#220 November 2021
SHELTER IN PLACE? DOES IT APPLY TO YELLOW PERCH, TOO?
Dr. Carl Ruetz, was recently awarded a grant through the Great Lakes Fishery Trust in the amount of $156,304 to study yellow perch. This project is in collaboration with Purdue University and Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
The project will identify the proportion of yellow perch harvest in drowned river mouth lakes that consists of migrants from Lake Michigan using a combination of isotopic and genetic analyses. Currently, yellow perch in eastern Lake Michigan provide a classic case of mixed stock dynamics, where a mix of drowned river mouth residents and Lake Michigan migrants are found in lakes in late autumn and winter. Dr. Ruetz and his lab will test whether the harvest of Lake Michigan yellow perch is substantial in drowned river mouth lakes during the winter. This research will provide fisheries managers better information to estimate recreational harvest of yellow perch in eastern Lake Michigan, which is important as yellow perch is such an ecologically and economically important native species in Lake Michigan.
Faculty, Staff, and Student Activities
Christina Catanese co-facilitated an event in partnership with the American Society for Microbiology titled “Research reimagined: Moving with microbes,” on November 4th. This was an interdisciplinary evening event exploring the soil microbiome and its implications for how food will be grown and experienced in a changing world. The team assembled a group of scientists, farmers, and artists of various disciplines to look at the topic through many lenses and collaborate on imaginative ways of presenting microbiology research.
Christina Catanese joined the Freshwater Habitats group of the Virtual Field Project and attended the monthly meeting on November 5th. This project of the Organization of Biological Field Stations supports virtual teaching materials and events from field stations, marine laboratories, and other research or educational sites around the world.
Christina Catanese and Amanda Syers were included as partners on a Groundswell 319 grant proposal, which (if funded) will focus on non-point source pollution education and include six trips on the research vessel D.J. Angus.
Sarah Hamsher continues to meet with the local organizing committee of the Joint Aquatic Science Meeting 2022 as a representative of the Phycological Society of America.
Jim McNair participated in weekly Zoom meetings with Molly Lane, Rick Rediske, and scientists from US EPA, Michigan EGLE, Michigan State University, and several other Michigan universities regarding a new project dealing with statistical analysis and interpretation of qPCR beach-monitoring data.
Charlyn Partridge attended weekly Zoom meetings to discuss the COVID wastewater project and the summer beach sampling project.
Al Steinman was a guest lecturer for BIO 610, Scientific Methodology, on November 1st.
Al Steinman met with Stephanie Aaronson from Ben Gurion University (BGU) in Israel on November 17th about possible collaborations between AWRI and BGU.
Al Steinman attended the public meet-and-greet for Laura Aiken, new Vice President for University Development, at the MI Hub on November 17th.
Al Steinman had several meetings in November as a member of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Independent Science Review of Everglades Restoration Progress.
Amanda Syers attended the Project WET webinar for state coordinators on November 10th.
Janet Vail attended the monthly meeting of the Muskegon Lake Watershed Partnership on November 2nd. A timeline for delisting the remaining Beneficial Use Impairments was discussed, as well as the potential de-listing of the Muskegon Lake AOC by 2023.
Janet Vail attended portions of the 2021 GVSU Climate Change Education Solutions Summit on November 3rd – 5th.
Janet Vail attended the Ottawa County Water Forum on November 4th.
Janet Vail and Amanda Syers attended a virtual meeting of the GLOBE Midwest Collaborative on November 4th.
Sean Woznicki met with and answered questions from 8th grade students at Hamilton Middle School about their projects titled “How can we reduce the environmental impact of runoff?” on November 1st.
Sean Woznicki met with Rick Rediske, Alexis Porter, Brian Scull, and Mike Hassett to discuss development of a wastewater Covid-19 testing data dashboard/mapping platform on November 11th.
Presentations and Publications
AWRI staff are bolded, undergraduate students are denoted with a single asterisk*, graduate students are denoted with two asterisks**, and post-doc researchers are donated with three asterisks ***.
PRESENTATIONS
Janelle Cook, summer 2021 intern in the Biddanda lab, was selected to represent GVSU as an undergraduate presenter at the 15th Annual West Michigan Regional Undergraduate Science Research Conference. She presented virtually on November 13th.
Cook, J.*, B. Biddanda, I. Stone, and A. Weinke. Oral. Microscale biogeochemical dance with Earth-scale implications: Modern mat microbes synchronize migration to a diel tempo.
The Biddanda lab was represented at the CIGLR 5th Annual All Partners Meeting held on November 5th. Following are poster presentations shared:
Stone, I., A. Weinke and B. Biddanda. Poster. Dancing the night (and day) away: Extant mat world microbes synchronize migration to a diel tempo.
Dugener, N.**, I. Stone, A. Weinke and B. Biddanda. Poster. Out of oxygen: Exploring bottom water hypoxia dynamics in a Great Lakes estuary.
Jim McNair gave an oral presentation titled “A decision-theoretic framework for assessing the relationship between culture-based and qPCR-based recreational water-quality criteria for fecal indicator bacteria” via Zoom at the 2021 Annual Meeting of the American Water Resources Association on November 8th. Co-authors are Molly Lane and Richard Rediske.
Aurelia Pena and Hava Topolski, student workers in the Rediske lab, made their Masters in Public Health Practicum presentations about their fall work experience at AWRI on November 22nd.
Rick Rediske gave a presentation to HNR 280, Theory & Practice of Rights, (temporary Honors College course) about the SARS-CoV-2 wastewater testing project on November 2nd.
Meg Sanders, Charlyn Partridge’s graduate student, presented her thesis defense virtually titled “Developing novel molecular detection techniques for hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae)” on November 22nd.
PUBLICATIONS
Bopi Biddanda was a co-author of a recent “postcard from the field” published in Eos:
Villar Argaiz, M., J. Medina Sanchez, J. Gonzalez-Olalla, M. Vila Dupla, G. Garrido Canete, A. Fernandez-Zambrano, C. Davion, M. Cabrerizo, P. Carrilla, V. Morenao and B. Biddanda. High-mountain lakes as sentinels of change. Eos, American Geophysical Union, October 21, 2021. https://americangeophysicalunion.tumblr.com/post/665671854600699904/high-mountain-lakes-that-are-sentinels-of-change
Bopi Biddanda was lead author of a recent “postcard from the field” published in Eos:
Biddanda, B., I. Stone, N. Dugener**, A. Weinke, R. Rediske, J. Mancuso**, A. Parker, L. Marshall, A. VanderWoode, and S. Ruberg. Like lawn on a lake: Nuisance blooms plague a Great Lakes estuary. Eos, American Geophysical Union, November 10, 2021. https://americangeophysicalunion.tumblr.com/post/667499139219750913/like-lawn-on-a-lake-nuisance-blooms-plague-a
Bopi Biddanda is one of the collaborators mentioned in an article about Lake Huron sinkholes in the publication Ripple Effect (non-peer reviewed):
Lashaway, Aubrey. 2021. Figuring out the elusive age of groundwater venting in Lake Huron’s sinkholes. Ripple Effect, Fall 2021, p. 10-11. https://issuu.com/ciglr/docs/ciglr_2021_ripple_effect
Jasmine Mancuso’s thesis research was highlighted in an article published in Environmental Monitor (non-peer reviewed):
Block, Andrew. 2021. Diatoms dominate Muskegon Lake in a cold and rainy year. Environmental Monitor: A Fondriest publication for environmental professionals. Fall 2021. https://www.fondriest.com/news/diatoms-dominate-muskegon-lake-in-a-cold-and-rainy-year.htm
Various AWRI PIs and staff were co-authors on a paper recently accepted for publication in Lake and Reservoir Management:
Kindervater, E., Oudsema, M., Hassett, M., Partridge, C.G., and Steinman, A.D. In Press. Assessment of the effectiveness of muck-digesting bacterial pellets. Lake and Reservoir Management.
Grants, Contracts, Awards, and Recognition
GRANTS & CONTRACTS
Carl Ruetz received a grant from the Great Lakes Fishery Trust titled “Contribution of resident and migrant Yellow Perch to angler harvest in drowned river mouth lakes” in the amount of $156,304. This project is a collaboration with Purdue University and Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
No awards or recognitions this month.
AWRI News and Events
AWRI IN THE NEWS
There were no news articles published this month.
LMC EVENTS
On November 2nd, vessel instructors, deckhands, engineers, and captains gathered to celebrate a successful season and wish our retiring staff members Fleet Captain Tony Fiore, and Science Instructors Shirley McIntire and Michele Smith all the best in the future: Fair Winds and Following Seas.
On November 18, the Grand Haven Chamber of Commerce held a meeting of the Lakeshore Youth Leadership group.