Sophia Bonjour, PhD
Dr. Sophia Bonjour is a Fish Biologist at the Columbia Environmental Research Center.
Sophia joined USGS in January 2024 as a part of the Fisheries and Invasive Species Branch to analyze fish movement data with an emphasis on invasive carp behavior and ecology. Her previous research included projects focused on migration and reproductive ecology of large river desert fish, interactions between fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages, and stream ecology in a variety of ecosystems.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Kansas State University, 2024
M.S., Southern Illinois University, 2018
B.S., Southern Illinois University, 2014
Science and Products
Modeling and Ecology in Action: Informing Invasive Species Management
The modeling team is at the forefront of developing and applying advanced quantitative methods to better understand and manage invasive species.
Grass Carp Movement and Removal Effort Data from the Sandusky River, Lake Erie, Ohio, USA from 2022 to 2023 Grass Carp Movement and Removal Effort Data from the Sandusky River, Lake Erie, Ohio, USA from 2022 to 2023
Data include grass carp position and sampling data from 2022 to 2023. We used grass carp that were implanted with acoustic transmitters. The position data was generated in Fathom Position from receivers that composed several VEMCO Positioning Systems (VPS). We also queried the Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation Network (GLATOS) to obtain non-VPS position detections from receivers...
Position Data for fish in the Lamine River Mouth, Missouri, USA from September to October 2024 Position Data for fish in the Lamine River Mouth, Missouri, USA from September to October 2024
Data include position data from a VEMCO Positioning Systems (VPS) array at the mouth of the Lamine River. The array was deployed September 3rd and retrieved October 2nd. Position data was generated for all tagged fish detected in the VPS array using Fathom Position software. The data includes 3946 positions for 26 detected tags. The array was deployed as part of a project to remove...
Buffalo and Silver Carp individual and survival data following surgery using the sedation methods at Columbia Environmental Research Center, Columbia, Missouri, USA from 2022 to 2023 Buffalo and Silver Carp individual and survival data following surgery using the sedation methods at Columbia Environmental Research Center, Columbia, Missouri, USA from 2022 to 2023
The dataset includes capture and individual data for silver carp and buffalo from 2022 and 2023. Fish were captured in the Missouri River and tributaries and transported to the Columbia Environmental Research Center, Columbia, MO, USA. Fish were assigned to one of four treatments to examine different sedation techniques for surgical implantation of artificial transmitters: tricaine...
Grass Carp Movement and Capture Data from the Sandusky River, Lake Erie, Ohio, USA from 2020 to 2022 Grass Carp Movement and Capture Data from the Sandusky River, Lake Erie, Ohio, USA from 2020 to 2022
Data includes grass carp position and sampling data from 2020 to 2022. We used grass carp that were implanted with acoustic transmitters. The position data was generated in Fathom Position from receivers that composed several VEMCO Positioning Systems (VPS). We also queried the Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation Network (GLATOS) to obtain non-VPS position detections from...
Individual return patterns of spawning flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis) to a desert river tributary Individual return patterns of spawning flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis) to a desert river tributary
Tributaries provide temporal and spatial habitat heterogeneity in river networks that can be critical for parts of the life history of a species. Tributary fidelity can benefit individual fish undergoing spawning migrations by reducing time and energy spent exploring new areas and leveraging previous experience, but anthropogenic activities that fragment or degrade these systems can...
Authors
Sophia Marie Bonjour, Keith B. Gido, Charles N. Cathcart, Mark C. McKinstry
Handling effects on dispersal of PIT-tagged Flannelmouth Sucker Handling effects on dispersal of PIT-tagged Flannelmouth Sucker
ObjectiveHandling and tagging migrating fish might alter their behavior, limiting inference from mark–recapture studies. Posthandling flight of tributary spawning Flannelmouth Sucker Catostomus latipinnis was previously identified in Coal Creek in the upper Colorado River basin. Our objective was to determine if similar issues were present at McElmo Creek in the San Juan River basin...
Authors
Sophia Marie Bonjour, Keith B. Gido, Mark C. McKinstry
Capturing potential: Leveraging grass carp behavior Ctenopharyngodon idella for enhanced removal Capturing potential: Leveraging grass carp behavior Ctenopharyngodon idella for enhanced removal
Effective management of invasive species benefits from a comprehensive understanding of the species’ behavior and interactions with the invaded system. We investigated temporal dynamics of telemetry detections and the potential utility of a traitor approach for informing response efforts to the invasive grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) population in the Sandusky River, a major...
Authors
Matthew Ross Acre, Tyler Michael Hessler, Sophia Marie Bonjour, James Roberts, Scott F. Colborne, Travis O. Brenden, Lucas R. Nathan, Dustin Broaddus, Christopher S. Vandergoot, Christine M. Mayer, Song S. Qian, Robert D. Hunter, Ryan E. Brown, Robin D. Calfee
Migration timing and tributary use of spawning flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis) Migration timing and tributary use of spawning flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis)
Spawning phenology and associated migrations of fishes are often regulated by factors such as temperature and stream discharge, but flow regulation of mainstem rivers coupled with climate change might disrupt these cues and affect fitness. Flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis) persisting in heavily modified river networks are known to spawn in tributaries that might provide better...
Authors
Sophia M. Bonjour, Keith B. Gido, Mark C. McKinstry, Charles N. Cathcart, Matthew R. Bogaard, Maria C. Dzul, Brian Daniel Healy, Zachary E. Hooley-Underwood, David L. Rogowski, Charles Yackulic
Taxonomic identity, biodiversity, and antecedent disturbances shape the dimensional stability of stream invertebrates Taxonomic identity, biodiversity, and antecedent disturbances shape the dimensional stability of stream invertebrates
The “dimensional stability” approach measures different components of ecological stability to investigate how they are related. Yet, most empirical work has used small-scale and short-term experimental manipulations. Here, we apply this framework to a long-term observational dataset of stream macroinvertebrates sampled between the winter flooding and summer monsoon seasons. We test...
Authors
Daniel C Allen, Brian A Gill, Anya Metcalfe, Sophia M Bonjour, Scott Starr, Junna Wang, Diana Valentin, Nancy B. Grimm
Thinking like a consumer: Linking aquatic basal metabolism and consumer dynamics Thinking like a consumer: Linking aquatic basal metabolism and consumer dynamics
The increasing availability of high‐frequency freshwater ecosystem metabolism data provides an opportunity to identify links between metabolic regimes, as gross primary production and ecosystem respiration patterns, and consumer energetics with the potential to improve our current understanding of consumer dynamics (e.g., population dynamics, community structure, trophic interactions)...
Authors
Janine Rüegg, Caitlin C Conn, Elizabeth P Anderson, Tom J Battin, Emily S. Bernhardt, Marta Boix Canadell, Sophia M Bonjour, Jacob D. Hosen, Nicholas S Marzolf, Charles Yackulic
Non-USGS Publications**
Rüegg, J., Conn, C.C., Anderson, E.P., Battin, T.J., Bernhardt, E.S., Boix Canadell, M., Bonjour, S.M., Hosen, J.D., Marzolf, N.S., and Yackulic, C.B., 2021, Thinking like a consumer: Linking aquatic basal metabolism and consumer dynamics: Limnology and Oceanography Letters, v. 6, no. 1, p. 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1002/lol2.10172
Farrell, K.J., Rosemond, A.D., Kominoski, J.S., Bonjour, S.M., Rüegg, J., Koenig, L.E., Baker, C.L., Trentman, M.T., Harms, T.K., and McDowell, W.H., 2018, Variation in Detrital Resource Stoichiometry Signals Differential Carbon to Nutrient Limitation for Stream Consumers Across Biomes: Ecosystems, v. 21, no. 8, p. 1676-1691. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-018-0247-z
Bonjour, S.M., Whiles, M.R., and Gido, K.B., 2020, Influence of fishes on macroinvertebrate communities and insect emergence production in intermittent stream refuges: Freshwater Biology, v. 65, no. 8, p. 1412-1428. https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.13509
Whiles, M.R., Snyder, B.A., Brock, B.L., Bonjour, S., Callaham Jr., M.A., Meyer, C.K., and Bell, A., 2019, Periodical cicada emergence resource pulse tracks forest expansion in a tallgrass prairie landscape: Ecosphere, v. 10, no. 7, p. e02779. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2779
Bonjour, S.M., Rantala, H.M., Bennett, M.G., and Whiles, M.R., 2018, Fish Community Structure and Diet Responses to Newbury Weirs in a Low-Gradient River: Environmental Management, v. 61, no. 6, p. 928-938. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-018-1022-9
Dodds, W.K., Bonjour, S.M., Fisher, M., Krueger, L.J., Pfaff, P.J., Raihan, M.A., and Rode, O., A novel index reveals disconnects between recreational harmful algal bloom exposure risks and responses among U.S. states: JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association, v. n/a, no. n/a. https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.13181
Bonjour, S.M., Gido, K.B., McKinstry, M.C., Cathcart, C.N., Bogaard, M.R., Dzul, M., Healy, B.D., Hooley-Underwood, Z.E., Rogowski, D.L., and Yackulic, C.B., 2023, Migration timing and tributary use of spawning flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis): Journal of Fish Biology, v. 103, no. 5, p. 1144-1162. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.15509
Allen, D.C., Gill, B.A., Metcalfe, A., Bonjour, S., Starr, S., Wang, J., Valentin, D., and Grimm, N.B., 2023, Taxonomic identity, biodiversity, and antecedent disturbances shape the dimensional stability of stream invertebrates: Limnology and Oceanography Letters, v. 8, no. 3, p. 464-472. https://doi.org/10.1002/lol2.10303
**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
Modeling and Ecology in Action: Informing Invasive Species Management
The modeling team is at the forefront of developing and applying advanced quantitative methods to better understand and manage invasive species.
Grass Carp Movement and Removal Effort Data from the Sandusky River, Lake Erie, Ohio, USA from 2022 to 2023 Grass Carp Movement and Removal Effort Data from the Sandusky River, Lake Erie, Ohio, USA from 2022 to 2023
Data include grass carp position and sampling data from 2022 to 2023. We used grass carp that were implanted with acoustic transmitters. The position data was generated in Fathom Position from receivers that composed several VEMCO Positioning Systems (VPS). We also queried the Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation Network (GLATOS) to obtain non-VPS position detections from receivers...
Position Data for fish in the Lamine River Mouth, Missouri, USA from September to October 2024 Position Data for fish in the Lamine River Mouth, Missouri, USA from September to October 2024
Data include position data from a VEMCO Positioning Systems (VPS) array at the mouth of the Lamine River. The array was deployed September 3rd and retrieved October 2nd. Position data was generated for all tagged fish detected in the VPS array using Fathom Position software. The data includes 3946 positions for 26 detected tags. The array was deployed as part of a project to remove...
Buffalo and Silver Carp individual and survival data following surgery using the sedation methods at Columbia Environmental Research Center, Columbia, Missouri, USA from 2022 to 2023 Buffalo and Silver Carp individual and survival data following surgery using the sedation methods at Columbia Environmental Research Center, Columbia, Missouri, USA from 2022 to 2023
The dataset includes capture and individual data for silver carp and buffalo from 2022 and 2023. Fish were captured in the Missouri River and tributaries and transported to the Columbia Environmental Research Center, Columbia, MO, USA. Fish were assigned to one of four treatments to examine different sedation techniques for surgical implantation of artificial transmitters: tricaine...
Grass Carp Movement and Capture Data from the Sandusky River, Lake Erie, Ohio, USA from 2020 to 2022 Grass Carp Movement and Capture Data from the Sandusky River, Lake Erie, Ohio, USA from 2020 to 2022
Data includes grass carp position and sampling data from 2020 to 2022. We used grass carp that were implanted with acoustic transmitters. The position data was generated in Fathom Position from receivers that composed several VEMCO Positioning Systems (VPS). We also queried the Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation Network (GLATOS) to obtain non-VPS position detections from...
Individual return patterns of spawning flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis) to a desert river tributary Individual return patterns of spawning flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis) to a desert river tributary
Tributaries provide temporal and spatial habitat heterogeneity in river networks that can be critical for parts of the life history of a species. Tributary fidelity can benefit individual fish undergoing spawning migrations by reducing time and energy spent exploring new areas and leveraging previous experience, but anthropogenic activities that fragment or degrade these systems can...
Authors
Sophia Marie Bonjour, Keith B. Gido, Charles N. Cathcart, Mark C. McKinstry
Handling effects on dispersal of PIT-tagged Flannelmouth Sucker Handling effects on dispersal of PIT-tagged Flannelmouth Sucker
ObjectiveHandling and tagging migrating fish might alter their behavior, limiting inference from mark–recapture studies. Posthandling flight of tributary spawning Flannelmouth Sucker Catostomus latipinnis was previously identified in Coal Creek in the upper Colorado River basin. Our objective was to determine if similar issues were present at McElmo Creek in the San Juan River basin...
Authors
Sophia Marie Bonjour, Keith B. Gido, Mark C. McKinstry
Capturing potential: Leveraging grass carp behavior Ctenopharyngodon idella for enhanced removal Capturing potential: Leveraging grass carp behavior Ctenopharyngodon idella for enhanced removal
Effective management of invasive species benefits from a comprehensive understanding of the species’ behavior and interactions with the invaded system. We investigated temporal dynamics of telemetry detections and the potential utility of a traitor approach for informing response efforts to the invasive grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) population in the Sandusky River, a major...
Authors
Matthew Ross Acre, Tyler Michael Hessler, Sophia Marie Bonjour, James Roberts, Scott F. Colborne, Travis O. Brenden, Lucas R. Nathan, Dustin Broaddus, Christopher S. Vandergoot, Christine M. Mayer, Song S. Qian, Robert D. Hunter, Ryan E. Brown, Robin D. Calfee
Migration timing and tributary use of spawning flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis) Migration timing and tributary use of spawning flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis)
Spawning phenology and associated migrations of fishes are often regulated by factors such as temperature and stream discharge, but flow regulation of mainstem rivers coupled with climate change might disrupt these cues and affect fitness. Flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis) persisting in heavily modified river networks are known to spawn in tributaries that might provide better...
Authors
Sophia M. Bonjour, Keith B. Gido, Mark C. McKinstry, Charles N. Cathcart, Matthew R. Bogaard, Maria C. Dzul, Brian Daniel Healy, Zachary E. Hooley-Underwood, David L. Rogowski, Charles Yackulic
Taxonomic identity, biodiversity, and antecedent disturbances shape the dimensional stability of stream invertebrates Taxonomic identity, biodiversity, and antecedent disturbances shape the dimensional stability of stream invertebrates
The “dimensional stability” approach measures different components of ecological stability to investigate how they are related. Yet, most empirical work has used small-scale and short-term experimental manipulations. Here, we apply this framework to a long-term observational dataset of stream macroinvertebrates sampled between the winter flooding and summer monsoon seasons. We test...
Authors
Daniel C Allen, Brian A Gill, Anya Metcalfe, Sophia M Bonjour, Scott Starr, Junna Wang, Diana Valentin, Nancy B. Grimm
Thinking like a consumer: Linking aquatic basal metabolism and consumer dynamics Thinking like a consumer: Linking aquatic basal metabolism and consumer dynamics
The increasing availability of high‐frequency freshwater ecosystem metabolism data provides an opportunity to identify links between metabolic regimes, as gross primary production and ecosystem respiration patterns, and consumer energetics with the potential to improve our current understanding of consumer dynamics (e.g., population dynamics, community structure, trophic interactions)...
Authors
Janine Rüegg, Caitlin C Conn, Elizabeth P Anderson, Tom J Battin, Emily S. Bernhardt, Marta Boix Canadell, Sophia M Bonjour, Jacob D. Hosen, Nicholas S Marzolf, Charles Yackulic
Non-USGS Publications**
Rüegg, J., Conn, C.C., Anderson, E.P., Battin, T.J., Bernhardt, E.S., Boix Canadell, M., Bonjour, S.M., Hosen, J.D., Marzolf, N.S., and Yackulic, C.B., 2021, Thinking like a consumer: Linking aquatic basal metabolism and consumer dynamics: Limnology and Oceanography Letters, v. 6, no. 1, p. 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1002/lol2.10172
Farrell, K.J., Rosemond, A.D., Kominoski, J.S., Bonjour, S.M., Rüegg, J., Koenig, L.E., Baker, C.L., Trentman, M.T., Harms, T.K., and McDowell, W.H., 2018, Variation in Detrital Resource Stoichiometry Signals Differential Carbon to Nutrient Limitation for Stream Consumers Across Biomes: Ecosystems, v. 21, no. 8, p. 1676-1691. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-018-0247-z
Bonjour, S.M., Whiles, M.R., and Gido, K.B., 2020, Influence of fishes on macroinvertebrate communities and insect emergence production in intermittent stream refuges: Freshwater Biology, v. 65, no. 8, p. 1412-1428. https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.13509
Whiles, M.R., Snyder, B.A., Brock, B.L., Bonjour, S., Callaham Jr., M.A., Meyer, C.K., and Bell, A., 2019, Periodical cicada emergence resource pulse tracks forest expansion in a tallgrass prairie landscape: Ecosphere, v. 10, no. 7, p. e02779. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2779
Bonjour, S.M., Rantala, H.M., Bennett, M.G., and Whiles, M.R., 2018, Fish Community Structure and Diet Responses to Newbury Weirs in a Low-Gradient River: Environmental Management, v. 61, no. 6, p. 928-938. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-018-1022-9
Dodds, W.K., Bonjour, S.M., Fisher, M., Krueger, L.J., Pfaff, P.J., Raihan, M.A., and Rode, O., A novel index reveals disconnects between recreational harmful algal bloom exposure risks and responses among U.S. states: JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association, v. n/a, no. n/a. https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.13181
Bonjour, S.M., Gido, K.B., McKinstry, M.C., Cathcart, C.N., Bogaard, M.R., Dzul, M., Healy, B.D., Hooley-Underwood, Z.E., Rogowski, D.L., and Yackulic, C.B., 2023, Migration timing and tributary use of spawning flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis): Journal of Fish Biology, v. 103, no. 5, p. 1144-1162. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.15509
Allen, D.C., Gill, B.A., Metcalfe, A., Bonjour, S., Starr, S., Wang, J., Valentin, D., and Grimm, N.B., 2023, Taxonomic identity, biodiversity, and antecedent disturbances shape the dimensional stability of stream invertebrates: Limnology and Oceanography Letters, v. 8, no. 3, p. 464-472. https://doi.org/10.1002/lol2.10303
**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.