GLSC’s DeBruyne and Ireland Lead Training in Larval Fish Sampling and Identification to Support Cooperative Science at Lake Erie
GLSC’s Bickford and Liggett Present on Approaches to Non-Native Phragmites Management in Public Webinar
GLSC Contributes to American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting
GLSC Scientists Present Research Findings at the International Coregonid Symposium
O’Brien Interviewed Aboard R/V Sturgeon for All Too Clear Documentary
Great Lakes Science Center
Welcome! The Great Lakes Science Center (GLSC) is part of the Midcontinent Region of the USGS, DOI Regions 3 and 5. Our scientists work in the Great Lakes region and other parts of the country to meet the nation’s need for scientific information used by resource managers to restore, enhance, manage, and protect the living resources and habitats in the Great Lakes basin.
News
GLSC’s DeBruyne Interviewed on Lake Whitefish in the Detroit River for Great Lakes Now
GLSC’s DeBruyne Interviewed on Lake Whitefish in the Detroit River for Great Lakes Now
GLSC’s DeBruyne and Ireland Lead Training in Larval Fish Sampling and Identification to Support Cooperative Science at Lake Erie
GLSC’s DeBruyne and Ireland Lead Training in Larval Fish Sampling and Identification to Support Cooperative Science at Lake Erie
Bickford and Liggett to Present on Approaches to Non-Native Phragmites Management in Public Webinar
Bickford and Liggett to Present on Approaches to Non-Native Phragmites Management in Public Webinar
Publications
Testing food web theory in a large lake: The role of body size in habitat coupling in Lake Michigan
The landscape theory of food web architecture (LTFWA) describes relationships among body size, trophic position, mobility, and energy channels that serve to couple heterogenous habitats, which in turn promotes long-term system stability. However, empirical tests of the LTFWA are rare and support differs among terrestrial, freshwater, and marine systems. Further, it is unclear whether the theory ap
Comparison of cisco (Coregonus artedi) aerobic scope and thermal tolerance between two latitudinally-separated populations
The cisco Coregonus artedi is a coldwater fish that is distributed throughout much of Canada and the northern United States, including the Laurentian Great Lakes. Cisco historically supported large commercial fisheries in the Great Lakes during the late 1800s and early 1900s, but many populations declined and never recovered. Restoration efforts focusing on re-establishing cisco in the Great Lakes
Declines and shifts in morphological diversity of ciscoes (Coregonus spp.) in lakes Huron and Michigan, 1917–2019
Ciscoes (Coregonus spp.) were historically abundant and ecologically important in Laurentian Great Lakes ecosystems. Despite well-documented declines in their abundance and taxonomic diversity, declines in morphological diversity remain understudied. This knowledge gap is especially pertinent for lakes Michigan and Huron, which have each lost six of eight historical species. Improved understanding
Science
Long-term Monitoring of Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands and Contributions to the Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program
The Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program (CWMP) is an EPA-led program to monitor the health of all Great Lakes coastal wetlands larger than four hectares. USGS scientists are working with Principal Investigators from many State and academic institutions to conduct data collection, implement standardized sampling protocols, analyze multiparameter data, and communicate results to the public.
Invasive Phragmites Science: Using Microbial Interactions to Foster the Restoration of Great Lakes Wetlands
The USGS is developing innovative Phragmites control measures to keep this rapidly spreading invasive plant from further expanding its range into new wetland habitats and to aid in the development of successful restoration strategies. Scientists are conducting studies and field tests to determine (1) if microbes (i.e., fungi and bacteria) that live within and around Phragmites are enabling the...
Restoring Wetland Habitat and Function at the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge
Hydrologic connectivity is essential to maintaining coastal wetland services and functionality. Impounded wetlands often do not provide essential services such as flood mitigation and nutrient retention, nor can they be utilized as spawning and nursery habitat by important Great Lakes fishes. The Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge manages hundreds of acres of historical coastal wetland habitat...