William Garrett Jenkins
Will Jenkins is a Biologist in the Benthic Ecology Lab at the USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center.
EDUCATION
M.S., Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, March 2018
Thesis Title: "Preliminary work on infestation dynamics and stable isotope ecology of a coral reef micropredator"
Advisor: Paul C. Sikkel
B.S., Biology, Centre College, May 2010
Science and Products
Timing of coral (Swiftia exserta) spawning in U.S.G.S. Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Gainesville, FL
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill injured mesophotic and deep-sea environments over a vast area. In order to restore the mesophotic and deep-sea coral species impacted by the spill, information on fundamental ecosystem processes such as reproduction is needed. During expeditions in 2021 and 2022, fragments of the mesophotic octocoral Swiftia exserta were collected from the northern...
Stable isotope dynamics of herbivorous reef fishes and their ectoparasites: 2012, 2013, 2018
Acanthurid surgeonfishes are an abundant and diverse group of herbivorous fishes on coral reefs. While their contribution to trophic linkages and dynamics in coral reef systems has received considerable attention, the role of linkages involving their parasites has not. As both consumers of fish tissue and prey to microcarnivores, external parasites can play a significant role in trophic...
Host Feeding Ecology and Trophic Position Significantly influence Isotopic discrimination between a Generalist Ectoparasite and its hosts: Implications for parasite host trophic studies
Despite being one of the most prevalent forms of consumerism in ecological communities, parasitism has largely been excluded from food-web models. Stable isotope analysis of consumers and their diets has been widely used in the study of food-webs for decades. However, the amount of information regarding parasite stable isotope ecology is limited, restricting the ability of ecologists to...
Spawning and larval development of the mesophotic octocoral Swiftia exserta in aquaria
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill injured mesophotic and deep-sea environments over a vast area. In order to restore mesophotic and deep-sea coral species impacted by the spill, information on fundamental ecosystem processes such as reproduction is needed. During expeditions in 2021 and 2022, fragments of the mesophotic octocoral Swiftia exserta were collected from the northern Gulf...
Authors
Julia W. Johnstone, William Jenkins, Mackenzy Jankiewicz, Jonathan M. Quigley, Janessy Frometa, Enrique Salgado, Ben Higgins, Amanda W.J. Demopoulos, Christopher L. Gardner, Peter J. Etnoyer, Kristopher G. Benson
Stable isotope dynamics of herbivorous reef fishes and their ectoparasites
Acanthurids (surgeonfishes) are an abundant and diverse group of herbivorous fishes on coral reefs. While their contribution to trophic linkages and dynamics in coral reef systems has received considerable attention, the role of linkages involving their parasites has not. As both consumers of fish tissue and prey to microcarnivores, external parasites may play a significant role in...
Authors
William Jenkins, Amanda W.J. Demopoulos, Matthew C. Nicholson, Paul C. Sikkel
Host feeding ecology and trophic position significantly influence isotopic discrimination between a generalist ectoparasite and its hosts: Implications for parasite-host trophic studies
Despite being one of the most prevalent forms of consumerism in ecological communities, parasitism has largely been excluded from food-web models. Stable isotope analysis of consumers and their diets has been widely used in the study of food webs for decades. However, the amount of information regarding parasite stable isotope ecology is limited, restricting the ability of ecologists to...
Authors
William Jenkins, Amanda W.J. Demopoulos, Paul C. Sikkel
Effects of host injury on susceptibility of marine reef fishes to ectoparasitic gnathiid isopods
The importance of the role that parasites play in ecological communities is becoming increasingly apparent. However much about their impact on hosts and thus populations and communities remains poorly understood. A common observation in wild populations is high variation in levels of parasite infestation among hosts. While high variation could be due to chance encounter, there is...
Authors
William Jenkins, Amanda W.J. Demopoulos, Paul C. Sikkel
The overlooked terrestrial impacts of mountaintop mining
Ecological research on mountaintop mining has been focused on aquatic impacts because the overburden (i.e., the mountaintop) is disposed of in nearby valleys, which leads to a wide range of water-quality impacts on streams. There are also numerous impacts on the terrestrial environment from mountaintop mining that have been largely overlooked, even though they are no less wide ranging...
Authors
James D. Wickham, Petra B. Wood, Matthew C. Nicholson, William Jenkins, Daniel Druckenbrod, Glenn W. Suter, Michael P. Strager, Christine Mazzarella, Walter Galloway, John Amos
Reconnaissance dating: a new radiocarbon method applied to assessing the temporal distribution of Southern Ocean deep-sea corals
We have developed a rapid 'reconnaissance' method of preparing graphite for 14C/12C analysis. Carbonate (~15 mg) is combusted using an elemental analyzer and the resulting CO2 is converted to graphite using a sealed tube zinc reduction method. Over 85% (n=45 replicates on twenty-one individual corals) of reconnaissance ages measured on corals ranging in age from 500 to 33,000 radiocarbon...
Authors
Andrea Burke, Laura N. Robinson, Ann P. McNichol, William Jenkins, Kathryn M. Scanlon, Dana S. Gerlach
Non-USGS Publications**
**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
Timing of coral (Swiftia exserta) spawning in U.S.G.S. Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Gainesville, FL
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill injured mesophotic and deep-sea environments over a vast area. In order to restore the mesophotic and deep-sea coral species impacted by the spill, information on fundamental ecosystem processes such as reproduction is needed. During expeditions in 2021 and 2022, fragments of the mesophotic octocoral Swiftia exserta were collected from the northern...
Stable isotope dynamics of herbivorous reef fishes and their ectoparasites: 2012, 2013, 2018
Acanthurid surgeonfishes are an abundant and diverse group of herbivorous fishes on coral reefs. While their contribution to trophic linkages and dynamics in coral reef systems has received considerable attention, the role of linkages involving their parasites has not. As both consumers of fish tissue and prey to microcarnivores, external parasites can play a significant role in trophic...
Host Feeding Ecology and Trophic Position Significantly influence Isotopic discrimination between a Generalist Ectoparasite and its hosts: Implications for parasite host trophic studies
Despite being one of the most prevalent forms of consumerism in ecological communities, parasitism has largely been excluded from food-web models. Stable isotope analysis of consumers and their diets has been widely used in the study of food-webs for decades. However, the amount of information regarding parasite stable isotope ecology is limited, restricting the ability of ecologists to...
Spawning and larval development of the mesophotic octocoral Swiftia exserta in aquaria
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill injured mesophotic and deep-sea environments over a vast area. In order to restore mesophotic and deep-sea coral species impacted by the spill, information on fundamental ecosystem processes such as reproduction is needed. During expeditions in 2021 and 2022, fragments of the mesophotic octocoral Swiftia exserta were collected from the northern Gulf...
Authors
Julia W. Johnstone, William Jenkins, Mackenzy Jankiewicz, Jonathan M. Quigley, Janessy Frometa, Enrique Salgado, Ben Higgins, Amanda W.J. Demopoulos, Christopher L. Gardner, Peter J. Etnoyer, Kristopher G. Benson
Stable isotope dynamics of herbivorous reef fishes and their ectoparasites
Acanthurids (surgeonfishes) are an abundant and diverse group of herbivorous fishes on coral reefs. While their contribution to trophic linkages and dynamics in coral reef systems has received considerable attention, the role of linkages involving their parasites has not. As both consumers of fish tissue and prey to microcarnivores, external parasites may play a significant role in...
Authors
William Jenkins, Amanda W.J. Demopoulos, Matthew C. Nicholson, Paul C. Sikkel
Host feeding ecology and trophic position significantly influence isotopic discrimination between a generalist ectoparasite and its hosts: Implications for parasite-host trophic studies
Despite being one of the most prevalent forms of consumerism in ecological communities, parasitism has largely been excluded from food-web models. Stable isotope analysis of consumers and their diets has been widely used in the study of food webs for decades. However, the amount of information regarding parasite stable isotope ecology is limited, restricting the ability of ecologists to...
Authors
William Jenkins, Amanda W.J. Demopoulos, Paul C. Sikkel
Effects of host injury on susceptibility of marine reef fishes to ectoparasitic gnathiid isopods
The importance of the role that parasites play in ecological communities is becoming increasingly apparent. However much about their impact on hosts and thus populations and communities remains poorly understood. A common observation in wild populations is high variation in levels of parasite infestation among hosts. While high variation could be due to chance encounter, there is...
Authors
William Jenkins, Amanda W.J. Demopoulos, Paul C. Sikkel
The overlooked terrestrial impacts of mountaintop mining
Ecological research on mountaintop mining has been focused on aquatic impacts because the overburden (i.e., the mountaintop) is disposed of in nearby valleys, which leads to a wide range of water-quality impacts on streams. There are also numerous impacts on the terrestrial environment from mountaintop mining that have been largely overlooked, even though they are no less wide ranging...
Authors
James D. Wickham, Petra B. Wood, Matthew C. Nicholson, William Jenkins, Daniel Druckenbrod, Glenn W. Suter, Michael P. Strager, Christine Mazzarella, Walter Galloway, John Amos
Reconnaissance dating: a new radiocarbon method applied to assessing the temporal distribution of Southern Ocean deep-sea corals
We have developed a rapid 'reconnaissance' method of preparing graphite for 14C/12C analysis. Carbonate (~15 mg) is combusted using an elemental analyzer and the resulting CO2 is converted to graphite using a sealed tube zinc reduction method. Over 85% (n=45 replicates on twenty-one individual corals) of reconnaissance ages measured on corals ranging in age from 500 to 33,000 radiocarbon...
Authors
Andrea Burke, Laura N. Robinson, Ann P. McNichol, William Jenkins, Kathryn M. Scanlon, Dana S. Gerlach
Non-USGS Publications**
**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.