USGS Science⌕ Search

Geology topics

Amy J. Benson

Publications and source records attributed to Amy J. Benson.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2021

Review of the invasive Asian clam Corbicula spp. (Bivalvia: Cyrenidae) distribution in North America, 1924–2019

The bivalve Corbicula is one of the most successful aquatic mollusk invaders in the world. Since being intro­duced to North America from its native range in Asia, it has dispersed widely over a large portion of the continent from southern Canada to Panama. The first evidence of its introduc­tion in the Western Hemisphere was discovered in 1924 in British Columbia, Canada. A review of distribution records from natural history museums, scientific literature, Federal and State agencies, universities, and oral and written commu­nications with scientists has shown the continued dispersal of Corbicula in North America. Since the most recent compre­hensive review of its distribution information through the mid-1980s, Corbicula has been found in an additional 2 Canadian Provinces, 10 U.S. States and Puerto Rico, 9 Mexican States, Cuba, and Panama. The known distribution in North America now includes 47 U.S. States, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, 3 Canadian Provinces, 16 Mexican States, Cuba, and Panama. Corbicula has been found in three of the Laurentian Great Lakes (Erie, Michigan, Superior) primarily associated with industrial warmwater effluent refugia. Problems associ­ated with Corbicula populations were widely realized not long after its arrival and included negative impacts to power generation, industrial water supply operations, and agricultural water conveyance. In natural settings, impacts on native mus­sels such as altering nutrient cycling, food webs, and sediment distribution dynamics have occurred. In past decades, control of established open water populations had not been a manage­ment priority. With a relatively recent interest in eradication of small, newly established populations, several attempts were made in the United States but were unsuccessful. Recent molecular genetic analyses provide evidence of multiple species and (or) genetically and morphologically distinguish­able “forms” in North America. However, the number and identification of Corbicula species in North America remain unresolved. It appears likely that more than one species of Corbicula has been introduced into U.S. waters.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS2021

Status of the major aquaculture carps of China in the Laurentian Great Lakes Basin

There is concern of economic and environmental damage occuring if any of the four major aquacultured carp species of China, black carp Mylopharyngodon piceus , bighead carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis , silver carp H. molitrix , or grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella , were to establish in the Laurentian Great Lakes. All four are reproducing in the Mississippi River Basin. We review the status of these fishes in relation to the Great Lakes and their proximity to pathways into the Great Lakes, based on captures and collections of eggs and larvae. No black carp have been captured in the Great Lakes Basin. One silver carp and one bighead carp were captured within the Chicago Area Waterway System, on the Great Lakes side of electric barriers designed to keep carp from entering the Great Lakes from the greater Mississippi River Basin. Three bighead carp were captured in Lake Erie, none later than the year 2000. By December 2019, at least 650 grass carps had been captured in the Great Lakes Basin, most in western Lake Erie, but none in Lake Superior. Grass carp reproduction has been documented in the Sandusky and Maumee rivers in Ohio, tributaries of Lake Erie. We also discuss environmental DNA (eDNA) results as an early detection and monitoring tool for bighead and silver carps. Detection of eDNA does not necessarily indicate presence of live fish, but bigheaded carp eDNA has been detected on the Great Lakes side of the barriers and in a small proportion of samples from the western basin of Lake Erie.

Illinois, Indiana↗
USGS2020

Introduction of the Oriental Weatherfish, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus (Cantor, 1842) in the United States

Although this fish had been present in the then United States (US) territory of Hawaii since the late 19th century, a growing number of collections in the contiguous US over a century later in the 2000s is noteworthy. The Oriental Weatherfish, also often referred to as the weather loach or dojo, is native to eastern Asia from Siberia to Vietnam thus covering a wide climatic range from subtropical to temperate. Primarily a freshwater species, it is typically found in cool, slow-moving streams with silty or muddy substrates. Individuals can reach 28 cm standard length but usually range from 10-20 cm with females generally larger than males. This species has a very slender body shape with a mottled coloration pattern of brown to green markings and a rounded caudal fin. Surrounding its small inferior mouth are 10 barbels and prey consists of small benthic invertebrates including aquatic insects. It is known to bury itself in the substrate to survive periods of drought as well as breathe air using its intestine as an accessory respiratory organ. The occurrence of this species in Hawaii beginning in the late 1800s was likely due to Asian immigrants bringing it with them as a food source. Misgurnus was later used in the state as a baitfish. The introduction of this species in the contiguous US occurred in 1939 when it was imported into the state of Michigan from Japan for the aquarium trade. The first collection made in open waters was from the Shiawassee River, northwest of Detroit, Michigan in 1958 and are believed to have escaped from a nearby aquaculture breeding facility. Based on the linear extent of captures in the Shiawassee River, the fish had likely been present for years prior to its discovery. By 1985, specimens had also been collected from California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Since then, collections have been made in 15 additional states, mostly in the Atlantic (including Gulf of Mexico) and Great Lakes drainages. Collections from the Mississippi River basin have been limited to the upper Illinois River in Illinois, and the upper Ohio drainage in central Ohio and southwest New York. Overall, M. anguillicaudatus has been collected in the following states (with year of first collection): Hawaii (~1870), Michigan (1958), California (1963), Oregon (1977), Washington (1978), Idaho (1985), Illinois (1987), Florida (1988), Tennessee (1995), New York (2001), Indiana (2002), Louisiana (2005), Maryland (2007), Alabama (2009), North Carolina (2009), New Jersey (2007), Pennsylvania (2017), Ohio (2019), and Virginia (2019). An anecdotal report states that it may also be present in Utah. Misgurnus anguillicaudatus has been reported as established with stable populations in most of the locations of these states although some are small in the reported number of individuals or range extent. Exceptions may be Maryland, Tennessee, and Virginia where only a few specimens have been reported. Three areas in particular appear to be undergoing either substantial range expansions or further introductions. These areas include the upper Illinois River and various waters of both western peninsular Florida and southeastern New York. Because of the limited number of reports yet broad fragmented distribution of M. anguillicaudatus in the US, each population is likely the result of a separate introduction as opposed to dispersal from the earliest collection location. A majority of the collection locations are clustered in or near large metropolitan areas which reflects probable releases by aquarium hobbyists.

Newsletter↗
USGS2018

Introduction and dispersal of non-native bullseye snakehead Channa marulius (Hamilton, 1822) in the canal system of southeastern Florida, USA

An established population of bullseye snakehead ( Channa marulius ), a large predatory fish from southeastern Asia, was identified for the first time in North America from waters in southeastern Florida, USA, in the year 2000. Since then, it has dispersed throughout the extensive canal system in the area from West Palm Beach south to Miramar. Collection data were compiled to determine the extent of the distribution. The range encompasses three separate areas totaling approximately 830 km 2 . Over an 18-year period, the range increased an average of approximately 46 km 2 per year. There is concern that this non-native species may threaten the fauna in unique protected natural areas of southern Florida, such as Everglades National Park.

Florida↗
USGS2017

Book review: Biology and management of invasive quagga and zebra mussels in the western United States

Water is a precious and limited commodity in the western United States and its conveyance is extremely important. Therefore, it is critical to do as much as possible to prevent the spread of two species of dreissenid mussels, both non-native and highly invasive aquatic species already well-established in the eastern half of the United States. This book addresses the occurrences of the two dreissenid mussels in the West, the quagga mussel and the zebra mussel, that are both known to negatively impact water delivery systems and natural ecosystems. It is edited by two researchers whom have extensive experience working with the mussels in the West and is composed of 34 chapters, or articles, written by a variety of experts. Book information: Biology and Management of Invasive Quagga and Zebra Mussels in the Western United States . Edited by Wai Hing Wong and Shawn L. Gerstenberger . Boca Raton (Florida): CRC Press (Taylor & Francis Group). $149.95. xx + 545 p.; ill.; index. ISBN: 978-1-4665-9561-3. [Compact Disc included.] 2015.

The Quarterly Review of Biology↗
USGS2016

Mechanisms of aquatic species invasions across the South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative region

Invasive species are a global issue, and the southeastern United States is not immune to the problems they present. Therefore, various analyses using modeling and exploratory statistics were performed on the U.S. Geological Survey Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) Database with the primary objective of determining the most appropriate use of presence-only data as related to invasive species in the South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (SALCC) region. A hierarchical model approach showed that a relatively small amount of high-quality data from planned surveys can be used to leverage the information in presence-only observations, having a broad spatial coverage and high biases of observer detection and in site selection. Because a variety of sampling protocols can be used in planned surveys, this approach to the analysis of presence-only data is widely applicable. An important part of the management of natural landscapes is the preservation of designated protected areas. When the hydrologic connection was considered in this analysis, the number of potential invaders that could spread to each protected area within the SALCC region was greatly increased, with a mean exceeding 30 species and the maximum reaching 57 species. Nearly all protected areas are hydrologically connected to at least 20 nonindigenous aquatic species. To examine possible factors which may contribute to nonindigenous aquatic species richness in the SALCC region, a set of exploratory statistics was employed. The best statistical model that included a combination of three anthropogenic variables (densities of housing, roads, and reservoirs) and two environmental variables (elevation range and longitude) explained approximately 62 percent of the variation in introduced species richness. Highest nonindigenous aquatic species richness occurred in the more upland, mountainous regions, where elevation range favored reservoirs and attracted urban centers. Lastly, patterns seen in a diffusion model may reflect less about the diffusion process of the organism and more about the opportunistic nature of the data collection process. These results of the model are considered exploratory in nature.

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South C↗
USGS2016

Walter Rowe Courtenay, Jr. (1933–2014)

WALTER R. COURTENAY, JR., ichthyologist and retired professor, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, died in Gainesville, Florida, on 30 January 2014 at age 80. Walt was born in Neenah, Wisconsin, on 6 November 1933, son of Walter and Emily Courtenay. Walt's interest in fish began at a young age as evidenced by a childhood diary in which at 13 years of age he wrote about his first catch—a two-and-a-half pound “pike” from Lake Winnebago. When Walt turned ten, the family moved from Wisconsin to Nashville, Tennessee, the move precipitated by his father accepting a position as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church. During those early days in Nashville, Walt's father would take summers off and travel to Michigan to teach at Camp Miniwanca along the shore of Lake Michigan where father and son honed their angling skills. It was also at that time Walt's father had definite views on what his son should be doing in adult life—in Walt's case it was to become a medical doctor. However, his Woods Hole internship in marine biology and oceanography toward the end of his undergraduate years was a transformative experience for him so much so that he abandoned all ideas of becoming a medical doctor and instead specialized in ichthyology and oceanography. Apart from the inherent interest and opportunities Woods Hole opened to him, being back at the shore of a large body of water, in this case the Atlantic Ocean, was far more interesting than sitting in lectures on organic chemistry. With that, Walt completed his B.A. degree at Vanderbilt University in 1956. In 1960 while in graduate school in Miami, Walt met and married Francine Saporito, and over the next several years had two children, Walter III and Catherine. He went on to receive his M.S. in 1961 from The Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science at the University of Miami on the systematics of the genus Haemulon (grunts) and his Ph.D. degree in 1965 working under his advisor C. Richard “Dick” Robins, also at Miami, with his dissertation entitled “Atlantic Fishes of the Genus Rypticus (Grammistidae): Systematics and Osteology.” Dick and wife Catherine Robins, also a fellow biologist, thought of him as a great friend to have. They fondly recalled that those of us who knew Walt in his early grad student days valued his sense of humor and unmistakable laugh, much of which was directed at bureaucratic foolishness and pomposity. However, he also had a very serious side when it came to justice and responsibility.

Copeia↗
USGS2014

Mechanisms of aquatic species invasions across the SALCC - an update

The USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database (NAS; nas.er.usgs.gov) is a comprehensive tool for demonstrating where and when nonindigenous species have been sighted across the U.S. Information in the database is used for state-level invasive species management plans, to focus monitoring efforts, for public education, predictive modeling, and for avoiding unintentional introductions during inter-basin water transfers. Our project represents the first attempt to utilize the NAS Database within the context of a Landscape Conservation Cooperative conservation blueprint. A significant amount of effort during the past year was dedicated to determining the most appropriate use of these data for the purposes of identifying the mechanisms and patterns of aquatic species invasions. Descriptive analyses were first undertaken to characterize the spatial and temporal characteristics of the SALCC subset of NAS data.

Report↗
USGS2013

Chronological history of zebra and quagga mussels (Dreissenidae) in North America, 1988-2010

An unprecedented invasion began in North America in the mid-/late-1980s when two Eurasian mussel species, Dreissena polymorpha (zebra mussel) and Dreissena rostriformis bugensis (quagga mussel), became established in Laurentian Great Lakes. It is believed that Lake Erie was the initial location of establishment for both species, and within 3 years, zebra mussels had been found in all the Great Lakes. Since 1986, the combined distribution of two dreissenids has expanded throughout the Great Lakes region and the St. Lawrence River in Canada and also in the United States from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi Basin including Arkansas, Cumberland, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee river basins. The distribution of dreissenid mussels in the Atlantic drainage has been limited to the Hudson and Susquehanna rivers. In the western United States, the quagga mussel established a large population in the lower Colorado River and spread to reservoirs in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, and Utah. Overall, dreissenid species have been documented in 131 river systems and 772 inland lakes, reservoirs, and impoundments in the United States.

Book chapter↗
USGS2009

Nonnative Fishes in the Upper Mississippi River System

The introduction, spread, and establishment of nonnative species is widely regarded as a leading threat to aquatic biodiversity and consequently is ranked among the most serious environmental problems facing the United States today. This report presents information on nonnative fish species observed by the Long Term Resource Monitoring Program on the Upper Mississippi River System a nexus of North American freshwater fish diversity for the Nation. The Long Term Resource Monitoring Program, as part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Environmental Management Plan, is the Nation's largest river monitoring program and stands as the primary source of standardized ecological information on the Upper Mississippi River System. The Long Term Resource Monitoring Program has been monitoring fish communities in six study areas on the Upper Mississippi River System since 1989. During this period, more than 3.5 million individual fish, consisting of 139 species, have been collected. Although fish monitoring activities of the Long Term Resource Monitoring Program focus principally on entire fish communities, data collected by the Program are useful for detecting and monitoring the establishment and spread of nonnative fish species within the Upper Mississippi River System Basin. Sixteen taxa of nonnative fishes, or hybrids thereof, have been observed by the Long Term Resource Monitoring Program since 1989, and several species are presently expanding their distribution and increasing in abundance. For example, in one of the six study areas monitored by the Long Term Resource Monitoring Program, the number of established nonnative species has increased from two to eight species in less than 10 years. Furthermore, contributions of those eight species can account for up to 60 percent of the total annual catch and greater than 80 percent of the observed biomass. These observations are critical because the Upper Mississippi River System stands as a nationally significant pathway for nonnative species expansion between the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes Basin. This report presents a synthesis of data on nonnative fish species observed during Long Term Resource Monitoring Program monitoring activities.

Scientific Investigations Report↗