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Shannon Brewer, PhD

Unit Leader -Alabama Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit 

Research Interests

  • Stream Ecology
  • Fisheries Science
  • Landscape Ecology

Teaching Interests

NREM 5464 Stream Ecology

Professional Experience

  • Unit Leader, Alabama Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 2020-

  • Assistant Unit Leader, Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 2010-2020

Education and Certifications

  • Ph D University of Missouri 2008

  • MS University of Missouri 2004

  • BS Missouri Western State University 2001

Science and Products

Filter Total Items: 61

Identifying monitoring information needs that support the management of fish in large rivers

Management actions intended to benefit fish in large rivers can directly or indirectly affect multiple ecosystem components. Without consideration of the effects of management on non-target ecosystem components, unintended consequences may limit management efficacy. Monitoring can help clarify the effects of management actions, including on non-target ecosystem components, but only if data are col
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Fisheries Program (unpublished), Cooperative Research Units, Species Management Research Program, New York Water Science Center, Oregon Water Science Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center

Seasonal diet and habitat use of large, introduced Rainbow Trout in an Ozark Highland stream

Stocking of Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss commonly provides seasonal or mitigation fisheries; however, these fish are usually small and ecosystem effects are spatially or temporally limited. Yet agencies receive requests to stock Rainbow Trout in relatively natural settings (i.e., not tailwater or mitigation fisheries), where introductions may have greater ecosystem consequences. The size of i
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Cooperative Research Units

Flow dynamics influence fish recruitment in hydrologically connected river-reservoir landscapes

Hydrologic processes are often important determinants of successful recruitment of native fishes. However, water management practices can result in abnormal changes in daily and seasonal hydrology patterns. Rarely has fish recruitment across river–reservoir landscapes been considered in relation to flow management, despite the direct relationship between reservoir water management and the resultin
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Cooperative Research Units

Fragmentation and streamflow metrics drive prairie chub (Macrhybopsis australis) occurrence in the upper Red River basin

Dam construction threatens global aquatic biodiversity by fragmenting stream networks and altering flow regimes. The negative effects of dams are exacerbated by increased drought periods and associated water withdrawals, especially in semi-arid regions. Stream fishes are particularly threatened owing to their mobile nature and requirement for multiple habitats to complete their life cycles. An und
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Cooperative Research Units

Refining sampling protocols for cavefishes and cave crayfishes to account for environmental variation

Subterranean habitats support a diverse array of organisms and represent imperative habitats in many conservation strategies; however, subterranean habitats are one of the most difficult environments to study. Accounting for variable sampling detection is necessary to properly evaluate conservation options for rare species such as karst and other groundwater organisms. New sampling methods, such a
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Cooperative Research Units

A review of factors affecting PIT tag detection using mobile arrays and use of mobile antennas to detect PIT-tagged suckers in a wadeable Ozark stream

Advantages of passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags are their small size, longevity, and low-cost compared to other tags. PIT tags are often used in fisheries to study movement patterns, survival, or estimate population size. However, PIT tags are limited by their short detection distance. Mobile PIT antennas may increase the utility of PIT tags in fisheries. In this study, we synthesize the c
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Cooperative Research Units

Evaluation of visual implant elastomer, PIT, and p-Chip tagging methods in a small-bodied minnow species

Reliable fish tagging methods are needed to conduct studies (e.g., movement, habitat, abundance) that inform conservation and management decisions; however, dependable tagging approaches are lacking for many small-bodied fishes. Therefore, our study objective was to determine survival, tag retention (visible implant elastomer [VIE], PIT, or light-activated microtransponder [“p-Chip”]) and tagging
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Cooperative Research Units

Riverscape nesting dynamics of Neosho Smallmouth Bass: To cluster or not to cluster?

AimHierarchical stream habitat conditions influence patterns of fish abundance and population dynamics. The spawning period is important for stream fishes but coincides with unpredictable environmental conditions and stressors. Thus, identifying habitats that confer suitable spawning is crucial to managing vulnerable fish populations, including narrow-range endemics. Here, we evaluate reach- and c
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Cooperative Research Units

Survival and movement patterns of Rainbow Trout stocked in a groundwater-influenced warmwater stream

Stocking Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss to create additional angling opportunities is common; however, the spatial and temporal dynamics of such stocking practices are unclear in groundwater-influenced, warmwater streams. Our objectives were to determine Rainbow Trout dispersal from a stocking location on Spavinaw Creek, Oklahoma and to quantify apparent survival of two cohorts of Rainbow Trout
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Cooperative Research Units

Age-0 Smallmouth Bass abundance depends on physicochemical conditions and stream network position

Stream fish survival and recruitment are products of a physicochemical environment that affects growth and provides refuge; yet, the drivers of spatiotemporal variation in juvenile fish abundance remain unclear. Understanding how physicochemical conditions drive spatial and temporal patterns in fish abundances provides insight into how conditions across stream networks influence fish population su
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Cooperative Research Units, Fort Collins Science Center

Complex patterns of genetic and morphological differentiation in the Smallmouth Bass subspecies (Micropterus dolomieu dolomieu and M. d. velox) of the Central Interior Highlands

Due to geologic processes and recent anthropogenic introductions, patterns of genetic and morphological diversity within the Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu), which are endemic to the central and eastern United States (USA), are poorly understood. We assessed genetic and morphological differentiation between the widespread Northern Smallmouth Bass (M. d. dolomieu) and the more restricted Neo
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Cooperative Research Units

Seasonal movements and tributary-specific fidelity of blue sucker Cycleptus elongatus in a Southern Plains riverscape

This study used acoustic telemetry and a multistate Cormack–Jolly–Seber model to determine the seasonal movement patterns of blue sucker Cycleptus elongatus from 2015 to 2017. Several hypotheses were ranked using AICc, and it was determined that the movement patterns of blue suckers in a mainstem reach below a hydropower dam (i.e., tailwater) differed from those of blue suckers tagged in the major
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Cooperative Research Units
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Dolan Falls

Analyzing and Communicating the Ability of Data and Models to Simulate Streamflow and Answer Resource Management Questions

To date, hydrological and ecological models have been developed independently from each other, making their application particularly challenging for interdisciplinary studies. The objective of this project was to synthesize and evaluate prevailing hydrological and ecological models in the South-Central U.S., particularly the southern Great Plains region. This analysis aimed to identify the data re
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Climate Adaptation Science Centers
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Analyzing and Communicating the Ability of Data and Models to Simulate Streamflow and Answer Resource Management Questions

To date, hydrological and ecological models have been developed independently from each other, making their application particularly challenging for interdisciplinary studies. The objective of this project was to synthesize and evaluate prevailing hydrological and ecological models in the South-Central U.S., particularly the southern Great Plains region. This analysis aimed to identify the data re
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Movement and tag evaluation of two prairie fishes in Oklahoma, USA, October-June (2018-2020)

The first portion of this dataset provides the survival, retention, and growth of Emerald Shiner Notropis atherinoides (EMS) tagged with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags and Arkansas River Shiner Notropis girardi (ARS) tagged with visible implant elastomer (VIE), PIT, and micro transponder p-Chip tags. Experiments were undertaken in the laboratory at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater,
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Cooperative Research Units

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