Publications

Understanding how invasive species affect the stability and function of ecosystems is critical for conserving ecosystems. Here, we quantified the effect of an actively suppressed invasive species on the Yellowstone Lake, U.S.A. ecosystem using a food-web energetics approach. 2. We compared energy flux, functional state, and stability of four food web states: a pre-invasion network, and...

Objective Movement enables animals to complete their life history by responding to changing environmental conditions. Linking movement behaviors to life history characteristics can allow more targeted management applications for declining native fish populations. We identified seasonal movement patterns of Roundtail Chub Gila robusta and Flannelmouth Sucker Catostomus latipinnis, two...

Monitoring provides the foundation for evaluating recovery of endangered species, yet many species lack monitoring programs designed to integrate a species’ unique attributes, specific monitoring objectives, and principles of statistical sampling theory. We developed a framework for monitoring and assessment of endangered light-footed Ridgway’s rails (Rallus obsoletus levipes) across...

Climate change is expected to influence aquatic habitats and associated fish populations, yet we know little about the impact on recreational anglers. Our goal was to explore whether interannual fluctuations in waterbody surface area and other explanatory variables could be used as indicators of changes in angler fishing effort. Our approach leveraged a combination of remotely sensed...

Objective Our aim was to determine the movement patterns of three abundant salmonids—Brown Trout Salmo trutta, Mountain Whitefish Prosopium williamsoni, and Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss—in the Smith River watershed of Montana.Methods We tagged 7172 fish with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags, monitored their movements past 15 stationary PIT arrays over 4 years, and located...

Long-term, large-scale monitoring of wildlife populations is an integral part of conservation research and management. However, some traditional monitoring protocols lack the information needed to account for sources of measurement error in data analyses. Ignoring measurement error, such as partial availability, imperfect detection, and species misidentification, can lead to...

Climate change poses a significant threat to Arctic ecosystems. Evaluation of genetic diversity within and differentiation among populations is needed to effectively conserve Arctic species and ensure genetic variation is appropriately managed.This research examined the population genetic structure in Larus hyperboreus (Glaucous Gull), a circumpolar Arctic species that is declining in...

Riverine export of carbon (C) is an important part of the global C cycle; however, most riverine C budgets focus on individual forms of C and fail to comprehensively measure both organic and inorganic C species in concert. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted high frequency sampling of multiple C forms, including dissolved organic C (DOC), inorganic carbon (as alkalinity)...

Objective In a changing climate, the effects of air temperature, precipitation, and groundwater on water temperature and thermal habitat suitability for Gulf Sturgeon Acipenser desotoi, listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, are not well understood. Hence, we incorporated these factors into thermal habitat models to forecast how Gulf Sturgeon may be affected by wide...

Objective Flathead Catfish Pylodictis olivaris are a widespread aquatic invasive species within the United States and a recent invader in the Susquehanna River basin, Pennsylvania. Flathead Catfish are piscivores known to consume native and recreationally important fish species. In the mid-Atlantic United States, it is unknown how this invader is impacting food webs and which species may...

Submerged macrophytes have complex effects on spatiotemporal characteristics of river ecosystems, including trout habitat. We investigated the impact of submerged macrophyte coverage on trout habitat in the Henrys Fork of the Snake River, Idaho, USA. We hypothesized that higher submerged macrophyte coverage would create new habitat types beneficial for trout growth. We assessed river...

DNA metabarcoding is a rapidly advancing tool for diet assessment in wildlife ecology. Studies have used a variety of field collection methods to evaluate diet; however, there is a pressing need to understand the differences among sampling methods and the downstream inferential consequences they may have on our ability to document diet accurately and efficiently. We evaluated seven DNA