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Robert E Zuellig, Ph.D.

Bob is an Ecologist with the Colorado Water Science Center

Bob Zuellig obtained his Ph.D. in Ecology at Colorado State University in 2006. He is an Ecologist at the Colorado Water Science Center stationed at the Fort Collins Science Center in northern Colorado. Since 2001, his research has focused on stream insect, fish, and diatom communities and how they respond and recover from human induced stressors. Other research interests include aquatic insect taxonomy, distribution, and biogeography as well as the ecology of plains stream fishes. Currently, Bob is the ecology trend analyst for the Surface-Water Trends Team of the National Water Quality Project of the National Water Quality Program. You can find more information about it here http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/swtrends/

Professional Experience

  • 2006 to present: Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Colorado Water Science Center, Denver, Colorado

  • 2004 to 2006: Ecologist Student Trainee, U.S. Geological Survey, Colorado Water Science Center, Denver, Colorado

  • 2001 to 2003: Biologist Student Trainee, U.S. Geological Survey, Colorado Water Science Center, Denver, Colorado

  • 2000 to 2001: Aquatic Biologist, Department of Public Works, Water Quality and Environmental Services, Boulder, Colorado

  • 1999 to 2002: Aquatic Biologist, Department of Water Quality Services, City of Fort Collins, Colorado

  • 1997 to 1999: Research Assistant, Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado

  • 1997 to 2001: Fishery Biology and Aquaculture Instructor, Front Range Community College, Fort Collins, Colorado

Education and Certifications

  • Ph.D. Ecology, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, 2006

  • M.S. Entomology, Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management, Colorado State University, 2001

  • B.S. Fishery Biology, Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, 1999

  • A.S. Aquaculture and Fisheries Technology, Front Range Community College, 1996

Affiliations and Memberships*

  • May 2007 to present: Affiliated Faculty, Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado

Science and Products

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An image of an Ephemeroptera Heptageniidae Epeorus longimanuis.

Aquatic Experimental Laboratory (AXL)

Aquatic invertebrates are a key component of freshwater ecosystems, and an understanding of aquatic invertebrate taxonomy is central to freshwater science. The U.S. Geological Survey Aquatic Experimental Lab (AXL) at the Fort Collins Science Center has developed the North American Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Digital Reference Collection (NAAMDRC) to provide users with a graphic tool to aid in the...
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Ecosystems, Species Management Research Program, Colorado Water Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center
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Aquatic Experimental Laboratory (AXL)

Aquatic invertebrates are a key component of freshwater ecosystems, and an understanding of aquatic invertebrate taxonomy is central to freshwater science. The U.S. Geological Survey Aquatic Experimental Lab (AXL) at the Fort Collins Science Center has developed the North American Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Digital Reference Collection (NAAMDRC) to provide users with a graphic tool to aid in the...
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Cover image SIR 2017-5162

Characterization of Water Quality and Biology in the Fountain Creek Watershed

Monument and Fountain Creeks and their respective watersheds, located in the Front Range of Colorado, serve as important drainages for surface runoff, waste-water treatment operations, and as a water supply for downstream agricultural needs. As population growth continues in these watersheds, more and more pressures are being applied to the receiving streams, especially Fountain Creek.
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Colorado Water Science Center
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Characterization of Water Quality and Biology in the Fountain Creek Watershed

Monument and Fountain Creeks and their respective watersheds, located in the Front Range of Colorado, serve as important drainages for surface runoff, waste-water treatment operations, and as a water supply for downstream agricultural needs. As population growth continues in these watersheds, more and more pressures are being applied to the receiving streams, especially Fountain Creek.
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View of three USGS Visual Identity items

Use of multivariate associations among species for detecting changes in native plains fish community structure in Colorado

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is responsible for monitoring the status of fishes in Colorado and currently seeks to establish a rigorous, efficient monitoring program for fishes that occur in stream habitats from the mountain-plains interface east to the Colorado state line. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, assessed the potential use of combining...
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Colorado Water Science Center
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Use of multivariate associations among species for detecting changes in native plains fish community structure in Colorado

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is responsible for monitoring the status of fishes in Colorado and currently seeks to establish a rigorous, efficient monitoring program for fishes that occur in stream habitats from the mountain-plains interface east to the Colorado state line. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, assessed the potential use of combining...
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Invertebrate, fish, and habitat data collected within the greater Fountain Creek Basin, Colorado

Invertebrate, fish, and habitat data were collected as part of a cooperative project that began in 2002 between the U.S. Geological Survey, Colorado Springs Utilities, and Colorado Springs Engineering. Other entities have contributed to the project over the years including Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Data were primarily collected from up to 35 sites - 33 sites within the Fountain Creek Basin but

Datasets for estimating invertebrate response to changes in total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and specific conductance at sites where invertebrate data are unavailable

These data were used to describe a possible approach to estimate changes in invertebrate taxa richness at sites across the United States with known water-quality trends but no invertebrate data. This data release consists of invertebrate, water-quality, and covariate data from 1,322 sites and water-quality, covariate, and trend result data from an additional 259 sites with reported water-quality t
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Colorado Water Science Center

Ecological community datasets used to evaluate the presence of trends in ecological communities in selected rivers and streams across the United States, 1992–2017

In 1991, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began a study of more than 50 major river basins across the Nation as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) project of the National Water Quality Program. One of the major goals of the NAWQA project is to determine how water quality and ecological conditions change over time. To support that goal, long-term consistent and comparable ecolog

Datasets used to asses the effects of antecedent streamflow and sample timing on trend assessments of fish, invertebrate and diatom communities (2002-12)

Detecting trends in biological attributes is central to many stream monitoring programs; however, understanding how natural variability in environmental factors affects trend results is not well understood. We evaluated the influence of antecedent streamflow and sample timing (covariates) on trend estimates for fish, invertebrate, and diatom taxa richness and biolgical condition from 2002 to 2012
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Water Resources

Multimetric Index macroinvertebrate values from the Fountain Creek Basin, Colorado 2005 to 2016.

These data have been collected as part of a cooperative project in between the U.S. Geological Survey Colorado Water Science Center, Colorado Springs Utility, and Colorado Springs Engineering. This project began in 2005 and has collected macroinvertebrate samples from Fountain Creek and its tributaries to monitor the biological condition of this watershed. Provided in this data release are Multime
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Fort Collins Science Center

Datasets of ecological communities (invertebrates and fish), streamflow, habitat, and water quality to examine the presence of trends in ecological communities from the Fountain Creek basin, Colorado, USA, 2003-2016.

These data were used for an analysis as part of a long-term project monitoring the biological communities, habitat, and water quality of the Fountain Creek Basin. Biology, habitat, and water quality data have been collected at 10 sites starting in 2003. These data include annual samples of aquatic invertebrate communities, fish communities, water quality, and quantitative riverine habitat collecte
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Colorado Water Science Center
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Cyanobacteria, cyanotoxin synthetase gene, and cyanotoxin occurrence among selected large river sites of the conterminous United States, 2017–18

The U.S. Geological Survey measured cyanobacteria, cyanotoxin synthetase genes, and cyanotoxins at 11 river sites throughout the conterminous United States in a multiyear pilot study during 2017–19 through the National Water Quality Assessment Project to better understand the occurrence of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in large inland and coastal rivers. This report focuses on the first 2 years of
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Ecosystems, Water Resources, Environmental Health Program, Colorado Water Science Center, Kansas Water Science Center, New York Water Science Center, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, Ohio Water Microbiology Laboratory

Estimating invertebrate response to changes in total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and specific conductance at sites where invertebrate data are unavailable

The purpose of this report is to describe a possible approach to estimate changes in invertebrate taxa richness at sites with known water-quality trends but no invertebrate data. In this study, data from 1,322 sites were used to describe invertebrate response to changes in total nitrogen, total phosphorus, or specific conductance, and to estimate changes in invertebrate taxa richness at 259 sites
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Water Resources, Colorado Water Science Center

Landscape drivers of dynamic change in water quality of US rivers

Water security is a top concern for social well-being and dramatic changes in the availability of freshwater have occurred as a result of human uses and landscape management. Elevated nutrient loading and perturbations to major ion composition have resulted from human activities and have degraded freshwater resources. This study addresses the emerging nature of stream water quality in the 21st ce
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Water Resources, New Jersey Water Science Center

Effects of antecedent streamflow and sample timing on trend assessments of fish, invertebrate, and diatom communities

Detecting trends in biological attributes is central to many stream monitoring programs; however, understanding how natural variability in environmental factors affects trend results is not well understood. We evaluated the influence of antecedent streamflow and sample timing (covariates) on trend estimates for fish, invertebrate, and diatom taxa richness and biological condition from 2002 to 2012
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Water Resources

Pulsed salmonfly emergence and its potential contribution to terrestrial detrital pools

Adult aquatic insects are a globally important subsidy in terrestrial food webs. However, our understanding of their importance is largely limited to studies that measure predation of live insects by terrestrial predators. Yet the flux of adult aquatic insects to terrestrial detrital pools may also be an important subsidy pathway, particularly in cases where insect production exceeds the consumpti
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Ecosystems, Columbia Environmental Research Center

Comparability among four invertebrate sampling methods and two multimetric indexes, Fountain Creek Basin, Colorado, 2010–2012

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with Colorado Springs City Engineering and Colorado Springs Utilities, analyzed previously collected invertebrate data to determine the comparability among four sampling methods and two versions (2010 and 2017) of the Colorado Benthic Macroinvertebrate Multimetric Index (MMI). For this study, annual macroinvertebrate samples were collected concurre
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Water Resources, Colorado Water Science Center

Changes in biological communities of the Fountain Creek Basin, Colorado, 2003–2016, in relation to antecedent streamflow, water quality, and habitat

The analysis described in this report is part of a longterm project monitoring the biological communities, habitat, and water quality of the Fountain Creek Basin. Biology, habitat, and water-quality data have been collected at 10 sites since 2003. These data include annual samples of aquatic invertebrate communities, fish communities, water quality, and quantitative riverine habitat. This report e
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Water Resources, Colorado Water Science Center

Holy flux: Spatial and temporal variation in massive pulses of emerging insect biomass from western U.S. rivers

The river stonefly, Pteronarcys californica (aka salmonfly), is an iconic insect in rivers of western North America due to its large size and its support of economically important species like wild trout (Nehring et al. 2011). Their emergence generates a large economic subsidy to local communities, as anglers from around the world travel to western rivers to fish the salmonfly “hatch” (e.g., Willo
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Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center

A rare and cryptic endemic of the Central Rocky Mountains, U.S.A: The distribution of the Arapahoe snowfly, Arsapnia arapahoe (Nelson & Kondratieff, 1988) (Plecoptera: Capniidae)

The Arapahoe snowfly, Arsapnia arapahoe (Nelson & Kondratieff, 1988) (Plecoptera: Capniidae) is a candidate species warranted for listing under the Endangered Species Act. Prior to this study, A. arapahoe was known from only two tributaries of the Cache la Poudre River in Larimer County, Colorado: Young Gulch and Elkhorn Creek. The objectives of this study were to determine the distribution of thi
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Water Resources, Colorado Water Science Center

A digital reference collection for aquatic macroinvertebrates of North America

Aquatic invertebrates are a key component of freshwater ecosystems, and understanding aquatic invertebrate taxonomy is a cornerstone of freshwater science. Physical reference collections of expertly identified voucher specimens are the ‘gold-standard’ used to confirm specimen identifications. However, most biologists lack access to such collections, which themselves tend to be highly regionalized
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Ecosystems, Colorado Water Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center

Water-quality trends in the nation’s rivers and streams, 1972–2012—Data preparation, statistical methods, and trend results

Since passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972, Federal, State, and local governments have invested billions of dollars to reduce pollution entering rivers and streams. To understand the return on these investments and to effectively manage and protect the Nation’s water resources in the future, we need to know how and why water quality has been changing over time. As part of the National Water-Qual
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Water Resources, Colorado Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, New Mexico Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

Macroinvertebrate community sample collection methods and data collected from Sand Creek and Medano Creek, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado, 2005–07

This report provides a table of site descriptions, sample information, and semiquantitative aquatic macroinvertebrate data from 105 samples collected between 2005 and 2007 from 7 stream sites within the Sand Creek and Medano Creek watersheds in Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Saguache County, Colorado. Additionally, a short description of sample collection methods and laboratory sampl
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Water Resources, Colorado Water Science Center

North American Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Digital Reference Collection (NAAMDRC)

Aquatic invertebrates are a key component of freshwater ecosystems, and an understanding of aquatic invertebrate taxonomy is central to freshwater science. The North American Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Digital Reference Collection (NAAMDRC) was created by the USGS Aquatic Experimental Lab (AXL) to provide users with high-quality digital microscopy photographs.

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Ecosystems, Water Resources, Colorado Water Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center

Science and Products

*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government