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Kevin M Keeler

Kevin Keeler is a Aquatic Research Laboratory Manager based in Ann Arbor. 

Education and Certifications

  • Certificate Degree (Aquaculture/Aquatic Sciences) Kentucky State University, 2019

  • M.Sc. (Conservation Ecology) University of Michigan, Scholl of Natural Resources & Environment, 2014

  • B.S. (Biology/Geographic Information Systems Minor) University of Toledo, 2010

Science and Products

Publications by this scientist

Zooplankton dynamics in a Great Lakes connecting channel: Exploring the seasonal composition within the St. Clair-Detroit River System

The connecting channels linking the Laurentian Great Lakes provide important migration routes, spawning grounds, and nursery habitat for fish, but their role as conduits between lakes for zooplankton is less understood. To address this knowledge gap in the St. Clair–Detroit River System (SCDRS), a comprehensive survey of crustacean zooplankton was performed in both riverine and lacustrine habitats
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Continued feeding on Diporeia by deepwater sculpin in Lake Huron

Monitoring changes in diets of fish is essential to understanding how food web dynamics respond to changes in native prey abundances. In the Great Lakes, Diporeia, a benthic macroinvertebrate and primary food of native benthivores, declined following the introduction of invasive Dreissena mussels and these changes were reflected in fish diets. We examined the diets of deepwater sculpin Myoxocephal
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Large-scale changes in bloater growth and condition in Lake Huron

Native Bloaters Coregonus hoyi have exhibited multiple strong year-classes since 2005 and now are the most abundant benthopelagic offshore prey fish in Lake Huron, following the crash of nonnative AlewivesAlosa pseudoharengus and substantial declines in nonnative Rainbow Smelt Osmerus mordax. Despite recent recoveries in Bloater abundance, marketable-size (>229 mm) Bloaters remain scarce. We used
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Eurytemora carolleeae in the Laurentian Great Lakes revealed by phylogenetic and morphological analysis

In the Laurentian Great Lakes, specimens of Eurytemora have been reported asEurytemora affinis since its invasion in the late 1950s. During an intensive collection of aquatic invertebrates for morphological and molecular identification in Western Lake Erie in 2012-2013, several specimens of Eurytemora were collected. Analysis of these specimens identified them as the recently described species Eur
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Evaluating the importance of abiotic and biotic drivers on Bythotrephes biomass in Lakes Superior and Michigan

The ability of planktivorous fishes to exert top-down control on Bythotrephes potentially has far-reaching impacts on aquatic food-webs, given previously described effects of Bythotrephes on zooplankton communities. We estimated consumption of Bythotrephes by planktivorous and benthivorous fishes, using bioenergetics and daily ration models at nearshore (18 m), intermediate (46 m), and offshore (1
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Evidence of the St. Clair-Detroit River system as a dispersal corridor and nursery habitat for transient larval burbot

Burbot Lota lota are distributed across the Laurentian Great Lakes where they occupy a top piscivore role. The St. Clair-Detroit River System is known to provide a migration corridor as well as spawning and nursery habitat for many indigenous fishes of economic and ecological significance. However, knowledge is scant of the early life history of burbot and the importance of this system in their di
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Comparing seasonal dynamics of the Lake Huron zooplankton community between 1983-1984 and 2007 and revisiting the impact of Bythotrephes planktivory

Zooplankton community composition can be influenced by lake productivity as well as planktivory by fish or invertebrates. Previous analyses based on long-term Lake Huron zooplankton data from August reported a shift in community composition between the 1980s and 2000s: proportional biomass of calanoid copepods increased while that of cyclopoid copepods and herbivorous cladocerans decreased. Herein
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Thompson, P. A., Roseman, E. F., Keeler, K. M., O’Brien, T. P., & Bowser, D. A. (2017). Continued feeding on Diporeia by deepwater sculpin in Lake Huron. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 100(4), 407-419.
Prichard, C. G., Roseman, E. F., Keeler, K. M., O’Brien, T. P., & Riley, S. C. (2016). Large-scale changes in bloater growth and condition in Lake Huron. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 145(6), 1241-1251.
Vasquez, A. A., Hudson, P. L., Fujimoto, M., Keeler, K., Armenio, P. M., & Ram, J. L. (2016). Eurytemora carolleeae in the Laurentian Great Lakes revealed by phylogenetic and morphological analysis. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 42(4), 802-811.
McCullough, D. E., Roseman, E. F., Keeler, K. M., DeBruyne, R. L., Pritt, J. J., Thompson, P. A., ... & Provo, S. (2015). Evidence of the St. Clair-Detroit River System as a dispersal corridor and nursery habitat for transient larval burbot. Hydrobiologia, 757(1), 21-34.
Bunnell, D. B., Davis, B. M., Chriscinske, M. A., Keeler, K. M., & Mychek-Londer, J. G. (2015). Diet shifts by planktivorous and benthivorous fishes in northern Lake Michigan in response to ecosystem changes. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 41, 161-171.
Keeler, K. M., Bunnell, D. B., Diana, J. S., Adams, J. V., Mychek-Londer, J. G., Warner, D. M., ... & Vinson, M. R. (2015). Evaluating the importance of abiotic and biotic drivers on Bythotrephes biomass in Lakes Superior and Michigan. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 41, 150-160.

**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 pages by this scientist

link
The purple-tinted Black River Delta surrounded by lush green forest from a bird's eye view.

Evaluating How Changing Climate and Water Clarity Can Affect Restoration of Native Coregonine Fish in Midwestern Lakes

Coregonines are a sub-family of freshwater fishes within the well-known Salmonidae family. In the upper midwestern U.S., these fishes have provided a key food source to Native Americans for millennia and immigrants for the last several centuries. Since the mid-20th century, however, their diversity and abundance has declined owing to several anthropogenic stressors including overfishing, declining
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
link

Evaluating How Changing Climate and Water Clarity Can Affect Restoration of Native Coregonine Fish in Midwestern Lakes

Coregonines are a sub-family of freshwater fishes within the well-known Salmonidae family. In the upper midwestern U.S., these fishes have provided a key food source to Native Americans for millennia and immigrants for the last several centuries. Since the mid-20th century, however, their diversity and abundance has declined owing to several anthropogenic stressors including overfishing, declining
Learn More

Data releases by this scientist

2010-2017 zooplankton data from whole water-column tows in Lakes Michigan and Huron

This data release includes zooplankton data collected from a collaborative effort for Environmental Protection Agency’s Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI). Zooplankton surveys were conducted during the growing season, from late April to early November, in two Lake Michigan transects in 2010, two Lake Huron transects in 2012, eight Lake Michigan transects in 2015, and nine Lake Hu
By
Great Lakes Science Center

Lake trout hatch rates using adults collected in 2019 from Northern Refuge, Lake Michigan

Data includes hatch, unfertilized, underdeveloped, and larval mortality count data of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) eggs fertilized from adult gametes collected within Northern Refuge reefs in Lake Michigan conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center during Fall 2019 gill net survey. Adult lake trout were collected using gill net (4.5, 5.5, and 6.0 inch) panels. Gametes
By
Great Lakes Science Center

Zooplankton of the St. Clair-Detroit River System, 2012-2014 (ver. 1.2, February 2021)

Crustacean zooplankton were collected, enumerated, identified, and measured within the St. Clair-Detroit River System (SCDRS). Collections were made using a 0.5 m diameter 153 um zooplankton net. Nets were lowered to about 0.5 m from bottom depth and retrieved. Nets were utilized with a General Oceanics flowmeter to calculate the distance the net traveled. At sites of collection, both temperature
By
Great Lakes Science Center

Diets of Deepwater Sculpin collected from fall forage (2003-05 and 2010-14) in Lake Huron

Diet contents of Deepwater Sculpin (Myoxocephalus thompsonii) were identified, enumerated, and measured to monitor the changes in the offshore benthic fish community within Lake Huron. Collections were made using a 21-m headrope with a 4.76mm square mesh cod-end with 10 minute contour trawl tows.. Deepwater Sculpin collected from the USGS fall forage (2003-2005 and 2010-2014) were counted and weig
By
Great Lakes Science Center

News about this scientist

link

GLSC Hosts Researchers from Czech Academy of Sciences and Western Illinois University

Parasite Ecology of North American and Europe

Read Article
link

GLSC presents at AFS Larval Fish Conference (Virtual) – Early Life History Section

American Fisheries Society Annual Larval Fish Conference Presentations

Read Article
link

GLSC staff volunteer at Great Lakes Bowl high school competition

This is one of many regional events leading up to the National Ocean Science Bowl later this year in Washington DC.

Read Article

Science and Products

  • Publications

    Publications by this scientist

    Zooplankton dynamics in a Great Lakes connecting channel: Exploring the seasonal composition within the St. Clair-Detroit River System

    The connecting channels linking the Laurentian Great Lakes provide important migration routes, spawning grounds, and nursery habitat for fish, but their role as conduits between lakes for zooplankton is less understood. To address this knowledge gap in the St. Clair–Detroit River System (SCDRS), a comprehensive survey of crustacean zooplankton was performed in both riverine and lacustrine habitats
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

    Continued feeding on Diporeia by deepwater sculpin in Lake Huron

    Monitoring changes in diets of fish is essential to understanding how food web dynamics respond to changes in native prey abundances. In the Great Lakes, Diporeia, a benthic macroinvertebrate and primary food of native benthivores, declined following the introduction of invasive Dreissena mussels and these changes were reflected in fish diets. We examined the diets of deepwater sculpin Myoxocephal
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

    Large-scale changes in bloater growth and condition in Lake Huron

    Native Bloaters Coregonus hoyi have exhibited multiple strong year-classes since 2005 and now are the most abundant benthopelagic offshore prey fish in Lake Huron, following the crash of nonnative AlewivesAlosa pseudoharengus and substantial declines in nonnative Rainbow Smelt Osmerus mordax. Despite recent recoveries in Bloater abundance, marketable-size (>229 mm) Bloaters remain scarce. We used
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

    Eurytemora carolleeae in the Laurentian Great Lakes revealed by phylogenetic and morphological analysis

    In the Laurentian Great Lakes, specimens of Eurytemora have been reported asEurytemora affinis since its invasion in the late 1950s. During an intensive collection of aquatic invertebrates for morphological and molecular identification in Western Lake Erie in 2012-2013, several specimens of Eurytemora were collected. Analysis of these specimens identified them as the recently described species Eur
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

    Evaluating the importance of abiotic and biotic drivers on Bythotrephes biomass in Lakes Superior and Michigan

    The ability of planktivorous fishes to exert top-down control on Bythotrephes potentially has far-reaching impacts on aquatic food-webs, given previously described effects of Bythotrephes on zooplankton communities. We estimated consumption of Bythotrephes by planktivorous and benthivorous fishes, using bioenergetics and daily ration models at nearshore (18 m), intermediate (46 m), and offshore (1
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

    Evidence of the St. Clair-Detroit River system as a dispersal corridor and nursery habitat for transient larval burbot

    Burbot Lota lota are distributed across the Laurentian Great Lakes where they occupy a top piscivore role. The St. Clair-Detroit River System is known to provide a migration corridor as well as spawning and nursery habitat for many indigenous fishes of economic and ecological significance. However, knowledge is scant of the early life history of burbot and the importance of this system in their di
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

    Comparing seasonal dynamics of the Lake Huron zooplankton community between 1983-1984 and 2007 and revisiting the impact of Bythotrephes planktivory

    Zooplankton community composition can be influenced by lake productivity as well as planktivory by fish or invertebrates. Previous analyses based on long-term Lake Huron zooplankton data from August reported a shift in community composition between the 1980s and 2000s: proportional biomass of calanoid copepods increased while that of cyclopoid copepods and herbivorous cladocerans decreased. Herein
    By
    Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

    Non-USGS Publications**

    Thompson, P. A., Roseman, E. F., Keeler, K. M., O’Brien, T. P., & Bowser, D. A. (2017). Continued feeding on Diporeia by deepwater sculpin in Lake Huron. Environmental Biology of Fishes, 100(4), 407-419.
    Prichard, C. G., Roseman, E. F., Keeler, K. M., O’Brien, T. P., & Riley, S. C. (2016). Large-scale changes in bloater growth and condition in Lake Huron. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 145(6), 1241-1251.
    Vasquez, A. A., Hudson, P. L., Fujimoto, M., Keeler, K., Armenio, P. M., & Ram, J. L. (2016). Eurytemora carolleeae in the Laurentian Great Lakes revealed by phylogenetic and morphological analysis. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 42(4), 802-811.
    McCullough, D. E., Roseman, E. F., Keeler, K. M., DeBruyne, R. L., Pritt, J. J., Thompson, P. A., ... & Provo, S. (2015). Evidence of the St. Clair-Detroit River System as a dispersal corridor and nursery habitat for transient larval burbot. Hydrobiologia, 757(1), 21-34.
    Bunnell, D. B., Davis, B. M., Chriscinske, M. A., Keeler, K. M., & Mychek-Londer, J. G. (2015). Diet shifts by planktivorous and benthivorous fishes in northern Lake Michigan in response to ecosystem changes. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 41, 161-171.
    Keeler, K. M., Bunnell, D. B., Diana, J. S., Adams, J. V., Mychek-Londer, J. G., Warner, D. M., ... & Vinson, M. R. (2015). Evaluating the importance of abiotic and biotic drivers on Bythotrephes biomass in Lakes Superior and Michigan. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 41, 150-160.

    **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

    Science pages by this scientist

    link
    The purple-tinted Black River Delta surrounded by lush green forest from a bird's eye view.

    Evaluating How Changing Climate and Water Clarity Can Affect Restoration of Native Coregonine Fish in Midwestern Lakes

    Coregonines are a sub-family of freshwater fishes within the well-known Salmonidae family. In the upper midwestern U.S., these fishes have provided a key food source to Native Americans for millennia and immigrants for the last several centuries. Since the mid-20th century, however, their diversity and abundance has declined owing to several anthropogenic stressors including overfishing, declining
    By
    Climate Adaptation Science Centers
    link

    Evaluating How Changing Climate and Water Clarity Can Affect Restoration of Native Coregonine Fish in Midwestern Lakes

    Coregonines are a sub-family of freshwater fishes within the well-known Salmonidae family. In the upper midwestern U.S., these fishes have provided a key food source to Native Americans for millennia and immigrants for the last several centuries. Since the mid-20th century, however, their diversity and abundance has declined owing to several anthropogenic stressors including overfishing, declining
    Learn More
  • Data

    Data releases by this scientist

    2010-2017 zooplankton data from whole water-column tows in Lakes Michigan and Huron

    This data release includes zooplankton data collected from a collaborative effort for Environmental Protection Agency’s Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI). Zooplankton surveys were conducted during the growing season, from late April to early November, in two Lake Michigan transects in 2010, two Lake Huron transects in 2012, eight Lake Michigan transects in 2015, and nine Lake Hu
    By
    Great Lakes Science Center

    Lake trout hatch rates using adults collected in 2019 from Northern Refuge, Lake Michigan

    Data includes hatch, unfertilized, underdeveloped, and larval mortality count data of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) eggs fertilized from adult gametes collected within Northern Refuge reefs in Lake Michigan conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center during Fall 2019 gill net survey. Adult lake trout were collected using gill net (4.5, 5.5, and 6.0 inch) panels. Gametes
    By
    Great Lakes Science Center

    Zooplankton of the St. Clair-Detroit River System, 2012-2014 (ver. 1.2, February 2021)

    Crustacean zooplankton were collected, enumerated, identified, and measured within the St. Clair-Detroit River System (SCDRS). Collections were made using a 0.5 m diameter 153 um zooplankton net. Nets were lowered to about 0.5 m from bottom depth and retrieved. Nets were utilized with a General Oceanics flowmeter to calculate the distance the net traveled. At sites of collection, both temperature
    By
    Great Lakes Science Center

    Diets of Deepwater Sculpin collected from fall forage (2003-05 and 2010-14) in Lake Huron

    Diet contents of Deepwater Sculpin (Myoxocephalus thompsonii) were identified, enumerated, and measured to monitor the changes in the offshore benthic fish community within Lake Huron. Collections were made using a 21-m headrope with a 4.76mm square mesh cod-end with 10 minute contour trawl tows.. Deepwater Sculpin collected from the USGS fall forage (2003-2005 and 2010-2014) were counted and weig
    By
    Great Lakes Science Center
  • News

    News about this scientist

    link

    GLSC Hosts Researchers from Czech Academy of Sciences and Western Illinois University

    Parasite Ecology of North American and Europe

    Read Article
    link

    GLSC presents at AFS Larval Fish Conference (Virtual) – Early Life History Section

    American Fisheries Society Annual Larval Fish Conference Presentations

    Read Article
    link

    GLSC staff volunteer at Great Lakes Bowl high school competition

    This is one of many regional events leading up to the National Ocean Science Bowl later this year in Washington DC.

    Read Article