Mary Anne Evans, PhD
Mary Anne Evans is a Research Ecologist based in Ann Arbor, MI.
Mary Anne Evans is a Research Ecologist at the USGS Great Lakes Science Center where she contributes to the Restoration and Conservation Science branch. Her current research focuses on drivers and consequences of harmful and nuisance algal blooms (HABs and NABs) including nutrient, light, and dreissenid influences on benthic algal blooms, cyanobacterial HABs in western Lake Erie, nutrient and algal dynamics in other river influenced nearshore areas of the Great Lakes, and translating HABs and NABs science for diverse audiences. Prior to joining the USGS, she studied hypoxic “dead zones” in Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf of Mexico as a post-doctoral scientist at the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment and recreational lakes in Michigan as a post-doctoral scientist at Michigan State University. She received her Ph.D. in biology from the University of Michigan, studying the phytoplankton ecology of arctic lakes.
Research Summary
My research explores the interaction of physical and biological processes that control ecosystem functions. I am especially interested in controls of phytoplankton and benthic algae growth. Understanding the regulation of primary producers is integral to predicting, managing, and conserving ecosystem function, especially for systems impacted by both local human stresses and global climate change. In addition, large accumulations of algal biomass, either of toxic species or leading to decomposition induced hypoxia, can be detrimental to human use of aquatic resources. The conditions necessary for such harmful algal blooms (HABs) and hypoxic events are predicted to increase under climate change scenarios; thus, understanding their controls will be increasingly important to ecosystem management.
My approach to research is to combine field studies with mathematical modeling. I use numerical models to explore a broader range of mechanistic variability than is practical in field experiments, while, at the same time, I use field data to test model predictions. In this way, each approach informs the other, allowing for more robust and general conclusions that may be extrapolated across aquatic ecosystems.
Professional Experience
Research Ecologist, 2012 – present, Great Lakes Science Center, United States Geological Survey
Post Doctoral Research Fellow, 2009-2012, School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan
Post Doctoral Researcher, 2007-2009, Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., 2007 University of Michigan, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Ann Arbor, MI. Dissertation title “Phytoplankton Ecology of Arctic Lakes"
M.S., 2001 University of Michigan, Department of Biology, Ann Arbor, MI
B.S., 1999 Summa cum laude, University of Louisville, Department of Biology, Louisville, KY. Honors thesis “The effects of elevated NO3 deposition on nitrogen retention in forest soils “
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Filter Total Items: 29
Quantifying microplastics in Indiana’s Lake Michigan watershed and submerged aquatic vegetation
Environmental breakdown of plastics produces synthetic microfibers, a class of microplastics that are most prevalent in surface waters. A main source of these pollutants is wastewater treatment plants which discharge into surface waters, including those that flow into Lake Michigan. Microplastics can settle into aquatic sediment or exist for lengths of time in the swash zone of the lakes; they can
Authors
Julie R. Peller, Meredith B. Nevers, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli, Mary Anne Evans
A space-time geostatistical model for probabilistic estimation of harmful algal bloom biomass and areal extent
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have been increasing in intensity across many waterbodies worldwide, including the western basin of Lake Erie. Substantial efforts have been made to track these blooms using in situ sampling and remote sensing. However, such measurements do not fully capture HAB spatial and temporal dynamics due to the limitations of discrete shipboard sampling over large areas and the
Authors
Shiqi Fang, Dario Del Giudice, Donald Scavia, Caren E. Binding, Thomas B. Bridgeman, Justin D. Chaffin, Mary Anne Evans, Joseph Guinness, Thomas H. Johengen, Daniel R Obenour
Water column nutrient processing rates in rivermouths of Green Bay (Lake Michigan)
Understanding the quantity and form of nutrient loads to large lakes is necessary to understand controls over primary production, phytoplankton community composition and the production of phytotoxins. Nutrient loading estimates to large lakes are primarily made at stream gages that are deliberately placed outside the direct influence of lake processes, but these estimates cannot take into account
Authors
James H. Larson, Mary Anne Evans, Faith A. Fitzpatrick, Paul C. Frost, Sean Bailey, Robert J. Kennedy, William F. James, William B. Richardson, Paul C. Reneau
Evidence for interactions among environmental stressors in the Laurentian Great Lakes
Co-occurrence of environmental stressors is ubiquitous in ecosystems, but cumulative effects are difficult to predict for effective indicator development. Individual stressors can amplify (synergies) or lessen (antagonisms) each other's impacts or have fully independent effects (additive). Here we use the Laurentian Great Lakes, where a multitude of stressors have been studied for decades, as a ca
Authors
Sigrid D. P. Smith, David B. Bunnell, G.A. Burton, Jan J. H. Ciborowski, Alisha D. Davidson, Caitlin E. Dickinson, Lauren A. Eaton, Peter C. Esselman, Mary Anne Evans, Donna R. Kashian, Nathan F. Manning, Peter B. McIntyre, Thomas F. Nalepa, Alicia Perez-Fuentetaja, Alan D. Steinman, Donald G. Uzarski, J. David Allan
Associations between cyanobacteria and indices of secondary production in the western basin of Lake Erie
Large lakes provide a variety of ecological services to surrounding cities and communities. Many of these services are supported by ecological processes that are threatened by the increasing prevalence of cyanobacterial blooms which occur as aquatic ecosystems experience cultural eutrophication. Over the past 10 yr, Lake Erie experienced cyanobacterial blooms of increasing severity and frequency,
Authors
James H. Larson, Mary Anne Evans, Robert J. Kennedy, Sean Bailey, Keith A. Loftin, Zachary Laughrey, Robin Femmer, Jeff Schaeffer, William B. Richardson, Timothy Wynne, J. C. Nelson, Joseph W. Duris
Understanding ecosystem services adoption by natural resource managers and research ecologists
The ecosystem services (ES) paradigm has gained much traction as a natural resource management approach due to its comprehensive nature and ability to provide quantitative tools to improve decision-making. However, it is still uncertain whether and how practitioners have adopted the ES paradigm into their work and how this aligns with resource management information needs. To address this, we surv
Authors
Daniel Engel, Mary Anne Evans, Bobbi S. Low, Jeff Schaeffer
Phosphorus (P) and HABs: Sources of P discharged from the Maumee River into Lake Erie
No abstract available.
Authors
Rebecca Logsdon Muenich, Laura Johnson, John F. Bratton, Kristin DeVanna Fussell, Doug Kane, Margaret Kalcic, Dale M. Robertson, Sandra M. Eberts, Mary Anne Evans, Kenneth J. Gibbons
Graphical function mapping as a new way to explore cause-and-effect chains
Graphical function mapping provides a simple method for improving communication within interdisciplinary research teams and between scientists and nonscientists. This article introduces graphical function mapping using two examples and discusses its usefulness. Function mapping projects the outcome of one function into another to show the combined effect. Using this mathematical property in a simp
Authors
Mary Anne Evans
Internal loading of phosphorus in western Lake Erie
This study applied eight techniques to obtain estimates of the diffusive flux of phosphorus (P) from bottom sediments throughout the western basin of Lake Erie. The flux was quantified from both aerobic and anaerobic incubations of whole cores; by monitoring the water encapsulated in bottom chambers; from pore water concentration profiles measured with a phosphate microelectrode, a diffusive equil
Authors
Gerald Matisoff, Eliza M. Kaltenberg, Rebecca L. Steely, Stephanie K. Hummel, Jinyu Seo, Kenneth J. Gibbons, Thomas B. Bridgeman, Youngwoo Seo, Mohsen Behbahani, William F. James, Laura Johnson, Phuong Doan, Maria Dittrich, Mary Anne Evans, Justin D. Chaffin
Spatial variation in biofouling of a unionid mussel (Lampsilis siliquoidea) across the western basin of Lake Erie
Invasion of North American waters by nonnative Dreissena polymorpha and D. rostriformis bugensishas resulted in declines of the Unionidae family of native North American mussels. Dreissenid mussels biofoul unionid mussels in large numbers and interfere with unionid movement, their acquisition of food, and the native mussels' ability to open and close their shells. Initial expectations for the Grea
Authors
James H. Larson, Mary Anne Evans, William B. Richardson, Jeff Schaeffer, John C. Nelson
Targets set to reduce Lake Erie algae
In February 2016, the Great Lakes Executive Committee, which oversees the implementation of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) between the U.S. and Canada, approved phosphorus loading targets for Lake Erie to reduce the size of harmful algal blooms (HABs), reduce the presence of the low oxygen zone in the central basin, and protect nearshore water quality. The targets are set with res
Authors
Mary Anne Evans
Measuring spatial variation in secondary production and food quality using a common consumer approach in Lake Erie
Lake Erie is a large lake straddling the border of the U.S. and Canada that has become increasingly eutrophic in recent years. Eutrophication is particularly focused in the shallow western basin. The western basin of Lake Erie is hydrodynamically similar to a large estuary, with riverine inputs from the Detroit and Maumee Rivers mixing together and creating gradients in chemical and physical condi
Authors
James H. Larson, William B. Richardson, Mary Anne Evans, Jeff Schaeffer, Timothy Wynne, Michelle Bartsch, Lynn Bartsch, J. C. Nelson, Jon M. Vallazza
Non-USGS Publications**
N. S. Bosch, M. A. Evans, D. Scavia, and J. D. Allan. 2014. Interacting effects of climate change and agricultural BMPs on nutrient runoff entering Lake Erie. Journal of Great Lakes Research 40(3): 581-589
Michalak, A.M., E. Anderson, D. Beletsky, S. Boland, N.S. Bosch, T.B. Bridgeman, J.D. Chaffin, K.H. Cho, R. Confesor, I. Daloğlu, J. DePinto, M.A. Evans, G.L. Fahnenstiel, L. He, J.C. Ho, L. Jenkins, T. Johengen, K.C. Kuo, E. Laporte, X. Liu, M. McWilliams, M.R. Moore, D.J. Posselt, R.P. Richards, D. Scavia, A.L. Steiner, E. Verhamme, D.M. Wright, M.A. Zagorski. 2013. The 2011 Lake Erie harmful algal bloom: Perfect storm or harbinger of future conditions? Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 110(16): 6448–6452.
M.A. Evans, D. Scavia. 2013. Exploring estuarine eutrophication sensitivity to nutrient loading. Limnology & Oceanography 58(2): 569–578
M. A. Evans, G.A. Fahnenstiel, and D. Scavia. 2011. Incidental oligotrophication of North American Great Lakes. Environmental Science and Technology 45(8): 3297–3303. DOI: 10.1021/es103892w
M. A. Evans and D. Scavia. 2010. Forecasting hypoxia in the Chesapeake Bay and Gulf of Mexico: Model accuracy, precision, and sensitivity to ecosystem change. Environmental Research Letters 6: 015001
C. R. Johnson, C. Luecke, S. C. Whalen, M. A. Evans. 2010. Direct and indirect effects of fish on pelagic nitrogen and phosphorus availability in oligotrophic Arctic Alaskan lakes. Freshwater Biology 67: 1635–1648
Liu, Y, M.A. Evans, D. Scavia. 2010 Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia: Exploring Increasing Sensitivity to Nitrogen Loads. Environmental Science and Technology 44(15): 5836-5841
M. A. Evans, S. MacIntyre, G. W. Kling. 2008. Internal wave effects on photosynthesis: experiments, theory, and modeling. Limnology & Oceanography 53(1): 339-353
J. Vandermeer, M. A. Evans, P. Foster, T. Höök, M. Reiskind, M. Wund. 2002. Increased competition may promote species coexistence. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 99:8731-8736
**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.
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Filter Total Items: 29Quantifying microplastics in Indiana’s Lake Michigan watershed and submerged aquatic vegetation
Environmental breakdown of plastics produces synthetic microfibers, a class of microplastics that are most prevalent in surface waters. A main source of these pollutants is wastewater treatment plants which discharge into surface waters, including those that flow into Lake Michigan. Microplastics can settle into aquatic sediment or exist for lengths of time in the swash zone of the lakes; they canAuthorsJulie R. Peller, Meredith B. Nevers, Muruleedhara Byappanahalli, Mary Anne EvansA space-time geostatistical model for probabilistic estimation of harmful algal bloom biomass and areal extent
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have been increasing in intensity across many waterbodies worldwide, including the western basin of Lake Erie. Substantial efforts have been made to track these blooms using in situ sampling and remote sensing. However, such measurements do not fully capture HAB spatial and temporal dynamics due to the limitations of discrete shipboard sampling over large areas and theAuthorsShiqi Fang, Dario Del Giudice, Donald Scavia, Caren E. Binding, Thomas B. Bridgeman, Justin D. Chaffin, Mary Anne Evans, Joseph Guinness, Thomas H. Johengen, Daniel R ObenourWater column nutrient processing rates in rivermouths of Green Bay (Lake Michigan)
Understanding the quantity and form of nutrient loads to large lakes is necessary to understand controls over primary production, phytoplankton community composition and the production of phytotoxins. Nutrient loading estimates to large lakes are primarily made at stream gages that are deliberately placed outside the direct influence of lake processes, but these estimates cannot take into accountAuthorsJames H. Larson, Mary Anne Evans, Faith A. Fitzpatrick, Paul C. Frost, Sean Bailey, Robert J. Kennedy, William F. James, William B. Richardson, Paul C. ReneauEvidence for interactions among environmental stressors in the Laurentian Great Lakes
Co-occurrence of environmental stressors is ubiquitous in ecosystems, but cumulative effects are difficult to predict for effective indicator development. Individual stressors can amplify (synergies) or lessen (antagonisms) each other's impacts or have fully independent effects (additive). Here we use the Laurentian Great Lakes, where a multitude of stressors have been studied for decades, as a caAuthorsSigrid D. P. Smith, David B. Bunnell, G.A. Burton, Jan J. H. Ciborowski, Alisha D. Davidson, Caitlin E. Dickinson, Lauren A. Eaton, Peter C. Esselman, Mary Anne Evans, Donna R. Kashian, Nathan F. Manning, Peter B. McIntyre, Thomas F. Nalepa, Alicia Perez-Fuentetaja, Alan D. Steinman, Donald G. Uzarski, J. David AllanAssociations between cyanobacteria and indices of secondary production in the western basin of Lake Erie
Large lakes provide a variety of ecological services to surrounding cities and communities. Many of these services are supported by ecological processes that are threatened by the increasing prevalence of cyanobacterial blooms which occur as aquatic ecosystems experience cultural eutrophication. Over the past 10 yr, Lake Erie experienced cyanobacterial blooms of increasing severity and frequency,AuthorsJames H. Larson, Mary Anne Evans, Robert J. Kennedy, Sean Bailey, Keith A. Loftin, Zachary Laughrey, Robin Femmer, Jeff Schaeffer, William B. Richardson, Timothy Wynne, J. C. Nelson, Joseph W. DurisUnderstanding ecosystem services adoption by natural resource managers and research ecologists
The ecosystem services (ES) paradigm has gained much traction as a natural resource management approach due to its comprehensive nature and ability to provide quantitative tools to improve decision-making. However, it is still uncertain whether and how practitioners have adopted the ES paradigm into their work and how this aligns with resource management information needs. To address this, we survAuthorsDaniel Engel, Mary Anne Evans, Bobbi S. Low, Jeff SchaefferPhosphorus (P) and HABs: Sources of P discharged from the Maumee River into Lake Erie
No abstract available.AuthorsRebecca Logsdon Muenich, Laura Johnson, John F. Bratton, Kristin DeVanna Fussell, Doug Kane, Margaret Kalcic, Dale M. Robertson, Sandra M. Eberts, Mary Anne Evans, Kenneth J. GibbonsGraphical function mapping as a new way to explore cause-and-effect chains
Graphical function mapping provides a simple method for improving communication within interdisciplinary research teams and between scientists and nonscientists. This article introduces graphical function mapping using two examples and discusses its usefulness. Function mapping projects the outcome of one function into another to show the combined effect. Using this mathematical property in a simpAuthorsMary Anne EvansInternal loading of phosphorus in western Lake Erie
This study applied eight techniques to obtain estimates of the diffusive flux of phosphorus (P) from bottom sediments throughout the western basin of Lake Erie. The flux was quantified from both aerobic and anaerobic incubations of whole cores; by monitoring the water encapsulated in bottom chambers; from pore water concentration profiles measured with a phosphate microelectrode, a diffusive equilAuthorsGerald Matisoff, Eliza M. Kaltenberg, Rebecca L. Steely, Stephanie K. Hummel, Jinyu Seo, Kenneth J. Gibbons, Thomas B. Bridgeman, Youngwoo Seo, Mohsen Behbahani, William F. James, Laura Johnson, Phuong Doan, Maria Dittrich, Mary Anne Evans, Justin D. ChaffinSpatial variation in biofouling of a unionid mussel (Lampsilis siliquoidea) across the western basin of Lake Erie
Invasion of North American waters by nonnative Dreissena polymorpha and D. rostriformis bugensishas resulted in declines of the Unionidae family of native North American mussels. Dreissenid mussels biofoul unionid mussels in large numbers and interfere with unionid movement, their acquisition of food, and the native mussels' ability to open and close their shells. Initial expectations for the GreaAuthorsJames H. Larson, Mary Anne Evans, William B. Richardson, Jeff Schaeffer, John C. NelsonTargets set to reduce Lake Erie algae
In February 2016, the Great Lakes Executive Committee, which oversees the implementation of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) between the U.S. and Canada, approved phosphorus loading targets for Lake Erie to reduce the size of harmful algal blooms (HABs), reduce the presence of the low oxygen zone in the central basin, and protect nearshore water quality. The targets are set with resAuthorsMary Anne EvansMeasuring spatial variation in secondary production and food quality using a common consumer approach in Lake Erie
Lake Erie is a large lake straddling the border of the U.S. and Canada that has become increasingly eutrophic in recent years. Eutrophication is particularly focused in the shallow western basin. The western basin of Lake Erie is hydrodynamically similar to a large estuary, with riverine inputs from the Detroit and Maumee Rivers mixing together and creating gradients in chemical and physical condiAuthorsJames H. Larson, William B. Richardson, Mary Anne Evans, Jeff Schaeffer, Timothy Wynne, Michelle Bartsch, Lynn Bartsch, J. C. Nelson, Jon M. VallazzaNon-USGS Publications**
N. S. Bosch, M. A. Evans, D. Scavia, and J. D. Allan. 2014. Interacting effects of climate change and agricultural BMPs on nutrient runoff entering Lake Erie. Journal of Great Lakes Research 40(3): 581-589Michalak, A.M., E. Anderson, D. Beletsky, S. Boland, N.S. Bosch, T.B. Bridgeman, J.D. Chaffin, K.H. Cho, R. Confesor, I. Daloğlu, J. DePinto, M.A. Evans, G.L. Fahnenstiel, L. He, J.C. Ho, L. Jenkins, T. Johengen, K.C. Kuo, E. Laporte, X. Liu, M. McWilliams, M.R. Moore, D.J. Posselt, R.P. Richards, D. Scavia, A.L. Steiner, E. Verhamme, D.M. Wright, M.A. Zagorski. 2013. The 2011 Lake Erie harmful algal bloom: Perfect storm or harbinger of future conditions? Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 110(16): 6448–6452.M.A. Evans, D. Scavia. 2013. Exploring estuarine eutrophication sensitivity to nutrient loading. Limnology & Oceanography 58(2): 569–578M. A. Evans, G.A. Fahnenstiel, and D. Scavia. 2011. Incidental oligotrophication of North American Great Lakes. Environmental Science and Technology 45(8): 3297–3303. DOI: 10.1021/es103892w
M. A. Evans and D. Scavia. 2010. Forecasting hypoxia in the Chesapeake Bay and Gulf of Mexico: Model accuracy, precision, and sensitivity to ecosystem change. Environmental Research Letters 6: 015001
C. R. Johnson, C. Luecke, S. C. Whalen, M. A. Evans. 2010. Direct and indirect effects of fish on pelagic nitrogen and phosphorus availability in oligotrophic Arctic Alaskan lakes. Freshwater Biology 67: 1635–1648Liu, Y, M.A. Evans, D. Scavia. 2010 Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia: Exploring Increasing Sensitivity to Nitrogen Loads. Environmental Science and Technology 44(15): 5836-5841M. A. Evans, S. MacIntyre, G. W. Kling. 2008. Internal wave effects on photosynthesis: experiments, theory, and modeling. Limnology & Oceanography 53(1): 339-353J. Vandermeer, M. A. Evans, P. Foster, T. Höök, M. Reiskind, M. Wund. 2002. Increased competition may promote species coexistence. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 99:8731-8736**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.
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