Most studies that have examined mercury (Hg) contamination of fish have focused on game species feeding near the top of the food web, while studies that examine forage fish that feed near the base of the food web are rare. We conducted a survey of Hg contamination in three species of forage fish, brook silverside (Labidesthes sicculus), threadfin shad (Dorosoma petenense) and gizzard shad (Doro...

The Muddy Creek watershed is a unique ecosystem because the stream contains a distinctive fish assemblage, is physically degraded, and will soon be influenced by oil and gas development. Separating the effects of multiple stressors can be challenging; however, having prior data can be very useful in determining the influence of different stressors. In our study, we attempted to separate the eff...

The Muddy Creek watershed is a unique ecosystem because the stream contains a distinctive fish assemblage, is physically degraded, and will soon be influenced by oil and gas development. Separating the effects of multiple stressors can be challenging; however, having prior data can be very useful in determining the influence of different stressors. In our study, we attempted to separate the eff...

Models predict that food-web structure is regulated by both consumers and resources, and the strength of this control is dependent on trophic position and food-web length. To test these hypotheses, a meta-analysis was conducted of 11 fish (consumer)-by-nutrient (resource) factorial plankton community experiments. As predicted, zooplankton biomass was under strong consumer control but was weakly...

Organic contaminant and total mercury concentrations were compared in four species of lamniform sharks over several age classes to examine bioaccumulation patterns and gain insights into trophic ecology. Contaminants found in young of the year (YOY) sharks were assumed to be derived from maternal sources and used as a proxy to investigate factors that influence maternal offloading processes. YO...

Systematic conservation planning has become a standard approach globally, but prioritization of conservation efforts hardly considers species traits in decision making. This can be important for species persistence and thus adequacy of the conservation plan. Here, we developed and validated a novel approach of incorporating trophic information into a systematic conservation planning framework. ...