Research

Deciphering the Role of the Largemouth Bass Virus (LMBV) in Causing the Observed Mortalities in Juvenile Smallmouth Bass Micropterus Dolomieu in the Susquehanna River Basin, Pennsylvania

Since 2005, mortality episodes of young-of-year (YOY) Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu (SMB) were consistently reported from a number of river systems in Pennsylvania, such as the Susquehanna, Juniata, and Allegheny rivers. These mortality events were more persistent and severe in the Susquehanna and Juniata River systems, occurring annually to varying degrees, than in the Allegheny […]

Rusty Crayfish and Smallmouth Bass in the Susquehanna River: Who’s Eating Whom?

Two nonnative crayfish species, Rusty Crayfish (Faxonius rusticus) and the Allegheny Crayfish (Faxonius. obscurus), are currently found in the Susquehanna River. In 2015, we hand collected crayfish from among six sites spanning almost 115 river miles. Thirty stomachs were dissected from similarly sized individuals at each of the six sites; two of the sites had […]

Quantifying Seasonal Movement Dynamics and Thermal Habitat Use of Smallmouth Bass in the Susquehanna River Basin: Implications for Fish Disease and Fisheries Management

Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) are both a socieconomically prized sportfish as well an apex predator. In the Susquehanna River basin, smallmouth bass populations declined in the 1990s through the early 2000’s and although populations appear to be relatively stable in recent years, there are still concerns over what caused the initial decline. In addition, there […]

Genomic Application for Mutational Analysis of Skin Tumor Formation in the Bioindicator Bottom Feeder Brown Bullhead Fish in Presque Isle Bay

Genome sequence comparison of tumor and non-tumor samples obtained from brown bullhead fish from Presque Isle State Park was undertaken to identify regions of DNA mutations in tumor samples. DNA primer sets were constructed to amplify and examine eight of these regions in greater detail, all of which successfully amplified the region targeted. Three genome […]

Assessing the Effects of Water Levels and Water Quality on Water-Based Outdoor Recreationists in Pennsylvania

The overarching goal of the study was to evaluate attitudes, perceptions, and responses towards environmental conditions (e.g., water levels and water quality) among the water-based outdoor recreation stakeholders who use the Pennsylvania coastal section of Lake Erie. For a guiding framework, this study utilized an exploratory mixed methodology with two connected phases which resulted in […]

Evaluation of Effectiveness of FreshFaceFoward: Personal Care Products (PCPs) Social Change Campaign

FreshFaceForward is a campaign to create public awareness of toxic chemicals found in personal care products and the effects of these chemicals on health and environment. Efforts of the social change campaign focus on increasing awareness of the issue among college students, as well as influencing students to change their current personal care products to […]

PCR Tracking of Predation on Non-native Species in Lake Erie

Lake Erie’s ecology is disrupted by aquatic invasive species (AIS), such as the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) tubenose goby (Proterorhinus semilunaris). The impact of the tubenose goby on the Great Lakes ecosystem is relatively unstudied. Our current studies focus on discovering which species of fish prey upon these invasive gobies. We use polymerase chain reaction […]

Development of a Real-time PCR Method for Early Detection of Aquatic Invasive in Pennsylvania Watersheds

The widespread occurrence of aquatic invasive species is a worldwide issue threatening the environment and impacting the intended use of water. Conventional methods for the identification of aquatic invasive species are laborious and time-consuming, preventing the timely application of eradication measures. On the contrary, molecular biology methods based on the detection of specific DNA sequences […]

Using Fishes to Assess the Ecological Integrity of Presque Isle Bay

Since the delisting of the Presque Isle Bay (PIB) Area of Concern in 2013, the use of hepatocellular and orocutaneous tumors in Brown Bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) as indicators of ecosystem health has been questioned. Specifically, the following questions have been raised: 1) are the occurrence of liver and external tumors in Brown Bullhead indicative of […]

Barrier Assessment of Lake Erie Tributaries of Pennsylvania

A comprehensive fish barrier assessment is critical to the prevention of the spread of aquatic invasive species throughout the Lake Erie watershed. Decisions to remove barriers may expand the habitat of recreational and native fishes, however they may also expand the range of aquatic invasive species. The objective of this project was to conduct a […]

Research

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