A Grand Challenge. A 21st century grand challenge for natural resource conservation is how to connect data to successful action. This critical link between research (data) and management/policy decisions (action) is widely examined.
Paul Angermeier, PhD
Assistant Unit Leader - Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Research Interests
- Stream fish communities
- Assessing quality of aquatic resources
- Conservation of aquatic systems
Professional Experience
Assistant Unit Leader, Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 2010-
Science and Products
Fish communities in PA and MD Piedmont mixed agricultural streams, 2023
From 2-27 June, 2023, a Virginia Tech team of 5 sampled the fish community in 30 Piedmont streams (lower Susquehanna River and upper Chesapeake Bay tributaries, Pennsylvania and Maryland, USA) spanning a gradient of agricultural intensity as part of a larger stream-health study including other teams who surveyed geomorphology, water quality, flow, temperature, and macroinvertebrates at the same 30
Fish communities in Delmarva Peninsula streams, 2022
From 31 May to 29 June, 2022, a Virginia Tech team of 4-5 sampled the fish community in 30 Delmarva Peninsula streams (Maryland and Delaware, USA) as part of a larger stream-health study including other teams who surveyed geomorphology, water quality, flow, temperature, macroinvertebrates, and fish health at the same 30 streams. These 30 Chesapeake Bay Watershed tributaries had upstream drainage a
Fish communities in Shenandoah Valley streams, 2021
From 16 June to 30 July, 2021, a Virginia Tech team of 4-6 sampled the fish community in 30 Shenandoah Valley streams (Virginia and West Virginia, USA) as part of a larger stream-health study including other teams who surveyed geomorphology, water quality, flow, temperature, macroinvertebrates, and fish health at the same 30 streams. The fish community team also sampled three additional bonus stre
Tackling the Multifaceted Data-to Action Puzzle
A Grand Challenge. A 21st century grand challenge for natural resource conservation is how to connect data to successful action. This critical link between research (data) and management/policy decisions (action) is widely examined.
Filter Total Items: 65
Connecting conservation practices to local stream health in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
The Chesapeake Bay Partnership is implementing conservation practices (CPs) throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed to reduce nutrient and sediment delivery to the Bay. This study intends to provide an integrated and detailed understanding of how local streams respond to these CP-driven management efforts.Key issue: To what extent do CPs positively affect the health of local streams in the nontida
Authors
Gregory Noe, Paul L. Angermeier, Larry B. Barber, Joe Buckwalter, Matthew Joseph Cashman, Olivia Devereux, Thomas Rossiter Doody, Sally Entrekin, Rosemary Margaret Fanelli, Nathaniel P. Hitt, Molly Elizabeth Huber, Jeramy Roland Jasmann, Kelly O. Maloney, Tristan Gregory Mohs, Sergio Sabat-Bonilla, Kelly Smalling, Tyler Wagner, John C. Wolf, Kenneth Hyer
Deposited sediment influences occurrence of functional traits of stream fishes
To better understand stream-fish sensitivity to fine sediment, we documented assemblage-wide responses by selected traits along a sedimentation gradient. We then discuss the management implications of these ‘dose–response’ relations in the contexts of biotic assessments and conservation of sediment-sensitive species. We identified a spatial gradient in sediment deposition among streams within the
Authors
Mallory Hirschler, Amy M. Villamagna, Paul L. Angermeier, Eric Laflamme
Genetic structure across isolated Virginia populations of the endangered candy darter (Etheostoma osburni)
Candy darter Etheostoma osburni, a federally endangered non-game fish, has been extirpated from most of its historic range in Virginia and now occurs in four isolated populations in the New River drainage. Understanding of population genetic structure will provide insights into the recent natural history of the species and can inform conservation management. Our objectives were to: characterize po
Authors
Kathyrn E. McBaine, Paul L. Angermeier, Eric M. Hallerman
Global review reveals how disparate study motivations, analytical designs, and focal ions limit understanding of salinization effects on freshwater animals
Global salinization of freshwaters is adversely affecting biotic communities and ecosystem processes. We reviewed six decades (1960–2020) of literature published on animal responses to increased salinities across different taxonomic and ecological contexts and identified knowledge gaps. From 585 journal articles, we characterized 5924 responses of mollusks, crustaceans, zooplankton, non-arthropod
Authors
Richard H. Walker, Abigail C. Belvin, Joshua B. Mouser, Amanda Pennino, Stephen Plont, Christopher D. Robinson, Lucy B. Smith, Jyoti Thapa, Carl E. Zipper, Paul L. Angermeier, Sally A. Entrekin
A size-based stock assessment model for invasive blue catfish in a Chesapeake Bay sub-estuary during 2001–2016
Stock assessment modeling provides a means to estimate the population dynamics of invasive fishes and may do so despite data limitations. Blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) were introduced to the Chesapeake Bay watershed to support recreational fisheries but also consume species of conservation need and economic importance. To assess management tradeoffs, managers need to understand the current sta
Authors
Corbin David Hilling, Yan Jiao, Mary C. Fabrizio, Paul L. Angermeier, Aaron J. Bunch, Donald J. Orth
Exploring relationships among stream health, human well-being, and demographics in Virginia, USA
Quantification of empirical relationships between ecosystem health and human well-being is uncommon at broad spatial scales. We used public data for Virginia (USA) counties to examine pairwise correlations among two indicators of stream health, thirteen indicators of human well-being, and four demographic metrics. Our indicators of stream health included the Virginia Stream Condition Index (VSCI)
Authors
Paul L. Angermeier, Marc J. Stern, Leigh Anne Krometis, Tyler L. Hemby
Coal-mining intensity influences species and trait distributions of stream fishes in two Central Appalachian watersheds
Documenting responses of biotic assemblages to coal-mining impacts is crucial to informing regulatory and reclamation actions. However, attributing biotic patterns to specific stressors is difficult given the dearth of preimpact studies and prevalence of confounding factors. Analysing species distributions and abundances, especially stratified by species traits, provides insights into how assembla
Authors
Zachary P. Martin, Paul L. Angermeier, Serena Ciparis, Donald J. Orth
Diel feeding and movement activity of Northern Snakehead Channa argus
Understanding the diel activity of a species can shed light on potential interactions with other species and inform management practices. To understand the diel activity of Northern Snakehead Channa argus, feeding habits and movement patterns were observed. Two hundred seventy-three Northern Snakehead were captured by boat electrofishing during May and June of 2007 and 2008. Their gut contents wer
Authors
Nicolas W. R. Lapointe, Ryan K. Saylor, Paul L. Angermeier
Species traits predict stream-fish invaders in an Appalachian (U.S.A.) river basin
We compared the influence of biological traits (morphology, physiology, reproduction, and life history), ecological traits (geographic distribution, habitat associations, food habits), and introduction attributes (propagule pressure, human use of a species, residence time) on invasion success of native and introduced stream fishes during the colonisation and spread stages in an Appalachian (U.S.A.
Authors
Joseph D. Buckwalter, Emmanuel A Frimpong, Paul L. Angermeier, Jacob N. Barney
Drift of larval darters (Family Percidae) in the upper Roanoke River basin, USA, characterized using phenotypic and DNA barcoding markers
Larval fish ecology is poorly characterized because sampling is difficult and tools for phenotypically identifying larvae are poorly developed. While DNA barcoding can help address the latter problem, ‘universal’ primers do not work for all fish species. The Roanoke River in the southeastern United States includes seven darters (Family Percide: Tribe Etheostomatini). We made 393 collections of lar
Authors
Joseph Buckwalter, Paul L. Angermeier, Jane Argentina, Skylar Wolf, Stephen Floyd, Eric M. Hallerman
Ecological health indicators
Contemporary policymakers rarely stress ecological knowledge, and yet this knowledge remains crucial—just as it was in prehistory—to protecting overall human well-being. Measuring carefully selected ecological health indicators—that is, signs or symptoms, especially those focused on biotic assemblages—can provide insights into the ecological condition of a place and the variety of ecological conse
Authors
Paul L. Angermeier
Remaining populations of an upland stream fish persist in refugia defined by habitat features at multiple scales
AimConserving stream biota could require strategies that preserve habitats conveying resistance to ecological impacts of changing land use and climate. Retrospective analyses of species’ responses to anthropogenic disturbances can inform such strategies. We developed a hierarchical framework to contrast environmental conditions underlying persistence versus extirpation of an imperilled stream fish
Authors
Corey G. Dunn, Paul L. Angermeier
Science and Products
Fish communities in PA and MD Piedmont mixed agricultural streams, 2023
From 2-27 June, 2023, a Virginia Tech team of 5 sampled the fish community in 30 Piedmont streams (lower Susquehanna River and upper Chesapeake Bay tributaries, Pennsylvania and Maryland, USA) spanning a gradient of agricultural intensity as part of a larger stream-health study including other teams who surveyed geomorphology, water quality, flow, temperature, and macroinvertebrates at the same 30
Fish communities in Delmarva Peninsula streams, 2022
From 31 May to 29 June, 2022, a Virginia Tech team of 4-5 sampled the fish community in 30 Delmarva Peninsula streams (Maryland and Delaware, USA) as part of a larger stream-health study including other teams who surveyed geomorphology, water quality, flow, temperature, macroinvertebrates, and fish health at the same 30 streams. These 30 Chesapeake Bay Watershed tributaries had upstream drainage a
Fish communities in Shenandoah Valley streams, 2021
From 16 June to 30 July, 2021, a Virginia Tech team of 4-6 sampled the fish community in 30 Shenandoah Valley streams (Virginia and West Virginia, USA) as part of a larger stream-health study including other teams who surveyed geomorphology, water quality, flow, temperature, macroinvertebrates, and fish health at the same 30 streams. The fish community team also sampled three additional bonus stre
Tackling the Multifaceted Data-to Action Puzzle
A Grand Challenge. A 21st century grand challenge for natural resource conservation is how to connect data to successful action. This critical link between research (data) and management/policy decisions (action) is widely examined.
A Grand Challenge. A 21st century grand challenge for natural resource conservation is how to connect data to successful action. This critical link between research (data) and management/policy decisions (action) is widely examined.
Filter Total Items: 65
Connecting conservation practices to local stream health in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
The Chesapeake Bay Partnership is implementing conservation practices (CPs) throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed to reduce nutrient and sediment delivery to the Bay. This study intends to provide an integrated and detailed understanding of how local streams respond to these CP-driven management efforts.Key issue: To what extent do CPs positively affect the health of local streams in the nontida
Authors
Gregory Noe, Paul L. Angermeier, Larry B. Barber, Joe Buckwalter, Matthew Joseph Cashman, Olivia Devereux, Thomas Rossiter Doody, Sally Entrekin, Rosemary Margaret Fanelli, Nathaniel P. Hitt, Molly Elizabeth Huber, Jeramy Roland Jasmann, Kelly O. Maloney, Tristan Gregory Mohs, Sergio Sabat-Bonilla, Kelly Smalling, Tyler Wagner, John C. Wolf, Kenneth Hyer
Deposited sediment influences occurrence of functional traits of stream fishes
To better understand stream-fish sensitivity to fine sediment, we documented assemblage-wide responses by selected traits along a sedimentation gradient. We then discuss the management implications of these ‘dose–response’ relations in the contexts of biotic assessments and conservation of sediment-sensitive species. We identified a spatial gradient in sediment deposition among streams within the
Authors
Mallory Hirschler, Amy M. Villamagna, Paul L. Angermeier, Eric Laflamme
Genetic structure across isolated Virginia populations of the endangered candy darter (Etheostoma osburni)
Candy darter Etheostoma osburni, a federally endangered non-game fish, has been extirpated from most of its historic range in Virginia and now occurs in four isolated populations in the New River drainage. Understanding of population genetic structure will provide insights into the recent natural history of the species and can inform conservation management. Our objectives were to: characterize po
Authors
Kathyrn E. McBaine, Paul L. Angermeier, Eric M. Hallerman
Global review reveals how disparate study motivations, analytical designs, and focal ions limit understanding of salinization effects on freshwater animals
Global salinization of freshwaters is adversely affecting biotic communities and ecosystem processes. We reviewed six decades (1960–2020) of literature published on animal responses to increased salinities across different taxonomic and ecological contexts and identified knowledge gaps. From 585 journal articles, we characterized 5924 responses of mollusks, crustaceans, zooplankton, non-arthropod
Authors
Richard H. Walker, Abigail C. Belvin, Joshua B. Mouser, Amanda Pennino, Stephen Plont, Christopher D. Robinson, Lucy B. Smith, Jyoti Thapa, Carl E. Zipper, Paul L. Angermeier, Sally A. Entrekin
A size-based stock assessment model for invasive blue catfish in a Chesapeake Bay sub-estuary during 2001–2016
Stock assessment modeling provides a means to estimate the population dynamics of invasive fishes and may do so despite data limitations. Blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) were introduced to the Chesapeake Bay watershed to support recreational fisheries but also consume species of conservation need and economic importance. To assess management tradeoffs, managers need to understand the current sta
Authors
Corbin David Hilling, Yan Jiao, Mary C. Fabrizio, Paul L. Angermeier, Aaron J. Bunch, Donald J. Orth
Exploring relationships among stream health, human well-being, and demographics in Virginia, USA
Quantification of empirical relationships between ecosystem health and human well-being is uncommon at broad spatial scales. We used public data for Virginia (USA) counties to examine pairwise correlations among two indicators of stream health, thirteen indicators of human well-being, and four demographic metrics. Our indicators of stream health included the Virginia Stream Condition Index (VSCI)
Authors
Paul L. Angermeier, Marc J. Stern, Leigh Anne Krometis, Tyler L. Hemby
Coal-mining intensity influences species and trait distributions of stream fishes in two Central Appalachian watersheds
Documenting responses of biotic assemblages to coal-mining impacts is crucial to informing regulatory and reclamation actions. However, attributing biotic patterns to specific stressors is difficult given the dearth of preimpact studies and prevalence of confounding factors. Analysing species distributions and abundances, especially stratified by species traits, provides insights into how assembla
Authors
Zachary P. Martin, Paul L. Angermeier, Serena Ciparis, Donald J. Orth
Diel feeding and movement activity of Northern Snakehead Channa argus
Understanding the diel activity of a species can shed light on potential interactions with other species and inform management practices. To understand the diel activity of Northern Snakehead Channa argus, feeding habits and movement patterns were observed. Two hundred seventy-three Northern Snakehead were captured by boat electrofishing during May and June of 2007 and 2008. Their gut contents wer
Authors
Nicolas W. R. Lapointe, Ryan K. Saylor, Paul L. Angermeier
Species traits predict stream-fish invaders in an Appalachian (U.S.A.) river basin
We compared the influence of biological traits (morphology, physiology, reproduction, and life history), ecological traits (geographic distribution, habitat associations, food habits), and introduction attributes (propagule pressure, human use of a species, residence time) on invasion success of native and introduced stream fishes during the colonisation and spread stages in an Appalachian (U.S.A.
Authors
Joseph D. Buckwalter, Emmanuel A Frimpong, Paul L. Angermeier, Jacob N. Barney
Drift of larval darters (Family Percidae) in the upper Roanoke River basin, USA, characterized using phenotypic and DNA barcoding markers
Larval fish ecology is poorly characterized because sampling is difficult and tools for phenotypically identifying larvae are poorly developed. While DNA barcoding can help address the latter problem, ‘universal’ primers do not work for all fish species. The Roanoke River in the southeastern United States includes seven darters (Family Percide: Tribe Etheostomatini). We made 393 collections of lar
Authors
Joseph Buckwalter, Paul L. Angermeier, Jane Argentina, Skylar Wolf, Stephen Floyd, Eric M. Hallerman
Ecological health indicators
Contemporary policymakers rarely stress ecological knowledge, and yet this knowledge remains crucial—just as it was in prehistory—to protecting overall human well-being. Measuring carefully selected ecological health indicators—that is, signs or symptoms, especially those focused on biotic assemblages—can provide insights into the ecological condition of a place and the variety of ecological conse
Authors
Paul L. Angermeier
Remaining populations of an upland stream fish persist in refugia defined by habitat features at multiple scales
AimConserving stream biota could require strategies that preserve habitats conveying resistance to ecological impacts of changing land use and climate. Retrospective analyses of species’ responses to anthropogenic disturbances can inform such strategies. We developed a hierarchical framework to contrast environmental conditions underlying persistence versus extirpation of an imperilled stream fish
Authors
Corey G. Dunn, Paul L. Angermeier