specifically induce upstream movement in ovulated female sea lampreys Petromyzon marinus was investigated. 7α,12α-dihydroxy-5α-cholan-3-one 24-oic acid (3kACA), a structurally similar bile acid released by spermiated males, but lacking the C24 sulphate ester, was...
Authors
N.S. Johnson, S.-S. Yun, T.J. Buchinger, W. Li
Quantification of a male sea lamprey pheromone in tributaries of Laurentian Great Lakes by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry
We developed an assay for measuring 7α,12α,24-trihydroxy-5a-cholan-3-one-24-sulfate (3kPZS), a mating pheromone released by male sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus), at low picomolar concentrations in natural waters to assess the presence of invasive populations. 3kPZS was extracted from streamwater at a rate of recovery up to 90% using a single cation-exchange and reversed-phase mixed...
Authors
X. Xi, N.S. Johnson, C.O. Brant, S.-S. Yun, K.L. Chambers, A.D. Jones, W. Li
Understanding behavioral responses of fish to pheromones in natural freshwater environments
There is an abundance of experimental studies and reviews that describe odorant-mediated behaviors of fish in laboratory microcosms, but research in natural field conditions has received considerably less attention. Fish pheromone studies in laboratory settings can be highly productive and allow for controlled experimental designs; however, laboratory tanks and flumes often cannot...
Authors
Nicholas S. Johnson, Weiming Li
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: 118
An anti-steroidogenic inhibitory primer pheromone in male sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)
Reproductive functions can be modulated by both stimulatory and inhibitory primer pheromones released by conspecifics. Many stimulatory primer pheromones have been documented, but relatively few inhibitory primer pheromones have been reported in vertebrates. The sea lamprey male sex pheromone system presents an advantageous model to explore the stimulatory and inhibitory primer pheromone...
Authors
Yu-Wen Chung-Davidson, Huiyong Wang, Mara B. Bryan, Hong Wu, Nicholas S. Johnson, Weiming Li
A thermogenic secondary sexual character in male sea lamprey
Secondary sexual characters in animals are exaggerated ornaments or weapons for intrasexual competition. Unexpectedly, we found that a male secondary sexual character in sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus ) is a thermogenic adipose tissue that instantly increases its heat production during sexual encounters. This secondary sexual character, developed in front of the anterior dorsal fin of...
Authors
Yu-Wen Chung-Davidson, M. Cody Priess, Chu-Yin Yeh, Cory Brant, Nicholas S. Johnson, Ke Li, Kaben G. Nanlohy, Mara B. Bryan, C. Titus Brown, Jongeun Choi, Weiming Li
Effects of sex pheromones and sexual maturation on locomotor activity in female sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)
Synchronization of male and female locomotor rhythmicity can play a vital role in ensuring reproductive success. Several physiological and environmental factors alter these locomotor rhythms. As sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus, progress through their life cycle, their locomotor activity rhythm changes multiple times. The goal of this study was to elucidate the activity patterns of adult...
Authors
Erin J. Walaszczyk, Nicholas S. Johnson, Juan Pedro Steibel, Weiming Li
Gaussian process regression for sensor networks under localization uncertainty
In this paper, we formulate Gaussian process regression with observations under the localization uncertainty due to the resource-constrained sensor networks. In our formulation, effects of observations, measurement noise, localization uncertainty, and prior distributions are all correctly incorporated in the posterior predictive statistics. The analytically intractable posterior...
Authors
M. Jadaliha, Yunfei Xu, Jongeun Choi, N.S. Johnson, Weiming Li
Thermal sensitivity of immune function: evidence against a generalist-specialist trade-off among endothermic and ectothermic vertebrates
Animal body temperature (Tbody) varies over daily and annual cycles, affecting multiple aspects of biological performance in both endothermic and ectothermic animals. Yet a comprehensive comparison of thermal performance among animals varying in Tbody (mean and variance) and heat production is lacking. Thus, we examined the thermal sensitivity of immune function (a crucial fitness...
Authors
Michael W. Butler, Zachary R. Stahlschmidt, Daniel R. Ardia, Scott Davies, Jon Davis, Louis J. Guillette, Nicholas S. Johnson, Stephen D. McCormick, Kevin J. McGraw, Dale F. DeNardo
Pheromonal bile acid 3-ketopetromyzonol sulfate primes the neuroendocrine system in sea lamprey
Background Vertebrate pheromones are known to prime the endocrine system, especially the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. However, no known pheromone molecule has been shown to modulate directly the synthesis or release of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), the main regulator of the HPG axis. We selected sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) as a model system to determine...
Authors
Yu-Wen Chung-Davidson, Huiyong Wang, Michael J. Siefkes, Mara B. Bryan, Hong Wu, Nicholas S. Johnson, Weiming Li
Sea lamprey orient toward a source of a synthesized pheromone using odor-conditioned rheotaxis
Characterization of vertebrate chemo-orientation strategies over long distances is difficult because it is often not feasible to conduct highly controlled hypothesis-based experiments in natural environments. To overcome the challenge, we couple in-stream behavioral observations of female sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) orienting to plumes of a synthesized mating pheromone, 7a,12a,24...
Authors
Nicholas S. Johnson, Azizah Muhammad, Henry T. Thompson, Jongeun Choi, Weiming Li
Multiple functions of a multi-component mating pheromone in sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus
The role of the C24 sulphate in the mating pheromone component, 7α,12α,24-trihydroxy-5α-cholan-3-one 24-sulphate (3kPZS), to specifically induce upstream movement in ovulated female sea lampreys Petromyzon marinus was investigated. 7α,12α-dihydroxy-5α-cholan-3-one 24-oic acid (3kACA), a structurally similar bile acid released by spermiated males, but lacking the C24 sulphate ester, was...
Authors
N.S. Johnson, S.-S. Yun, T.J. Buchinger, W. Li
Quantification of a male sea lamprey pheromone in tributaries of Laurentian Great Lakes by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry
We developed an assay for measuring 7α,12α,24-trihydroxy-5a-cholan-3-one-24-sulfate (3kPZS), a mating pheromone released by male sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus), at low picomolar concentrations in natural waters to assess the presence of invasive populations. 3kPZS was extracted from streamwater at a rate of recovery up to 90% using a single cation-exchange and reversed-phase mixed...
Authors
X. Xi, N.S. Johnson, C.O. Brant, S.-S. Yun, K.L. Chambers, A.D. Jones, W. Li
Understanding behavioral responses of fish to pheromones in natural freshwater environments
There is an abundance of experimental studies and reviews that describe odorant-mediated behaviors of fish in laboratory microcosms, but research in natural field conditions has received considerably less attention. Fish pheromone studies in laboratory settings can be highly productive and allow for controlled experimental designs; however, laboratory tanks and flumes often cannot...
Authors
Nicholas S. Johnson, Weiming Li
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