Tyler Wagner, PhD
Assistant Unit Leader - Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit.
Dr. Wagner received graduate degrees from the University of Idaho (MS) and Michigan State University (PhD) and was a post-doctoral researcher at the Quantitative Fishery Center at Michigan State University before joining the Pennsylvania Unit in 2008. He conducts research that addresses key challenges facing aquatic and fisheries ecology and landscape limnology in the face of global change. He conducts both applied and basic science in collaboration with diverse research teams on problems that range from local to continental in scale. Specifically, his research fills important knowledge gaps that exist in our understanding of lake and stream ecosystem processes that include: (a) fine-scale ecological properties and processes of fishes, such as habitat use, movement dynamics, and responses to legacy and emerging contaminants, (b) macro-ecological studies of lake and stream ecosystem state, including the effects of climate and land use change on lake water quality and fish growth and distributions, and (c) conducting synthetic work to study the interactions that exits between these scales. Dr. Wagner teaches courses on the ecological application of Bayesian hierarchical models.
Professional Experience
Assistant Unit Leader, Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 2008-
Education and Certifications
Ph D Michigan State University 2006
MS University of Idaho 2000
BS University of Idaho 1999
Science and Products
Wastewater reuse may be detrimental to smallmouth bass abundance in the Shenandoah River Watershed
The statistical power to detect regional temporal trends in riverine contaminants in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Quantifying the Impacts of Climate Change on Fish Growth and Production to Enable Sustainable Management of Diverse Inland Fisheries
Fish Habitat Restoration to Promote Adaptation: Resilience of Sport Fish in Lakes of the Upper Midwest
FishTail: A Tool to Inform Conservation of Stream Fish Habitats in the Northeast
Accumulated wastewater calculations for smallmouth bass sampling sites in the Shenandoah River Watershed, USA
Population genetic data for flathead catfish from the Susquehanna and Delaware River basins in Pennsylvania and Maryland, USA
The effects of wastewater reuse on smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) relative abundance in the Shenandoah River Watershed, USA
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in United States tapwater: Comparison of underserved private-well and public-supply exposures and associated health implications
Assembling the right pieces: Developing an interdisciplinary team to study disease, decline, and recovery of a world-class Smallmouth Bass fishery
Estrogenic activity response to best management practice implementation in agricultural watersheds in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Power analysis for detecting the effects of best management practices on reducing nitrogen and phosphorus fluxes to the Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA
A statistical framework to track temporal dependence of chlorophyll–nutrient relationships with implications for lake eutrophication management
The statistical power to detect regional temporal trends in riverine contaminants in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, USA
A statistical framework to track temporal dependence of chlorophyll–nutrient relationships with implications for lake eutrophication management
Influence of seasonal extreme flows on Brook Trout recruitment
Bayesian change point quantile regression approach to enhance the understanding of shifting phytoplankton-dimethyl sulfide relationships in aquatic ecosystems
Optimization of a suite of flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) microsatellite markers for understanding the population genetics of introduced populations in the northeast United States
Do lake-specific characteristics mediate the temporal relationship between walleye growth and warming water temperatures?
R and Python code for analysis of productivity in thousands of US lakes in response to climate over the last 30 years
Feeding Habits and Ecological Implications of the Invasive Flathead Catfish, Pylodictis olivaris, in the Susquehanna River Basin, Pennsylvania
Predicting fish responses to climate change using a joint species, spatially dependent physiologically guided abundance model
The effects of wastewater reuse on smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) relative abundance in the Shenandoah River Watershed, USA
Accounting for spatio-temporal variation in catchability in joint species distribution models
Modeling widespread declines in walleye recruitment following zebra mussel invasion in Minnesota lakes
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in U.S. Tapwater: Comparison of Public-Supply and Underserved Private-Well Exposures and Associated Health Implications
Predicting climate change impacts on poikilotherms
Predicting climate change impacts on poikilotherms using physiologically guided species abundance models
Science and Products
- Science
Wastewater reuse may be detrimental to smallmouth bass abundance in the Shenandoah River Watershed
Issue: Municipal and industrial wastewater effluent is an important source of water for streams and rivers, especially during periods of low flow. The reuse of wastewater effluent may become even more important if climate change exacerbates low streamflow and drought conditions. However, wastewater effluent often contains chemicals that, when chronically present, can affect the health of aquatic...The statistical power to detect regional temporal trends in riverine contaminants in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Issue: Chemical contamination of riverine ecosystems is a global concern, with potentially negative effects for human and ecological health. Land management activities (e.g., Best Management Practices; BMPs) are an important tool that can be used to reduce point and non-point sources of pollution. The Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) has goals for (1) reducing toxic contaminants and (2) reducing...Quantifying the Impacts of Climate Change on Fish Growth and Production to Enable Sustainable Management of Diverse Inland Fisheries
Fisheries managers in Midwestern lakes and reservoirs are tasked with balancing multiple management objectives to help maintain healthy fish populations across a landscape of diverse lakes. As part of this, managers monitor fish growth and survival. Growth rates in particular are indicators of population health, and directly influence the effectiveness of regulations designed to protect spawning fFish Habitat Restoration to Promote Adaptation: Resilience of Sport Fish in Lakes of the Upper Midwest
Many Midwestern lakes are experiencing warming water temperatures as a result of climate change. In general, this change is causing coldwater fish species such as cisco and coolwater species such as walleye to decline. Meanwhile, warmer water species such as largemouth and smallmouth bass are increasing as temperatures warm. However, some fish populations are more vulnerable to these changes thanFishTail: A Tool to Inform Conservation of Stream Fish Habitats in the Northeast
Human impacts occurring throughout the DOI Northeast Climate Science Center, including urbanization, agriculture, and dams, have multiple effects on streams in the region which support economically valuable stream fishes. Changes in climate are expected to lead to additional impacts in stream habitats and fish assemblages in multiple ways, including changing stream water temperatures. To manage st - Data
Accumulated wastewater calculations for smallmouth bass sampling sites in the Shenandoah River Watershed, USA
This data release presents calculated accumulated wastewater (ACCWW, as a percent of total streamflow) values for 43 National Hydrologic Dataset Version 2.1 (NHDPlus V2.1) stream segments coinciding with long-term smallmouth bass sampling locations (Table 1) in the Shenandoah River Watershed (encompassing parts of Virginia and West Virginia, USA). Values are calculated for quarter-year (Quarter 1Population genetic data for flathead catfish from the Susquehanna and Delaware River basins in Pennsylvania and Maryland, USA
This dataset includes microsatellite genotypes for 137 flathead catfish from the Susquehanna River and Delaware River basins in Pennslyvania and Maryland, USA. Each individual was genotyped at 13 loci. Additional information about sex, capture date, and size are also provided for most individuals. - Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 102
The effects of wastewater reuse on smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) relative abundance in the Shenandoah River Watershed, USA
Municipal and industrial wastewater effluent is an important source of water for lotic systems, especially during periods of low flow. The accumulated wastewater effluent flows—expressed as a percentage of total streamflow (ACCWW%)—contain chemical mixtures that pose a risk to aquatic life; fish may be particularly vulnerable when chronically exposed. Although there has been considerable focus onAuthorsTyler Wagner, Paul McLaughlin, Kaycee E. Faunce, Samuel H. Austin, Kelly SmallingPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in United States tapwater: Comparison of underserved private-well and public-supply exposures and associated health implications
Drinking-water quality is a rising concern in the United States (US), emphasizing the need to broadly assess exposures and potential health effects at the point-of-use. Drinking-water exposures to per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a national concern, however, there is limited information on PFAS in residential tapwater at the point-of-use, especially from private-wells. We conductedAuthorsKelly L. Smalling, Kristin M. Romanok, Paul M. Bradley, Matthew C. Morriss, James L. Gray, Leslie K. Kanagy, Stephanie Gordon, Brianna Williams, Sara E. Breitmeyer, Daniel Jones, Laura A. DeCicco, Collin Eagles-Smith, Tyler WagnerByEcosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Cooperative Research Units, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, South Atlantic Water Science Center (SAWSC), Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center, Utah Water Science CenterAssembling the right pieces: Developing an interdisciplinary team to study disease, decline, and recovery of a world-class Smallmouth Bass fishery
Managing and understanding fisheries dynamics are becoming more complex as new and seemingly more complicated environmental factors are identified. Often management requires resources beyond that of any one entity and calls for collaboration among partners with differing priorities and backgrounds to account for the complexity of factors influencing fisheries. We present a collaborative case studyAuthorsMegan K. Schall, Geoffrey Smith, Vicki S. Blazer, Heather L. Walsh, Timothy Wertz, Dustin R. Shull, Tyler WagnerEstrogenic activity response to best management practice implementation in agricultural watersheds in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Best management practices (BMPs) have been predominantly used throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed (CBW) to reduce nutrients and sediments entering streams, rivers, and the bay. These practices have been successful in reducing loads entering the estuary and have shown the potential to reduce other contaminants (pesticides, hormonally active compounds, pathogens) in localized studies and modeledAuthorsStephanie Gordon, Tyler Wagner, Kelly L. Smalling, Olivia H. DevereuxPower analysis for detecting the effects of best management practices on reducing nitrogen and phosphorus fluxes to the Chesapeake Bay watershed, USA
In 2010 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency established the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) which is a “pollution diet” that aims to reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus entering the Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States, by 25 and 24% percent, respectively. To achieve this goal the TMDL requires the implementation of Best Management Practices (BMPs), which are acceAuthorsPaul McLaughlin, Richard Alexander, Joel Blomquist, Olivia H. Devereux, Gregory B. Noe, Kelly L. Smalling, Tyler WagnerA statistical framework to track temporal dependence of chlorophyll–nutrient relationships with implications for lake eutrophication management
A reliable chlorophyll–nutrient relationship (CNR) is essential for lake eutrophication management. Although the spatial variability of CNRs has been extensively explored, temporal variations of CNRs at the individual lake scale has rarely been discussed. The paucity of information about temporal dependence in CNRs may in part be due to the lack of a suitable statistical framework that helps guideAuthorsQianlinglin Qiu, Zhongyao Liang, Yaoyang Xu, Shin-Ichiro S. Matsuzaki, Kazuhiro Komatsu, Tyler WagnerThe statistical power to detect regional temporal trends in riverine contaminants in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, USA
Chemical contamination of riverine ecosystems is largely a result of urbanization, industrialization, and agricultural activities occurring on adjacent terrestrial landscapes. Land management activities (e.g., Best Management Practices) are an important tool used to reduce point and non-point sources of pollution. However, the ability to confidently make inferences about the efficacy of land managAuthorsTyler Wagner, Paul McLaughlin, Kelly L. Smalling, Sara E. Breitmeyer, Stephanie Gordon, Gregory B. NoeA statistical framework to track temporal dependence of chlorophyll–nutrient relationships with implications for lake eutrophication management
A reliable chlorophyll–nutrient relationship (CNR) is essential for lake eutrophication management. Although the spatial variability of CNRs has been extensively explored, temporal variations of CNRs at the individual lake scale has rarely been discussed. The paucity of information about temporal dependence in CNRs may in part be due to the lack of a suitable statistical framework that helps guideAuthorsQianlinglin Qiu, Zhongyao Liang, Yaoyang Xu, Shin-ichiro S. Matsuzaki, Kazuhiro Komatsu, Tyler WagnerInfluence of seasonal extreme flows on Brook Trout recruitment
Populations of Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis exhibit large variation in annual recruitment (abundance of young of the year [age 0]), which is likely a product of density-dependent and density-independent factors. Quantifying the importance of each of these mechanisms in regulating Brook Trout recruitment would be valuable to managers that are responsible for the conservation of this iconic speAuthorsJohn A. Sweka, Tyler WagnerBayesian change point quantile regression approach to enhance the understanding of shifting phytoplankton-dimethyl sulfide relationships in aquatic ecosystems
Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) serves as an anti-greenhouse gas, plays multiple roles 7 in aquatic ecosystems, and contributes to the global sulfur cycle. The chlorophyll 8 a (CHL, an indicator of phytoplankton biomass)-DMS relationship is critical for 9 estimating DMS emissions from aquatic ecosystems. Importantly, recent research has 10 identified that the CHL-DMS relationship has a breakpoint,AuthorsZhongyao Liang, Yong Liu, Yaoyang Xu, Tyler WagnerOptimization of a suite of flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) microsatellite markers for understanding the population genetics of introduced populations in the northeast United States
Flathead catfish are rapidly expanding into nonnative waterways throughout the United States. Once established, flathead catfish may cause disruptions to the local ecosystem through consumption and competition with native fishes, including species of conservation concern. Flathead catfish often become a popular sport fish in their introduced range, and so management strategies must frequently balaAuthorsShannon L. White, Michael S. Eackles, Tyler Wagner, Megan K. Schall, Geoffrey Smith, Julian Avery, David C. KazyakDo lake-specific characteristics mediate the temporal relationship between walleye growth and warming water temperatures?
Walleye (Sander vitreus) population declines have been linked to climate change, but it is unclear how the growth of this cool-water species may be affected by warming water temperatures. Because warming rates vary among lakes, it is uncertain whether lake characteristics may mediate the temperature effects on walleye growth or may vary as a result of differences in lake habitat or productivity. IAuthorsDanielle L . Massie, Gretchen J. A. Hansen, Yan Li, Greg G. Sass, Tyler Wagner - Software
R and Python code for analysis of productivity in thousands of US lakes in response to climate over the last 30 years
Climate change is expected to increase lake productivity and algal blooms and cause regime shifts, particularly in human-impacted ecosystems. However, evidence is lacking for causal relationships between climate and lake productivity or for the nonlinear dynamics needed to demonstrate regime shifts. We modeled causal effects of climate on lake chlorophyll over 34 years in 24,452 US lakes. This repFeeding Habits and Ecological Implications of the Invasive Flathead Catfish, Pylodictis olivaris, in the Susquehanna River Basin, Pennsylvania
Flathead Catfish _Pylodictis olivaris_ are a prominent aquatic invasive species within the United States and a recent invader in the Susquehanna River Basin, Pennsylvania. Flathead Catfish are piscivores known to consume native and recreationally important fish species. In the northeastern United States, it is unknown how this invader is impacting food webs and which species may be at greatest prePredicting fish responses to climate change using a joint species, spatially dependent physiologically guided abundance model
Predicting the effects of warming temperatures on the abundance and distribution of organisms under future climate scenarios often requires extrapolating species-environment correlations to thermal conditions not currently experienced by a species or to temperatures that exceed the range of observed data. For poikilotherms, incorporating species’ thermal physiology to inform extrapolations underThe effects of wastewater reuse on smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) relative abundance in the Shenandoah River Watershed, USA
R code to evaluate the effects of wastewater reuse on smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) relative abundance in the Shenandoah River Watershed, USAAccounting for spatio-temporal variation in catchability in joint species distribution models
1: Estimating relative abundance is critical for informing conservation and management efforts and for making inferences about the effects of environmental change on populations. Freshwater fisheries span large geographic regions, occupy diverse habitats, and consist of varying species assemblages. Monitoring schemes used to sample these diverse populations often result in populations being sampleModeling widespread declines in walleye recruitment following zebra mussel invasion in Minnesota lakes
Invasive zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) alter lake ecosystems and can negatively affect first-year growth of walleye (Sander vitreus), potentially lowering walleye recruitment success. We quantified walleye recruitment responses to zebra mussel invasion in Minnesota lakes using data from 1,438 electrofishing surveys across 348 lakes collected between 1993 and 2019 to measure walleye recruitPer- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in U.S. Tapwater: Comparison of Public-Supply and Underserved Private-Well Exposures and Associated Health Implications
This software involves files to fit the statistical models described in Smalling et al. Specifically, there are R scripts and associated stan model files (when appropriate) for comparing PFAS concentrations among public-supply and private-wells and as a function of geospatial predictor variables. There is also an R script for modeling the number of PFAS chemicals detected among water sources andPredicting climate change impacts on poikilotherms
This software involves files to fit the physiologically-guided abundance (PGA) model ('fish_predictions_pga.R'), a naive model ('fish_predictions_naive.R'), and a PGA model using simulated data ('PGA_sim.R'). Each R file calls as associated .stan file that contains the model code that is executed by stan when running the R code ('fish_prediction.stan', 'fish_prediction_naive.stan', and 'fish_prediPredicting climate change impacts on poikilotherms using physiologically guided species abundance models
R code and .stan files for fitting physiologically guided abundance models for predicting climate change impacts on poikilotherms.