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Ralph W Tingley, III, PhD

I am a biologist at the Great Lakes Science Center in Ann Arbor, MI. 

I am responsible for the annual assessment of Lake Michigan prey fish populations. I also lead research focused on trophic ecology, recruitment bottlenecks, and habitat use of ecologically and culturally important fishes of the Great Lakes.  I am particularly interested in spatial and temporal heterogeneity in fish habitat use within the Great Lakes and connected waters.

Professional Experience

  • September 2020 – present. Biologist, USGS Great Lakes Science Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan

  • May 2017 – August 2020.  Post-doctoral researcher, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri.

  • January 2017 – May 2017.  Instructor – Statistics for Ecologists, The Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.

  • June 2010 – December 2016.  Graduate Research Associate, The Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.

  • September 2007 – May 2010.  Graduate Research Associate, The Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.

Education and Certifications

  • Ph.D. 2017. Michigan State University; Fisheries and Wildlife Biology, East Lansing, MI.

  • M.S. 2010. Michigan State University; Fisheries and Wildlife Biology, East Lansing, MI.

  • B.S. 2007.  University of Connecticut; Natural Resource Management - Fisheries, Storrs, CT.

Science and Products

Publications by this scientist

Subindicator: Native Prey Fish Diversity

No abstract available.
Authors
Brian C. Weidel, Mark Vinson, Darryl W. Hondorp, Ralph W. Tingley, Joseph Schmitt
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Reducing uncertainty in climate change responses of inland fishes: A decision-path approach

Climate change will continue to be an important consideration for conservation practitioners. However, uncertainty in identifying appropriate management strategies, particularly for understudied species and regions, constrains the implementation of science-based solutions and adaptation strategies. Here, we share a decision-path approach to reduce uncertainty in climate change responses of inland
Authors
Abigail Lynch, Bonnie Myers, Jesse P. Wong, Cindy Chu, Ralph W. Tingley, Jeffrey A. Falke, Thomas J. Kwak, Craig Paukert, Trevor J. Krabbenhoft
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers

Societal values of inland fishes

a.Aim: To demonstrate the societal values of inland fishes through nine services provided by inland fishes. Each service is defined, key stakeholders identified, and threats enumerated. Diverse case studies (geography, taxonomy, fishery-type) provide examples to highlight the societal values around the world.b.Main concepts: Nine societal services of inland fishes – 1. Livelihoods and subsistence
Authors
Abigail Lynch, Robert I. Arthur, Claudio Baigun, Julie E. Claussen, Külli Kangur, Aaron A. Koning, Karen J. Murchie, Bonnie Myers, Gretchen L. Stokes, Ralph William Tingley, So-Jung Youn
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers

A Resist-Accept-Direct decision-support tool for walleye Sander vitreus (Mitchill) management in Wisconsin

Large-scale modelling and prediction provide insight into general influences of climate change on inland recreational fisheries; however, small-scale dynamics and local expertise will be key in developing explicit goals for managing recreational fisheries as the climate changes. The resist-accept-direct (RAD) framework encompasses the entire decision space managers consider when addressing climate
Authors
Colin J. Dassow, Alex W. Latzka, Abigail Lynch, Greg G. Sass, Ralph W. Tingley, Craig Paukert
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers

A landscape approach for identifying potential reestablishment sites for extirpated stream fishes: an example with Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus) in Michigan

Habitat degradation combined with climate change increases the threat of extinction for stream fishes. In response to these threats, efforts to reestablish species within formerly occupied streams or translocation to suitable areas may be effective conservation strategies. In the absence of historic species presence data, identifying locations where suitable habitat exists across many fluvial habi
Authors
Ralph William Tingley, Dana M. Infante, Emily M. Dean, Douglas W. Schemske, Arthur R. Cooper, Jared A. Ross, Wesley Daniel
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Status and trends of pelagic and benthic prey fish populations in Lake Michigan, 2020

Lakewide acoustic (AC) and bottom trawl (BT) surveys are conducted annually to generate indices of pelagic and benthic prey fish densities in Lake Michigan. The BT survey had been conducted each fall from 1973 through 2019 using 12-m trawls at depths ranging from 9 to 110 m and included 70 fixed locations distributed across seven transects; this survey estimates densities of seven prey fish speci
Authors
Ralph William Tingley, David Bunnell, David Warner, Charles P. Madenjian, Patricia Dieter
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Identifying candidate reference reaches to assess the physical and biological integrity of wadeable streams in different ecoregions and among stream sizes

Efforts to quantify disturbances to aquatic systems often use landscape-level metrics, presumably linked to ecological integrity, but fewer studies have directly linked ecological integrity to instream habitat, and applied these results to unsampled stream reaches throughout a landscape. We developed a flexible, quantitative approach that characterizes stream impairment across a landscape and iden
Authors
Craig Paukert, Ethan R. Kleeklamp, Ralph William Tingley
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Cooperative Research Units, Great Lakes Science Center

Science pages by this scientist

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Image: Waterfall, Maui, Hawaii

Webinar: Turning Ecological Stream Classifications into Actionable Science

View this webinar to learn about stream classification efforts in Hawai'i.
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers
link

Webinar: Turning Ecological Stream Classifications into Actionable Science

View this webinar to learn about stream classification efforts in Hawai'i.
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Data releases by this scientist

Hawaii Waterfalls Linked to the National Hydrography Dataset

This dataset contains information about waterfall locations and estimated waterfall heights on five of the main Hawaiian Islands including Kauai, Oahu, Maui, Molokai, and Hawaii. Initial spatial information was gathered from the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD), Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), the Hawaii Statewide GIS Program, and the World Waterfall Database. Where image quality per
By
Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS) Program

News about this scientist

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Tingley Interviewed by Chicago Sun-Times on Prey Fish Populations in Lake Michigan

Chicago Sun Times includes report on data provided by the Great Lakes Science Center

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Tingley Interviewed For Chicago Sun Times Article About Smelt Status In Lake Michigan

Smelt netting article follows on the heels of the lake committee meetings for 2022.

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Tingley presents at Public Fisheries Seminar for Lake Michigan

Stakeholders Discuss Ecological Changes Occurring Throughout Lake Michigan's Food Web.

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Science and Products