Luke Iwanowicz processing samples under the BSC within the BSL-3 lab on a 36-sample day.
Robin Johnson
Robin is a Biologist at the Eastern Ecological Science Center in Kearneysville, WV.
Science and Products
Individual assignments and microsatellite genotypes for Atlantic Sturgeon from 2021 (ver. 2.0, February 2024)
This dataset includes genotypes and individual-based assignment tests for 868 Atlantic Sturgeon selected for assignment by the National Marine Fisheries Service to meet management requirements under the Endangered Species Act.
SARS-CoV-2 Data from National Wastewater Surveillance System Surge Capacity Sampling, September 2021
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is used to determine the consumption of, or exposure to, chemicals or pathogens in human populations, and is conducted by collecting representative samples of untreated wastewater (influent) to quantify pathogens shed in the population served by the sampled wastewater system. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Department of Health an
Genotypes of Atlantic Sturgeon collected from Canada to Georgia used in the development of a genetic baseline
This dataset includes microsatellite genotypes for 2510 Atlantic sturgeon from 18 different populations distributed from Canada to Georgia. Each individual was genotyped at 12 loci. Additional information about sex, capture date, and size are also provided.
Metagenetic analysis of stream community composition based on environmental DNA
A survey of environmental DNA was performed in Tunison Creek downstream of the USGS Tunison Aquatic Laboratory. The goal of the survey was to characterize the source ecological community at multiple trophic or taxonomic levels by associating DNA fragments with reference databases. Three taxonomically informative genetic loci were used: the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 locus, the mitochondria
Heavy Sample Processing Day
Luke Iwanowicz processing samples under the BSC within the BSL-3 lab on a 36-sample day.
Spatiotemporal patterns in habitat use of natal and non-natal adult Atlantic sturgeon in two spawning rivers
BackgroundMonitoring movement across an organism’s ontogeny is often challenging, particularly for long-lived or wide-ranging species. When empirical data are unavailable, general knowledge about species’ ecology may be used to make assumptions about habitat use across space or time. However, inferences about habitat use based on population-level ecology may overlook important eco-evolutionary con
Authors
Shannon L. White, Matthew W. Breece, Dewayne A. Fox, David C. Kazyak, Amanda Higgs, Ian A Park, Cassia Busch, Barbara A. Lubinski, Robin L. Johnson, Amy Welsh
Integrating genetic and demographic data to refine indices of abundance for Atlantic sturgeon in the Hudson River, New York
Critical to Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus recovery and monitoring is the ability to estimate abundance and identify age- and stock-specific threats to survival. As adult Atlantic sturgeon spend much of their lives broadly distributed in marine and estuarine environments, it is challenging to collect data needed to estimate these demographic parameters in the adult population. A
Authors
Shannon L. White, Richard M. Pendleton, Amanda Higgs, Barbara A. Lubinski, Robin L. Johnson, David C. Kazyak
Validation of a molecular sex marker in three sturgeons from eastern North America
Despite the importance of sex-specific information for sturgeon conservation and management, sex identification has been a major challenge outside of mature adults on spawning grounds. Recent work identified a sex-specific locus (AllWSex2) that appears to be broadly conserved across many Acipenserids, but the assay was not validated for all species within the family. We tested the AllWSex2 marker
Authors
Nicholas M Sard, Brian R Krieser, Richard M. Pendleton, Barbara A. Lubinski, Robin L. Johnson, Dewayne A. Fox, Joel P Van Eenennaam, Jason E Kahn, Chris H Hager, Amanda L. Higgs, David C. Kazyak
Genetic population assignments of Atlantic sturgeon provided to National Marine Fisheries Service, 2022
Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus (Atlantic sturgeon) were once abundant and supported large-scale fisheries throughout much of the east coast of the United States. However, historic overharvest and habitat loss resulted in dramatic declines in abundance and eventual listing under the Endangered Species Act of the United States. As part of this listing, Atlantic sturgeon populations were divided int
Authors
Shannon L. White, Robin L. Johnson, Barbara A. Lubinski, Michael S. Eackles, David C. Kazyak
Decades of global sturgeon conservation efforts are threatened by an expanding captive culture industry
After centuries of overexploitation and habitat loss, many of the world's sturgeon (Acipenseridae) populations are at the brink of extinction. Although significant resources are invested into the conservation and restoration of imperiled sturgeons, the burgeoning commercial culture industry poses an imminent threat to the persistence of many populations. In the past decade, the number and distribu
Authors
Shannon L. White, Dewayne A. Fox, Tamar Beridze, Stephania K Bolden, Robin L. Johnson, Thomas F Savoy, Fleur Scheele, Andrea D Schreier, David C. Kazyak
Evaluating sources of bias in pedigree-based estimates of breeding population size
Applications of genetic-based estimates of population size are expanding, especially for species for which traditional demographic estimation methods are intractable due to the rarity of adult encounters. Estimates of breeding population size (NS) are particularly amenable to genetic-based approaches as the parameter can be estimated using pedigrees reconstructed from genetic data gathered from di
Authors
Shannon L. White, Nicholas M Sard, Harold M Brundage III, Robin L. Johnson, Barbara A. Lubinski, Michael S. Eackles, Ian A Park, Dewayne A. Fox, David C. Kazyak
Stock composition of the historical New York Bight Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) intercept fishery revealed through microsatellite analysis of archived spines
A targeted commercial fishery for Atlantic Sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus once operated in the New York Bight, where it was assumed that most harvested Atlantic Sturgeon were natal to the Hudson River population. However, more recent evidence suggests that the fishery may have been targeting a mixed-stock aggregation, in which case harvested Atlantic Sturgeon could have been comprised of
Authors
Shannon L. White, Robin L. Johnson, Barbara A. Lubinski, Michael S. Eackles, David H. Secor, David C. Kazyak
Establishment of a microsatellite genetic baseline for North American Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser o. oxyrhinchus) and range-wide analysis of population genetics
Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) is a long-lived, anadromous species that is broadly distributed along the Atlantic coast of North America. Historic overharvest and habitat degradation resulted in significant declines to Atlantic sturgeon populations and, following decades of limited recovery, the species was listed under the Endangered Species Act of the United States in 2012.
Authors
Shannon L. White, David C. Kazyak, Tanya L. Darden, Daniel J. Farrae, Barbara A. Lubinski, Robin L. Johnson, Michael S. Eackles, M Balazik, Hal Brundage, Adam G Fox, Dewayne A. Fox, Chris H Hager, Jason E Kahn, Isaac I Wirgin
Stock composition of Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) encountered in marine and estuarine environments on the U.S. Atlantic Coast
Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) is a large, anadromous fish native to the Atlantic Coast of North America. Although this species once supported important fisheries, centuries of exploitation and habitat degradation have resulted in dramatic declines, presumed extirpation in some rivers, and ultimately listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). Under the ESA, Atlantic
Authors
David C. Kazyak, Shannon L. White, Barbara A. Lubinski, Robin L. Johnson, Michael S. Eackles
Red Knot (Calidris canutus) research—Preliminary results and future opportunities
The Red Knot, Calidris canutus, is a highly migratory shorebird with a cosmopolitan distribution. Six subspecies have been identified, two of which occur regularly in North America (C.c. rufa and C.c. roselaari). Given their long-distance migrations through many jurisdictions and conservation status, tools are needed to reliably distinguish the subspecies when captured away from their breeding are
Authors
David C. Kazyak, Aaron Aunins, Robin L. Johnson
Using advanced population genomics to better understand the relationship between offshore and spawning habitat use for Atlantic Sturgeon
Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) are a large-bodied anadromous fish that historically supported important fisheries along the east coast of the United States. Following years of overharvest and habitat degradation, populations experienced severe declines. In 2012, the National Marine Fisheries Service listed Atlantic Sturgeon under the Endangered Species Act (ESA; 61 FR 4722). T
Authors
David C. Kazyak, Aaron Aunins, Robin L. Johnson, Barbara A. Lubinski, Michael S. Eackles, Tim L. King
An experimental comparison of composite and grab sampling of stream water for metagenetic analysis of environmental DNA
Use of environmental DNA (eDNA) to assess distributions of aquatic and semi-aquatic macroorganisms is promising, but sampling schemes may need to be tailored to specific objectives. Given the potentially high variance in aquatic eDNA among replicate grab samples, compositing smaller water volumes collected over a period of time may be more effective for some applications. In this study, we compare
Authors
Robert S. Cornman, James E. McKenna, Jennifer A. Fike, Sara J. Oyler-McCance, Robin Johnson
Science and Products
Individual assignments and microsatellite genotypes for Atlantic Sturgeon from 2021 (ver. 2.0, February 2024)
This dataset includes genotypes and individual-based assignment tests for 868 Atlantic Sturgeon selected for assignment by the National Marine Fisheries Service to meet management requirements under the Endangered Species Act.
SARS-CoV-2 Data from National Wastewater Surveillance System Surge Capacity Sampling, September 2021
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is used to determine the consumption of, or exposure to, chemicals or pathogens in human populations, and is conducted by collecting representative samples of untreated wastewater (influent) to quantify pathogens shed in the population served by the sampled wastewater system. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Department of Health an
Genotypes of Atlantic Sturgeon collected from Canada to Georgia used in the development of a genetic baseline
This dataset includes microsatellite genotypes for 2510 Atlantic sturgeon from 18 different populations distributed from Canada to Georgia. Each individual was genotyped at 12 loci. Additional information about sex, capture date, and size are also provided.
Metagenetic analysis of stream community composition based on environmental DNA
A survey of environmental DNA was performed in Tunison Creek downstream of the USGS Tunison Aquatic Laboratory. The goal of the survey was to characterize the source ecological community at multiple trophic or taxonomic levels by associating DNA fragments with reference databases. Three taxonomically informative genetic loci were used: the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 locus, the mitochondria
Heavy Sample Processing Day
Luke Iwanowicz processing samples under the BSC within the BSL-3 lab on a 36-sample day.
Luke Iwanowicz processing samples under the BSC within the BSL-3 lab on a 36-sample day.
Spatiotemporal patterns in habitat use of natal and non-natal adult Atlantic sturgeon in two spawning rivers
BackgroundMonitoring movement across an organism’s ontogeny is often challenging, particularly for long-lived or wide-ranging species. When empirical data are unavailable, general knowledge about species’ ecology may be used to make assumptions about habitat use across space or time. However, inferences about habitat use based on population-level ecology may overlook important eco-evolutionary con
Authors
Shannon L. White, Matthew W. Breece, Dewayne A. Fox, David C. Kazyak, Amanda Higgs, Ian A Park, Cassia Busch, Barbara A. Lubinski, Robin L. Johnson, Amy Welsh
Integrating genetic and demographic data to refine indices of abundance for Atlantic sturgeon in the Hudson River, New York
Critical to Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus recovery and monitoring is the ability to estimate abundance and identify age- and stock-specific threats to survival. As adult Atlantic sturgeon spend much of their lives broadly distributed in marine and estuarine environments, it is challenging to collect data needed to estimate these demographic parameters in the adult population. A
Authors
Shannon L. White, Richard M. Pendleton, Amanda Higgs, Barbara A. Lubinski, Robin L. Johnson, David C. Kazyak
Validation of a molecular sex marker in three sturgeons from eastern North America
Despite the importance of sex-specific information for sturgeon conservation and management, sex identification has been a major challenge outside of mature adults on spawning grounds. Recent work identified a sex-specific locus (AllWSex2) that appears to be broadly conserved across many Acipenserids, but the assay was not validated for all species within the family. We tested the AllWSex2 marker
Authors
Nicholas M Sard, Brian R Krieser, Richard M. Pendleton, Barbara A. Lubinski, Robin L. Johnson, Dewayne A. Fox, Joel P Van Eenennaam, Jason E Kahn, Chris H Hager, Amanda L. Higgs, David C. Kazyak
Genetic population assignments of Atlantic sturgeon provided to National Marine Fisheries Service, 2022
Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus (Atlantic sturgeon) were once abundant and supported large-scale fisheries throughout much of the east coast of the United States. However, historic overharvest and habitat loss resulted in dramatic declines in abundance and eventual listing under the Endangered Species Act of the United States. As part of this listing, Atlantic sturgeon populations were divided int
Authors
Shannon L. White, Robin L. Johnson, Barbara A. Lubinski, Michael S. Eackles, David C. Kazyak
Decades of global sturgeon conservation efforts are threatened by an expanding captive culture industry
After centuries of overexploitation and habitat loss, many of the world's sturgeon (Acipenseridae) populations are at the brink of extinction. Although significant resources are invested into the conservation and restoration of imperiled sturgeons, the burgeoning commercial culture industry poses an imminent threat to the persistence of many populations. In the past decade, the number and distribu
Authors
Shannon L. White, Dewayne A. Fox, Tamar Beridze, Stephania K Bolden, Robin L. Johnson, Thomas F Savoy, Fleur Scheele, Andrea D Schreier, David C. Kazyak
Evaluating sources of bias in pedigree-based estimates of breeding population size
Applications of genetic-based estimates of population size are expanding, especially for species for which traditional demographic estimation methods are intractable due to the rarity of adult encounters. Estimates of breeding population size (NS) are particularly amenable to genetic-based approaches as the parameter can be estimated using pedigrees reconstructed from genetic data gathered from di
Authors
Shannon L. White, Nicholas M Sard, Harold M Brundage III, Robin L. Johnson, Barbara A. Lubinski, Michael S. Eackles, Ian A Park, Dewayne A. Fox, David C. Kazyak
Stock composition of the historical New York Bight Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) intercept fishery revealed through microsatellite analysis of archived spines
A targeted commercial fishery for Atlantic Sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus once operated in the New York Bight, where it was assumed that most harvested Atlantic Sturgeon were natal to the Hudson River population. However, more recent evidence suggests that the fishery may have been targeting a mixed-stock aggregation, in which case harvested Atlantic Sturgeon could have been comprised of
Authors
Shannon L. White, Robin L. Johnson, Barbara A. Lubinski, Michael S. Eackles, David H. Secor, David C. Kazyak
Establishment of a microsatellite genetic baseline for North American Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser o. oxyrhinchus) and range-wide analysis of population genetics
Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) is a long-lived, anadromous species that is broadly distributed along the Atlantic coast of North America. Historic overharvest and habitat degradation resulted in significant declines to Atlantic sturgeon populations and, following decades of limited recovery, the species was listed under the Endangered Species Act of the United States in 2012.
Authors
Shannon L. White, David C. Kazyak, Tanya L. Darden, Daniel J. Farrae, Barbara A. Lubinski, Robin L. Johnson, Michael S. Eackles, M Balazik, Hal Brundage, Adam G Fox, Dewayne A. Fox, Chris H Hager, Jason E Kahn, Isaac I Wirgin
Stock composition of Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) encountered in marine and estuarine environments on the U.S. Atlantic Coast
Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) is a large, anadromous fish native to the Atlantic Coast of North America. Although this species once supported important fisheries, centuries of exploitation and habitat degradation have resulted in dramatic declines, presumed extirpation in some rivers, and ultimately listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). Under the ESA, Atlantic
Authors
David C. Kazyak, Shannon L. White, Barbara A. Lubinski, Robin L. Johnson, Michael S. Eackles
Red Knot (Calidris canutus) research—Preliminary results and future opportunities
The Red Knot, Calidris canutus, is a highly migratory shorebird with a cosmopolitan distribution. Six subspecies have been identified, two of which occur regularly in North America (C.c. rufa and C.c. roselaari). Given their long-distance migrations through many jurisdictions and conservation status, tools are needed to reliably distinguish the subspecies when captured away from their breeding are
Authors
David C. Kazyak, Aaron Aunins, Robin L. Johnson
Using advanced population genomics to better understand the relationship between offshore and spawning habitat use for Atlantic Sturgeon
Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) are a large-bodied anadromous fish that historically supported important fisheries along the east coast of the United States. Following years of overharvest and habitat degradation, populations experienced severe declines. In 2012, the National Marine Fisheries Service listed Atlantic Sturgeon under the Endangered Species Act (ESA; 61 FR 4722). T
Authors
David C. Kazyak, Aaron Aunins, Robin L. Johnson, Barbara A. Lubinski, Michael S. Eackles, Tim L. King
An experimental comparison of composite and grab sampling of stream water for metagenetic analysis of environmental DNA
Use of environmental DNA (eDNA) to assess distributions of aquatic and semi-aquatic macroorganisms is promising, but sampling schemes may need to be tailored to specific objectives. Given the potentially high variance in aquatic eDNA among replicate grab samples, compositing smaller water volumes collected over a period of time may be more effective for some applications. In this study, we compare
Authors
Robert S. Cornman, James E. McKenna, Jennifer A. Fike, Sara J. Oyler-McCance, Robin Johnson