Publications

Knowledge of potential spread by introduced species is critical to effective management and conservation. The Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu is an example of a fish that has been introduced globally, often spreads after introduction, and has substantial predatory impacts on fish assemblages. Nonnative Smallmouth Bass in the free-flowing Yellowstone River, Montana, have expanded...

Compiling disparate datasets into publicly available composite databases helps natural resource communities explore ecological trends and effectively manage across spatiotemporal scales. Though some studies have reported on the database construction phase, fewer have evaluated the data acquisition and distribution process. To facilitate future data sharing collaborations, Louisiana State

The effects of a warming climate will alter the hydrological cycles of arid southwestern U.S. reservoirs which primarily support agricultural needs, provide flood control, and generate hydroelectric power while secondarily supporting fish communities and sport fishing opportunities. The success of littoral spawning fishes depends on the timing and variability of water levels. The onset...

One of the risks faced by habitat restoration practitioners is whether habitats included in restoration planning will be used by the target species or, conversely, whether habitats excluded from restoration planning would have benefited the target species. With the goal of providing a quantitative decision-making approach that represented varying levels of risk tolerance, we used...

Examining natural selection in wild populations is challenging, but crucial to understanding many ecological and evolutionary processes. Additionally, in hybridizing populations, natural selection may be an important determinant of the eventual outcome of hybridization. We characterized several components of relative fitness in hybridizing populations of Yellowstone cutthroat trout and...

Pseudoloma neurophilia is a critical threat to the zebrafish (Danio rerio) model, as it is the most common infectious agent found in research facilities. In this study, our objectives were two-fold: (1) compare the application of diagnostic tools for P. neurophilia and (2) track the progression of infection using PCR and histology. The first experiment showed that whole-body analysis by...

Monitoring is usually among the first actions taken to help inform recovery planning for declining species, but these data are rarely used formally to inform conservation decision making. For example, Central Valley Chinook salmon were once abundant, but anthropogenic activities have led to widespread habitat loss and degradation resulting in significant population declines. Monitoring...

Understanding the role that an environmental prion reservoir plays in the outbreak dynamics of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in free ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is critical for the allocation of disease surveillance resources by state and provincial wildlife agencies. We hypothesized that demographic, ecological, and epidemiological configurations naturally...

We used stable isotope analysis to investigate differences in Guadalupe bass (Micropterus treculii) resource use that might be associated with population-level variation in mainstem river versus tributary stream habitats. Guadalupe bass from mainstem sites had higher δ13C and δ15N values compared to those collected in tributaries, likely reflecting greater importance of algae as a basal...

Hybridisation with introduced taxa poses a threat to native fish populations. Mechanisms of reproductive isolation can limit or prevent hybridisation between closely related species. Understanding how these mechanisms interact between the same species across geographically distinct occurrences of secondary contact, and how regional factors influence them, can inform our understanding of

Interbasin water transfers are becoming an increasingly common tool to satisfy municipal and agricultural water demand, but their impacts on movement and gene flow of aquatic organisms are poorly understood. The Grand Ditch is an interbasin water transfer that diverts water from tributaries of the upper Colorado River on the west side of the Continental Divide to the upper Cache la...

The young of some altricial bird species hatch asynchronously, which can lead to considerable size differences among siblings. Nestling traits such as body mass, moreover, can carry over and influence post-fledging survival. Despite the potential importance of nestling mass for reproductive outcomes, however, variation in nestling mass and relationships with brood size has been described...