Travis S Schmidt, Ph.D.
Travis Schmidt is a Research Ecologist for the Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center.
Travis' aims are to better understand how ecosystems respond to natural and human cause disturbances. He researches the effects of metals, pesticides, and other contaminants on aquatic and riparian ecological communities.
Professional Experience
2020 to present, Research Ecologist, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center, Helena, MT
2009-2020, Research Ecologist, Colorado Water Science Center, Fort Collins, CO
2007-2009, Mendenhall Fellow, Central Mineral and Environmental Science Center, Denver, CO
2003-2007, USDA Fellow, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
2001-2003, Ecotoxicologist, ELM Consulting, Chicago, IL
1999-2001, Research Assistant, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
1998-1999, Research Assistant, Aquatic Ecology Lab, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
1998-1999, Department of Biology, Notre Dame University, South Bend, IN
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Ecotoxicology, Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, 2007
M.S. Aquatic Toxicology, Biology Department, Virginia Tech, 2001
B.S. Ecology, Biology Department, The Pennsylvania State University, 1998
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 22
Data for Biogeochemical and Physical Processes Controlling Mercury and Selenium Bioaccumulation in Bighorn Lake, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Montana and Wyoming, 2015-2016 Data for Biogeochemical and Physical Processes Controlling Mercury and Selenium Bioaccumulation in Bighorn Lake, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Montana and Wyoming, 2015-2016
This dataset includes the field measurements and laboratory analyses of surface water, seston, fish tissue, and sediment samples collected from Bighorn Lake, within Bighorn Canyon National Recreation area (BICA), during high flow (July 2015) and low flow (August 2016) conditions. The study area includes 7-9 sampling sites that follow a transect spanning the entire length of the reservoir...
Disentangling the effects of low pH and metal mixture toxicity on macroinvertebrate diversity: datasets Disentangling the effects of low pH and metal mixture toxicity on macroinvertebrate diversity: datasets
This dataset is comprised of water quality data and benthic macroinvertebrate data collected from basins in Colorado, USA, and Finland. The data includes ancillary water quality characteristics but also a suite of trace metals observed at each site. Also included are modeled outputs that characterize the bioavailability of each trace metal to a biotic ligand. These data were used to...
Zinc concentrations and isotopic signatures of an aquatic insect (mayfly, Baetis tricaudatus) Zinc concentrations and isotopic signatures of an aquatic insect (mayfly, Baetis tricaudatus)
Insect metamorphosis often results in substantial chemical changes that can fractionate isotopes and alter contaminant concentrations. We exposed larval mayflies (Baetis tricaudatus) to an aqueous zinc gradient (3-340 g Zn/l) and measured the change in zinc tissue concentrations at different stages of metamorphosis. We also measured changes in stable isotopes (δ15N and δ13C) in unexposed...
Bifenthrin causes trophic cascade and altered insect emergences in mesocosms: implications for small streams Bifenthrin causes trophic cascade and altered insect emergences in mesocosms: implications for small streams
Direct and indirect ecological effects of the widely used insecticide bifenthrin on stream ecosystems are largely unknown. To investigate such effects, a manipulative experiment was conducted in stream mesocosms that were colonized by aquatic insect communities and exposed to bifenthrin-contaminated sediment; implications for natural streams were interpreted through comparison of...
Filter Total Items: 68
Common insecticide disrupts aquatic communities: A mesocosm-to-field ecological risk assessment of fipronil and its degradates in U.S. streams Common insecticide disrupts aquatic communities: A mesocosm-to-field ecological risk assessment of fipronil and its degradates in U.S. streams
Insecticides in streams are increasingly a global concern, yet information on safe concentrations for aquatic ecosystems is sparse. In a 30-day mesocosm experiment exposing native benthic aquatic invertebrates to the common insecticide fipronil and four degradates, fipronil compounds caused altered emergence and trophic cascades. Effect concentrations eliciting a 50% response (EC50) were...
Authors
Janet L. Miller, Travis S. Schmidt, Peter Van Metre, Barbara Mahler, Mark Sandstrom, Lisa Nowell, Daren Carlisle, Patrick Moran
Time-dependent accumulation of Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, and Zn in mayfly and caddisfly larvae in experimental streams: Metal sensitivity, uptake pathways, and mixture toxicity Time-dependent accumulation of Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, and Zn in mayfly and caddisfly larvae in experimental streams: Metal sensitivity, uptake pathways, and mixture toxicity
Conceptual and quantitative models were developed to assess time-dependent processes in four sequential experimental stream studies that determined abundances of natural communities of mayfly and caddisfly larvae dosed with single metals (Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, Zn) or multiple metals (Cd+Zn, Co+Cu, Cu+Ni, Cu+Zn, Ni+Zn, Cd+Cu+Zn, Co+Cu+Ni, Cu+Ni+Zn). Metal mixtures contained environmentally...
Authors
Laurie Balistrieri, Christopher Mebane, Travis S. Schmidt
Biofilms provide new insight into pesticide occurrence in streams and links to aquatic ecological communities Biofilms provide new insight into pesticide occurrence in streams and links to aquatic ecological communities
Streambed sediment is commonly analyzed to assess occurrence of hydrophobic pesticides and risks to aquatic communities. However, stream biofilms also have the potential to accumulate pesticides and may be consumed by aquatic organisms. To better characterize risks to aquatic life, the U.S. Geological Survey Regional Stream Quality Assessment measured 93 current-use and 3 legacy...
Authors
Barbara Mahler, Travis S. Schmidt, Lisa Nowell, Sharon Qi, Peter Van Metre, Michelle Hladik, Daren Carlisle, Mark D. Munn, Jason May
Mercury and selenium concentrations in fishes of the Upper Colorado River Basin, southwestern United States: A retrospective assessment Mercury and selenium concentrations in fishes of the Upper Colorado River Basin, southwestern United States: A retrospective assessment
Mercury (Hg) and selenium (Se) are contaminants of concern for fish in the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB). We explored Hg and Se in fish tissues (2,324 individuals) collected over 50 years (1962–2011) from the UCRB. Samples include native and non-native fish collected from lotic waterbodies spanning 7 major tributaries to the Colorado River. There was little variation of total mercury...
Authors
Natalie Day, Travis Schmidt, James Roberts, Barbara C. Osmundson, James Willacker, Collin A. Eagles-Smith
Bioaccumulation and toxicity of cadmium, copper, nickel, and zinc and their mixtures to aquatic insect communities Bioaccumulation and toxicity of cadmium, copper, nickel, and zinc and their mixtures to aquatic insect communities
We describe 2 artificial stream experiments that exposed aquatic insect communities to zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and cadmium (year 2014) and to Zn, Cu, and nickel (year 2015). The testing strategy was to concurrently expose insect communities to single metals and mixtures. Single-metal tests were repeated to evaluate the reproducibility of the methods and year-to-year variability. Metals...
Authors
Christopher Mebane, Travis S. Schmidt, Janet Miller, Laurie Balistrieri
Projected urban growth in the Southeastern USA puts small streams at risk Projected urban growth in the Southeastern USA puts small streams at risk
Future land-use development has the potential to profoundly affect the health of aquatic ecosystems in the coming decades. We developed regression models predicting the loss of sensitive fish (R2=0.39) and macroinvertebrate (R2=0.64) taxa as a function of urban and agricultural land uses and applied them to projected urbanization of the rapidly urbanizing Piedmont ecoregion of the...
Authors
Peter Van Metre, Ian Waite, Sharon Qi, Barbara Mahler, Adam Terando, Michael Wieczorek, Michael Meador, Paul M. Bradley, Celeste Journey, Travis S. Schmidt, Daren Carlisle
Non-USGS Publications**
Stahl, Ralph G., Kapustka, Lawrence A., Munns, Wayne R., and Bruins, Randall J. F. 2007. Organizing and Integrating the Valuation Process. pp.129–163. DOI: 10.1201/9781420062632.ch6
Church, S.E., R.B. Wanty, T.S. Schmidt, D.L. Fey, B.W. Rockwell, and C.A. San Juan. 2008. Environmental Assessment of Central Colorado-Effects of hydrothermal alteration on water and sediment quality. [abs.]. In: Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, November 16-20, 2008, Tampa, Florida, USA. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. p. 1.
Church, S.E., D.L. Fey, T.L. Klein, T.S. Schmidt, R.B. Wanty, E.H. DeWitt, B.W. Rockwell, and C.A. San Juan. 2008. Environmental effects of hydrothermal alteration and historical mining on water and sediment quality in central Colorado. [pages in] In: The Third Interagency Conference on Research in Watersheds, September 8-11, 2008, Estes Park, Colorado, USA. p. 1.
Van Metre. (2022). Sediment Sources and Sealed-Pavement Area Drive Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon and Metal Occurrence in Urban Streams. Environmental Science & Technology., 56(3), 1615–1626. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c00414
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 22
Data for Biogeochemical and Physical Processes Controlling Mercury and Selenium Bioaccumulation in Bighorn Lake, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Montana and Wyoming, 2015-2016 Data for Biogeochemical and Physical Processes Controlling Mercury and Selenium Bioaccumulation in Bighorn Lake, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Montana and Wyoming, 2015-2016
This dataset includes the field measurements and laboratory analyses of surface water, seston, fish tissue, and sediment samples collected from Bighorn Lake, within Bighorn Canyon National Recreation area (BICA), during high flow (July 2015) and low flow (August 2016) conditions. The study area includes 7-9 sampling sites that follow a transect spanning the entire length of the reservoir...
Disentangling the effects of low pH and metal mixture toxicity on macroinvertebrate diversity: datasets Disentangling the effects of low pH and metal mixture toxicity on macroinvertebrate diversity: datasets
This dataset is comprised of water quality data and benthic macroinvertebrate data collected from basins in Colorado, USA, and Finland. The data includes ancillary water quality characteristics but also a suite of trace metals observed at each site. Also included are modeled outputs that characterize the bioavailability of each trace metal to a biotic ligand. These data were used to...
Zinc concentrations and isotopic signatures of an aquatic insect (mayfly, Baetis tricaudatus) Zinc concentrations and isotopic signatures of an aquatic insect (mayfly, Baetis tricaudatus)
Insect metamorphosis often results in substantial chemical changes that can fractionate isotopes and alter contaminant concentrations. We exposed larval mayflies (Baetis tricaudatus) to an aqueous zinc gradient (3-340 g Zn/l) and measured the change in zinc tissue concentrations at different stages of metamorphosis. We also measured changes in stable isotopes (δ15N and δ13C) in unexposed...
Bifenthrin causes trophic cascade and altered insect emergences in mesocosms: implications for small streams Bifenthrin causes trophic cascade and altered insect emergences in mesocosms: implications for small streams
Direct and indirect ecological effects of the widely used insecticide bifenthrin on stream ecosystems are largely unknown. To investigate such effects, a manipulative experiment was conducted in stream mesocosms that were colonized by aquatic insect communities and exposed to bifenthrin-contaminated sediment; implications for natural streams were interpreted through comparison of...
Filter Total Items: 68
Common insecticide disrupts aquatic communities: A mesocosm-to-field ecological risk assessment of fipronil and its degradates in U.S. streams Common insecticide disrupts aquatic communities: A mesocosm-to-field ecological risk assessment of fipronil and its degradates in U.S. streams
Insecticides in streams are increasingly a global concern, yet information on safe concentrations for aquatic ecosystems is sparse. In a 30-day mesocosm experiment exposing native benthic aquatic invertebrates to the common insecticide fipronil and four degradates, fipronil compounds caused altered emergence and trophic cascades. Effect concentrations eliciting a 50% response (EC50) were...
Authors
Janet L. Miller, Travis S. Schmidt, Peter Van Metre, Barbara Mahler, Mark Sandstrom, Lisa Nowell, Daren Carlisle, Patrick Moran
Time-dependent accumulation of Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, and Zn in mayfly and caddisfly larvae in experimental streams: Metal sensitivity, uptake pathways, and mixture toxicity Time-dependent accumulation of Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, and Zn in mayfly and caddisfly larvae in experimental streams: Metal sensitivity, uptake pathways, and mixture toxicity
Conceptual and quantitative models were developed to assess time-dependent processes in four sequential experimental stream studies that determined abundances of natural communities of mayfly and caddisfly larvae dosed with single metals (Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, Zn) or multiple metals (Cd+Zn, Co+Cu, Cu+Ni, Cu+Zn, Ni+Zn, Cd+Cu+Zn, Co+Cu+Ni, Cu+Ni+Zn). Metal mixtures contained environmentally...
Authors
Laurie Balistrieri, Christopher Mebane, Travis S. Schmidt
Biofilms provide new insight into pesticide occurrence in streams and links to aquatic ecological communities Biofilms provide new insight into pesticide occurrence in streams and links to aquatic ecological communities
Streambed sediment is commonly analyzed to assess occurrence of hydrophobic pesticides and risks to aquatic communities. However, stream biofilms also have the potential to accumulate pesticides and may be consumed by aquatic organisms. To better characterize risks to aquatic life, the U.S. Geological Survey Regional Stream Quality Assessment measured 93 current-use and 3 legacy...
Authors
Barbara Mahler, Travis S. Schmidt, Lisa Nowell, Sharon Qi, Peter Van Metre, Michelle Hladik, Daren Carlisle, Mark D. Munn, Jason May
Mercury and selenium concentrations in fishes of the Upper Colorado River Basin, southwestern United States: A retrospective assessment Mercury and selenium concentrations in fishes of the Upper Colorado River Basin, southwestern United States: A retrospective assessment
Mercury (Hg) and selenium (Se) are contaminants of concern for fish in the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB). We explored Hg and Se in fish tissues (2,324 individuals) collected over 50 years (1962–2011) from the UCRB. Samples include native and non-native fish collected from lotic waterbodies spanning 7 major tributaries to the Colorado River. There was little variation of total mercury...
Authors
Natalie Day, Travis Schmidt, James Roberts, Barbara C. Osmundson, James Willacker, Collin A. Eagles-Smith
Bioaccumulation and toxicity of cadmium, copper, nickel, and zinc and their mixtures to aquatic insect communities Bioaccumulation and toxicity of cadmium, copper, nickel, and zinc and their mixtures to aquatic insect communities
We describe 2 artificial stream experiments that exposed aquatic insect communities to zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and cadmium (year 2014) and to Zn, Cu, and nickel (year 2015). The testing strategy was to concurrently expose insect communities to single metals and mixtures. Single-metal tests were repeated to evaluate the reproducibility of the methods and year-to-year variability. Metals...
Authors
Christopher Mebane, Travis S. Schmidt, Janet Miller, Laurie Balistrieri
Projected urban growth in the Southeastern USA puts small streams at risk Projected urban growth in the Southeastern USA puts small streams at risk
Future land-use development has the potential to profoundly affect the health of aquatic ecosystems in the coming decades. We developed regression models predicting the loss of sensitive fish (R2=0.39) and macroinvertebrate (R2=0.64) taxa as a function of urban and agricultural land uses and applied them to projected urbanization of the rapidly urbanizing Piedmont ecoregion of the...
Authors
Peter Van Metre, Ian Waite, Sharon Qi, Barbara Mahler, Adam Terando, Michael Wieczorek, Michael Meador, Paul M. Bradley, Celeste Journey, Travis S. Schmidt, Daren Carlisle
Non-USGS Publications**
Stahl, Ralph G., Kapustka, Lawrence A., Munns, Wayne R., and Bruins, Randall J. F. 2007. Organizing and Integrating the Valuation Process. pp.129–163. DOI: 10.1201/9781420062632.ch6
Church, S.E., R.B. Wanty, T.S. Schmidt, D.L. Fey, B.W. Rockwell, and C.A. San Juan. 2008. Environmental Assessment of Central Colorado-Effects of hydrothermal alteration on water and sediment quality. [abs.]. In: Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, November 16-20, 2008, Tampa, Florida, USA. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. p. 1.
Church, S.E., D.L. Fey, T.L. Klein, T.S. Schmidt, R.B. Wanty, E.H. DeWitt, B.W. Rockwell, and C.A. San Juan. 2008. Environmental effects of hydrothermal alteration and historical mining on water and sediment quality in central Colorado. [pages in] In: The Third Interagency Conference on Research in Watersheds, September 8-11, 2008, Estes Park, Colorado, USA. p. 1.
Van Metre. (2022). Sediment Sources and Sealed-Pavement Area Drive Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon and Metal Occurrence in Urban Streams. Environmental Science & Technology., 56(3), 1615–1626. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.1c00414
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.