Katarzyna Przybyla-Kelly is an Ecologist based in Chesterton, IN.
Kasia Przybyla-Kelly is an ecologist with the USGS, Great Lakes Science Center, and she is a part of the Restoration and Conservation Science branch. She has been working in the Great Lakes region studying various aspects of water quality and environmental threats to the Great Lakes ecosystems for the last 17 years. Her current research encompasses: Cladophora-Dreissenid-round goby interactions in the Great Lakes in connection with phosphorus inputs, eutrophication effects in tributaries, native and non-native aquatic species detection via environmental DNA (eDNA). For the last few years, she has been focusing on eDNA detection and quantification of aquatic invasive round goby and rusty crayfish, and eDNA monitoring of native Unionid mussels throughout the restoration efforts in Indiana Dunes National Park. She is a member of the USGS science dive team conducting underwater research in the Great Lakes.
Professional Experience
Ecologist, 2005 – present, USGS, Great Lakes Science Center, Lake Michigan Ecological Research Station, Chesterton, Indiana
Education and Certifications
M.S., Environmental Science: 2001, Jagiellonian University, Department of Hydrobiology, Kraków, Poland
B.S., Environmental Science: 1999, Jagiellonian University, Department of Hydrobiology, Kraków, Poland
Science and Products
Data releases by this scientist
Eutrophication and plankton communities (Cyanobacteria and eukaryotic algae) in the Grand Calumet River Area of Concern, Indiana, 2021
The data being released were part of a project funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). This study sought to identify the planktonic communities (cyanobacteria, eukaryotic algae) potentially contributing to eutrophication within the Grand Calumet River Area of Concern (AOC) in northern Indiana along the southern shore of Lake Michigan. In 2021, triplicate water samples
Cladophora biomass and supporting data collected in the Great Lakes, 2021
This dataset records Cladophora and associated benthic algae, collectively Cladophora community or submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), biomass collected during the growing season of 2021 at stations located along the U.S. shoreline of Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. It also records a variety of supporting data collected at Cladophora measurement stations. These supporting data include: -
Round goby detection by environmental DNA, trawl, and angling in Lakes Huron and Michigan
This data set is associated with an examination of environmental DNA (eDNA) from the invasive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) in parallel with traditional fish surveys in the Great Lakes. Data resulting from bottom trawling surveys and angler hook and line methods include round goby fish count and biomass at different depths and seasons at multiple sites of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan (trawls
Cladophora biomass and supporting data collected in the Great Lakes, 2020 (ver. 2, May 2023)
This dataset records Cladophora and associated submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) biomass collected during the growing season of 2020 at stations located along the U.S. shoreline of Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Erie. It also records a variety of supporting data collected at Cladophora measurement stations. These supporting data include: - measurements of Secchi disk depth and water chemistry; - wate
Cladophora biomass and supporting data collected in the Great Lakes, 2019
This dataset records Cladophora and associated submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) biomass collected approximately monthly during the growing season of 2019 at stations located along the U.S. shoreline of Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. It also records a variety of supporting data collected at Cladophora measurement stations. These supporting data include: - seasonal time series of light,
Environmental DNA detection and survival, influence of sediment, and stream transport in a Lake Michigan watershed, 2018
The data released are associated with an examination of eDNA from round goby fish (Neogobius melanostomus) in a series of field sample collections (lake nearshore and stream transport) and in vitro laboratory experiments. The round goby was used as a model for our source of eDNA in the field collections and mesocosm experiments. The field samples for lake nearshore (water and sediment) were collec
Cladophora biomass and supporting data collected in the Great Lakes, 2018 (ver. 2.0, June 2023)
This dataset records Cladophora and associated submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) biomass collected approximately monthly during the growing season of 2018 at stations located along the U.S. shoreline of Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. It also records a variety of supporting data collected at Cladophora measurement stations. These supporting data include: - seasonal time series of light,
Quantification of nitrogen-fixing microorganisms (targeting nifH gene) in Cladophora algae by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)
Data were collected to determine the abundance of nitrogen-fixing microorganisms in Cladophora algae growing on rocks, breakwall structures, or submerged dreissenid mussel beds around southern Lake Michigan. Cladophora samples (N=33) were collected between June and September 2015 from three urban areas: (a) Jeorse Park, East Chicago, Indiana, (b) Calumet Beach, Chicago, Illinois, and (c) North Bea
Publications by this scientist
Filter Total Items: 14
Round goby detection in Lakes Huron and Michigan— An evaluation of eDNA and fish catches
Aquatic surveys for fish in large water bodies (e.g., Laurentian Great Lakes of North America) often require a flexible approach using multiple methods, surveying different depths, and sampling across seasons, especially when the target species is elusive in its natural habitat. The round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) is an invasive, bottom-dwelling fish inhabiting rocky areas of all five Great La
Authors
Katarzyna Przybyla-Kelly, Ashley M. Spoljaric, Meredith B. Nevers
Influence of sediment and stream transport on detecting a source of environmental DNA
Environmental DNA (eDNA) can be used for early detection, population estimations, and assessment of potential spread of invasive species, but questions remain about factors that influence eDNA detection results. Efforts are being made to understand how physical, chemical, and biological factors—settling, resuspension, dispersion, eDNA stability/decay—influence eDNA estimations and potentially popu
Authors
Meredith B. Nevers, Katarzyna Przybyla-Kelly, Dawn A. Shively, Charles C. Morris, Joshua Dickey, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli
Environmental DNA (eDNA): A tool for quantifying the abundant but elusive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus)
Environmental DNA (eDNA) is revolutionizing biodiversity monitoring, occupancy estimates, and real-time detections of invasive species. In the Great Lakes, the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus), an invasive benthic fish from the Black Sea, has spread to encompass all five lakes and many tributaries, outcompeting or consuming native species; however, estimates of round goby abundance are confound
Authors
Meredith B. Nevers, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli, Charles C. Morris, Dawn Shively, Katarzyna Przybyla-Kelly, Ashley M. Spoljaric, Joshua Dickey, Edward F. Roseman
Freshwater wrack along Great Lakes coasts harbors Escherichia coli: Potential for bacterial transfer between watershed environments
We investigated the occurrence, persistence, and growth potential of Escherichia coli associated with freshwater organic debris (i.e., wrack) frequently deposited along shorelines (shoreline wrack), inputs from rivers (river CPOM), and parking lot runoffs (urban litter). Samples were collected from 9 Great Lakes beaches, 3 creeks, and 4 beach parking lots. Shoreline wrack samples were mainly compo
Authors
Meredith Nevers, Kasia Przybyla-Kelly, Ashley Spoljaric, Dawn A. Shively, Richard L. Whitman, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli
Prototypic automated continuous recreational water quality monitoring of nine Chicago beaches
Predictive empirical modeling is used in many locations worldwide as a rapid, alternative recreational water quality management tool to eliminate delayed notifications associated with traditional fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) culturing (referred to as the persistence model, PM) and to prevent errors in releasing swimming advisories. The goal of this study was to develop a fully automated water qu
Authors
Dawn Shively, Meredith Nevers, Cathy Breitenbach, Mantha S. Phanikumar, Kasia Przybyla-Kelly, Ashley M. Spoljaric, Richard L. Whitman
Wildlife, urban inputs, and landscape configuration are responsible for degraded swimming water quality at an embayed beach
Jeorse Park Beach, on southern Lake Michigan, experiences frequent closures due to high Escherichia coli (E. coli) levels since regular monitoring was implemented in 2005. During the summer of 2010, contaminant source tracking techniques, such as the conventional microbial and physical surveys and hydrodynamic models, were used to determine the reasons for poor water quality at Jeorse Park. Fecal
Authors
Muruleedhara N. Byappanahalli, Meredith Nevers, Richard L. Whitman, Zhongfu Ge, Dawn A. Shively, Ashley Spoljaric, Katarzyna Przybyla-Kelly
Evidence for free-living Bacteroides in Cladophora along the shores of the Great Lakes
Bacteroides is assumed to be restricted to the alimentary canal of animals and humans and is considered to be non-viable in ambient environments. We hypothesized that Bacteroides could persist and replicate within beach-stranded Cladophora glomerata mats in southern Lake Michigan, USA. Mean Bacteroides concentration (per GenBac3 Taqman quantitative PCR assay) during summer 2012 at Jeorse Park Beac
Authors
Richard L. Whitman, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli, Ashley Spoljaric, Katarzyna Przybyla-Kelly, Dawn A. Shively, Meredith Nevers
Recreational water quality response to a filtering barrier at a Great Lakes beach
Recent research has sought to determine the off- or onshore origin of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) in order to improve local recreational water quality. In an effort to reduce offshore contamination, a filtering barrier (FB) was installed at Calumet Beach, Lake Michigan, Chicago, IL. A horseshoe-shaped curtain (146 m long, 0.18 mm apparent opening size, 1.5–1.6 m deepest point) was designed to e
Authors
Kasia Przybyla-Kelly, Meredith Nevers, Cathy Breitenbach, Richard L. Whitman
Physical and biological factors influencing environmental sources of fecal indicator bacteria in surface water
This paper describes the environmental populations of faecal indicator bacteria, and the processes by which these populations become nonpoint sources and influence nearshore water quality. The different possible sources of these indicator bacteria are presented. These include groundwater, springs and seeps, aquatic sediments, beach sand, birds, Cladophora and plant wrack. Also discussed are the en
Authors
Richard L. Whitman, Meredith B. Nevers, Katarzyna Przybyla-Kelly, Muruleedhara N. Byappanahalli
Relationship and variation of qPCR and culturable enterococci estimates in ambient surface waters are predictable
The quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method provides rapid estimates of fecal indicator bacteria densities that have been indicated to be useful in the assessment of water quality. Primarily because this method provides faster results than standard culture-based methods, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is currently considering its use as a basis for revised ambient water qual
Authors
Richard L. Whitman, Zhongfu Ge, Meredith B. Nevers, Alexandria B. Boehm, Eunice C. Chern, Richard A. Haugland, Ashley M. Lukasik, Marirosa Molina, Kasia Przybyla-Kelly, Dawn A. Shively, Emily M. White, Richard G. Zepp, Muruleedhara N. Byappanahalli
Hand-mouth transfer and potential for exposure to E. coli and F+ coliphage in beach sand, Chicago, Illinois
Beach sand contains fecal indicator bacteria, often in densities greatly exceeding the adjacent swimming waters. We examined the transferability of Escherichia coli and F+ coliphage (MS2) from beach sand to hands in order to estimate the potential subsequent health risk. Sand with high initial E. coli concentrations was collected from a Chicago beach. Individuals manipulated the sand for 60 second
Authors
R.L. Whitman, K. Przybyla-Kelly, D.A. Shively, M.B. Nevers, M.N. Byappanahalli
Environmental occurrence of the enterococcal surface protein (esp) gene is an unreliable indicator of human fecal contamination
The enterococcal surface protein (esp) gene found in Enterococcus faecalis and E. faecium has recently been explored as a marker of sewage pollution in recreational waters but its occurrence and distribution in environmental enterococci has not been well-documented. If the esp gene is found in environmental samples, there are potential implications for microbial source tracking applications. In th
Authors
M.N. Byappanahalli, K. Przybyla-Kelly, D.A. Shively, R.L. Whitman
New about this scientist
Science and Products
- Data
Data releases by this scientist
Eutrophication and plankton communities (Cyanobacteria and eukaryotic algae) in the Grand Calumet River Area of Concern, Indiana, 2021
The data being released were part of a project funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). This study sought to identify the planktonic communities (cyanobacteria, eukaryotic algae) potentially contributing to eutrophication within the Grand Calumet River Area of Concern (AOC) in northern Indiana along the southern shore of Lake Michigan. In 2021, triplicate water samplesCladophora biomass and supporting data collected in the Great Lakes, 2021
This dataset records Cladophora and associated benthic algae, collectively Cladophora community or submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), biomass collected during the growing season of 2021 at stations located along the U.S. shoreline of Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. It also records a variety of supporting data collected at Cladophora measurement stations. These supporting data include: -Round goby detection by environmental DNA, trawl, and angling in Lakes Huron and Michigan
This data set is associated with an examination of environmental DNA (eDNA) from the invasive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) in parallel with traditional fish surveys in the Great Lakes. Data resulting from bottom trawling surveys and angler hook and line methods include round goby fish count and biomass at different depths and seasons at multiple sites of Lake Huron and Lake Michigan (trawlsCladophora biomass and supporting data collected in the Great Lakes, 2020 (ver. 2, May 2023)
This dataset records Cladophora and associated submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) biomass collected during the growing season of 2020 at stations located along the U.S. shoreline of Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Erie. It also records a variety of supporting data collected at Cladophora measurement stations. These supporting data include: - measurements of Secchi disk depth and water chemistry; - wateCladophora biomass and supporting data collected in the Great Lakes, 2019
This dataset records Cladophora and associated submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) biomass collected approximately monthly during the growing season of 2019 at stations located along the U.S. shoreline of Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. It also records a variety of supporting data collected at Cladophora measurement stations. These supporting data include: - seasonal time series of light,Environmental DNA detection and survival, influence of sediment, and stream transport in a Lake Michigan watershed, 2018
The data released are associated with an examination of eDNA from round goby fish (Neogobius melanostomus) in a series of field sample collections (lake nearshore and stream transport) and in vitro laboratory experiments. The round goby was used as a model for our source of eDNA in the field collections and mesocosm experiments. The field samples for lake nearshore (water and sediment) were collecCladophora biomass and supporting data collected in the Great Lakes, 2018 (ver. 2.0, June 2023)
This dataset records Cladophora and associated submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) biomass collected approximately monthly during the growing season of 2018 at stations located along the U.S. shoreline of Lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. It also records a variety of supporting data collected at Cladophora measurement stations. These supporting data include: - seasonal time series of light,Quantification of nitrogen-fixing microorganisms (targeting nifH gene) in Cladophora algae by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)
Data were collected to determine the abundance of nitrogen-fixing microorganisms in Cladophora algae growing on rocks, breakwall structures, or submerged dreissenid mussel beds around southern Lake Michigan. Cladophora samples (N=33) were collected between June and September 2015 from three urban areas: (a) Jeorse Park, East Chicago, Indiana, (b) Calumet Beach, Chicago, Illinois, and (c) North Bea - Multimedia
- Publications
Publications by this scientist
Filter Total Items: 14Round goby detection in Lakes Huron and Michigan— An evaluation of eDNA and fish catches
Aquatic surveys for fish in large water bodies (e.g., Laurentian Great Lakes of North America) often require a flexible approach using multiple methods, surveying different depths, and sampling across seasons, especially when the target species is elusive in its natural habitat. The round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) is an invasive, bottom-dwelling fish inhabiting rocky areas of all five Great LaAuthorsKatarzyna Przybyla-Kelly, Ashley M. Spoljaric, Meredith B. NeversInfluence of sediment and stream transport on detecting a source of environmental DNA
Environmental DNA (eDNA) can be used for early detection, population estimations, and assessment of potential spread of invasive species, but questions remain about factors that influence eDNA detection results. Efforts are being made to understand how physical, chemical, and biological factors—settling, resuspension, dispersion, eDNA stability/decay—influence eDNA estimations and potentially popuAuthorsMeredith B. Nevers, Katarzyna Przybyla-Kelly, Dawn A. Shively, Charles C. Morris, Joshua Dickey, Muruleedhara ByappanahalliEnvironmental DNA (eDNA): A tool for quantifying the abundant but elusive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus)
Environmental DNA (eDNA) is revolutionizing biodiversity monitoring, occupancy estimates, and real-time detections of invasive species. In the Great Lakes, the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus), an invasive benthic fish from the Black Sea, has spread to encompass all five lakes and many tributaries, outcompeting or consuming native species; however, estimates of round goby abundance are confoundAuthorsMeredith B. Nevers, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli, Charles C. Morris, Dawn Shively, Katarzyna Przybyla-Kelly, Ashley M. Spoljaric, Joshua Dickey, Edward F. RosemanFreshwater wrack along Great Lakes coasts harbors Escherichia coli: Potential for bacterial transfer between watershed environments
We investigated the occurrence, persistence, and growth potential of Escherichia coli associated with freshwater organic debris (i.e., wrack) frequently deposited along shorelines (shoreline wrack), inputs from rivers (river CPOM), and parking lot runoffs (urban litter). Samples were collected from 9 Great Lakes beaches, 3 creeks, and 4 beach parking lots. Shoreline wrack samples were mainly compoAuthorsMeredith Nevers, Kasia Przybyla-Kelly, Ashley Spoljaric, Dawn A. Shively, Richard L. Whitman, Muruleedhara ByappanahalliPrototypic automated continuous recreational water quality monitoring of nine Chicago beaches
Predictive empirical modeling is used in many locations worldwide as a rapid, alternative recreational water quality management tool to eliminate delayed notifications associated with traditional fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) culturing (referred to as the persistence model, PM) and to prevent errors in releasing swimming advisories. The goal of this study was to develop a fully automated water quAuthorsDawn Shively, Meredith Nevers, Cathy Breitenbach, Mantha S. Phanikumar, Kasia Przybyla-Kelly, Ashley M. Spoljaric, Richard L. WhitmanWildlife, urban inputs, and landscape configuration are responsible for degraded swimming water quality at an embayed beach
Jeorse Park Beach, on southern Lake Michigan, experiences frequent closures due to high Escherichia coli (E. coli) levels since regular monitoring was implemented in 2005. During the summer of 2010, contaminant source tracking techniques, such as the conventional microbial and physical surveys and hydrodynamic models, were used to determine the reasons for poor water quality at Jeorse Park. FecalAuthorsMuruleedhara N. Byappanahalli, Meredith Nevers, Richard L. Whitman, Zhongfu Ge, Dawn A. Shively, Ashley Spoljaric, Katarzyna Przybyla-KellyEvidence for free-living Bacteroides in Cladophora along the shores of the Great Lakes
Bacteroides is assumed to be restricted to the alimentary canal of animals and humans and is considered to be non-viable in ambient environments. We hypothesized that Bacteroides could persist and replicate within beach-stranded Cladophora glomerata mats in southern Lake Michigan, USA. Mean Bacteroides concentration (per GenBac3 Taqman quantitative PCR assay) during summer 2012 at Jeorse Park BeacAuthorsRichard L. Whitman, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli, Ashley Spoljaric, Katarzyna Przybyla-Kelly, Dawn A. Shively, Meredith NeversRecreational water quality response to a filtering barrier at a Great Lakes beach
Recent research has sought to determine the off- or onshore origin of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) in order to improve local recreational water quality. In an effort to reduce offshore contamination, a filtering barrier (FB) was installed at Calumet Beach, Lake Michigan, Chicago, IL. A horseshoe-shaped curtain (146 m long, 0.18 mm apparent opening size, 1.5–1.6 m deepest point) was designed to eAuthorsKasia Przybyla-Kelly, Meredith Nevers, Cathy Breitenbach, Richard L. WhitmanPhysical and biological factors influencing environmental sources of fecal indicator bacteria in surface water
This paper describes the environmental populations of faecal indicator bacteria, and the processes by which these populations become nonpoint sources and influence nearshore water quality. The different possible sources of these indicator bacteria are presented. These include groundwater, springs and seeps, aquatic sediments, beach sand, birds, Cladophora and plant wrack. Also discussed are the enAuthorsRichard L. Whitman, Meredith B. Nevers, Katarzyna Przybyla-Kelly, Muruleedhara N. ByappanahalliRelationship and variation of qPCR and culturable enterococci estimates in ambient surface waters are predictable
The quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method provides rapid estimates of fecal indicator bacteria densities that have been indicated to be useful in the assessment of water quality. Primarily because this method provides faster results than standard culture-based methods, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is currently considering its use as a basis for revised ambient water qualAuthorsRichard L. Whitman, Zhongfu Ge, Meredith B. Nevers, Alexandria B. Boehm, Eunice C. Chern, Richard A. Haugland, Ashley M. Lukasik, Marirosa Molina, Kasia Przybyla-Kelly, Dawn A. Shively, Emily M. White, Richard G. Zepp, Muruleedhara N. ByappanahalliHand-mouth transfer and potential for exposure to E. coli and F+ coliphage in beach sand, Chicago, Illinois
Beach sand contains fecal indicator bacteria, often in densities greatly exceeding the adjacent swimming waters. We examined the transferability of Escherichia coli and F+ coliphage (MS2) from beach sand to hands in order to estimate the potential subsequent health risk. Sand with high initial E. coli concentrations was collected from a Chicago beach. Individuals manipulated the sand for 60 secondAuthorsR.L. Whitman, K. Przybyla-Kelly, D.A. Shively, M.B. Nevers, M.N. ByappanahalliEnvironmental occurrence of the enterococcal surface protein (esp) gene is an unreliable indicator of human fecal contamination
The enterococcal surface protein (esp) gene found in Enterococcus faecalis and E. faecium has recently been explored as a marker of sewage pollution in recreational waters but its occurrence and distribution in environmental enterococci has not been well-documented. If the esp gene is found in environmental samples, there are potential implications for microbial source tracking applications. In thAuthorsM.N. Byappanahalli, K. Przybyla-Kelly, D.A. Shively, R.L. Whitman - News
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