Bivalve shellfish perform numerous ecosystem services but are under threat from a variety of stressors. Climate change will alter the environmental conditions that bivalve shellfish are sensitive to, so restoration efforts should consider how the future climate will evolve. Here, climate model projections and statistical water quality models were used to estimate future changes in […]
The causes of the decline of smallmouth bass populations observed in some Pennsylvania rivers are unclear. However, it is hypothesized that declines are related to environmental stressors, including pesticides and endocrine-disrupting substances and disease. Thus, additional work is needed to understand the role that contaminants and disease (specifically parasite infection) may be playing in disease […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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