David B Bunnell
Biography
I am a Research Fishery Biologist at the Great Lakes Science Center, and Associate Adjunct Professor at the University of Michigan. I am the Principal Investigator (PI) for multiple projects that study community and ecosystem-level processes within the Great Lakes and at the global scale. In short, my research seeks to understand the ecological factors (e.g., resources, climate, predation) that can explain or predict fish biomass, consistent with an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries science and management.
Education
Ph.D. 2002. The Ohio State University; Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, Columbus, OH. Dissertation Title: “Exploring mechanisms regulating recruitment of white crappie in Ohio reservoirs.”
M.S. 1997. Clemson University; Fisheries Biology, Clemson, SC. Thesis title: “Diel movement of brown trout in a southern Appalachian river.”
B.S. 1995. Centre College, Magna cum laude; Biology, Danville, KY.
Professional Experience
October 2004 – present. Research Fishery Biologist, USGS Great Lakes Science Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan
August 2003 – October 2004. Assistant Research Scientist, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, Solomons, Maryland.
August 2002 – August 2003. Post-doctoral researcher, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Wheatley, Ontario.
July 1997 – December 2002. Graduate Research Associate, Ohio State University, Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, Columbus, Ohio.
July 1995 – May 1997. Graduate Research Associate, Clemson University Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Clemson, SC.
Publications
Science and Products
Lake Michigan offshore ecosystem structure and food web changes from 1987 to 2008
Ecosystems undergo dynamic changes owing to species invasions, fisheries management decisions, landscape modifications, and nutrient inputs. At Lake Michigan, new invaders (e.g., dreissenid mussels (Dreissena spp.), spiny water flea (Bythotrephes longimanus), round goby (Neogobius melanostomus)) have proliferated and altered energy transfer...
Rogers, Mark W.; Bunnell, David B.; Madenjian, Charles P.; Warner, David M. Diet of Mysis diluviana reveals seasonal patterns of omnivory and consumption of invasive species in offshore Lake Michigan
Recent changes in Lake Michigan’s lower trophic levels were hypothesized to have influenced the diet of omnivorous Mysis diluviana. In this study, the stomach contents of Mysis were examined from juvenile and adults collected monthly (April–October) from a 110-m bottom depth site to describe their seasonal diet in LakeMichigan during...
O'Malley, Brian P.; Bunnell, David B. Population-level effects of egg predation on a native planktivore in a large freshwater lake
Using a 37-year recruitment time series, we uncovered a field pattern revealing a strong, inverse relationship between bloater Coregonus hoyi recruitment success and slimy sculpin Cottus cognatus biomass in Lake Michigan (United States), one of the largest freshwater lakes of the world. Given that slimy sculpins (and deepwater sculpin...
Bunnell, David B.; Mychek-Londer, Justin G.; Madenjian, Charles P. Modeling turbidity type and intensity effects on the growth and starvation mortality of age-0 yellow perch
We sought to quantify the possible population-level influence of sediment plumes and algal blooms on yellow perch (Perca flavescens), a visual predator found in systems with dynamic water clarity. We used an individual-based model (IBM), which allowed us to include variance in water clarity and the distribution of individual sizes. Our IBM was...
Manning, Nathan M; Bossenbroek, Jonathan M.; Mayer, Christine M.; Bunnell, David B.; Tyson, Jeff T.; Rudstam, Lars G.; Jackson, James R. Nearshore energy subsidies support Lake Michigan fishes and invertebrates following major changes in food web structure
Aquatic food webs that incorporate multiple energy channels (e.g. nearshore benthic or pelagic) with varying productivity and turnover rates convey stability to biological communities by providing multiple independent energy sources. Within the Lake Michigan food web, invasive dreissenid mussels have caused rapid changes to food web structure and...
Turschak, Benjamin A.; Bunnell, David B.; Czesny, Sergiusz J.; Höök, Tomas O.; Janssen, John; Warner, David M.; Bootsma, Harvey A. Changing ecosystem dynamics in the Laurentian Great Lakes: bottom-up and top-down regulation
Understanding the relative importance of top-down and bottom-up regulation of ecosystem structure is a fundamental ecological question, with implications for fisheries and water-quality management. For the Laurentian Great Lakes, where, since the early 1970s, nutrient inputs have been reduced, whereas top-predator biomass has increased, we...
Bunnell, David B.; Barbiero, Richard P.; Ludsin, Stuart A.; Madenjian, Charles P.; Warren, Glenn J.; Dolan, David M.; Brenden, Travis O.; Briland, Ruth; Gorman, Owen T.; He, Ji X.; Johengen, Thomas H.; Lantry, Brian F.; Lesht, Barry M.; Nalepa, Thomas F.; Riley, Stephen C.; Riseng, Catherine M.; Treska, Ted J.; Tsehaye, Iyob; Walsh, Maureen; Warner, David M.; Weidel, Brian C. Comparative recruitment dynamics of Alewife and Bloater in Lakes Michigan and Huron
The predictive power of recruitment models often relies on the identification and quantification of external variables, in addition to stock size. In theory, the identification of climatic, biotic, or demographic influences on reproductive success assists fisheries management by identifying factors that have a direct and reproducible influence on...
Collingsworth, Paris D.; Bunnell, David B.; Madenjian, Charles P.; Riley, Stephen C. Openness to the unexpected: Our Pathways to Careers in a Federal Research Laboratory.
Many fisheries professionals may not be in the job they originally envisioned for themselves when they began their undergraduate studies. Rather, their current positions could be the result of unexpected, opportunistic, or perhaps even “lucky” open doors that led them down an unexpected path. In many cases, a mentor helped facilitate...
Taylor, William W.; Lynch, Abigail J.; Léonard, Nancy J.; Newman, Kurt R.; Bunnell, David B.; Hondorp, Darryl W. Gastric evacuation rate, index of fullness, and daily ration of Lake Michigan slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus) and deepwater sculpin (Myoxocephalus thompsonii)
Accurate estimates of fish consumption are required to understand trophic interactions and facilitate ecosystem-based fishery management. Despite their importance within the food-web, no method currently exists to estimate daily consumption for Great Lakes slimy (Cottus cognatus) and deepwater sculpin (Myoxocephalus thompsonii). We conducted...
Mychek-Londer, Justin G.; Bunnell, David B.
A conceptual framework for Lake Michigan coastal/nearshore ecosystems, with application to Lake Michigan Lakewide Management Plan (LaMP) objectives
The Lakewide Management Plans (LaMPs) within the Great Lakes region are examples of broad-scale, collaborative resource-management efforts that require a sound ecosystems approach. Yet, the LaMP process is lacking a holistic framework that allows these individual actions to be planned and understood within the broader context of the Great Lakes...
Seelbach, Paul W.; Fogarty, Lisa R.; Bunnell, David Bo; Haack, Sheridan K.; Rogers, Mark W. Using diets to reveal overlap and egg predation among benthivorous fishes in Lake Michigan
Ecological stability in the Laurentian Great Lakes has been altered by nonindigenous species, such as the Round Goby Neogobius melanostomus and dreissenid mussels, and by declines in native amphipods Diporeia spp. We evaluated whether these changes could influence diet overlap between three benthivorous fishes (Slimy Sculpin Cottus cognatus,...
Mychek-Londer, Justin G.; Bunnell, David B.; Stott, Wendylee; Diana, James S.; French, John R. P.; Chriscinske, Margret Chinook salmon foraging patterns in a changing Lake Michigan
Since Pacific salmon stocking began in Lake Michigan, managers have attempted to maintain salmon abundance at high levels within what can be sustained by available prey fishes, primarily Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus. Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha are the primary apex predators in pelagic Lake Michigan and patterns in their prey selection...
Jacobs, Gregory R.; Madenjian, Charles P.; Bunnell, David B.; Warner, David M.; Claramunt, Randall M.