Nathaniel (Than) Hitt, PhD
Dr. Nathaniel (Than) P. Hitt is a Research Fish Biologist at the USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center in Kearneysville, West Virginia
He holds a B.A. in Biology from the College of Wooster, an M.S. in Organismal Biology and Ecology from the University of Montana, and a Ph.D. in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences from Virginia Tech. Dr. Hitt’s research investigates freshwater fish ecology from a landscape perspective, focusing on stream ecosystems in the Appalachian highlands. His research includes:
- Modeling fish habitat and population/community responses to environmental change
- Forecasting effects of climate change for fish habitat in headwater streams
- Effects of stream flow and temperature on fish population dynamics
- Optimizing conservation and restoration planning for native fishes
Professional Experience
2009-present: Research Fish Biologist, US Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center
2015-present: Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University
2008-2009: Postdoctoral Researcher, US Geological Survey, Leetown Science Center
2007-2008: Postdoctoral Researcher, Virginia Tech, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences
2007-2008: Postdoctoral Researcher, Virginia Tech, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences
1999-2002: Graduate Research Assistant, University of Montana, Division of Biological Sciences
Education and Certifications
2007 PhD, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences
2002 MS, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, Division of Biological Sciences, Organismal Biology and Ecology
1996 BA, The College of Wooster, Wooster, OH Biology, Honors
Science and Products
Shale Gas Development and Brook Trout: Scaling Best Management Practices to Anticipate Cumulative Effects
Histologic, immunologic and endocrine biomarkers indicate contaminant effects in fishes of the Ashtabula River
Experimental and environmental factors affect spurious detection of ecological thresholds
Hierarchical spatial structure of stream fish colonization and extinction
Metacommunity theory as a multispecies, multiscale framework for studying the influence of river network structure on riverine communities and ecosystems
Fish community and bioassessment responses to stream network position
Longitudinal structure in temperate stream fish communities: evaluating conceptual models with temporal data
Evidence for fish dispersal from spatial analysis of stream network topology
Spread of hybridization between native westslope cutthroat trout, Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi, and nonnative rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss
Non-USGS Publications**
**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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Shale Gas Development and Brook Trout: Scaling Best Management Practices to Anticipate Cumulative Effects
Shale gas development may involve trade-offs between energy development and benefits provided by natural ecosystems. However, current best management practices (BMPs) focus on mitigating localized ecological degradation. We review evidence for cumulative effects of natural gas development on brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and conclude that BMPs should account for potential watershed-scale effAuthorsDavid Smith, Craig D. Snyder, Nathaniel P. Hitt, John A. Young, Stephen P. FaulknerHistologic, immunologic and endocrine biomarkers indicate contaminant effects in fishes of the Ashtabula River
The use of fish as sentinels of aquatic ecosystem health is a biologically relevant approach to environmental monitoring and assessment. We examined the health of the Ashtabula River using histologic, immunologic, and endocrine biomarkers in brown bullhead (BB; Ameiurus nebulosus) and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) and compared fish collected from a reference site (Conneaut Creek). SeasonAuthorsL. R. Iwanowicz, V. S. Blazer, N.P. Hitt, S. D. McCormick, D.S. Devault, C. A. OttingerExperimental and environmental factors affect spurious detection of ecological thresholds
Threshold detection methods are increasingly popular for assessing nonlinear responses to environmental change, but their statistical performance remains poorly understood. We simulated linear change in stream benthic macroinvertebrate communities and evaluated the performance of commonly used threshold detection methods based on model fitting (piecewise quantile regression [PQR]), data partitioniAuthorsJonathan P. Daily, Nathaniel P. Hitt, David Smith, Craig D. SnyderHierarchical spatial structure of stream fish colonization and extinction
Spatial variation in extinction and colonization is expected to influence community composition over time. In stream fish communities, local species richness (alpha diversity) and species turnover (beta diversity) are thought to be regulated by high extinction rates in headwater streams and high colonization rates in downstream areas. We evaluated the spatiotemporal structure of fish communities iAuthorsN.P. Hitt, J.H. RobertsMetacommunity theory as a multispecies, multiscale framework for studying the influence of river network structure on riverine communities and ecosystems
Explaining the mechanisms underlying patterns of species diversity and composition in riverine networks is challenging. Historically, community ecologists have conceived of communities as largely isolated entities and have focused on local environmental factors and interspecific interactions as the major forces determining species composition. However, stream ecologists have long embraced a multisAuthorsB.L. Brown, C.M. Swan, D.A. Auerbach, Grant E.H. Campbell, N.P. Hitt, K.O. Maloney, C. PatrickFish community and bioassessment responses to stream network position
If organisms move beyond the boundaries of local sampling units, regional metacommunity dynamics could undermine the ability of bioassessment studies to characterize local environmental quality. We tested the prediction that fish dispersal influences local fish community structure and bioassessment metrics as a function of site position within stream networks. We evaluated fish community data fromAuthorsN.P. Hitt, P. L. AngermeierLongitudinal structure in temperate stream fish communities: evaluating conceptual models with temporal data
Five conceptual models of longitudinal fish community organization in streams were examined: (1) niche diversity model (NDM), (2) stream continuum model (SCM), (3) immigrant accessibility model (IAM), (4) environmental stability model (ESM), and (5) adventitious stream model (ASM). We used differences among models in their predictions about temporal species turnover, along with five spatiotemporalAuthorsJames H. Roberts, Nathaniel P. HittEvidence for fish dispersal from spatial analysis of stream network topology
Developing spatially explicit conservation strategies for stream fishes requires an understanding of the spatial structure of dispersal within stream networks. We explored spatial patterns of stream fish dispersal by evaluating how the size and proximity of connected streams (i.e., stream network topology) explained variation in fish assemblage structure and how this relationship varied with localAuthorsN.P. Hitt, P. L. AngermeierSpread of hybridization between native westslope cutthroat trout, Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi, and nonnative rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss
We examined spatial and temporal patterns of hybridization between native westslope cutthroat trout, Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi, and nonnative rainbow trout, O. mykiss, in streams of the Flathead River system in Montana, U.S.A. We detected hybridization in 24 of 42 sites sampled from 1998 to 2001. We found new Oncorhynchus mykiss introgression in seven of 11 sample populations that were determinedAuthorsNathaniel P. Hitt, Christopher A. Frissell, Clint C. Muhlfeld, Fred W. AllendorfNon-USGS Publications**
Hitt, N.P. and M. Hendryx. 2010. Ecological integrity of streams linked to human cancer mortality rates. EcoHealth 7:91-104.Hitt, N.P. and P.L. Angermeier. 2008. River-stream connectivity affects fish bioassessment performance. Environmental Management 42:132-150.Hitt, N.P. and P.L. Angermeier. 2008. Evidence for fish dispersal from spatial analysis of stream network topology. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 27:304-320.Hitt, N.P. and B.R. Murphy. 2007. An inquiry-based case study for conservation biology. Journal of Virginia Science Education 2:43-50.Hitt, N.P. and P.L. Angermeier. 2006. Effects of adjacent streams on local fish assemblage structure in western Virginia: implications for biomonitoring. American Fisheries Society Symposium 48:75-86.Vignieri, S.N., E.M. Hallerman, B.J. Bergstrom, D.J. Hafner, A.P. Martin, P. Devers, P. Grobler and N.P. Hitt. 2006. Mistaken view of taxonomy undermines conservation of an evolutionarily distinct mouse: a response to Ramey et al. Journal of Animal Conservation 9:237-243.Allendorf, F.W., R. Leary, N.P. Hitt, K. Knudsen, M. Boyer and P. Spruell. 2005. Cutthroat trout hybridization and the U.S. Endangered Species Act: one species, two policies. Conservation Biology 19:1326-1328.Hitt, N.P. and C.A. Frissell. 2004. A case study of surrogate species in aquatic conservation planning. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 14:625-633.Allendorf, F.W., R. Leary, N.P. Hitt, K. Knudsen, L. Lundquist, and P. Spruell. 2004. Intercrosses and the U.S. Endangered Species Act: should hybridized populations be included as westslope cutthroat trout? Conservation Biology 18: 1203-1213.Hitt, N.P., C.A. Frissell, C.C. Muhlfeld and F.W. Allendorf. 2003. Spread of hybridization between native westslope cutthroat trout, Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi, and non-native rainbow trout, O. mykiss. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 60:1440-1451.Hitt, N.P. 2003. Immediate effects of wildfire on stream temperature. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 18:171-173.**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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