Ben is a population ecologist focusing on stream habitats and science communication.
Education
- PhD, 1994, NC State, Zoology with statistics and modeling minor
- M.S. 1990, URI School of Oceanography, biological option
- B.S. 1985, Trinity College, Biology
Main research questions include:
Where are the fish?
- Distribution modeling
- Modeling climate refugia
What drives fish abundances?
- Long-term individual-based field studies
- State-space abundance modeling
- Integrated demographic models
How are the fish changing?
- Thermal adaptive capacity
- Estimating fitness in the wild
How are stream environments changing?
- Stream temperature statistical models
- Stream flow modeling using images
In addition, Ben is very interested in creating integrated, interactive, web-based systems to assist decision-making for natural resources. His group has created the Spatial Hydro-Ecological Decision System (‘SHEDS’ at ecosheds.org) which links databases, models and visualization tools.
- An extensive stream temperature database is at db.ecosheds.org.
- Stream temperature and Brook Trout occupancy models are at ecosheds.org
- The Interactive Catchment Explorer (‘ICE’) which facilitates exploration of complex environmental datasets and modeling results is at ice.ecosheds.org.
- Visualizations of individual tagging data from long-term studies are at pitdata.ecosheds.org.
- A stream visualization tool linking hydrographs to images is at fpe.ecosheds.org.
- A time series explorer is at tse.ecosheds.org.
Google scholar link: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=fwgbROwAAAAJ&hl=en
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 15
Filter Total Items: 83
Variation in local abundance and species richness of stream fishes in relation to dispersal barriers: Implications for management and conservation
1.Barriers to immigration, all else being equal, should in principle depress local abundance and reduce local species richness. These issues are particularly relevant to stream-dwelling species when improperly designed road crossings act as barriers to migration with potential impacts on the viability of upstream populations. However, because abundance and richness are highly spatially and tempora
Sibship reconstruction for inferring mating systems, dispersal and effective population size in headwater brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) populations
Brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis populations have declined in much of the native range in eastern North America and populations are typically relegated to small headwater streams in Connecticut, USA. We used sibship reconstruction to infer mating systems, dispersal and effective population size of resident (non-anadromous) brook trout in two headwater stream channel networks in Connecticut. Brook
Movement patterns and study area boundaries: Influences on survival estimation in capture-mark-recapture studies
The inability to account for the availability of individuals in the study area during capture-mark-recapture (CMR) studies and the resultant confounding of parameter estimates can make correct interpretation of CMR model parameter estimates difficult. Although important advances based on the Cormack-Jolly-Seber (CJS) model have resulted in estimators of true survival that work by unconfounding eit
Size and age distributions of Juvenile Connecticut River American shad above Hadley Falls: Influence on outmigration representation and timing
Age- and size-based habitat use and movement patterns of young-of-year American shad in rivers are not well understood. Adult females reach their natal rivers at different times and ascend the river at different rates, which may lead to variation of hatch dates at a single location. Also, shad are serial spawners, so eggs of the same female may be released at different distances from the river mou
Seasonal variation in size-dependent survival of juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar): Performance of multistate capture-mark-recapture models
We estimated the magnitude and shape of size-dependent survival (SDS) across multiple sampling intervals for two cohorts of stream-dwelling Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) juveniles using multistate capture-mark-recapture (CMR) models. Simulations designed to test the effectiveness of multistate models for detecting SDS in our system indicated that error in SDS estimates was low and that both time-i
Use of portable antennas to estimate abundance of PIT-tagged fish in small streams: Factors affecting detection probability
Portable passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag antenna systems can be valuable in providing reliable estimates of the abundance of tagged Atlantic salmon Salmo salar in small streams under a wide range of conditions. We developed and employed PIT tag antenna wand techniques in two controlled experiments and an additional case study to examine the factors that influenced our ability to estimate
Modeling migratory energetics of Connecticut River American shad (Alosa sapidissima): implications for the conservation of an iteroparous anadromous fish
We present a simulation model in which individual adult migrant American shad (Alosa sapidissima) ascend the Connecticut River and spawn, and survivors return to the marine environment. Our approach synthesizes bioenergetics, reproductive biology, and behavior to estimate the effects of migratory distance and delays incurred at dams on spawning success and survival. We quantified both the magn
Determining the effects of dams on subdaily variation in river flows at a whole-basin scale
River regulation can alter the frequency and magnitude of subdaily flow variations causing major impacts on ecological structure and function. We developed an approach to quantify subdaily flow variation for multiple sites across a large watershed to assess the potential impacts of different dam operations (flood control, run-of-river hydropower and peaking hydropower) on natural communities. We u
Context-specific influence of water temperature on brook trout growth rates in the field
1. Modelling the effects of climate change on freshwater fishes requires robust field-based estimates accounting for interactions among multiple factors.2. We used data from an 8-year individual-based study of a wild brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) population to test the influence of water temperature on season-specific growth in the context of variation in other environmental (i.e. season, st
Gene-expression signatures of Atlantic salmon's plastic life cycle
How genomic expression differs as a function of life history variation is largely unknown. Atlantic salmon exhibits extreme alternative life histories. We defined the gene-expression signatures of wild-caught salmon at two different life stages by comparing the brain expression profiles of mature sneaker males and immature males, and early migrants and late migrants. In addition to life-stage-spec
Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) smolt production: the relative importance of survival and body growth
The complex life history of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) coupled with interacting abiotic and biotic factors leads to extreme demographic variability across the species' range. Our goal was to evaluate the relative importance of survival and body growth in determining smolt production across space and time. We used passive integrated transponder tags and capture-mark-recapture analyses to estimat
Migratory behaviour and survival rates of wild northern Atlantic salmon Salmo salar post-smolts: Effects of environmental factors
To study smolt behaviour and survival of a northern Atlantic salmon Salmo salar population during river descent, sea entry and fjord migration, 120 wild S. salar were tagged with acoustic tags and registered at four automatic listening station arrays in the mouth of the north Norwegian River Alta and throughout the Alta Fjord. An estimated 75% of the post-smolts survived from the river mouth, thro
Science and Products
- Science
Filter Total Items: 15
- Data
No Result Found
- Multimedia
No results found.
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 83
Variation in local abundance and species richness of stream fishes in relation to dispersal barriers: Implications for management and conservation
1.Barriers to immigration, all else being equal, should in principle depress local abundance and reduce local species richness. These issues are particularly relevant to stream-dwelling species when improperly designed road crossings act as barriers to migration with potential impacts on the viability of upstream populations. However, because abundance and richness are highly spatially and temporaSibship reconstruction for inferring mating systems, dispersal and effective population size in headwater brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) populations
Brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis populations have declined in much of the native range in eastern North America and populations are typically relegated to small headwater streams in Connecticut, USA. We used sibship reconstruction to infer mating systems, dispersal and effective population size of resident (non-anadromous) brook trout in two headwater stream channel networks in Connecticut. BrookMovement patterns and study area boundaries: Influences on survival estimation in capture-mark-recapture studies
The inability to account for the availability of individuals in the study area during capture-mark-recapture (CMR) studies and the resultant confounding of parameter estimates can make correct interpretation of CMR model parameter estimates difficult. Although important advances based on the Cormack-Jolly-Seber (CJS) model have resulted in estimators of true survival that work by unconfounding eitSize and age distributions of Juvenile Connecticut River American shad above Hadley Falls: Influence on outmigration representation and timing
Age- and size-based habitat use and movement patterns of young-of-year American shad in rivers are not well understood. Adult females reach their natal rivers at different times and ascend the river at different rates, which may lead to variation of hatch dates at a single location. Also, shad are serial spawners, so eggs of the same female may be released at different distances from the river mouSeasonal variation in size-dependent survival of juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar): Performance of multistate capture-mark-recapture models
We estimated the magnitude and shape of size-dependent survival (SDS) across multiple sampling intervals for two cohorts of stream-dwelling Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) juveniles using multistate capture-mark-recapture (CMR) models. Simulations designed to test the effectiveness of multistate models for detecting SDS in our system indicated that error in SDS estimates was low and that both time-iUse of portable antennas to estimate abundance of PIT-tagged fish in small streams: Factors affecting detection probability
Portable passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag antenna systems can be valuable in providing reliable estimates of the abundance of tagged Atlantic salmon Salmo salar in small streams under a wide range of conditions. We developed and employed PIT tag antenna wand techniques in two controlled experiments and an additional case study to examine the factors that influenced our ability to estimateModeling migratory energetics of Connecticut River American shad (Alosa sapidissima): implications for the conservation of an iteroparous anadromous fish
We present a simulation model in which individual adult migrant American shad (Alosa sapidissima) ascend the Connecticut River and spawn, and survivors return to the marine environment. Our approach synthesizes bioenergetics, reproductive biology, and behavior to estimate the effects of migratory distance and delays incurred at dams on spawning success and survival. We quantified both the magnDetermining the effects of dams on subdaily variation in river flows at a whole-basin scale
River regulation can alter the frequency and magnitude of subdaily flow variations causing major impacts on ecological structure and function. We developed an approach to quantify subdaily flow variation for multiple sites across a large watershed to assess the potential impacts of different dam operations (flood control, run-of-river hydropower and peaking hydropower) on natural communities. We uContext-specific influence of water temperature on brook trout growth rates in the field
1. Modelling the effects of climate change on freshwater fishes requires robust field-based estimates accounting for interactions among multiple factors.2. We used data from an 8-year individual-based study of a wild brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) population to test the influence of water temperature on season-specific growth in the context of variation in other environmental (i.e. season, stGene-expression signatures of Atlantic salmon's plastic life cycle
How genomic expression differs as a function of life history variation is largely unknown. Atlantic salmon exhibits extreme alternative life histories. We defined the gene-expression signatures of wild-caught salmon at two different life stages by comparing the brain expression profiles of mature sneaker males and immature males, and early migrants and late migrants. In addition to life-stage-specAtlantic salmon (Salmo salar) smolt production: the relative importance of survival and body growth
The complex life history of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) coupled with interacting abiotic and biotic factors leads to extreme demographic variability across the species' range. Our goal was to evaluate the relative importance of survival and body growth in determining smolt production across space and time. We used passive integrated transponder tags and capture-mark-recapture analyses to estimatMigratory behaviour and survival rates of wild northern Atlantic salmon Salmo salar post-smolts: Effects of environmental factors
To study smolt behaviour and survival of a northern Atlantic salmon Salmo salar population during river descent, sea entry and fjord migration, 120 wild S. salar were tagged with acoustic tags and registered at four automatic listening station arrays in the mouth of the north Norwegian River Alta and throughout the Alta Fjord. An estimated 75% of the post-smolts survived from the river mouth, thro - Web Tools
- Software