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The Major in Environmental Science and Biology
The Master of Science in Environmental Science and Biology
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The purpose of this thesis reserach is to examine the potential of Sandy Creek as a spawning and rearing habitat for Lake Ontario’s stream spawning stocked salmonids.
Habitat surveys of Sandy creek have identified sites with suitable substrate and flow for the construction of salmonid redds (nests), and fishes have been observed utilizing these areas for reproduction. Of 86 sites sampled with suitable substrate and flow, 40 were chosen for examination; documenting the presence or absence of redds, and barriers to salmonid migration. Fry emergence traps are being built that will cover a subset of redds and quantify a subset of emerging fishes. Literature reviews describing the incubation times at different temperatures for the four salmonid species embryos have provided timetables for predicting emergence. Electrofishing surveys in spring and summer will document juvenile survival and habitats capable of harboring juvenile salmonids in their early life history.
In December 2006 I graduate from SUNY Brockport with a BS in Environmental Science, a concentration in Aquatic Ecology, and a minor in chemistry. In the spring semester of 2007 I was accepted into the Brockport Biological Graduate Program and returned as a student under the advisement of Dr. Haynes. My plan is to complete my masters program by spring 2008 and then become a conservational research scientist in the field of marine biology, specifically dealing with the delicate balance of animals and their habitats. In my extended career goal, I plan to pursue my Ph.D. and teach at the university level.
My M.S. thesis is on the recent invasion of the lionfish (Pterois volitans) in waters surrounding San Salvador, The Bahamas. A classic exponential population growth phase of an invasive species is taking place there and it is important to collect baseline data on existing conditions in the hard coral and fish communities while lionfish abundance is still low.
In 2000-2001 (pre lionfish), Walter and Haynes (2006) characterized coral cover and fish community abundance and diversity at three patch reef complexes near San Salvador: Rice Bay, Rocky Point and Lindsay Reef. I will conduct my research at these same three patch reef complexes during the summer of 2007, and by using Walter’s data I will be able to compare pre and post lionfish conditions. My research will then be useful in possible future studies on the impacts of presumably much larger lionfish populations.
Growing up on a dairy farm in Western New York, I developed an interest in the natural world from a young age. I have pursued this interest by majoring in Environmental Science. Brockport has provided me the opportunity to develop my knowledge and understanding of our environment and its amazing diversities through a variety of course work and field work. Following graduation, I will be working for Kristie Klees (MS’07) as a research assistant on her study of shrub land birds. I plan to return to SUNY Brockport for graduate school in the fall of 2007, where my research will be focusing on avian ecology.
Christi’s research focuses on predatory zooplankton in Lake Ontario; primarily Cercopagis pengoi, Bythotrephes cederstroemi and Leptodora kindtii. Two of three species, Cercopagis and Bythotrephes, are exotic invasive species introduced to Lake Ontario in recent decades, and their full impact on the local food web is not completely understood. Christi’s thesis work is looking at fatty acid profiles of these predators to help elucidate their location in the food web and examine the tropic energy transfer associated with these organisms.
Christina is evaluating the impact of dietary fatty acids on reproductive success of yellow perch; more specifically, feeding yellow perch two different diets ( alewife or round goby which contain district fatty acid signatures). At the time of spawning, eggs will be collected and their quality will be evaluated. This work will improve the understanding of how changes in nutritional fatty acids, linked to food-web changes, can affect reproductive success of yellow perch. This research is funded by the Great Lakes Fishery Trust. The College at Brockport appealed to Christina with its renowned Environmental Science major and new aquaculture classes being officered. Christina is an advisee of Dr. Jacques Rinchard with a concentration in aquaculture.
In November 2008, the Aquaculture II class by Dr. Jacques Rinchard traveled to the Adirondack Fish Hatchery located in Saranac Lake, NY. The hatchery is owned and operated by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation to spawn and raise Atlantic Salmon for stocking in surrounding waters. The hatchery contains many indoor tanks that contain broodstock salmon, but also utilizes a wide supply located in neighboring Little Clear Pond. If egg quality differs among broodstocks (NYSDEC and wild), changes in diet can be made to hopefully improve survival rates of the NYSDEC Atlantic salmon.
Rhonda Hudgins (MS ENV in progress) - Within the order Coleoptera, tiger beetles (Cicindelidae) are a distinct group. Close to 2300 species of tiger beetles have been identified worldwide; they are similar in shape, proportion, and behavior, differing mostly in size and coloration. Tiger beetles are found in a wide variety of habitats. In New York State, eight species of tiger beetles, including the cobblestone tiger beetle (Cicindela marginipennis Dejean), have been identified as “Species of Greatest Conservation Need” in New York State’s Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CWCS) because these species are scarce and found only in small, localized areas and threats to their populations have been identified. The focal species for my study, the cobblestone tiger beetle, has been observed along the Genesee River and Cattaraugus Creek in western New York. Tiger beetles are often used as bioindicators, models for understanding, managing, and conserving biodiversity and ecosystems.
My objectives are 1) to identify environmental variables associated with suitable habitat; 2) to understand the dispersal dynamics of the adult cobblestone tiger beetles ; and 3) to model patch occupancy by cobblestone tiger beetles. Support for these objectives will come from gathering data on the dispersal of marked and recaptured cobblestone tiger beetles, and repeating surveys of suitable habitat along the upper Genesee River. These data sets will be used to model dispersal, habitat selection, and patch occupancy patterns, which will provide a baseline for future studies of the cobblestone tiger beetle in western New York. The information from my study will be shared with conservation managers responsible for managing cobblestone tiger beetle habitats in the state.
Justin’s research focuses on forest restoration in Cobbs Hill Park, Rochester, New York. Through the Sierra Club, Justin is doing research on how non-native tree species impact native species.
Chris has been conducting research on the Northern Coal Skink as part of a State Wildlife Grant through the Nature Conservancy, the Natural Heritage program, and the NYS DEC. The primary focus of this study is to examine habitat use and population dynamics of the species in Western New York.
Brad is working on a US Fish and Wildlife Service funded project studying how fall migrant songbirds use early-successional habitats at Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. Results from his study will be used to make management recommendations that will benefit migrant songbirds on the refuge.
A Fulbright scholar from Madagascar (the big island in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of South Africa!), I have been in the Great Lakes region for about two years. My graduate research is on the juvenile lake sturgeons Acipenser fulvescens of the lower Genesee River, New York. More specifically, I study their movements and how they use and select habitat/microhabitats along the river. We equipped nine individuals with internal radio transmitters. Then, with the help of many volunteers, I followed them around (rain or shine). Now, I am trying to answer the WWWs of it all: who does what, when, where and why…so that one day, we may be able to understand and predict those little creatures.
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