James L Bodkin (Former Employee)
Science and Products
Primary Production Sources and Bottom-up Limitations in Nearshore Ecosystems
Kelp forests are among the world’s most productive habitats, but recent evidence suggests that production is highly variable.
Intertidal Temperature Data from Kachemak Bay, Prince William Sound, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Kenai Fjords National Park
These data are part of the Gulf Watch Alaska (GWA) long-term monitoring program. This dataset consists of date, time, and temperature measurements from intertidal rocky sampling sites, including predicted tide height at the time of the reading, which is used to distinguish air from water temperature readings. The data are provided as comma separated values (.csv) files derived from data downloaded
Intertidal Mussel (Mytilus) Data from Prince William Sound, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Kenai Fjords National Park
These data are part of the Gulf Watch Alaska (GWA) long-term monitoring program and describe mussel sampling and observations conducted in the northern Gulf of Alaska. This dataset consists of six comma separated files (.csv): 1) mussel sampling site layout information, 2) mussel counts for mussels greater than 20 millimeters in a quadrat, 3) mussel size measurements for mussels greater than 20 mi
Sea Otter Survey Data, Carcass Recovery Data, and Blood Chemistry Data from Southwest Alaska
Three data sets are included here to aid in assessment of the sea otter population collapse in southwest Alaska. One data set consists of results of sea otter surveys conducted between 1959 and 2015 at Bering Island, Russia and a selection of western Aleutian Islands in Alaska. Sea otter counts are reduced to a comparable value of otters per linear kilometer. Another data set consists per-capita a
Data for Gene Transcription Patterns in Response to Low Level Petroleum Contaminants in Mytilus trossulus from Field Sites and Harbors in Southcentral Alaska
Marine mussels are a ubiquitous and crucial component of the nearshore environment, and new genomic technologies exist to quantify molecular responses of individual mussels to stimuli, including exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). We used gene-based assays of exposure and physiological function to assess lingering oil damage from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill using the Pacific b
Sea Otter Gene Transcription Data from Kodiak, the Alaska Peninsula, and Prince William Sound, Alaska, 2005-2012
This data set includes capture location, date, sex, and results of molecular gene transcription analysis for sea otters (Enhydra lutris) sampled in western Prince William Sound (WPWS), Alaska and comparison samples collected from Kodiak and the Alaska Peninsula, and reference samples collected from captive animals. Samples were collected between 2005 and 2012.
(Molecular gene transcription is t
SUPERSEDED: Gulf Watch Alaska Nearshore Component: Intertidal Mussel Site Data from Prince William Sound, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Kenai Fjords National Park, 2016
This data release has been SUPERSEDED. No data are provided here. Data from Gulf Watch Alaska nearshore mussel sampling data releases have been appended to U.S. Geological Survey data release: https://doi.org/10.5066/F7FN1498.
This data is part of the Gulf Watch Alaska (GWA) long term monitoring program, nearshore monitoring component. Specifically, these data describe mussel sampling and observa
Gulf Watch Alaska Nearshore Component: Monitoring Site Locations from Prince William Sound, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Kenai Fjords National Park
These data are part of the Gulf Watch Alaska (GWA) long term monitoring program, nearshore monitoring component. Specifically, these data describe site locations for rocky intertidal, mussel sampling, soft sediment bivalve sampling, and eelgrass bed sampling in the northern Gulf of Alaska within the GWA program. The dataset consists of two comma separated files exported from a Microsoft Excel work
Filter Total Items: 138
Planktonic to sessile: Drivers of spatial and temporal variability across barnacle life stages and indirect effects of the Pacific Marine Heatwave
Barnacles are a foundation species in intertidal habitats. During the Pacific Marine Heatwave (PMH), intertidal barnacle cover increased in the northern Gulf of Alaska (GoA); however, the role of pelagic larval supply in this increase was unknown. Using long-term monitoring data on intertidal benthic (percent cover) and pelagic larval populations (nauplii and cyprid concentrations), we examined po
Authors
Sarah Beth Traiger, James L. Bodkin, Rob Campbell, Heather Coletti, Daniel Esler, Kris Holderied, Katrin Iken, Brenda Konar, Caitlin McKinstry, Daniel Monson, Jessica Pretty, Martin Renner, Brian H. Robinson, Robert M. Suryan, Benjamin P Weitzman
Relative importance of macroalgae and phytoplankton to nearshore consumers and growth across climatic conditions in the northern Gulf of Alaska
Macroalgae and phytoplankton support the base of highly productive nearshore ecosystems in cold-temperate regions. To better understand their relative importance to nearshore food webs, this study considered four regions in the northern Gulf of Alaska where three indicator consumers were collected, filter-feeding mussels (Mytilus trossulus), pelagic-feeding Black Rockfish (Sebastes melanops), and
Authors
Katherine Corliss, Vanessa R. von Biela, Heather Coletti, James L. Bodkin, Daniel Esler, Katrin Iken
Lack of strong responses to the Pacific marine heatwave by benthivorous marine birds indicates importance of trophic drivers
The Pacific marine heatwave (PMH) of 2014-2016 was an intense, long-lasting environmental disturbance expressed throughout the north Pacific. While dramatic consequences of the PMH on pelagic food webs have been well documented, effects on nearshore food webs, i.e., those based on macroalgae primary productivity, benthic invertebrate intermediate consumers, and specialized benthivorous top predato
Authors
Brian H. Robinson, Heather A. Coletti, Brenda Ballachey, James L. Bodkin, Kimberly A. Kloecker, Sarah Beth Traiger, Daniel Esler
Gene expression and wildlife health: Varied interpretations based on perspective
We evaluated wildlife population health from the perspective of statistical means vs. variances. We outlined the choices necessary to provide the framework for our study. These consisted of spatial and temporal boundaries (e.g., choice of sentinel species, populations, time frame), measurement techniques (molecular to population level), and appropriate statistical analyses. We chose to assess the
Authors
Lizabeth Bowen, Julie L. Yee, James L. Bodkin, Shannon C. Waters, Michael J. Murray, Heather Coletti, Brenda E. Ballachey, Daniel Monson, A. Keith Miles
Revealing the extent of sea otter impacts on bivalve prey through multi-trophic monitoring and mechanistic models
Sea otters are apex predators that can exert considerable influence over the nearshore communities they occupy. Since facing near extinction in the early 1900s, sea otters are making a remarkable recovery in Southeast Alaska, particularly in Glacier Bay, the largest protected tidewater glacier fjord in the world. The expansion of sea otters across Glacier Bay offers both a challenge to monitoring
Authors
Clinton B. Leach, Benjamin P. Weitzman, James L. Bodkin, Daniel Esler, George G. Esslinger, Kimberly A. Kloecker, Daniel Monson, Jamie N. Womble, Mevin B. Hooten
Brown bear–sea otter interactions along the Katmai coast: Terrestrial and nearshore communities linked by predation
Sea otters were extirpated throughout much of their range by the maritime fur trade in the 18th and 19th centuries, including the coast of Katmai National Park and Preserve in southcentral Alaska. Brown bears are an important component of the Katmai ecosystem where they are the focus of a thriving ecotourism bear-viewing industry as they forage in sedge meadows and dig clams in the extensive tidal
Authors
Daniel Monson, Rebecca L. Taylor, Grant Hilderbrand, Joy Erlenbach, Heather Coletti, James L. Bodkin
Where land and sea meet: Brown bears and sea otters
In Katmai National Park, Alaska, USA, we have seen changes in the number of brown bears and sea otters. The number of animals of a species a habitat can support is called carrying capacity. Even though bears live on land and sea otters live in the ocean, these two mammals share coastal habitats. Bears eat salmon, other fish, plants, clams, and beached whales. Sea otters feed on clams and other mar
Authors
Heather Coletti, Grant Hilderbrand, James L. Bodkin, Brenda E. Ballachey, Joy Erlenbach, George G. Esslinger, Michael P. Hannam, Kimberly A. Kloecker, Buck Mangipane, Amy Miller, Daniel Monson, Benjamin Pister, K. Griffin, K. Bodkin, Tom Smith
Evidence of increased mussel abundance related to the Pacific marine heatwave and sea star wasting
Mussels occupy a key middle trophic position in nearshore food webs linking primary producers to predators. Climate-related environmental changes may synergistically combine with changes in predator abundance to affect intertidal ecosystems. We examined the influence of two major events on mussel (Mytilus trossulus) abundance in the northern Gulf of Alaska: the recent Pacific marine heatwave (PMH,
Authors
Sarah Beth Traiger, James L. Bodkin, Heather Coletti, Brenda Ballachey, Dean Thomas, Daniel Esler, Katrin Iken, Brenda Konar, Mandy Lindeberg, Daniel Monson, Brian H. Robinson, Robert M. Suryan, Ben Weitzman
Sea otter foraging behavior
Sea otters are marine specialists but diet generalists, which feed primarily on benthic mega-invertebrates (i.e., body dimension >1 cm). They locate and capture epibenthic and infaunal prey with their forepaws by relying on vision and tactile sensitivity during short-duration dives (generally <2 min) in shallow waters (routine dives <30 m and maximum dive depth ~100 m) of the littoral zone. Sea ot
Authors
Randall W. Davis, James L. Bodkin
Translocations maintain genetic diversity and increase connectivity in sea otters, Enhydra lutris
Sea otters, Enhydra lutris, were once abundant along the nearshore areas of the North Pacific. The international maritime fur trade that ended in 1911 left 13 small remnant populations with low genetic diversity. Subsequent translocations into previously occupied habitat resulted in several reintroduced populations along the coast of North America. We sampled sea otters between 2008 and 2011 throu
Authors
Shawn E. Larson, Roderick B. Gagne, James L. Bodkin, Michael J. Murray, Katherine Ralls, Lizabeth Bowen, Raphael Leblois, Sylvain Piry, Maria Cecilia Penedo, M. Tim Tinker, Holly B. Ernest
Sea otter population collapse in southwest Alaska: Assessing ecological covariates, consequences, and causal factors
Sea otter (Enhydra lutris) populations in southwest Alaska declined substantially between about 1990 and the most recent set of surveys in 2015. Here we report changes in the distribution and abundance of sea otters, and covarying patterns in reproduction, mortality, body size and condition, diet and foraging behavior, food availability, health profiles, and exposure to environmental contaminants
Authors
M. Tim Tinker, James L. Bodkin, Lizabeth Bowen, Brenda Ballachey, Gena Bentall, Alexander Burdin, Heather Coletti, George G. Esslinger, Brian B. Hatfield, Michael C. Kenner, Kimberly A. Kloecker, Brenda Konar, A. Keith Miles, Daniel Monson, Michael J. Murray, Ben Weitzman, James A. Estes
Ecosystem response persists after a prolonged marine heatwave
Some of the longest and most comprehensive marine ecosystem monitoring programs were established in the Gulf of Alaska following the environmental disaster of the Exxon Valdez oil spill over 30 years ago. These monitoring programs have been successful in assessing recovery from oil spill impacts, and their continuation decades later has now provided an unparalleled assessment of ecosystem response
Authors
Robert M. Suryan, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Heather A. Coletti, Russell R. Hopcroft, Mandy Lindeberg, Steven J. Barbeaux, Sonia Batten, William J. Burt, Mary Anne Bishop, James L. Bodkin, R. Brenner, Robert W. Campbell, Daniel A. Cushing, Seth L. Danielson, Martin W. Dorn, Brie Drummond, Daniel Esler, Thomas S. Gelatt, Dana H. Hanselman, Katrin Iken, David B. Irons, Scott A. Hatch, Stormy Haught, Kris Holderied, David G. Kimmel, Brenda H. Konar, Kathy J. Kuletz, Arthur B. Kettle, Benjamin J. Laurel, John M. Maniscalco, Daniel Monson, Craig O. Matkin, Caitlin McKinstry, John Moran, D. Olsen, John F. Piatt, Wayne A. Palsson, W. Scott Pegau, Lauren A. Rogers, Nora A. Rojek, Anne Schaefer, Ingrid B. Spies, J.M. Straley, Suzanne L. Strom, Marysia Szymkowiak, Ben P. Weitzman, Kathryn L. Sweeney, Ellen M. Yasumiishi, Stephanie Zador
Science and Products
Primary Production Sources and Bottom-up Limitations in Nearshore Ecosystems
Kelp forests are among the world’s most productive habitats, but recent evidence suggests that production is highly variable.
Intertidal Temperature Data from Kachemak Bay, Prince William Sound, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Kenai Fjords National Park
These data are part of the Gulf Watch Alaska (GWA) long-term monitoring program. This dataset consists of date, time, and temperature measurements from intertidal rocky sampling sites, including predicted tide height at the time of the reading, which is used to distinguish air from water temperature readings. The data are provided as comma separated values (.csv) files derived from data downloaded
Intertidal Mussel (Mytilus) Data from Prince William Sound, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Kenai Fjords National Park
These data are part of the Gulf Watch Alaska (GWA) long-term monitoring program and describe mussel sampling and observations conducted in the northern Gulf of Alaska. This dataset consists of six comma separated files (.csv): 1) mussel sampling site layout information, 2) mussel counts for mussels greater than 20 millimeters in a quadrat, 3) mussel size measurements for mussels greater than 20 mi
Sea Otter Survey Data, Carcass Recovery Data, and Blood Chemistry Data from Southwest Alaska
Three data sets are included here to aid in assessment of the sea otter population collapse in southwest Alaska. One data set consists of results of sea otter surveys conducted between 1959 and 2015 at Bering Island, Russia and a selection of western Aleutian Islands in Alaska. Sea otter counts are reduced to a comparable value of otters per linear kilometer. Another data set consists per-capita a
Data for Gene Transcription Patterns in Response to Low Level Petroleum Contaminants in Mytilus trossulus from Field Sites and Harbors in Southcentral Alaska
Marine mussels are a ubiquitous and crucial component of the nearshore environment, and new genomic technologies exist to quantify molecular responses of individual mussels to stimuli, including exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). We used gene-based assays of exposure and physiological function to assess lingering oil damage from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill using the Pacific b
Sea Otter Gene Transcription Data from Kodiak, the Alaska Peninsula, and Prince William Sound, Alaska, 2005-2012
This data set includes capture location, date, sex, and results of molecular gene transcription analysis for sea otters (Enhydra lutris) sampled in western Prince William Sound (WPWS), Alaska and comparison samples collected from Kodiak and the Alaska Peninsula, and reference samples collected from captive animals. Samples were collected between 2005 and 2012.
(Molecular gene transcription is t
SUPERSEDED: Gulf Watch Alaska Nearshore Component: Intertidal Mussel Site Data from Prince William Sound, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Kenai Fjords National Park, 2016
This data release has been SUPERSEDED. No data are provided here. Data from Gulf Watch Alaska nearshore mussel sampling data releases have been appended to U.S. Geological Survey data release: https://doi.org/10.5066/F7FN1498.
This data is part of the Gulf Watch Alaska (GWA) long term monitoring program, nearshore monitoring component. Specifically, these data describe mussel sampling and observa
Gulf Watch Alaska Nearshore Component: Monitoring Site Locations from Prince William Sound, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Kenai Fjords National Park
These data are part of the Gulf Watch Alaska (GWA) long term monitoring program, nearshore monitoring component. Specifically, these data describe site locations for rocky intertidal, mussel sampling, soft sediment bivalve sampling, and eelgrass bed sampling in the northern Gulf of Alaska within the GWA program. The dataset consists of two comma separated files exported from a Microsoft Excel work
Filter Total Items: 138
Planktonic to sessile: Drivers of spatial and temporal variability across barnacle life stages and indirect effects of the Pacific Marine Heatwave
Barnacles are a foundation species in intertidal habitats. During the Pacific Marine Heatwave (PMH), intertidal barnacle cover increased in the northern Gulf of Alaska (GoA); however, the role of pelagic larval supply in this increase was unknown. Using long-term monitoring data on intertidal benthic (percent cover) and pelagic larval populations (nauplii and cyprid concentrations), we examined po
Authors
Sarah Beth Traiger, James L. Bodkin, Rob Campbell, Heather Coletti, Daniel Esler, Kris Holderied, Katrin Iken, Brenda Konar, Caitlin McKinstry, Daniel Monson, Jessica Pretty, Martin Renner, Brian H. Robinson, Robert M. Suryan, Benjamin P Weitzman
Relative importance of macroalgae and phytoplankton to nearshore consumers and growth across climatic conditions in the northern Gulf of Alaska
Macroalgae and phytoplankton support the base of highly productive nearshore ecosystems in cold-temperate regions. To better understand their relative importance to nearshore food webs, this study considered four regions in the northern Gulf of Alaska where three indicator consumers were collected, filter-feeding mussels (Mytilus trossulus), pelagic-feeding Black Rockfish (Sebastes melanops), and
Authors
Katherine Corliss, Vanessa R. von Biela, Heather Coletti, James L. Bodkin, Daniel Esler, Katrin Iken
Lack of strong responses to the Pacific marine heatwave by benthivorous marine birds indicates importance of trophic drivers
The Pacific marine heatwave (PMH) of 2014-2016 was an intense, long-lasting environmental disturbance expressed throughout the north Pacific. While dramatic consequences of the PMH on pelagic food webs have been well documented, effects on nearshore food webs, i.e., those based on macroalgae primary productivity, benthic invertebrate intermediate consumers, and specialized benthivorous top predato
Authors
Brian H. Robinson, Heather A. Coletti, Brenda Ballachey, James L. Bodkin, Kimberly A. Kloecker, Sarah Beth Traiger, Daniel Esler
Gene expression and wildlife health: Varied interpretations based on perspective
We evaluated wildlife population health from the perspective of statistical means vs. variances. We outlined the choices necessary to provide the framework for our study. These consisted of spatial and temporal boundaries (e.g., choice of sentinel species, populations, time frame), measurement techniques (molecular to population level), and appropriate statistical analyses. We chose to assess the
Authors
Lizabeth Bowen, Julie L. Yee, James L. Bodkin, Shannon C. Waters, Michael J. Murray, Heather Coletti, Brenda E. Ballachey, Daniel Monson, A. Keith Miles
Revealing the extent of sea otter impacts on bivalve prey through multi-trophic monitoring and mechanistic models
Sea otters are apex predators that can exert considerable influence over the nearshore communities they occupy. Since facing near extinction in the early 1900s, sea otters are making a remarkable recovery in Southeast Alaska, particularly in Glacier Bay, the largest protected tidewater glacier fjord in the world. The expansion of sea otters across Glacier Bay offers both a challenge to monitoring
Authors
Clinton B. Leach, Benjamin P. Weitzman, James L. Bodkin, Daniel Esler, George G. Esslinger, Kimberly A. Kloecker, Daniel Monson, Jamie N. Womble, Mevin B. Hooten
Brown bear–sea otter interactions along the Katmai coast: Terrestrial and nearshore communities linked by predation
Sea otters were extirpated throughout much of their range by the maritime fur trade in the 18th and 19th centuries, including the coast of Katmai National Park and Preserve in southcentral Alaska. Brown bears are an important component of the Katmai ecosystem where they are the focus of a thriving ecotourism bear-viewing industry as they forage in sedge meadows and dig clams in the extensive tidal
Authors
Daniel Monson, Rebecca L. Taylor, Grant Hilderbrand, Joy Erlenbach, Heather Coletti, James L. Bodkin
Where land and sea meet: Brown bears and sea otters
In Katmai National Park, Alaska, USA, we have seen changes in the number of brown bears and sea otters. The number of animals of a species a habitat can support is called carrying capacity. Even though bears live on land and sea otters live in the ocean, these two mammals share coastal habitats. Bears eat salmon, other fish, plants, clams, and beached whales. Sea otters feed on clams and other mar
Authors
Heather Coletti, Grant Hilderbrand, James L. Bodkin, Brenda E. Ballachey, Joy Erlenbach, George G. Esslinger, Michael P. Hannam, Kimberly A. Kloecker, Buck Mangipane, Amy Miller, Daniel Monson, Benjamin Pister, K. Griffin, K. Bodkin, Tom Smith
Evidence of increased mussel abundance related to the Pacific marine heatwave and sea star wasting
Mussels occupy a key middle trophic position in nearshore food webs linking primary producers to predators. Climate-related environmental changes may synergistically combine with changes in predator abundance to affect intertidal ecosystems. We examined the influence of two major events on mussel (Mytilus trossulus) abundance in the northern Gulf of Alaska: the recent Pacific marine heatwave (PMH,
Authors
Sarah Beth Traiger, James L. Bodkin, Heather Coletti, Brenda Ballachey, Dean Thomas, Daniel Esler, Katrin Iken, Brenda Konar, Mandy Lindeberg, Daniel Monson, Brian H. Robinson, Robert M. Suryan, Ben Weitzman
Sea otter foraging behavior
Sea otters are marine specialists but diet generalists, which feed primarily on benthic mega-invertebrates (i.e., body dimension >1 cm). They locate and capture epibenthic and infaunal prey with their forepaws by relying on vision and tactile sensitivity during short-duration dives (generally <2 min) in shallow waters (routine dives <30 m and maximum dive depth ~100 m) of the littoral zone. Sea ot
Authors
Randall W. Davis, James L. Bodkin
Translocations maintain genetic diversity and increase connectivity in sea otters, Enhydra lutris
Sea otters, Enhydra lutris, were once abundant along the nearshore areas of the North Pacific. The international maritime fur trade that ended in 1911 left 13 small remnant populations with low genetic diversity. Subsequent translocations into previously occupied habitat resulted in several reintroduced populations along the coast of North America. We sampled sea otters between 2008 and 2011 throu
Authors
Shawn E. Larson, Roderick B. Gagne, James L. Bodkin, Michael J. Murray, Katherine Ralls, Lizabeth Bowen, Raphael Leblois, Sylvain Piry, Maria Cecilia Penedo, M. Tim Tinker, Holly B. Ernest
Sea otter population collapse in southwest Alaska: Assessing ecological covariates, consequences, and causal factors
Sea otter (Enhydra lutris) populations in southwest Alaska declined substantially between about 1990 and the most recent set of surveys in 2015. Here we report changes in the distribution and abundance of sea otters, and covarying patterns in reproduction, mortality, body size and condition, diet and foraging behavior, food availability, health profiles, and exposure to environmental contaminants
Authors
M. Tim Tinker, James L. Bodkin, Lizabeth Bowen, Brenda Ballachey, Gena Bentall, Alexander Burdin, Heather Coletti, George G. Esslinger, Brian B. Hatfield, Michael C. Kenner, Kimberly A. Kloecker, Brenda Konar, A. Keith Miles, Daniel Monson, Michael J. Murray, Ben Weitzman, James A. Estes
Ecosystem response persists after a prolonged marine heatwave
Some of the longest and most comprehensive marine ecosystem monitoring programs were established in the Gulf of Alaska following the environmental disaster of the Exxon Valdez oil spill over 30 years ago. These monitoring programs have been successful in assessing recovery from oil spill impacts, and their continuation decades later has now provided an unparalleled assessment of ecosystem response
Authors
Robert M. Suryan, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Heather A. Coletti, Russell R. Hopcroft, Mandy Lindeberg, Steven J. Barbeaux, Sonia Batten, William J. Burt, Mary Anne Bishop, James L. Bodkin, R. Brenner, Robert W. Campbell, Daniel A. Cushing, Seth L. Danielson, Martin W. Dorn, Brie Drummond, Daniel Esler, Thomas S. Gelatt, Dana H. Hanselman, Katrin Iken, David B. Irons, Scott A. Hatch, Stormy Haught, Kris Holderied, David G. Kimmel, Brenda H. Konar, Kathy J. Kuletz, Arthur B. Kettle, Benjamin J. Laurel, John M. Maniscalco, Daniel Monson, Craig O. Matkin, Caitlin McKinstry, John Moran, D. Olsen, John F. Piatt, Wayne A. Palsson, W. Scott Pegau, Lauren A. Rogers, Nora A. Rojek, Anne Schaefer, Ingrid B. Spies, J.M. Straley, Suzanne L. Strom, Marysia Szymkowiak, Ben P. Weitzman, Kathryn L. Sweeney, Ellen M. Yasumiishi, Stephanie Zador
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government