Publications

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

There is an increasing need for robust wildlife health programs that provide surveillance and management for diseases in wildlife and wild aquatic populations to manage associated risks. This paper illustrates the value of a systematic method to enhancing wildlife health programs. The U.S. Geological Survey and Mahidol University, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Thailand National Wildlife...

Social monogamy is the prevalent mating system in birds, but alternative strategies of extra-pair paternity (EPP) and conspecific brood parasitism (CBP) occur in many species. Raptors are virtually absent in discussions of broad taxonomic reviews regarding EPP and CBP likely because these strategies are mostly absent or at low frequency; CBP is unreported in solitary nesting raptors. In...

With the intensity and frequency of wildfires increasing rapidly, the need to study the ecological effects of these wildfires is also growing. An understudied aspect of fire ecology is the effect fires have on parasite–host interactions, including ectoparasites that might be pathogen vectors. Although some studies have examined the impacts of fire on ticks, studies on other ectoparasites

Objective Increasing reliance on numerical simulation models to help inform management and restoration choices benefits from careful consideration of critical early steps in model development. Along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico, the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica fulfills important ecological and economic roles. Using the eastern oyster as an example, we draw on several...