Publications

The Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis, or Kbb), a federally endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in decline due to habitat loss, can be further threatened by climate change. Evaluating how climate shapes the population trend of the Kbb can help in the development of adaptive management plans. Current demographic models for the Kbb incorporate in either a density

Estimates of juvenile survival are critical for informing population dynamics and the ecology of fish, yet these demographic parameters are difficult to measure. Here, we demonstrate that advances in animal tracking technology provide opportunities to evaluate survival of juvenile tagged fish. We implemented a whole-lake telemetry array in conjunction with small acoustic tags (including tags < 1.0

Most studies of Lake Michigan lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) have focused on adults, with scant attention to juveniles (<400 mm). We explored the spatial distribution and diet of juvenile lake trout using U.S. Geological Survey September bottom trawl data (2015–2022) and stomach content information opportunistically collected since 2012 by various agencies using multiple gear types. Most juveni

ObjectiveSilver Chub Macrhybopsis storeriana, a predominately riverine species throughout its native range, exists within Lake Erie as the only known lake population. Its population declined in the 1950s and never fully recovered. Canada has listed Silver Chub in the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River as endangered and has initiated a recovery plan that recognized the identification of spawning areas

The Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) (hereafter Karner blue) is a federally listed endangered species occurring in disjunct locations within the Midwest and Eastern United States. As a hostplant specialist and an ectotherm, the Karner blue is likely to be susceptible to effects of climate change. We undertook warming experiments to explore the temperature sensitivity of various K

ObjectivePredatory invasive fishes may consume species of management interest and alter food webs. Blue Catfish Ictalurus furcatus is a large-bodied, salinity-tolerant species that exhibits broad diet breadth and preys on species of both conservation concern and fisheries management interest. To better understand the ecological consequences of the establishment of Blue Catfish fisheries, estimates

The April bottom trawl survey and Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus population assessment provides science to inform Lake Ontario fisheries management. The 2023 survey included 215 trawls in the main lake and embayments, and sampled depths from 6.5 to 252 m (21-833 ft). The survey captured 1,012,178 fish from 32 species with a total weight of 12,136 kg (26,700 lbs.). Alewife were 92% of the catch by nu

The influence of habitat and environmental conditions on Great Lakes coregonine reproduction is not well described, in part, because we lack sampling gears for early life stages that are effective across habitats. We designed new egg and larval emergence traps to quantify coregonine reproductive success across variable depths and substrates and tested them in laboratory and field settings. In the

The opossum shrimp, Mysis diluviana, is an important member of the offshore food webs of the Laurentian Great Lakes, but its response to ecosystem changes that have occurred over the past several decades is not well understood. We combined the data of four long-term sampling programs, adding several years of data (post and prior) to previously published analyses to offer a longer-term, cross-basin

No abstract available.

Sex pheromones impart maximal attraction when their components are present at optimal ratios that confer balanced olfactory inputs in potential mates. Altering ratios or adding pheromone analogs to optimal mixtures may disrupt balanced olfactory antagonism and result in reduced attraction, however, tests in natural populations are lacking. We tested this hypothesis in sea lamprey (Petromyzon marin

No abstract available.