Joseph R Benjamin
I am a Research Biologist at the USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center in Boise, Idaho. My research provides natural resource managers with tools to make more informed decisions regarding the conservation of species and ecosystems.
My team works closely with cooperators to develop ecological models and decision-support tools that meet the needs of decision makers. We develop ecological models that integrate population dynamics, trophic interactions, and environmental variation at multiple scales to improve our understanding of ecosystem dynamics, including impacts of disturbances. Our decision-support models are used to explore management options for aquatic and terrestrial species and landscapes.
Professional Experience
2024 - Present: USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Research Biologist, Boise, ID
2014 - 2024: USGS Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Ecologist/Biologist, Boise, ID
2013 - 2014: Quantitative Consultants, Inc., Staff Scientist, Boise, ID
2010 - 2013: USGS Columbia River Research Laboratory, Fish Biologist, Cook, WA
2006 - 2010: Department of Biology, Idaho State University, Research Assistant, Pocatello, ID
2002 - 2006: USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fisheries Biologist, Boise, ID
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Biology, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID (2010)
M.S., Biology, Boise State University, Boise, ID (2006)
B.S., Biology, Boise State University, Boise, ID (1996)
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Fisheries Society
Ecological Society of America
Society for Freshwater Science
Science and Products
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Filter Total Items: 30
Assisted migration of coho salmon: Influences of passage and habitat availability on population dynamics Assisted migration of coho salmon: Influences of passage and habitat availability on population dynamics
Assisted migration is a means of introducing a species into a previously unoccupied area. Although this idea is relatively new for many species, there are many extant examples involving fish that can be instructive. We studied a case of assisted migration where upstream access of migrating adult coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch over a naturally impassible barrier was established through
Authors
Joseph R. Benjamin, Jason Dunham, Nicholas Scheidt, Carla Rothenbuecher, Cory Sipher
Working with people to create and apply science in bull trout conservation Working with people to create and apply science in bull trout conservation
No abstract available.
Authors
Jason Dunham, Joseph R. Benjamin
Co-production of models to evaluate conservation alternatives for a threatened fish in a rapidly changing landscape Co-production of models to evaluate conservation alternatives for a threatened fish in a rapidly changing landscape
Reintroductions are one means of managing species distributions, but the feasibility of such efforts is uncertain. Here we consider reintroduction for threatened bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) that currently occupy a small fraction of historically occupied habitats in the upper Klamath River basin owing to climate warming and human modifications of ecosystems. We engaged...
Authors
Joseph R. Benjamin, Jason Dunham, Nolan P. Banish, David K Hering, Zachary Tiemann
Climate vulnerability for a desert fish: Integrating hydrologic exposures, adaptive capacity, and growth potential Climate vulnerability for a desert fish: Integrating hydrologic exposures, adaptive capacity, and growth potential
Climate vulnerability can be evaluated by multiple organismal responses. We developed a climate vulnerability framework focused on growth potential of redband trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss newberri). We employed a bioenergetics model to evaluate spatial variability in growth potential in relation to constraints on body size imposed by stream flow, physiological responses linked to variable...
Authors
Joseph R. Benjamin, Jason Dunham, Kara Anlauf-Dunn, Erika J. Eliason
Resist, accept, and direct responses to biological invasions: A social–ecological perspective Resist, accept, and direct responses to biological invasions: A social–ecological perspective
Biological invasions represent an important and unique case of ecological transformation that can strongly influence species and entire ecosystems. Challenges in managing invasions arise on multiple fronts, ranging from diverse and often divergent values associated with native and introduced species, logistical constraints, and transformation via other change agents (e.g., climate and...
Authors
Jason B. Dunham, Joseph R. Benjamin, David J. Lawrence, Katherine Clifford
Pathways of productivity and influences on top consumers in forested streams Pathways of productivity and influences on top consumers in forested streams
Forested stream ecosystems involve complex physical and biotic pathways that can influence fish in numerous ways. Consequently, the responses of fish communities to disturbance can be difficult to understand. In this study, we employed a food web model that links biotic (e.g., physiology, predator–prey interactions) and abiotic (e.g., temperature, sunlight) attributes to address fish...
Authors
Joseph R. Benjamin, Jason B. Dunham, Sherri L Johnson, Linda Ashkenas, Brooke E Penaluna, Robert E Bilby, Douglas S. Bateman, David W. Leer, James R Bellmore
Non-USGS Publications**
Malison, R.L., Benjamin, J.R., Baxter, C.V., 2010, Measuring adult insect emergence from streams- the influence of trap placement and a comparison with benthic sampling: Journal of the North American Benthological Society, v. 29, no. 2, p. 647-656, https://doi.org/10.1899/09-086.1.
Benjamin, J.R., Baxter, C.V., 2010, Do nonnative salmonines exhibit greater density and production than the natives they replace? A comparison of nonnative brook trout with native cutthroat trout: Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, v. 139, p. 641-651, https://doi.org/10.1577/T09-102.1.
Benjamin, J.R., Fausch, K.D., Baxter, C.V., 2011, Species replacement by a nonnative salmonid alters ecosystem function by reducing prey subsidies that support riparian spiders: Oecologia, v. 167, p. 503-512, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-011-2000-6. Catalog No: 50050
Benjamin, J.R., Baxter, C.V., 2012, Is a trout a trout? A range-wide comparison shows nonnative brook trout exhibit greater density, biomass, and production than native inland cutthroat trout: Biological Invasions, v. 14, p. 1865-1879, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-012-0198-9.
Lepori, F., Benjamin, J.R., Fausch, K.D., Baxter, C.V., 2012, Are invasive and native trout functionally equivalent predators? Results and lessons from a field experiment: Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, v. 22, p. 787-798, https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2259.
Benjamin, J.R., Connolly, P.J., Romine, J.G., Perry, R.W., 2013, Potential effects of changes in temperature and food resources on life history trajectories of juvenile Oncorhynchus mykiss: Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, v. 142, p. 208-220, https://doi.org/10.1080/00028487.2012.728162.
Benjamin, J.R., Lepori, F., Baxter, C.V., Fausch, K.D., 2013, Can replacement of native by non-native trout alter stream-riparian food webs?: Freshwater Biology, v. 58, p. 1694-1709, https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.12160.
Benjamin, J.R., Wetzel, L.A., Martens, K., Larsen, K., Connolly, P.J., 2014, Spatio-temporal variability in movement, age, and growth of mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni) in a river network based upon PIT tagging and otolith chemistry: Canadian Journal Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, v. 71, p. 131-140, https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2013-0279.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
If you are unable to access or download a product, email fresc_outreach@usgs.gov a request, including the full citation, or call (541) 750-1030.
Filter Total Items: 30
Assisted migration of coho salmon: Influences of passage and habitat availability on population dynamics Assisted migration of coho salmon: Influences of passage and habitat availability on population dynamics
Assisted migration is a means of introducing a species into a previously unoccupied area. Although this idea is relatively new for many species, there are many extant examples involving fish that can be instructive. We studied a case of assisted migration where upstream access of migrating adult coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch over a naturally impassible barrier was established through
Authors
Joseph R. Benjamin, Jason Dunham, Nicholas Scheidt, Carla Rothenbuecher, Cory Sipher
Working with people to create and apply science in bull trout conservation Working with people to create and apply science in bull trout conservation
No abstract available.
Authors
Jason Dunham, Joseph R. Benjamin
Co-production of models to evaluate conservation alternatives for a threatened fish in a rapidly changing landscape Co-production of models to evaluate conservation alternatives for a threatened fish in a rapidly changing landscape
Reintroductions are one means of managing species distributions, but the feasibility of such efforts is uncertain. Here we consider reintroduction for threatened bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) that currently occupy a small fraction of historically occupied habitats in the upper Klamath River basin owing to climate warming and human modifications of ecosystems. We engaged...
Authors
Joseph R. Benjamin, Jason Dunham, Nolan P. Banish, David K Hering, Zachary Tiemann
Climate vulnerability for a desert fish: Integrating hydrologic exposures, adaptive capacity, and growth potential Climate vulnerability for a desert fish: Integrating hydrologic exposures, adaptive capacity, and growth potential
Climate vulnerability can be evaluated by multiple organismal responses. We developed a climate vulnerability framework focused on growth potential of redband trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss newberri). We employed a bioenergetics model to evaluate spatial variability in growth potential in relation to constraints on body size imposed by stream flow, physiological responses linked to variable...
Authors
Joseph R. Benjamin, Jason Dunham, Kara Anlauf-Dunn, Erika J. Eliason
Resist, accept, and direct responses to biological invasions: A social–ecological perspective Resist, accept, and direct responses to biological invasions: A social–ecological perspective
Biological invasions represent an important and unique case of ecological transformation that can strongly influence species and entire ecosystems. Challenges in managing invasions arise on multiple fronts, ranging from diverse and often divergent values associated with native and introduced species, logistical constraints, and transformation via other change agents (e.g., climate and...
Authors
Jason B. Dunham, Joseph R. Benjamin, David J. Lawrence, Katherine Clifford
Pathways of productivity and influences on top consumers in forested streams Pathways of productivity and influences on top consumers in forested streams
Forested stream ecosystems involve complex physical and biotic pathways that can influence fish in numerous ways. Consequently, the responses of fish communities to disturbance can be difficult to understand. In this study, we employed a food web model that links biotic (e.g., physiology, predator–prey interactions) and abiotic (e.g., temperature, sunlight) attributes to address fish...
Authors
Joseph R. Benjamin, Jason B. Dunham, Sherri L Johnson, Linda Ashkenas, Brooke E Penaluna, Robert E Bilby, Douglas S. Bateman, David W. Leer, James R Bellmore
Non-USGS Publications**
Malison, R.L., Benjamin, J.R., Baxter, C.V., 2010, Measuring adult insect emergence from streams- the influence of trap placement and a comparison with benthic sampling: Journal of the North American Benthological Society, v. 29, no. 2, p. 647-656, https://doi.org/10.1899/09-086.1.
Benjamin, J.R., Baxter, C.V., 2010, Do nonnative salmonines exhibit greater density and production than the natives they replace? A comparison of nonnative brook trout with native cutthroat trout: Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, v. 139, p. 641-651, https://doi.org/10.1577/T09-102.1.
Benjamin, J.R., Fausch, K.D., Baxter, C.V., 2011, Species replacement by a nonnative salmonid alters ecosystem function by reducing prey subsidies that support riparian spiders: Oecologia, v. 167, p. 503-512, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-011-2000-6. Catalog No: 50050
Benjamin, J.R., Baxter, C.V., 2012, Is a trout a trout? A range-wide comparison shows nonnative brook trout exhibit greater density, biomass, and production than native inland cutthroat trout: Biological Invasions, v. 14, p. 1865-1879, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-012-0198-9.
Lepori, F., Benjamin, J.R., Fausch, K.D., Baxter, C.V., 2012, Are invasive and native trout functionally equivalent predators? Results and lessons from a field experiment: Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, v. 22, p. 787-798, https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2259.
Benjamin, J.R., Connolly, P.J., Romine, J.G., Perry, R.W., 2013, Potential effects of changes in temperature and food resources on life history trajectories of juvenile Oncorhynchus mykiss: Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, v. 142, p. 208-220, https://doi.org/10.1080/00028487.2012.728162.
Benjamin, J.R., Lepori, F., Baxter, C.V., Fausch, K.D., 2013, Can replacement of native by non-native trout alter stream-riparian food webs?: Freshwater Biology, v. 58, p. 1694-1709, https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.12160.
Benjamin, J.R., Wetzel, L.A., Martens, K., Larsen, K., Connolly, P.J., 2014, Spatio-temporal variability in movement, age, and growth of mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni) in a river network based upon PIT tagging and otolith chemistry: Canadian Journal Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, v. 71, p. 131-140, https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2013-0279.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
*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