Summer Burdick
I am an applied quantitative fish ecologist focused on understanding how agricultural water allocation affects imperiled fishes in the Klamath Basin. My educational background is in quantitative population dynamics and habitat use modeling. Most of my recent research is conducted as part of interdisciplinary collaborations with experts in various aspects of aquatic ecology.
Research Interests:
The motivation for my research is determining the balance between anthropogenic water uses in the presence of a changing climate and the ecological needs of aquatic communities in the Klamath Basin. I am interested in understanding how water quality and availability affect when, where and how imperiled fish interact with both lotic and lentic environments at all life stages. My research interests extend from salmon and trout species to endangered suckers of the Klamath Basin. The primary goal of my present research is to identify and rank factors responsible for high apparent juvenile mortality of two ESA listed species, Lost River and shortnose suckers. My recent research includes 1) understanding the effects of agricultural water use on shoreline sucker spawning habitat, 2) a comprehensive survey of juvenile sucker health and condition relative to water quality, 3) investigating the link between water-quality and juvenile sucker mortality using in-lake mesocosms, 4) understanding long-term trends in water-quality, instream flow, and annual year class formation of suckers in the Upper Klamath basin, and 5) mapping juvenile sucker food webs in Upper Klamath Lake using stable isotopes.
Professional Experience
2006 to Present – Fish Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Science Center, Klamath Falls Field Station, Klamath Falls, OR
2005-2006 - Marine Fisheries Research Fellow, North Carolina State University and North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, Raleigh, NC
2003-2005 - Research Assistant, North Carolina State Fish and Wildlife Cooperative Research Unit, Raleigh, NC
Education and Certifications
M.S. 2005. Fisheries and Wildlife Science with minor in Statistics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
B.S. 1999. Ecology, the Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA
Science and Products
Tag loss and short-term mortality associated with passive integrated transponder tagging of juvenile Lost River suckers
Temporal and spatial distribution of endangered juvenile Lost River and shortnose suckers in relation to environmental variables in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon: 2009 annual data summary
Distribution and condition of larval and juvenile Lost River and shortnose suckers in the Williamson River Delta restoration project and Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon
Using generalized linear models to estimate selectivity from short-term recoveries of tagged red drum Sciaenops ocellatus: Effects of gear, fate, and regulation period
Temporal and Spatial Distribution of Endangered Juvenile Lost River and Shortnose Suckers in Relation to Environmental Variables in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon: 2008 Annual Data Summary
Algal toxins in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon: Linking water quality to juvenile sucker health
Distribution, Health, and Development of Larval and Juvenile Lost River and Shortnose Suckers in the Williamson River Delta Restoration Project and Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon: 2008 Annual Data Summary
Spring and Summer Spatial Distribution of Endangered Juvenile Lost River and Shortnose Suckers in Relation to Environmental Variables in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon: 2007 Annual Report
Seasonal Distribution and Abundance of Larval and Juvenile Lost River and Shortnose Suckers in Hanks Marsh, Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon: 2007 Annual Report
Variation in movement patterns of red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) inferred from conventional tagging and ultrasonic telemetry
Near-shore and off-shore habitat use by endangered juvenile Lost River and Shortnose Suckers in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon: 2006 data summary
Age-0 Lost River sucker and shortnose sucker nearshore habitat use in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon: A patch occupancy approach
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 49
Tag loss and short-term mortality associated with passive integrated transponder tagging of juvenile Lost River suckers
Passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags are commonly used to mark small catostomids, but tag loss and the effect of tagging on mortality have not been assessed for juveniles of the endangered Lost River sucker Deltistes luxatus. I evaluated tag loss and short-term (34-d) mortality associated with the PIT tagging of juvenile Lost River suckers in the laboratory by using a completely randomized deAuthorsSummer M. BurdickTemporal and spatial distribution of endangered juvenile Lost River and shortnose suckers in relation to environmental variables in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon: 2009 annual data summary
Lost River sucker (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose sucker (Chasmistes brevirostris) were listed as endangered in 1988 for a variety of reasons including apparent recruitment failure. Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, and its tributaries are considered the most critical remaining habitat for these two species. Age-0 suckers are often abundant in Upper Klamath Lake throughout the summer months, but catchAuthorsJared L. Bottcher, Summer M. BurdickDistribution and condition of larval and juvenile Lost River and shortnose suckers in the Williamson River Delta restoration project and Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon
Federally endangered Lost River sucker (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose sucker (Chasmistes brevirostris) were once abundant throughout their range but populations have declined. They were extirpated from several lakes in the 1920s and may no longer reproduce in others. Poor recruitment to the adult spawning populations is one of several reasons cited for the decline and lack of recovery of theseAuthorsSummer M. Burdick, Daniel T. BrownUsing generalized linear models to estimate selectivity from short-term recoveries of tagged red drum Sciaenops ocellatus: Effects of gear, fate, and regulation period
Estimating the selectivity patterns of various fishing gears is a critical component of fisheries stock assessment due to the difficulty in obtaining representative samples from most gears. We used short-term recoveries (n = 3587) of tagged red drum Sciaenops ocellatus to directly estimate age- and length-based selectivity patterns using generalized linear models. The most parsimonious models wereAuthorsNathan M. Bacheler, Joseph E. Hightower, Summer M. Burdick, Lee M. Paramore, Jeffrey A. Buckel, Kenneth H. PollockTemporal and Spatial Distribution of Endangered Juvenile Lost River and Shortnose Suckers in Relation to Environmental Variables in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon: 2008 Annual Data Summary
Lost River sucker (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose sucker (Chasmistes brevirostris) were listed as endangered in 1988 for a variety of reasons including apparent recruitment failure. Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, and its tributaries are considered the most critical remaining habitat for these two species. Age-0 suckers are often abundant in Upper Klamath Lake throughout the summer months, but catchAuthorsSummer M. Burdick, Scott P. VanderKooiAlgal toxins in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon: Linking water quality to juvenile sucker health
As the lead science agency for the Department of Interior, the U.S. Geological Survey is actively involved in resource issues in the Klamath River basin. Activities include research projects on endangered Lost River and shortnose suckers, threatened coho salmon, groundwater resources, seasonal runoff forecasting, water quality in Upper Klamath Lake and the Klamath River, nutrient cycling in wetlanAuthorsS. P. VanderKooi, S. M. Burdick, K. R. Echols, C. A. Ottinger, B. H. Rosen, T. M. WoodDistribution, Health, and Development of Larval and Juvenile Lost River and Shortnose Suckers in the Williamson River Delta Restoration Project and Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon: 2008 Annual Data Summary
Federally endangered Lost River sucker Deltistes luxatus and shortnose sucker Chasmistes brevirostris were once abundant throughout their range but populations have declined; they have been extirpated from several lakes, and may no longer reproduce in others. Poor recruitment into the adult spawning populations is one of several reasons cited for the decline and lack of recovery of these species,AuthorsSummer M. Burdick, Christopher Ottinger, Daniel T. Brown, Scott P. VanderKooi, Laura Robertson, Deborah D. IwanowiczSpring and Summer Spatial Distribution of Endangered Juvenile Lost River and Shortnose Suckers in Relation to Environmental Variables in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon: 2007 Annual Report
Lost River sucker Deltistes luxatus and shortnose sucker Chasmistes brevirostris were listed as endangered in 1988 for a variety of reasons including apparent recruitment failure. Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, and its tributaries are considered the most critical remaining habitat for these two species. Age-0 suckers are often abundant in Upper Klamath Lake throughout the summer months, but catches dAuthorsSummer M. Burdick, Scott P. VanderKooi, Greer O. AndersonSeasonal Distribution and Abundance of Larval and Juvenile Lost River and Shortnose Suckers in Hanks Marsh, Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon: 2007 Annual Report
In the summer of 2007, we undertook an assessment of larval and juvenile sucker use of Hanks Marsh in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. This 1,200-acre marsh on the southeastern shoreline of the lake represents part of the last remaining natural emergent wetland habitat in the lake. Because of the suspected importance of this type of habitat to larval and juvenile endangered Lost River and shortnose sucAuthorsGreer O. Anderson, Alexander X. Wilkens, Summer M. Burdick, Scott P. VanderKooiVariation in movement patterns of red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) inferred from conventional tagging and ultrasonic telemetry
We used 25 years of conventional tagging data (n=6173 recoveries) and 3 years of ultrasonic telemetry data (n=105 transmitters deployed) to examine movement rates and directional preferences of four age classes of red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) in estuarine and coastal waters of North Carolina. Movement rates of conventionally tagged red drum were dependent on the age, region, and season of tagginAuthorsN.M. Bacheler, L.M. Paramore, S. M. Burdick, J.A. Buckel, J.E. HightowerNear-shore and off-shore habitat use by endangered juvenile Lost River and Shortnose Suckers in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon: 2006 data summary
Lost River suckers Deltistes luxatus and shortnose suckers Chasmistes brevirostris , listed as endangered in 1988 under the Endangered Species Act, have shown infrequent recruitment into adult populations in Upper Klamath Lake (NRC 2004). In an effort to understand the causes behind and provide management solutions to apparent recruitment failure, a number of studies have been conducted includingAuthorsSummer M. Burdick, Alexander X. Wilkens, Scott P. VanderKooiAge-0 Lost River sucker and shortnose sucker nearshore habitat use in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon: A patch occupancy approach
We examined habitat use by age-0 Lost River suckers Deltistes luxatus and shortnose suckers Chasmistes brevirostris over six substrate classes and in vegetated and nonvegetated areas of Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. We used a patch occupancy approach to model the effect of physical habitat and water quality conditions on habitat use. Our models accounted for potential inconsistencies in detection prAuthorsS. M. Burdick, H.A. Hendrixson, S. P. VanderKooi - News