Brian C Weidel
Biography
Ph.D. in Limnology and Marine Science, Center for Limnology, Univerisity of Wisconsin-Madison, 2009
M.S. in Natural Resources, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, 2003
B.S. in Natural Resources, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, 1997
Research Fishery Biologist, Lake Ontario Biological Station, March 2010 - Present
Research Fishery Biologist, United States Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center 2010 – present
Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Wisconsin, Madison 2009 - 2010
Graduate Research Assistant, University of Wisconsin, Madison 2005 - 2008
Research Assistant & Laboratory Manager, Cornell University 2004 - 2005
Graduate Research Assistant, Cornell University, Department of Natural Resources 2000 - 2003
Research Assistant, Cornell University, Adirondack Fishery Research Program 1998 - 2000
Research Assistant, Cornell University, Cornell Biological Field Station 1997 - 1998
Publications
Kornis, M.S., B.C. Weidel, S.M. Powers, T.J.Cline, M. Diebel, J. Fox, and J.F. Kitchell. 2015. Fish community dynamics following dam removal in a fragmented agricultural stream. Aquatic Sciences 77: 465-480. [Link]
Craig N, Jones SE, Weidel BC, Solomon CT. 2015. Habitat, not resource availability, limits consumer production in lake ecosystems. Limnology and Oceanography, 60: 2079-2089 [Link]
Young, T., O. Jensen, B. Weidel, and S. Chandra. 2015. Natural trophic variability in a large, oligotrophic, near-pristine lake. Journal of Great Lakes Research 41(2):463-472. [Link]
Vander Zanden, J.,C. Murray, E. Moody, C. Solomon, B. Weidel. Predicting stable isotope turnover and half-life in animal tissues. PLOS ONE. [Link]
Stewart, T., L. Rudstam, J. Watkins, T. Johnson, B. Weidel and M. Koops. in press. Research needs to better understand Lake Ontario Ecosystem Function. Journal of Great Lakes Research.
Solomon, C., S. Jones, B. Weidel, I. Buffam, M. Fork, J. Karlsson, S. Larsen, J. Lennon, J. Read, S. Sadro, and J. Saros. 2015. Ecosystem consequences of global browning of lakes. Ecosystems 18 376-389. [Link]
Bunnell, D.B. R.P. Barbiero, S.A. Ludsin, C.P. Madenjian, G.J. Warren, D.M. Dolan, T.O. Brenden, R. Briland, O.T. Gorman, J.X. He, T.H. Johengen, B.F. Lantry, B.M. Lesht, T.F. Nalepa, S.C. Riley, C.M. Riseng, T.J. Treska, I. Tsehaye, D.M. Warner, M.G. Walsh, and B.C. Weidel. 2014. Changing ecosystem dynamics in the Laurentian Great Lakes: exploring evidence for bottom-up and top-down regulation. Bioscience. 64:26-39. [Link]
Kelly, P.T., C.T. Solomon, B.C. Weidel and S.E. Jones. 2014. Terrestrial carbon is a resource, but not a subsidy, for lake zooplankton. Ecology 95:1236–1242. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/13-1586.1 [Link]
Rudstam, L., K. Holeck., K. Bowen, J. Watkins, B. Weidel, and F. Luckey. in press. Crustacean zooplankton in Lake Ontario’s offshore: a comparison of the intensive field years of 2003 and 2008. Journal of Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management.
Watkins J.M. B. Weidel, L. Rudstam, and K. Holeck. in press. Spatial extent and dissipation of the deep chlorophyll layer (DCL) in Lake Ontario during LOLA 2003 and 2008. Journal of Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management.
Cline, T., D. Seekell, S. Carpenter, J. Hodgson, J. Kitchell, M.L. Pace, B. Weidel. 2014. Spatial variance in prey fish catch-per-unit-effort increased prior to a regime shift in a whole-ecosystem experiment. Ecosphere 5(8).
Godwin, S.C., Solomon, C.T., Weidel, B.C., Jones, S.E. 2014. Dissolved organic carbon concentration controls benthic primary production: Results from in situ chambers in north-temperate lakes. Limnology and Oceanography. 59:2112-2120. 10.4319/lo.2014.59.6.2112 [Link]
Kornis, M.S., B.C. Weidel, S.M. Powers, T.J.Cline, M. Diebel, J. Fox, and J.F. Kitchell. in press Fish community dynamics following dam removal in a fragmented agricultural stream. Aquatic Sciences.
Yule, D.L. J.V. Adams, D.M. Warner, T.R. Hrabik, P.M. Kocovsky, B.C. Weidel, L.G. Rudstam, and P.J. Sullivan. 2013. Evaluating approaches for estimating biomass of pelagic fish biomass using simulated fish communities. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 70: 1845-1857. DOI: 10.1139/cjfas-2013-0072 [Link]
Jones, S.J., C.T. Solomon, and B.C. Weidel. 2012. Subsidy, substitution, or subtraction: How do terrestrial inputs influence consumer production in lakes? Freshwater Reviews 5:37-49. doi: 10.1608/FRJ-5.1.475 [Link]
Cline, T.J., B.C. Weidel, J.F. Kitchell, and J.R. Hodgson. 2012. Growth response of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) to catch-and-release angling: a 27-year mark-recapture study. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 69:224-230. 10.1139/f2011-150. [Link]
Ahrenstorff, T.D., O.P. Jensen, B.C. Weidel, B. Mendsaikhan, and T.R. Hrabik. 2012. Abundance, spatial distribution, and diet of endangered Hovsgol grayling (Thymallus nigrescens). Environmental Biology of Fishes. doi:10.1007/s10641-011-9961-5. [Link]
Lantry, B.F., C.G. Gumtow, M.G. Walsh, B.C. Weidel, B.T. Boscarino and L.G. Rudstam. 2012 Consumption of Hemimysis anomala by fishes in southeastern Lake Ontario during 2009-2010. Journal of Great Lakes Research . 38 (2): 73–78. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2011.08.007 [Link]
Brosseau, C.J., T.J. Cline, J.J. Cole, J.R. Hodgson, ML. Pace, and B.C. Weidel. 2012. Do Daphnia use metalimnetic organic matter in a north temperate lake: An analysis of vertical migration. Inland Waters 2: 193-198. DOI: 10.5268/IW-2.4.513 [Link]
Moody E.K., B.C. Weidel, T.D. Ahrenstorff, W.P. Mattes and J.F. Kitchell. 2011. Evaluating the growth potential of sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) feeding on siscowet lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in Lake Superior. Journal of Great Lakes Research 37: 343-348.
Weidel, B. C., S.R. Carpenter, J.F. Kitchell, M.J. Vander Zanden. 2011. Rates and components of carbon turnover in fish muscle: insights from bioenergetics models and a whole-lake 13C addition. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 68:387-399.
Solomon, C. S. Carpenter, M. Clayton, J. Cole, J. Coloso, M. Pace, M.J. Vander Zanden, and B. Weidel 2011. Terrestrial, benthic, and pelagic resource use in lakes: results from a three-isotope Bayesian mixing model. Ecology 92:1115–1125. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/10-1185.1 [Link]
Cole, J.J., S.R. Carpenter, J. Kitchell, M.L. Pace, C.T. Solomon, and B. Weidel. 2011. Strong evidence for terrestrial support of zooplankton in small lakes based on stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108:1975-1980. [Link]
Tetzlaff, J.C., Roth, B.R., Weidel, B.M., and J.F. Kitchell. 2011. Predation by native sunfishes (Lepomis spp.) on the invasive crayfish Orconectes rusticus in four northern Wisconsin lakes. Ecology of Freshwater Fish. 20:133-143. [Link]
Carpenter, S.R., J.J. Cole, M.L. Pace, R.D. Batt, W.A. Brock, T. Cline, J. Coloso, J.R. Hodgson, J.F. Kitchell, D.A. Seekell, L. Smith and B. Weidel. 2011. Early warnings of regime shifts: A whole-ecosystem experiment. Science 332: 1079-1082. [Link]
Robinson, J.M., D.C Josephson, B.C. Weidel and C.E. Kraft. 2010. Influence of variable interannual summer water temperatures on brook trout growth, consumption, reproduction, and mortality in an unstratified Adirondack lake. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 139:685-699. [Link]
Solomon, C.T., J. Cole, R. Doucett, M. Pace, N. Preston, L. Smith, and B. Weidel. 2009. The influence of dietary water on the hydrogen stable isotope ratio in aquatic consumers. Oecologia 161:313-324.
Jensen, O., D. Gilroy, Z. Hogan, B. Allen, T. Hrabik, B. Weidel, S. Chandra, and M.J. Vander Zanden, 2009. Evaluating recreational fisheries for an endangered species: a case study of taimen, Hucho taimen, in Mongolia. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 66:1707-1718.
Biggs, R., Diebel, M., Gilroy, D., Kamarainen, A., Kornis, M., Preston, N., Schmitz, J. Uejio, C., Van De Bogert, M., Weidel, B., West, P., Zaks, D. and S. Carpenter 2009. Preparing for the future: Teaching scenario planning at the graduate level. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. online
Weidel, B., S. Carpenter, J. Cole, J. Hodgson, Kitchell, M. Pace, and C. Solomon. 2008 Carbon sources supporting fish growth in a north temperate lake. Aquatic Sciences. 70: 446-458.
Zipkin, E., Sullivan, P., Cooch, E., Kraft, C., Shuter, B., Weidel, B. 2008. Overcompensatory response of a smallmouth bass population to harvest: release from competition? Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Society 65:2279-2292.
Josephson, D., J. Robinson, B. Weidel and C. Kraft. 2008. Long-term retention and visibility of visible implant elastomer tags in brook trout. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. 28:1758-1761.
Weidel, B., Ushikubo, T., Carpenter, S., Kita, N., Cole, J., Kitchell, J., Pace M., Valley, J. 2007. Diary of a bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus): daily δ13C and δ18O records in otoliths by ion microprobe. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 64:1641-1645.
Pace, M.L., S.R. Carpenter, J.J. Cole, J.J. Coloso, J.F. Kitchell, J.R. Hodgson, J.J. Middelburg, N.D. Preston, C.T. Solomon, and B.C. Weidel. 2007. Does terrestrial organic carbon subsidize the planktonic food web in a clear-water lake? Limnology and Oceanography 52: 2177-2189.
Weidel, B.C., Josephson, D.C., and Kraft, C.E. 2007. Fish community response to removal of introduced smallmouth bass in an oligotrophic Adirondack lake. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 178: 778-789
Lepak, J.M., C.E. Kraft, and B.C. Weidel. 2006. Rapid food web recovery in response to removal of an introduced apex predator. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 63: 569-575.
Weidel, B.C., D.C. Josephson, C.C. Krueger. 2000. Diet and prey selection of naturalized smallmouth bass in an oligotrophic Adirondack lake. J. Freshwater Ecol. 15:411-420.
Science and Products
Aquatic Native Species and Habitat Restoration: Quantifying Coregonine Habitat Use Dynamics
Restoring and maintaining extent of native coregonid populations in the Great Lakes is a basin-wide priority. In response, an adaptive framework has identified knowledge gaps associated with spatial dynamics and stock diversity. This project used the Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI) with an incredible in-kind support from agencies and universities from across the region to...
Invasive Mussel Control Science: Dreissenid Mussel Growth in Lake Ontario
USGS scientists worked with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to monitor growth of invasive zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) in Lake Ontario with the goal of improving understanding on the effects these mussels have on the Lake food web.
Understanding How Climate Change will Impact Aquatic Food Webs in the Great Lakes
This project addressed regional climate change effects on aquatic food webs in the Great Lakes. We sought insights by examining Lake Erie as a representative system with a high level of anthropogenic impacts, strong nutrient gradients, seasonal hypoxia, and spatial overlap of cold- and cool-water fish guilds. In Lake Erie and in large embayments throughout the Great Lakes basin, this situation...
Comparison of specimen and image-based morphometrics in Cisco
Morphometric data from fish are typically generated using one of two methods: from direct measurements made on a specimen, or by extracting distances from a digital picture. We compared data on twelve morphometrics collected with these two different methods on the same collection of Cisco Coregonus artedi to assess the degree of bias in...
O'Malley, Brian; Schmitt, Joseph; Holden, Jeremy P.; Weidel, Brian C. A synthesis of the biology and ecology of sculpin species in the Laurentian Great Lakes and implications for the adaptive capacity of the benthic ecosystem
The Laurentian Great Lakes have experienced recent ecosystem changes that could lead to reductions in adaptive capacity and ultimately a loss of biodiversity and production throughout the food web. Observed changes in Great Lakes benthic communities include declines of native species and widespread success of invasive species like dreissenid...
Robinson, Kelly F.; Bronte, Charles R.; Bunnell, David; Euclide, Peter T.; Hondorp, Darryl W.; Janssen, John J.; Kornis, Matthew S.; Ogle, Derek H.; Otte, Will; Riley, Stephen; Vinson, Mark; Volkel, Shea L.; Weidel, Brian C. Benthic habitat is an integral part of freshwater Mysis ecology
Diel vertical migration (DVM) is common in aquatic organisms. The trade‐off between reduced predation risk in deeper, darker waters during the day and increased foraging opportunities closer to the surface at night is a leading hypothesis for DVM behaviour.Diel vertical migration behaviour has dominated research and assessment frameworks for ...
Stockwell, Jason D.; O'Malley, Brian; Hansson, Sture; Chapina, Rosie C; Rudstam, Lars G.; Weidel, Brian C. A century of intermittent eco‐evolutionary feedbacks resulted in novel trait combinations in invasive Great Lakes alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus)
Species introductions provide opportunities to quantify rates and patterns of evolutionary change in response to novel environments. Alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) are native to the East Coast of North America where they ascend coastal rivers to spawn in lakes and then return to the ocean. Some populations have become landlocked within the last...
Smith, Shelby; Palkovacs, Eric; Weidel, Brian C.; Bunnell, David; Jones, Andrew W.; Bloom, Devin Lake trout rehabilitation in Lake Ontario, 2019
Each year we report on the progress toward rehabilitation of the Lake Ontario lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) population, including the results of stocking, annual assessment surveys, creel surveys, and evidence of natural reproduction observed from all standard surveys performed by USGS and NYSDEC. The catch per unit effort of adult lake trout...
Lantry, Brian F.; Furgal, Stacy; Weidel, Brian C.; Connerton, Michael; Gorsky, Dimitry; Osborne, Christopher Lake trout spawning studies: Updates, new survey, and comparison to standard September gillnet survey
In Lake Ontario, lake trout restoration efforts have not established a self-sustaining population. Herein we describe efforts to evaluate standard and new surveys, and to estimate dispersal from stocking locations, to better understand impediments to natural reproduction. In 2019, lake trout egg deposition was sampled at two locations, Stony...
Furgal, Stacy; Osborne, Christopher; Lantry, Brian F.; Weidel, Brian C.; Gorsky, Dimitry; Connerton, Michael Bottom trawl assessment of Lake Ontario prey fishes, 2019
Multi-agency, collaborative Lake Ontario bottom trawl surveys provide information for decision making related to Fish Community Objectives including predator-prey balance and understanding prey fish community diversity. In 2019, bottom trawl surveys in April (n = 252 tows) and October (n = 160 tows) sampled main lake and embayments at depths from...
Weidel, Brian C.; O'Malley, Brian; Connerton, Michael J.; Holden, Jeremy P.; Osborne, Christopher 2019 Status of the Lake Ontario Lower Trophic Levels
Spring total phosphorus (TP) in 2019 was 3.2 µg/L (offshore) and 4.7 µg/L (nearshore), both all-time lows; however, there is no significant time trend in our data series (1995-2019 for nearshore; 2002-2019 for offshore). Apr/May – Oct mean TP concentrations were low at both nearshore and offshore locations (range, 3.7 – 6.5 µg/L). TP and SRP...
Holeck, Kristen T.; Rudstam, Lars G.; Hotaling, Christopher; Lemon, Dave; Pearsall, Web; Lantry, Jana; Connerton, Mike; Legard, Chris; LaPan, Steve; Biesinger, Zy; Lantry, Brian F.; Weidel, Brian C.; O'Malley, Brian Lake Ontario deepwater sculpin recovery: An unexpected outcome of ecosystem change
Fish population recoveries can result from ecosystem change in the absence of targeted restoration actions. In Lake Ontario, native Deepwater Sculpin Myoxecephalus thompsonii, were common in the late-1800s, but by the mid-1900s the species was possibly extirpated. During this period mineral nutrient inputs increased and piscivore abundance...
Weidel, Brian C.; Connerton, Michael J.; Walsh, Maureen; Holden, Jeremy; Holleck, Kristen; Lantry, Brian F. Bottom trawl assessment of Lake Ontario prey fishes
Collaborative Lake Ontario bottom trawl surveys, led by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), provide science and management information for evaluating Fish Community Objectives including predator-prey balance and prey fish community diversity. In 2018, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), Ontario Ministry of...
Weidel, Brian C.; Connerton, Michael J.; Holden, Jeremy 2017 Status of the Lake Ontario Lower Trophic Levels
Significant Findings for Year 2017: 1) Offshore spring total phosphorus (TP) in 2017 was 4.4 µg/L; values remained stable since 2001. Offshore soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) remained low (1.1 µg/L) in 2017; Apr/May – Oct mean values have been stable in nearshore and offshore habitats since 1998 (range, 0.4 – 3.3 µg/L). Apr/May – Oct mean TP...
Holeck, Kristen T.; Rudstam, Lars G.; Hotaling, Christopher; McCullough, Russ D.; Lemon, Dave; Pearsall, Web; Lantry, Jana; Connerton, Mike; Legard, Chris; LaPan, Steve; Biesinger, Zy; Lantry, Brian F.; Weidel, Brian C. Preliminary status of Lake Ontario Alewife based on the 2019 spring trawl survey
-The 2019 spring prey fish trawl survey was the most extensive fish survey ever conducted on Lake Ontario with 252 bottom trawls collecting 214,569 fish from 39 species, in main-lake and embayment habitats, at depths ranging from 5 to 225 meters (16.5 – 742.5 feet).-Alewife distribution was similar in U.S. (southern) and Canadian (northern)...
Weidel, Brian C.; Holden, Jeremy P.; Connerton, Michael J.
GLSC Participates in Lake Ontario Data Synthesis Workshop with Partners
Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative Data Integration for the 2018 Season in Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario Annual Spring Prey Fish Survey Collects Record Number of Trawls
USGS - NYDEC Collaboration Produces Record Results
Weidel speaks at four Lake Ontario fishery public meetings
State of Lake Ontario Fisheries