Taylor, J.A., Richter, C.A., Suzuki, A., Watanabe, H., Iguchi, T., Coser, K.R., Shioda, T., and vom Saal, F.S., 2012, Dose-related estrogen effects on gene expression in fetal mouse prostate mesenchymal cells: PLOS ONE, v. 7, no. 10, p. e48311
Cathy Richter, Ph.D.
Science and Products
Date published: August 23, 2018
Status: Active Fishing and Hunting Science Team
Fish and wildlife that are healthy, abundant, and safe to eat drive many economically valuable commercial, recreational, and subsistence activities, and are a treasured part of the American landscape. Contaminant and pathogen exposures are known to impact these natural resources. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists in the Fishing and Hunting Science Team, together with other federal,...
Contacts: Vicki Blazer, Cathy Richter, Ph.D.
Year Published: 2019
Reporting the limits of detection and quantification for environmental DNA assays
BackgroundEnvironmental DNA (eDNA) analysis is increasingly being used to detect the presence and relative abundance of rare species, especially invasive or imperiled aquatic species. The rapid progress in the eDNA field has resulted in numerous studies impacting conservation and management actions. However, standardization of eDNA methods and...
Klymus, Katy E.; Merkes, Christopher M.; Allison, Michael J.; Goldberg, Caren S.; Helbing, Caren C.; Hunter, Margaret; Jackson, Craig; Lance, Richard F.; Mangan, Anna M.; Monroe, Emy M.; Piaggio, Antoinette J.; Stokdyk, Joel P.; Wilson, Chris C.; Richter, Catherine A.
Year Published: 2018
Thiamine deficiency in fishes: Causes, consequences, and potential solutions
Thiamine deficiency complex (TDC) is a disorder resulting from the inability to acquire or retain thiamine (vitamin B1) and has been documented in organisms in aquatic ecosystems ranging from the Baltic Sea to the Laurentian Great Lakes. The biological mechanisms leading to TDC emergence may vary among systems, but in fishes, one common outcome is...
Christie, Mark R.; Harder, Avril M.; Ardren, William R.; Evans, Allison N.; Futia, Matthew H.; Kraft, Clifford E.; Marsden, J. Ellen; Richter, Catherine A.; Rinchard, Jacques; Tillitt, Donald E.; Christie, Mark R.View Citation
Harder, A.M., Ardren, W.R., Evans, A.N., Futia, M.H., Kraft, C.E., Marsden, J.E., Richter, C.A., Rinchard, J., Tillitt, D.E., and Christie, M.R., 2018, Thiamine deficiency in fishes: causes, consequences, and potential solutions: Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries
Year Published: 2017
Metabarcoding of environmental DNA samples to explore the use of uranium mine containment ponds as a water source for wildlife
Understanding how anthropogenic impacts on the landscape affect wildlife requires a knowledge of community assemblages. Species surveys are the first step in assessing community structure, and recent molecular applications such as metabarcoding and environmental DNA analyses have been proposed as an additional and complementary wildlife survey...
Klymus, Katy E.; Richter, Catherine A.; Thompson, Nathan; Hinck, Jo EllenAttribution: Columbia Environmental Research Center, Ecosystems, Environmental Health, Contaminant Biology Program, Southeast, United States of America
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Klymus, K., Richter, C., Thompson, N., and Hinck, J., 2017, Metabarcoding of Environmental DNA Samples to Explore the Use of Uranium Mine Containment Ponds as a Water Source for Wildlife: Diversity, v. 9, no. 4, 54
Year Published: 2017
Experimental observations on the decay of environmental DNA from bighead and silver carps
Interest in the field of environmental DNA (eDNA) is growing rapidly and eDNA surveys are becoming an important consideration for aquatic resource managers dealing with invasive species. However, in order for eDNA monitoring to mature as a research and management tool, there are several critical knowledge gaps that must be filled. One such gap is...
Lance, Richard F.; Klymus, Katy E.; Richter, Catherine A.; Guan, Xin; Farrington, Heather L.; Carr, Matthew R.; Thompson, Nathan; Chapman, Duane C.; Baerwaldt, Kelly L.View Citation
Lance, R.F., Klymus, K.E., Richter, C.A., Guan, X., Farrington, H.L., Carr, M.R., Thompson, N., Chapman, D.C., and Baerwaldt, K.L., 2017, Experimental observations on the decay of environmental DNA from bighead and silver carps, Management of Biological Invasions 8(3): 343-359
Year Published: 2016
Evaluation of potential mechanisms of atrazine-induced reproductive impairment in fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) and Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes)
Atrazine has been implicated in reproductive dysfunction of exposed organisms, and previous studies documented decreased egg production in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) and fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) during 30-d to 38-d exposures to 0.5 µg/L, 5 µg/L, and 50 µg/L atrazine. The authors evaluated possible mechanisms underlying the...
Richter, Catherine A.; Papoulias, Diana M.; Whyte, Jeffrey J.; Tillitt, Donald E.Attribution: Columbia Environmental Research Center, Ecosystems, Environmental Health, , Contaminant Biology Program, Southeast, United States of America
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Richter, C.A., Papoulias, D.M., Whyte, J.J., and Tillitt, D.E., 2016, Evaluation of Potential Mechanisms of Atrazine-Induced Reproductive Impairment in Fathead Minnow (Pimephales promelas) And Japanese Medaka (Oryzias latipes): Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Vol. 35, No. 9, pp. 2230-2238
Year Published: 2016
First direct confirmation of grass carp spawning in a Great Lakes tributary
Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), an invasive species of Asian carp, has been stocked for many decades in the United States for vegetation control. Adult individuals have been found in all of the Great Lakes except Lake Superior, but no self-sustaining populations have yet been identified in Great Lakes tributaries. In 2012, a commercial...
Embke, Holly S.; Kocovsky, Patrick M.; Richter, Catherine A.; Pritt, Jeremy J.; Christine M. Mayer; Qian, Song
Year Published: 2015
Environmental DNA calibration study interim technical review report December 2014
The Environmental DNA Calibration Study (ECALS) is a multi-year study to improve the understanding and interpretation of the detection of Asian carp DNA in environmental samples (eDNA) used in early detection monitoring. eDNA surveillance programs seek to detect the presence of genetic material (DNA in cells sloughed off in slime, feces, urine,...
Baerwaldt, Kelly; Bartron, Meredith L.; Schilling, Kurt; Lee, Debbie; Russo, Edmond; Estes, Trudy; Fischer, Richard; Fleming, Beth; Guilfoyle, Michael P.; Killgore, Jack; Lance, Richard; Perkins, Edward; Schultz, Martin; Smith, David; Amberg, Jon J.; Chapman, Duane C.; Gaikowski, Mark P.; Klymus, Katy E.; Richter, Catherine A.Attribution: Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Ecosystems
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U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey. 2015. Environmental DNA Calibration Study Interim Technical Review Report December 2014. A program report submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee. December 2014. 234 pages including Appendixes A, B, C. http://www.asiancarp.us/documents/IP-057663_ECALS_Interim_Report_FINAL.pdf.
Year Published: 2015
A reply to Iversen et al.'s comment “Monitoring of animal abundance by environmental DNA - An increasingly obscure perspective”
We appreciate the conversation put forward by Iversen et al. (2015) in their response to our article “Quantification of eDNA shedding rates from invasive bighead carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis and silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix” in the 2015 environmental DNA special issue of Biological Conservation.We agree with Iversen et al.'s concern...
Klymus, Katy E.; Richter, Catherine A.; Chapman, Duane C.; Paukert, Craig P.
Year Published: 2015
Quantification of eDNA shedding rates from invasive bighead carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis and silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix
Wildlife managers can more easily mitigate the effects of invasive species if action takes place before a population becomes established. Such early detection requires sensitive survey tools that can detect low numbers of individuals. Due to their high sensitivity, environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys hold promise as an early detection method for...
Klymus, Katy E.; Richter, Catherine A.; Chapman, Duane C.; Paukert, Craig P.View Citation
Klymus, K.E., Richter, C.A., Chapman, D.C., and Paukert, C., 2015, Quantification of eDNA shedding rates from invasive bighead carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis and silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix: Biological Conservation 183: 77–84
Year Published: 2014
Environmental DNA calibration study. Interim technical review report
Invasive aquatic nuisance species pose a major threat to aquatic ecosystems worldwide. Invasive Asian carps, including bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and silver carp (H. molitrix) have been steadily dispersing upstream through the Mississippi, Illinois, and Des Plaines Rivers since the 1990s. To prevent further movement up the Illinois...
Baerwaldt, K.; Bartron, Meredith L.; Schilling, K.; Lee, Debbie; Russo, Edmond; Estes, Trudy; Fischer, Richard; Fleming, Beth; Guilfoyle, Michael P.; Kilgore, K. Jack; Lance, Richard; Perkins, Edward; Schultz, Martin; Smith, David; Amberg, Jon J.; Chapman, Duane C.; Gaikowski, Mark P.; Klymus, Katy E.; Richter, Catherine A.
Year Published: 2014
Methylmercury-induced changes in gene transcription associated with neuroendocrine disruption in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)
Methyl-mercury (MeHg) is a potent neuroendocrine disruptor that impairs reproductive processes in fish. The objectives of this study were to (1) characterize transcriptomic changes induced by MeHg exposure in the female largemouth bass (LMB) hypothalamus under controlled laboratory conditions, (2) investigate the health and reproductive impacts of...
Richter, Catherine A.; Martyniuk, Christopher J.; Annis, Mandy L.; Brumbaugh, William G.; Chasar, Lia C.; Denslow, Nancy D.; Tillitt, Donald E.Attribution: Columbia Environmental Research Center, Ecosystems, Environmental Health, , Contaminant Biology Program, Southeast, United States of America
View Citation
Methylmercury-induced changes in gene transcription associated with neuroendocrine disruption in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides); 2014; Article; Journal; General and Comparative Endocrinology; Richter, Catherine A.; Martyniuk, Christopher J.; Annis, Mandy L.; Brumbaugh, William G.; Chasar, Lia C.; Denslow, Nancy D.; Tillitt, Donald E.
Year Published: 2014
Atrazine reduces reproduction in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes)
Atrazine is an effective broadleaf herbicide and the second most heavily used herbicide in the United States. Effects along the hypothalamus–pituitary–gonad axis in a number of vertebrate taxa have been demonstrated. Seasonally elevated concentrations of atrazine in surface waters may adversely affect fishes, but only a few studies have examined...
Papoulias, Diana M.; Tillitt, Donald E.; Talykina, Melaniya G.; Whyte, Jeffrey J.; Richter, Catherine A.Attribution: Columbia Environmental Research Center, Ecosystems, Environmental Health, , Contaminant Biology Program, Southeast, United States of America
View Citation
Atrazine reduces reproduction in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes); 2014; Article; Journal; Aquatic Toxicology; Papoulias, Diana M.; Tillitt, Donald E.; Talyknia, Melaniya G.; Whyte, Jeffrey J.; Richter, Catherine A.
Pre-USGS Publications
Taylor, J.A., Richter, C.A., Ruhlen, R.L., and vom Saal, F.S., 2011, Estrogenic environmental chemicals and drugs: Mechanisms for effects on the developing male urogenital system: The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, v. 127, no. 1, p. 83-95
Richter, C.A., Taylor, J.A., Ruhlen, R.L., Welshons, W.V., and vom Saal, F.S., 2007, Estradiol and Bisphenol A stimulate androgen receptor and estrogen receptor gene expression in fetal mouse prostate mesenchyme cells: Environmental Health Perspectives, v. 115, no. 6, p. 902-908
vom Saal, F.S., Richter, C.A., Mao, J., and Welshons, W.V., 2005, Commercial animal feed: Variability in estrogenic activity and effects on body weight in mice: Birth Defects Research Part A: Clinical and Molecular Teratology, v. 73, no. 7, p. 474-475
Timms, B.G., Howdeshell, K.L., Barton, L., Bradley, S., Richter, C.A., and vom Saal, F.S., 2005, Estrogenic chemicals in plastic and oral contraceptives disrupt development of the fetal mouse prostate and urethra: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, v. 102, no. 19, p. 7014-7019
Richter, C., Timms, B., and vom Saal, F., 2005, Prostate development: mechanisms for opposite effects of low and high doses of estrogenic chemicals, in Naz, R., ed., Endocrine Disruptors: Effects on Male and Female Reproductive Systems: New York, CRC Press, p. 379-410.
vom Saal, F.S., Richter, C.A., Ruhlen, R.R., Nagel, S.C., Timms, B.G., and Welshons, W.V., 2005, The importance of appropriate controls, animal feed, and animal models in interpreting results from low-dose studies of bisphenol A: Birth Defects Research Part A: Clinical and Molecular Teratology, v. 73, no. 3, p. 140-145
vom Saal, F.S., Richter, C.A., Ruhlen, R.R., Nagel, S.C., and Welshons, W.V., 2004, Disruption of laboratory experiments due to leaching of Bisphenol A from polycarbonate cages and bottles and uncontrolled variability in components of animal feed, in National Research Council, ed., The Development of Science-based Guidelines for Laboratory Animal Care: Proceedings of the November 2003 International Workshop: The National Academies Press, p. 65-69.