Mark Vinson
Biography
I oversee research and administrative operations of the USGS's Lake Superior Biological Station. I have studied aquatic plants, invertebrates, and fish from caves, springs, rivers, lakes and wetlands throughout the world. I am a curious and dogged scientist. My hope is that my future is full of new opportunities in out-of-the-way places.
Website: https://markrvinson.github.io/
Education
Ph.D. Utah State University. Watershed Science with an emphasis in Ecology
M.S. Idaho State University. Biology with additional emphasis in hydraulic engineering
B.S. University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Water Resources & Fisheries
Previous employment
Research Assistant Professor (1999-2008) and Director National Aquatic Monitoring Center (1993-2008), Department of Watershed Sciences, Utah State University, Logan. UT.
Hydrologist, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Boise, ID. 1988‑1992.
Fish Ecologist, Lake Tahoe Research Group, University of California‑Davis. 1988.
Fireman, California Department of Forestry. 1978-1983.
Science and Products
A synthesis of the biology and ecology of sculpin species in the Laurentian Great Lakes and implications for the adaptive capacity of the benthic ecosystem
The Laurentian Great Lakes have experienced recent ecosystem changes that could lead to reductions in adaptive capacity and ultimately a loss of biodiversity and production throughout the food web. Observed changes in Great Lakes benthic communities include declines of native species and widespread success of invasive species like dreissenid...
Robinson, Kelly F.; Bronte, Charles R.; Bunnell, David; Euclide, Peter T.; Hondorp, Darryl W.; Janssen, John J.; Kornis, Matthew S.; Ogle, Derek H.; Otte, Will; Riley, Stephen; Vinson, Mark; Volkel, Shea L.; Weidel, Brian C. Status and Trends in the Lake Superior Fish Community, 2017
In 2017, the Lake Superior fish community was sampled with daytime bottom trawls at 76 nearshore and 36 offshore stations. Spring nearshore and summer offshore water temperatures in 2017 were similar to slightly cooler than the 1991-2017 average. In the nearshore zone, a total of 28,902 individual fish from 27 species or morphotypes were collected...
Vinson, Mark; Evrard, Lori M.; Gorman, Owen T.; Yule, Daniel Age, year‐class strength variability, and partial age validation of Kiyis from Lake Superior
ge estimates of Lake Superior Kiyis Coregonus kiyi from scales and otoliths were compared and 12 years (2003–2014) of length frequency data were examined to assess year‐class strength and validate age estimates. Ages estimated from otoliths were precise and were consistently older than ages estimated from scales. Maximum otolith‐derived...
Lepak, Taylor A.; Ogle, Derek H.; Vinson, Mark Status and trends in the Lake Superior fish community, 2016
In 2016, the Lake Superior fish community was sampled with daytime bottom trawls at 76 nearshore and 35 offshore stations. Spring and summer water temperatures in 2016 were warmer than average and considerably warmer than observed in 2014 and 2015. In the nearshore zone, a total of 17,449 individuals from 20 species or morphotypes were collected....
Vinson, Mark; Evrard, Lori M.; Gorman, Owen T.; Yule, Daniel Age, growth, and size of Lake Superior Pygmy Whitefish (Prosopium coulterii)
Pygmy Whitefish (Prosopium coulterii) are a small, glacial relict species with a disjunct distribution in North America and Siberia. In 2013 we collected Pygmy Whitefish at 28 stations from throughout Lake Superior. Total length was recorded for all fish and weight and sex were recorded and scales and otoliths were collected from a subsample. We...
Stewart, Taylor; Derek Ogle; Gorman, Owen T.; Vinson, Mark Status and trends in the Lake Superior fish community, 2015
In 2015, the Lake Superior fish community was sampled with daytime bottom trawls at 76 nearshore and 33 offshore stations. Spring and summer water temperatures in 2015 were colder than average, but warmer than that observed in 2014. In the nearshore zone, a total of 11,882 individuals from 22 species or morphotypes were collected. Nearshore...
Vinson, Mark; Evrard, Lori M.; Gorman, Owen T.; Yule, Daniel L. 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...
Keeler, Kevin M.; Bunnell, David B.; Diana, James S.; Adams, Jean V.; Mychek-Londer, Justin G.; Warner, David M.; Yule, Daniel; Vinson, Mark Status and trends in the Lake Superior fish community, 2014
In 2014, the Lake Superior fish community was sampled with daytime bottom trawls at 73 nearshore and 30 offshore stations. Spring and summer water temperatures were the coldest measured for the period of records for the surveys. In the nearshore zone, a total of 15,372 individuals from 28 species or morphotypes were collected. Nearshore lakewide...
Vinson, Mark; Evrard, Lori M.; Gorman, Owen T.; Yule, Daniel Status and trends in the Lake Superior fish community, 2013
In 2013, the Lake Superior fish community was sampled with daytime bottom trawls at 79 nearshore and 35 offshore locations. In the nearshore zone, a total of 23,432 individuals of 27 species or morphotypes were collected. Nearshore lakewide mean biomass was 5.5 kg ha-1, which was slightly higher than that observed in the past few years, but below...
Vinson, Mark; Evrard, Lori M.; Gorman, Owen T.; Yule, Daniel L. Muskie lunacy: does the lunar cycle influence angler catch of muskellunge (Esox masquinongy)?
We analyzed angling catch records for 341,959 muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) from North America to test for a cyclic lunar influence on the catch. Using periodic regression, we showed that the number caught was strongly related to the 29-day lunar cycle, and the effect was consistent across most fisheries. More muskellunge were caught around the...
Vinson, Mark R.; Angradi, Ted R. Burrowing mayfly populations in Chequamegon Bay, Wisconsin: 2002 and 2012
Burrowing mayflies (Ephemeroptera: Ephemeridae) are sensitive to pollution and have been used as environmental indicators in the Great Lakes. Hexagenia limbata and Ephemera simulans population abundance and biomass estimates from Chequamegon Bay, Lake Superior, were compared between the years 2002 and 2012 as well as inside and outside the...
Brunk, Kristin M.; Vinson, Mark R.; Ogle, Derek H.; Evrard, Lori M. A new look at the Lake Superior biomass size spectrum
We synthesized data from multiple sampling programs and years to describe the Lake Superior pelagic biomass size structure. Data consisted of Coulter counts for phytoplankton, optical plankton counts for zooplankton, and acoustic surveys for pelagic prey fish. The size spectrum was stable across two time periods separated by 5 years. The primary...
Yurista, Peder M.; Yule, Daniel L.; Balge, Matt; VanAlstine, Jon D.; Thompson, Jo A.; Gamble, Allison E.; Hrabik, Thomas R.; Kelly, John R.; Stockwell, Jason D.; Vinson, Mark