Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Sam Wenaas Perrin, Bert van der Veen, Nick Golding, Anders Gravbrot Finstad
Summary: Estimating changes in community composition through Species Distribution Models is important for managing the impacts of global climate change on species distributions. This study focused on freshwater ecosystems and found a trend of associations between species based on their temperature tolerances, with warmer-tolerant species dominating future community compositions. The model implemented provides a starting point for understanding climate-driven community trends and potential local extinctions.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Joshua S. North, Erin M. Schliep, Gretchen J. A. Hansen, Holly Kundel, Christopher A. Custer, Paul Mclaughlin, Tyler Wagner
Summary: Estimating relative abundance is crucial for conservation and management efforts in freshwater fisheries. This study developed a joint species distribution model (JSDM) that accounts for varying sampling conditions and captures seasonal variation in species life history. The findings show that not accounting for these variations can bias the inference of relative abundance, limiting our ability to detect responses to management interventions and environmental change. The model can be applied to other systems where catchability may vary as a function of space, time, and species.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Janine P. da Silva, Duarte Vasconcelos Goncalves, Aina Garcia-Raventos, Manuel Lopes-Lima, Simone Varandas, Elsa Froufe, Amilcar Teixeira, Francis K. C. Hui, Ana Filipa Filipe, Ronaldo Sousa
Summary: This study aimed to assess the role of environmental and biotic drivers in determining the distribution of freshwater mussels and their fish hosts. The results showed that the distribution of mussels was mainly influenced by environmental factors such as climate, topography, and land use. Co-occurrence patterns between mussels and fish hosts were mainly influenced by residual factors, indicating the potential role of biotic interactions. By identifying important fish hosts based on distributional data alone, conservation measures can be targeted towards multiple species, leading to a more holistic approach to biodiversity protection.
JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Justin J. Van Ee, Jacob S. Ivan, Mevin B. Hooten
Summary: Joint species distribution models are commonly used to study species-environment relationships and species dependence. This study introduces a method for measuring community confounding and demonstrates how to orthogonalize the environmental and random species effects in joint species distribution models. The results show that community confounding can lead to computational difficulties, but orthogonalizing the effects can alleviate these difficulties. The implications of community confounding and orthogonalization are discussed through a case study on mammalian responses to a bark beetle epidemic.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Iosu Paradinas, Janine Illian, Sophie Smout, Judi Hewitt
Summary: Species Distribution Models often include spatial effects that improve predictions and reduce errors. However, interpreting spatial patterns becomes difficult due to the presence of unidentified drivers. This study demonstrates that spatial effects can smooth out the effects of multiple unaccounted drivers.
Article
Fisheries
Iosu Paradinas, Janine B. Illian, Alexandre Alonso-Fernaendez, Maria Grazia Pennino, Sophie Smout
Summary: Species Distribution Models (SDMs) play a crucial role in fisheries management, and the integration of various data sources has become an attractive approach to improve model predictions. Integrated Species Distribution Models (ISDMs) have the ability to formally combine different types of data and account for scale proportional gear efficiencies. This study demonstrates the use of ISDMs to integrate information from afishery-independent trawl survey and a fishery-dependent trammel net observations, showing the sensitivity of model outputs to different weightings for the commercial data. The results are compared to ensemble modelling, highlighting the requirement for consistency in response variables and link functions across models.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Ecology
David P. Wilkinson, Nick Golding, Gurutzeta Guillera-Arroita, Reid Tingley, Michael A. McCarthy
Summary: This study defines four different types of JSDM predictions and five classes of metrics to evaluate these predictions, showing the importance of matching prediction types and evaluation metrics with the specific research question.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Daria Bystrova, Giovanni Poggiato, Billur Bektas, Julyan Arbel, James S. Clark, Alessandra Guglielmi, Wilfried Thuiller
Summary: Researchers introduced a Dirichlet process to further reduce model dimension by clustering species in the residual covariance matrix, proposing a framework that includes prior knowledge and demonstrating improved dimension reduction in a case study of plant communities. This approach revealed additional information from the residual covariance matrix and showed how estimated clusters align with plant traits, highlighting their importance in shaping communities.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
J. Hernandez-Urcera, F. J. Murillo, M. Regueira, M. Cabanellas-Reboredo, M. Planas
Summary: The study identified the preferred habitat of the pipefish S. acus in the PNIA, providing information for sustainable management of this species and proposing predictive statistical tools for proper spatial conservation plans.
MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sara Packull-McCormick, Alicia Cowan, Ken D. Stark, Mike Low, Mary Gamberg, Heidi Swanson, Brian Laird
Summary: Indigenous communities in northern Canada rely on locally harvested traditional foods, including fish, which provides them with nutritional, cultural, and social benefits. However, mercury exposure from fish consumption can pose a health risk for populations that consume large amounts of fish with elevated mercury concentrations. This study examined mercury bioaccessibility in freshwater fish species and found significant differences in total mercury bioaccessibility among fish species and lakes.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ajey Kumar Pathak, Pushpendra Verma, Rajesh Dayal, Uttam Kumar Sarkar
Summary: This study used species distribution models to analyze the distribution of fish species in relation to environmental variables. The results show that certain environmental factors have an impact on fish distribution. The study also found that the sensitivity and distribution of fish species are correlated with their breeding seasons, and identified a genetic barrier affecting species distribution. These findings are important for the conservation of endangered species and the development of conservation plans.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Jeffrey W. Doser, Andrew O. Finley, Sudipto Banerjee
Summary: Determining the spatial distributions of species and communities is important in ecology and conservation efforts. We developed a spatial factor multi-species occupancy model to explicitly account for species correlations, imperfect detection, and spatial autocorrelation. Ignoring these complexities leads to inferior model predictive performance, and our proposed model had the highest predictive performance among the alternative models.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nahid Sultana, Rafsana Rahman Tista, Muhammad Saiful Islam, Mahmuda Begum, Shanzida Islam, M. Niamul Naser
Summary: This study evaluated the incidence of microplastic contamination in freshwater fish, showing that both wild and farmed fish were affected. There were significant differences in microplastic count among different fish species, with polyethylene being the most common polymer observed. This study is the first to report plastic pollution in freshwater fishes of Bangladesh from wild and farmed sources.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Bonnie J. E. Myers, C. Andrew Dolloff, Jackson R. Webster, Keith H. Nislow, Andrew L. Rypel
Summary: The relationship between species richness and biomass production in freshwater fish communities across the Appalachian Mountain range was explored. Species richness had a significant positive effect on fish community production, while Shannon diversity index did not show a significant impact. Biodiversity was found to play a crucial role in influencing fish production, emphasizing the importance of biodiversity in fisheries management.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Wang-Hee Lee, Jae-Woo Song, Sun-Hee Yoon, Jae-Min Jung
Summary: This study developed machine learning-based species distribution models to predict the potential distribution of two invasive ant species globally under current and future climates. The models showed that the potential distribution of Solenopsis invicta would expand with climate change, while it would not significantly change for Anoplolepis gracilipes. The different performance and projection size of the models suggest that optimal model selection is necessary to minimize modeling uncertainty.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Ana C. Cebrian, Jesus Asin, Alan E. Gelfand, Erin M. Schliep, Jorge Castillo-Mateo, Maria A. Beamonte, Jesus Abaurrea
Summary: This study aims to formalize the spatial extent of extreme heat events using time series and spatial information, conducting risk assessment in the Comunidad Autonoma de Aragon in northeastern Spain. The research finds that the extent of extreme heat events may increase over time as evidenced by comparisons across decades.
STOCHASTIC ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND RISK ASSESSMENT
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Ashkan Mirzaee, Ronald G. McGarvey, Francisco X. Aguilar, Erin M. Schliep
Summary: Biopower, as a significant source of renewable energy in the US, shows positive ecological conditions and carbon balances. The study found that timberland areas around biopower plants have more live and standing-dead trees, and carbon stocks compared to areas around coal-burning plants. With longer biopower generation, there is an upward trend in carbon stocks within live trees.
ENVIRONMENT DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY
(2023)
Article
Fisheries
Ji X. He, Andrew E. Honsey, David F. Staples, James R. Bence, Tracy Claramunt
Summary: We investigated the use of longitudinal models to reconstruct year-class strength (YCS) and applied it to lake trout in Lake Huron. The best model structure depended on the age range used for model implementation. YCS estimates from the full age range included variations due to time-dependent selectivity and mortality, while using ages outside the likely recruitment range resulted in biased estimates. Longitudinal YCS estimates are likely more robust than single-age recruitment indices and can inform research and management programs on fish recruitment dynamics.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FISHERIES AND AQUATIC SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Fisheries
Shad Mahlum, Kelsey Vitense, Hayley Corson-Dosch, Lindsay Platt, Jordan S. Read, Patrick J. Schmalz, Melissa Treml, Gretchen J. A. Hansen
Summary: This study analyzed survey data from 312 lakes in Minnesota and found that temperature and water clarity changes potentially affect the habitat and population of walleye. Walleye populations were more abundant in larger, naturally reproducing lakes. The findings can assist fisheries managers in setting population goals and managing harvest.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FISHERIES AND AQUATIC SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Bethany J. Bethke, Heidi M. Rantala, Tyler D. Ahrenstorff, Holly A. Wellard Kelly, Katya E. Kovalenko, Ryan P. Maki, Jodene K. Hirsch, Joshua D. Dumke, Valerie J. Brady, Jaime F. LeDuc, Gretchen J. A. Hansen
Summary: This study investigated the response of walleye and yellow perch to aquatic invasive species. The results showed that the presence of zebra mussels decreased the reliance of fish on pelagic energy resources, while the presence of spiny water fleas increased reliance. This may have negative consequences for the growth, survival, and recruitment of the fish.
Review
Environmental Sciences
David B. Bunnell, Amanda S. Ackiss, Karen M. Alofs, Cory O. Brant, Charles R. Bronte, Randall M. Claramunt, John M. Dettmers, Andrew E. Honsey, Nicholas E. Mandrak, Andrew M. Muir, Victor J. Santucci, David R. Smith, Russell M. Strach, John A. Sweka, Brian C. Weidel, William P. Mattes, Kurt R. Newman
Summary: Similar to many freshwater ecosystems, the Laurentian Great Lakes of North America have experienced significant decline in biodiversity and habitat due to various human activities. The coregonine sub-family, in particular, has suffered the most extensive declines, including extinctions of several species and local extirpations of others across the lakes. Despite these declines, little action was taken to conserve coregonine diversity, possibly due to lack of data, unresolved taxonomy, and limited support from fishery management agencies. In recent decades, however, efforts have been made to restore coregonine diversity, leading to the development of a science-based framework endorsed by multiple stakeholders in May 2018. The framework is based on conservation biology principles and adaptive management, and this paper describes its key steps and recent implementation efforts.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Fisheries
Corey A. Krabbenhoft, Stuart A. Ludsin, Elizabeth A. Marschall, Richard R. Budnik, L. Zoe Almeida, Christopher L. Cahill, Holly S. Embke, Zachary S. Feiner, Patrick J. Schmalz, Matt J. Thorstensen, Michael J. Weber, Melissa R. Wuellner, Gretchen J. Hansen
Summary: Understanding and predicting recruitment in fisheries science and ecology is complicated due to variation in the importance of environmental drivers and the dynamic nature of ecosystems. To overcome these complexities, a study was conducted to identify common environmental drivers of Walleye recruitment and additional sources of variation among populations. The study found that abiotic conditions during the first year of life were influential in determining recruitment, but professional opinion highlighted the importance of biotic factors such as prey availability and predation risk. A conceptual model was proposed to illustrate the characteristics that shape Walleye recruitment over large spatial and temporal scales, emphasizing the importance of first-year growth and system-specific contextual factors.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tyler Wagner, Erin M. Schliep, Joshua S. North, Holly Kundel, Christopher A. Custer, Jenna K. Ruzich, Gretchen J. A. Hansen
Summary: By combining observations of species abundance and environmental conditions with laboratory-derived data on the physiological response of poikilotherms to temperature, a physiologically guided abundance (PGA) model was developed to predict species geographical distributions and abundance in response to climate change. The model incorporates uncertainty in laboratory-derived thermal response curves and provides estimates of thermal habitat suitability and extinction probability based on site-specific conditions. The results show that considering physiological information greatly affects temperature-driven changes in distributions, local extinction, and abundance of cold, cool, and warm-adapted species. Failure to account for species-specific physiological constraints could lead to unrealistic predictions under a warming climate.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Limnology
Kelsey Vitense, Gretchen J. A. Hansen
Summary: Lake water clarity is an important indicator of water quality, trophic status, and habitat condition. A study conducted on 909 Minnesota lakes from 1979 to 2018 showed that water clarity increased across lakes from 1984 to 1988 and 2014 to 2018. However, there was significant variation in clarity trends among lakes, with some lakes showing no change and others experiencing increases or decreases in clarity. The study highlights the importance of understanding water clarity dynamics in aquatic ecology for various purposes such as assessing fish habitat and evaluating the impacts of invasive species.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY LETTERS
(2023)
Review
Statistics & Probability
Joshua S. North, Christopher K. Wikle, Erin M. Schliep
Summary: This paper reviews the current literature on data-driven discovery for dynamic systems, providing a categorization and unified mathematical framework for different approaches. It discusses the role of statistics in the field and presents avenues for future work.
INTERNATIONAL STATISTICAL REVIEW
(2023)
Article
Limnology
Christopher I. Rounds, Kelsey Vitense, Gretchen J. A. Hansen
Summary: This study describes an efficient method using ImageJ to extract hypsography from bathymetric maps and validates it against digital elevation models. The results show a mean absolute difference of 0.049 between hypsographic curves extracted using ImageJ and digital elevation models, indicating accurate results. The high interobserver reliability is supported by a mean absolute difference of 0.016 between two independent users. Comparisons between digital elevation models and interpolated hypsography using maximum lake depth show significant differences. The method has been successfully applied to extract data for 1012 lakes, making it valuable for digitizing bathymetric maps.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY-METHODS
(2023)
Article
Fisheries
Andrew E. Honsey, Andrew L. Rypel, Paul A. Venturelli
Summary: Degree-days (DD) are a useful metric for describing thermal scope in fish growth and physiology. However, there is a lack of guidance on calculating DD for specific fish species due to unknown base temperature values (T0). In this study, we estimated T0 for 82 fish species using empirical growth data and bioenergetics models. We found that T0 varied among and within species, depending on thermal guilds, life stages, and choice of air or water temperature data. Our findings provide guidance for calculating DD in fish science for different species and scenarios.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FISHERIES AND AQUATIC SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Fisheries
Paul N. Frater, Zachary S. Feiner, Gretchen J. A. Hansen, Daniel A. Isermann, Alexander W. Latzka, Olaf P. Jensen
Summary: Understanding the age and growth of fish species is crucial for fisheries science and management. However, age data are often lacking for many populations. In this study, we propose a method called hierarchical age-length key (HALK) that involves borrowing age-length data across different spatiotemporal levels. We tested this method using data from seven freshwater fish species in the upper Midwestern United States and compared the growth and mortality metrics with those estimated from lake-year age-length keys. Our results showed that the HALK method can provide reasonably accurate estimates of fish length and mortality within specific spatiotemporal levels.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Joshua S. North, Erin M. Schliep, Gretchen J. A. Hansen, Holly Kundel, Christopher A. Custer, Paul Mclaughlin, Tyler Wagner
Summary: Estimating relative abundance is crucial for conservation and management efforts in freshwater fisheries. This study developed a joint species distribution model (JSDM) that accounts for varying sampling conditions and captures seasonal variation in species life history. The findings show that not accounting for these variations can bias the inference of relative abundance, limiting our ability to detect responses to management interventions and environmental change. The model can be applied to other systems where catchability may vary as a function of space, time, and species.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2023)