David Mushet
Biography
David (Dave) Mushet is a Research Wildlife Biologist and Chief of the Climate and Land-use Branch at the Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center in Jamestown, ND. Dr. Mushet’s research is focused principally on prairie-pothole wetland ecosystems of the northern Great Plains and has included topics such as the provisioning of ecosystem services, the development of complex systems models, and the influences of changing environmental drivers (e.g., climate and land-use) on wetland ecosystem processes. In his role as Chief of the Climate and Land-use Branch, Dave supervises several other research scientists working together to meet the science information needs of the Department of the Interior, and other partner agencies and organizations.
Education
- Ph.D., 2010, Environmental and Conservation Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND
- B.S., 1991, Wildlife Biology, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA
Professional Experience
- Chief, Climate and Land-use Change Branch USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center (2015-present)
- Research Wildlife Biologist, USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center (2011-present)
- Associate Editor, Wetlands (2011-present)
- Adjunct Faculty Member, North Dakota State University (2012-present)
- Adjunct Faculty Member, Oklahoma State University (2018-present)
- President North Central Chapter Society of Wetland Scientists (2015-2017)
- Wildlife Biologist, USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center (1999-2011)
- Biological Science Technician, USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center (1992-1999)
Affiliations
- Society of Wetland Scientists
- Great Plains Natural Science Society
- The Wildlife Society, ND Chapter
- Society for Conservation Biology
Partners
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- USDA – Natural Resources Conservation Service
- USDA – Farm Service Agency
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Multiple Universities
Science and Products
Climate-driven state shifts in the Prairie Pothole Region: assessing future impacts relevant to the management of wetland habitats critical to waterfowl
The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) covers parts of five states and three Canadian provinces. The region contains millions of wetlands that annually produce 50-80% of the continent’s duck population. Previous modeling efforts indicated that climate change would result in a shift of waterfowl habitat from the central PPR to the southeast PPR where the majority of wetlands have been drained....
Temporal and spatial patterning of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities in response to changing environmental conditions
An increased understanding of prairie-pothole-wetland macroinvertebrate dynamics is crucial to better inform conservation strategies related to waterfowl production, biodiversity enhancement, and wetland function/health maintenance. Wetlands in general are highly variable in space and time, and wetland macroinvertebrates are adapted to this great variability. Wetland ecosystems are also...
Application and Refinement of a Systems Model for Prairie Pothole Wetlands
The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of North America is one of the most important breeding areas for continental waterfowl populations, a Department of Interior (DOI) trust resource. Land use and climate both influence the functioning of the region’s wetland ecosystems, with effects not just on the waterfowl that depend on these wetlands, but also on the services they provide to society, such as...
Managing upland vegetation as a mitigation strategy for climate change impacts on prairie-pothole wetlands
The goal of this research is to increase knowledge of climate change effects on prairie-pothole wetlands and their ability to provide habitat to breeding waterfowl, and to identify potential upland management strategies with the potential to mitigate negative effects. Wetland simulation models suggest that climate change may result in increased drying of prairie-pothole wetlands as increased...
Quantifying ecosystem services provided by depressional wetlands in the Upper Mississippi
Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center has conducted multiple research efforts related to developing methodology for quantifying the environmental and societal services provided by prairie-pothole wetland ecosystems. In this effort, we are exploring the feasibility of applying methodologies similar to those developed wetland ecosystems within the Prairie Pothole Region to other landscapes...
Quantify the multiple services performed by wetland ecosystems in the Prairie Pothole Region of the United States
This research effort is focused on incorporating land-use and land-cover change into forecasting models that accounted for variations in agricultural and conservation practices and programs. The primary tool being used is the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) modeling suite. We have parameterized this modeling tool for the prairie-pothole region, and developed...
Development, application, and refinement of a systems model fo prairie wetlands
NPWRC is developing, applying, and refining an integrated, process-based, systems model for prairie-pothole wetlands to facilitate forecasts of how climate and land-use change will affect wetland processes and biota. The Pothole Hydrology Linked System Simulator model (PHyLiSS) simulates changes in hydrology, water chemistry, plant communities, invertebrates, and other biota as a result of...
Development and validation of wetland-connectivity indicators in the U.S. Prairie Pothole Region
We are working in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to (1) quantify cumulative effects of prairie-pothole wetlands on stream communities; (2) explore relationships between aquatic-system connectivity and genetic-, species-, and ecosystem-scale biological diversity at watershed and landscape scales; (3) develop mapping unit descriptors based on biotic community traits...
USDA Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) durability assessment with FORT
Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center is assisting the Fort Collins Science Center (FORT) in conducting an assessment of the current status of agricultural lands that were previously, but not currently, enrolled in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The goal of...
North American Analysis and Synthesis on the Connectivity of "Geographically Isolated Wetlands" to Downstream Waters
Geographically Isolated Wetlands (GIWs) occur along gradients of hydrologic and ecological connectivity and isolation, even within wetland types (e.g., forested, emergent marshes) and functional classes (e.g., ephemeral systems, permanent systems, etc.). Within a given watershed, the relative positions of wetlands and open-waters along these gradients influence the type and magnitude of their...
Missouri Coteau Wetland Ecosystem Observatory: Understanding effects of land-use and climate change on wetland ecosystems of the Prairie Pothole Region
The Missouri Coteau Wetland Ecosystem Observatory is dedicated to increasing knowledge of prairie wetland ecosystems and how they function in the face of climate and land-use change. Research currently includes studies of groundwater hydrology, geochemistry, greenhouse-gas emissions, aquatic biota, climate change, and pesticide transformations.
Wetland conservation in the United States: A swinging pendulum
No abstract available.
Mushet, David M.; Aram Calhoun Development of a novel framework for modeling field-scale conservation effects of depressional wetlands in agricultural landscapes
The intermixed cropland, grassland, and wetland ecosystems of the upper mid-western United States combine to provide a suite of valuable ecological services. Grassland and wetland losses in the upper midwestern United States have been extensive, but government-funded conservation programs have protected and restored hundreds of thousands of acres...
McKenna, Owen P.; Osorio, Javier M.; Behrman, Katherine D.; Doro, Luca; Mushet, David M. Improving the ability to include freshwater wetland plants in process-based models
Considerable effort and resources have been placed into conservation programs designed to reduce or alleviate negative environmental effects of crop production and into evaluation of the benefits of these programs. Wetlands are an important source of ecosystem services, but modeling wetland plants is an emerging science. To date, wetland plant...
Williams, Amber S.; Mushet, David M.; Lang, Megan; McCarty, Gregory W.; Shaffer, Jill A.; Kahara, Sharon N. ; Johnson, Mari-Vaughn V.; Kiniry, James R. Wetlands in agricultural landscapes—Significant findings and recent advances from CEAP-Wetlands
The Wetlands Component of the USDA's Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP-Wetlands) is a multi-agency effort advancing science related to quantifying and interpreting effects and effectiveness of conservation practices and programs on ecosystem services provided by wetlands in agricultural landscapes. This special section originated from...
Mushet, David M.; Effland, William R. Climate- versus geographic-dependent patterns in the spatial distribution ofmacroinvertebrate assemblages in New World depressional wetlands
Analyses of biota at lower latitudes may presage impacts of climate change on biota at higher latitudes. Macroinvertebrate assemblages in depressional wetlands may be especially sensitive to climate change because weather‐related precipitation and evapotranspiration are dominant ecological controls on habitats, and organisms of depressional...
Stenert, C.; Pires, M.M.; Epele, L.B.; Grech, M.G.; Maltchik, L.; Mclean, Kyle I.; Mushet, David M.; Batzer, D.P. Modeling the supporting ecosystem services of depressional wetlands
We explored how a geographic information system modeling approach could be used to quantify supporting ecosystem services related to the type, abundance, and distribution of landscape components. Specifically, we use the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs model to quantify habitats that support amphibians and birds, floral...
Mushet, David M.; Roth, Cali L. A hydrologic landscapes perspective on groundwater connectivity of depressional wetlands
Research into processes governing the hydrologic connectivity of depressional wetlands has advanced rapidly in recent years. Nevertheless, a need persists for broadly applicable, non-site-specific guidance to facilitate further research. Here, we explicitly use the hydrologic landscapes theoretical framework to develop broadly applicable...
Neff, Brian P.; Rosenberry, Donald O.; Leibowitz, Scott G.; Mushet, David M.; Golden, Heather E.; Rains, Mark C.; Brooks, Renee; Lane, Charles R. Invertebrate communities of Prairie-Pothole wetlands in the age of the aquatic Homogenocene
Simplification of communities is a common consequence of anthropogenic modification. However, the prevalence and mechanisms of biotic homogenization among wetland systems require further examination. Biota of wetlands in the North American Prairie Pothole Region are adapted to high spatial and temporal variability in ponded-water duration and...
Mclean, Kyle I.; Mushet, David M.; Sweetman, Jon N.; Anteau, Michael J.; Wiltermuth, Mark Alternative stable states in inherently unstable systems
Alternative stable states are nontransitory states within which communities can exist. However, even highly dynamic communities can be viewed within the framework of stable‐state theory if an appropriate “ecologically relevant” time scale is identified. The ecologically relevant time scale for dynamic systems needs to conform to the amount of time...
Mushet, David M.; McKenna, Owen P.; Mclean, Kyle I. Synergistic interaction of climate and land-use drivers alter the function of North American, Prairie-pothole Wetlands
Prairie-pothole wetlands provide the critical habitat necessary for supporting North American migratory waterfowl populations. However, climate and land-use change threaten the sustainability of these wetland ecosystems. Very few experiments and analyses have been designed to investigate the relative impacts of climate and land-use change drivers...
McKenna, Owen P.; Kucia, Samuel Richard; Mushet, David M.; Anteau, Michael J.; Wiltermuth, Mark
Study design and methods for a wetland condition assessment on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fee-title lands in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana, USA
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) manages wetlands and grasslands for wildlife habitat throughout the central North American Prairie Pothole Region (PPR). PPR wetlands, or potholes, are widely recognized as critical habitats for North American migratory waterfowl, waterbirds, and other wildlife. Potholes also provide other ecosystem...
Tangen, Brian; Bansal, Sheel; Fern, Rachel R.; DeKeyser, Edward S.; Hargiss, Christina L. M.; Mushet, David M.; Dixon, Cami S. Conservation of temporary wetlands
Temporary wetlands are characterized by frequent drying resulting in a unique, highly specialized assemblage of often rare or specialized plant and animal species. They are found on all continents and in a variety of landscape settings. Although accurate estimates of the abundance of temporary wetlands are available in only a few countries, global...
Boix, Dani; Calhoun, Aram J.K.; Mushet, David M.; Bell, Kathleen P.; Fitzsimons, James A.; Isselin-Nondedeu, Francis
Webcam - Cottonwood Lake Study Area, North Dakota
Webcam overlooking wetland P8 at the USGS Cottonwood Lake Study Area in Stutsman County, North Dakota.
Public Invitation: Jamestown Science Center Opens Doors for Interactive Experience
The public is invited to attend a free, family-friendly open house at a local U.S. Geological Survey center for ecology research on Saturday, September 16.