Quasem, I., A. N. Achille, B. A. Caddick, T. A. Carter, C. Daniels, J. A. Delaney, V. Delic, K. A. Denton, M. C. Duran, M. K. Fatica, C. M. Ference, J. P. Galkiewicz, A. M. Garcia, J. D. Hendrick, S. A. Horton, M. S. Kun, P. W. Koch, T. M. Lee, C. R. McCabe, S. McHale, L. D. McDaniel, D. M. Menning, K. J. Menning, H. Mirzaei-Souderjani, S. Mostajabian, D. A. Nicholson, C. K. Nugent, N. P. Osman, D. I. Pappas, A. M. Rocha, K. Rosario, H. Rubelmann, J. A. Schwartz, K. W. Seeley, C. M. Staley, E. M. Wallace, T. M. Wong, B. L. Zielinski, T. E. Hanson, and K. M. Scott. 2017. Peculiar citric acid cycle of hydrothermal vent chemolithoautotroph Hydrogenovibrio crunogenus, and insights into carbon metabolism by obligate autotrophs. FEMS Microbiology Letters 364(14):fnx148. doi:10.1093/femsle/fnx148
Damian M Menning, Ph.D.
Genetics, Environmental DNA (eDNA), Python/Biopython scripting, Molecular ecology, Bioinformatics
Biography
Education
Ph.D. 2014 University of South Florida, Tampa FL Cell and Molecular Biology
B.S. 2006 Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston TX Marine Biology
Professional Experience
2021 - Present Research Geneticist, USGS, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
2015 - 2021 Geneticist, USGS, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
Science and Products
Year Published: 2021
Using next generation sequencing of alpine plants to improve fecal metabarcoding diet analysis for Dall’s sheep
ObjectivesDall’s sheep (Ovis dalli dalli) are important herbivores in the mountainous ecosystems of northwestern North America, and recent declines in some populations have sparked concern. Our aim was to improve capabilities for fecal metabarcoding diet analysis of Dall’s sheep and other herbivores by contributing new sequence data for arctic and...
Williams, Kelly E.; Menning, Damian M.; Wald, Eric J.; Talbot, Sandra L.; Rattenbury, Kumi L.; Prugh, Laura R.
Year Published: 2021
Abundance of a recently discovered Alaskan rhodolith bed in a shallow, seagrass-dominated lagoon
Rhodoliths are important foundation species of the benthic photic zone but are poorly known and rarely studied in Alaska. A bed of Lithothamnion soriferum rhodoliths was discovered in 2008 in Kinzarof Lagoon, Alaska, a shallow-water embayment dominated by eelgrass (Zostera marina). Rhodolith presence and biomass were estimated to assess trends...
Ward, David H.; Amundson, Courtney; Fitzmorris, Patrick; Menning, Damian M.; Markis, Joel; Sowl, Kristine M.; Lindstrom, Sandra C.
Year Published: 2021
Metabarcoding of environmental samples suggest wide distribution of eelgrass (Zostera marina) pathogens in the north Pacific
Seagrass meadows provide important ecological services to the marine environment but are declining worldwide. Although eelgrass meadows in the north Pacific are thought to be relatively healthy, few studies have assessed the presence of known disease pathogens in these meadows. In a pilot study to test the efficacy of the methods and to provide...
Menning, Damian M.; Gravley, Hunter A; Cady, Melissa N.; Pepin, Daniel J; Wyllie-Echeverria, Sandy; Ward, David H.; Talbot, Sandra L.
Year Published: 2020
Microbiomes from biorepositories? 16S rRNA bacterial amplicon sequencing of archived and contemporary intestinal samples of wild mammals (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae)
Interest in gut microbial community composition has exploded recently as a result of the increasing ability to characterize these organisms and a growing understanding of their role in host fitness. New technologies, such as next generation amplicon (16S rRNA) sequencing, have enabled identification of bacterial communities from samples of diverse...
Greiman, Stephen E.; Cook, Joseph A.; Odem, Timothy; Cranmer, Katelyn; Liphardt, Schuyler W; Menning, Damian M.; Sonsthagen, Sarah A.; Talbot, Sandra L.
Year Published: 2020
Environmental DNA: An emerging tool for understanding aquatic biodiversity
Field surveys for aquatic organisms provide critical information that is important for robust resource management. However, such surveys are expensive and labor intensive, particularly in large, remote landscapes like those that characterize much of Alaska. Traditionally, characterizing aquatic biodiversity necessitated the physical capture and...
Simmons, Trey; Menning, Damian M.; Talbot, Sandra L.
Year Published: 2020
Are migratory waterfowl vectors of seagrass pathogens?
Migratory waterfowl vector plant seeds and other tissues, but little attention has focused on the potential of avian vectoring of plant pathogens. Extensive meadows of eelgrass (Zostera marina) in southwest Alaska support hundreds of thousands of waterfowl during fall migration and may be susceptible to plant pathogens. We recovered DNA of...
Menning, Damian M.; Ward, David H.; Wyllie-Echeverria, Sandy; Sage, Kevin; Gravley, Megan C.; Gravley, Hunter; Talbot, Sandra L.
Year Published: 2020
Using redundant primer sets to detect multiple native Alaskan fish species from environmental DNA
Accurate and timely data regarding freshwater fish communities is important for informed decision-making by local, state, tribal, and federal land and resource managers; however, conducting traditional gear-based fish surveys can be an expensive and time-consuming process, particularly in remote areas, like those that characterize much of Alaska....
Menning, Damian M.; Simmons, Trey; Talbot, Sandra L.
Year Published: 2019
Micro-geographic population genetic structure within Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) in Beaufort Sea of Alaska
Many marine organisms show significant levels of genetic heterogeneity on local spatial scales despite exhibiting limited genetic structure at large geographic scales which can be produced through a variety of mechanisms. The Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) is a circumpolar species and is a vital species in Arctic food webs. To examine population...
Wilson, Robert E.; Sage, George K.; Wedemeyer, Kate; Sonsthagen, Sarah A.; Menning, Damian M.; Gravley, Megan C.; Nelson, R. John; Talbot, Sandra L.
Year Published: 2018
Museum metabarcoding: a novel method revealing gut helminth communities of small mammals across space and time
Natural history collections spanning multiple decades provide fundamental historical baselines to measure and understand changing biodiversity. New technologies such as next generation DNA sequencing (NGS) have considerably increased the potential of museum specimens to address significant questions regarding the impact of environmental changes on...
Greiman, Stephen E.; Cook, Joseph A.; Tkach, Vasyl V.; Hoberg, Eric P.; Menning, Damian M.; Hope, Andrew G.; Sonsthagen, Sarah A.; Talbot, Sandra L.View Citation
Greiman, S.E., Cook, J.A., Tkachc, V.V., Hobergb, E.P, Menning, D.M., Hope A.G., Sonsthagen, S.A., Talbot, S.L., 2018. Museum metabarcoding: a novel method revealing gut helminth communities of small mammals across space and time. International Journal for Parasitology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpara.2018.08.001
Year Published: 2018
A transcriptome resource for the Arctic Cod (Boreogadus saida)
Arctic Cod (Boreogadus saida) serve as an important link in Arctic food webs and are thus considered an important species for environmental monitoring. RNA-Seq was conducted on samples from wild-collected individuals representing various age classes and tissue types to obtain as complete a transcriptome as possible on an Illumina MiSeq, which...
Wilson, Robert E.; Menning, Damian M.; Wedemeyer, Kate; Talbot, Sandra L.View Citation
Wilson, R.E., D.M. Menning, K. Wedemeyer, S.L. Talbot. 2018. A transcriptome resource for the Arctic Cod (Boreogadus saida), Marine Genomics, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margen.2018.03.003
Year Published: 2017
Genomics of Arctic cod
The Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) is an abundant marine fish that plays a vital role in the marine food web. To better understand the population genetic structure and the role of natural selection acting on the maternally-inherited mitochondrial genome (mitogenome), a molecule often associated with adaptations to temperature, we analyzed genetic...
Wilson, Robert E.; Sage, George K.; Sonsthagen, Sarah A.; Gravley, Megan C.; Menning, Damian M.; Talbot, Sandra L.View Citation
Wilson, R.E, G.K. Sage, S.A. Sonsthagen, M.C. Gravley, D.M. Menning, and S.L. Talbot. 2017. Genomics of Arctic Cod. Anchorage, AK: US Dept. of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Alaska OCS Region. OCS Study BOEM 2017-066. 92pp. https://www.boem.gov/Alaska-Reports-2017/
Pre-USGS Publications
Menning, D. M., W. A. Carraher-Stross, E. D. Graham, D. N. Thomas, A. R. Phillips, R. J. Scharping, and J. R. Garey. 2017. Aquifer Discharge Drives Microbial Community Change in Karst Estuaries. Estuaries and Coasts 41(2):430-443. doi:10.1007/s12237-017-0281-7
Menning, D. M., J. G. Wynn, and J. R. Garey. 2015. Karst estuaries are governed by interactions between inland hydrological conditions and sea level. Journal of Hydrology 527:718-733. doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2015.05.021
Menning, D. M., L. M. Boop, E. D. Graham, and J. R. Garey. 2014. Molecular analyses of microbial abundance and diversity in the water column of anchialine caves in Mallorca, Spain. International Journal of Speleology 43:217-226. doi:10.5038/1827-806X.43.2.9
Garey, J. R. and D. M. Menning. 2012. The dynamics of community structure within a submarine coastal spring with an anchialine source. Natura Croatica 21(1):43-46.
Date published: August 6, 2018
Python scripts for Bioinformatics, 2017
Bioinformatics software repository containing python scripts intended for search and download of genetic information obtained from GenBank NCBI genetics data resources in support of developing PCR primers, targeted genetic databases, genetic analyses, and data interpretation. Includes multiple functions to streamline this process.