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
Juvenile Lost River and shortnose sucker year-class formation, survival, and growth in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, and Clear Lake Reservoir, California—2018 monitoring report
Juvenile Lost River and shortnose sucker year-class formation, survival, and growth in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon and Clear Lake Reservoir, California—2017 Monitoring Report
Mortality of endangered juvenile Lost River Suckers associated with cyanobacteria blooms in mesocosms in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon
Effects of microcystin-LR on juvenile Lost River suckers (Deltistes luxatus) during feeding trials, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2014−16
Assessing causes of mortality for endangered juvenile Lost River suckers (Deltistes luxatus) in mesocosms in Upper Klamath Lake, south-central Oregon, 2016
Juvenile Lost River and shortnose sucker year class strength, survival, and growth in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, and Clear Lake Reservoir, California—2016 Monitoring Report
Health and condition of endangered young-of-the-year Lost River and Shortnose suckers relative to water quality in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2014–2015
Inter-annual variability in apparent relative production, survival, and growth of juvenile Lost River and shortnose suckers in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2001–15
Juvenile sucker cohort tracking data summary and assessment of monitoring program, 2015
Predation on larval suckers in the Williamson River Delta revealed by molecular genetic assays—A pilot study
Efficiency of portable antennas for detecting passive integrated transponder tags in stream-dwelling salmonids
Survival, movement, and health of hatchery-raised juvenile Lost River suckers within a mesocosm in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon
Science and Products
- Science
- Data
- Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 49
Juvenile Lost River and shortnose sucker year-class formation, survival, and growth in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, and Clear Lake Reservoir, California—2018 monitoring report
Executive SummaryPopulations of federally endangered Lost River (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose suckers (Chasmistes brevirostris) in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, and Clear Lake Reservoir (hereinafter Clear Lake), California, are experiencing long-term decreases in abundance. Upper Klamath Lake populations are decreasing not only because of adult mortality, which is relatively low, but also becausAuthorsRyan J. Bart, Summer M. Burdick, Marshal S. Hoy, Carl O. OstbergJuvenile Lost River and shortnose sucker year-class formation, survival, and growth in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon and Clear Lake Reservoir, California—2017 Monitoring Report
Executive SummaryPopulations of federally endangered Lost River (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose suckers (Chasmistes brevirostris) in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, and Clear Lake Reservoir (hereinafter referred to as Clear Lake; fig. 1), California, are experiencing long-term declines in abundance. Upper Klamath Lake populations are decreasing because juvenile suckers are not surviving and recruitiAuthorsRyan J. Bart, Summer M. Burdick, Marshal S. Hoy, Carl O. OstbergMortality of endangered juvenile Lost River Suckers associated with cyanobacteria blooms in mesocosms in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon
Unsustainably high mortality within the first 2 years of life prevents endangered Lost River Suckers Deltistes luxatus in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, from recruiting to spawning populations. Massive blooms of the cyanobacterium Aphanizomenon flos‐aquae and their subsequent death and decay in the lake (bloom‐crashes) are associated with high pH, low percent oxygen saturation, high total ammonia conAuthorsSummer M. Burdick, Danielle M Hereford, Carla M. Conway, Nathan V Banet, Rachel L. Powers, Barbara A. Martin, Diane G. ElliottEffects of microcystin-LR on juvenile Lost River suckers (Deltistes luxatus) during feeding trials, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2014−16
Executive SummaryHistorically, populations of Lost River suckers (Deltistes luxatus) of the Upper Klamath Basin were so numerous that they were commercially harvested; however, declining numbers throughout the 20th century led to the listing of the species under the United States Endangered Species Act in 1988. Habitat destruction, poor water quality, competition with (and predation by) nonnativeAuthorsBarbara A. Martin, Kathy R. Echols, Diane G. Elliott, Kevin Feltz, Carla M. Conway, Summer M. BurdickAssessing causes of mortality for endangered juvenile Lost River suckers (Deltistes luxatus) in mesocosms in Upper Klamath Lake, south-central Oregon, 2016
Executive SummaryThe recovery of endangered Lost River suckers (Deltistes luxatus) in Upper Klamath Lake, south-central Oregon, has been impeded because juveniles are not recruiting into adult spawning populations. Adult sucker populations spawn each spring but mortality of age-0 suckers during their first summer is excessively high, and recruitment of juveniles into adult populations does not occAuthorsDanielle M. Hereford, Carla M. Conway, Summer M. Burdick, Diane G. Elliott, Todd M. Perry, Amari Dolan-Caret, Alta C. HarrisJuvenile Lost River and shortnose sucker year class strength, survival, and growth in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, and Clear Lake Reservoir, California—2016 Monitoring Report
Executive SummaryThe largest populations of federally endangered Lost River (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose suckers (Chasmistes brevirostris) exist in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, and Clear Lake Reservoir, California. Upper Klamath Lake populations are decreasing because adult mortality, which is relatively low, is not being balanced by recruitment of young adult suckers into known spawning aggreAuthorsSummer M. Burdick, Carl O. Ostberg, Marshal S. HoyHealth and condition of endangered young-of-the-year Lost River and Shortnose suckers relative to water quality in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2014–2015
Most mortality of endangered Lost River (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose (Chasmistes brevirostris) suckers in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, occurs within the first year of life. Juvenile suckers in Clear Lake Reservoir, California, survive longer and may even recruit to the spawning populations. In a previous (2013–2014) study, the health and condition of juvenile suckers and the dynamics of waterAuthorsSummer M. Burdick, Carla M. Conway, Diane G. Elliott, Marshal S. Hoy, Amari Dolan-Caret, Carl O. OstbergInter-annual variability in apparent relative production, survival, and growth of juvenile Lost River and shortnose suckers in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, 2001–15
Executive SummaryPopulations of the once abundant Lost River (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose suckers (Chasmistes brevirostris) of the Upper Klamath Basin, decreased so substantially throughout the 20th century that they were listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1988. Major landscape alterations, deterioration of water quality, and competition with and predation by exotic species are listedAuthorsSummer M. Burdick, Barbara A. MartinJuvenile sucker cohort tracking data summary and assessment of monitoring program, 2015
Populations of federally endangered Lost River (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose suckers (Chasmistes brevirostris) in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, are experiencing long-term declines in abundance. Upper Klamath Lake populations are decreasing because adult mortality, which is relatively low, is not being balanced by recruitment of young adult suckers into known adult spawning aggregations. PreviousAuthorsSummer M. Burdick, Carl O. Ostberg, Mark E. Hereford, Marshal S. HoyPredation on larval suckers in the Williamson River Delta revealed by molecular genetic assays—A pilot study
Predation of endangered Lost River suckers (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose suckers (Chasmistes brevirostris) during larval egress to Upper Klamath Lake from the Williamson River is poorly understood but may be an important factor limiting recruitment into adult spawning populations. Native and non-native piscivores are abundant in nursery wetland habitat, but larval predation has not been directAuthorsDanielle M. Hereford, Carl O. Ostberg, Summer M. BurdickEfficiency of portable antennas for detecting passive integrated transponder tags in stream-dwelling salmonids
Portable antennas have become an increasingly common technique for tracking fish marked with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags. We used logistic regression to evaluate how species, fish length, and physical habitat characteristics influence portable antenna detection efficiency in stream-dwelling brown trout (Salmo trutta), bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), and redband trout (OncorhynchAuthorsNolan P. Banish, Summer M. Burdick, Katherine R. MoyerSurvival, movement, and health of hatchery-raised juvenile Lost River suckers within a mesocosm in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon
The recovery of endangered Lost River suckers (Deltistes luxatus) in Upper Klamath Lake is limited by poor juvenile survival and failure to recruit into the adult population. Poor water quality, degradation of rearing habitat, and toxic levels of microcystin are hypothesized to contribute to low juvenile survival. Studies of wild juvenile suckers are limited in that capture rates are low and comprAuthorsDanielle M. Hereford, Summer M. Burdick, Diane G. Elliott, Amari Dolan-Caret, Carla M. Conway, Alta C. Harris - News