Ashley Moerke

Last updated
Ashley Moerke
Alma mater University of Minnesota Duluth (B.S.), University of Notre Dame (M.S., Ph.D.)
Scientific career
Institutions Lake Superior State University

Ashley H. Moerke is an American ecologist and a professor at Lake Superior State University. [1] Her research focuses on freshwater ecosystem management, especially around the Great Lakes. Moerke advises local and state governments and bi-national commissions on water science, fisheries, and other environmental issues. In 2020, she was chosen as president-elect of the Society for Freshwater Science. [2]

Contents

Education and early career

Moerke completed her Ph.D. in biology from the University of Notre Dame in 2004, after completing a master's degree at the same institution in 2000. Her graduate research was supervised by Gary Lamberti and focused on stream restoration. Moerke's research revealed complex impacts of restoration interventions, which in some cases led to a lack of desired changes in species assemblages. [3] Moerke also highlighted that post-intervention monitoring is often neglected in restoration projects, and advocated for restoration approaches that explicitly consider human impacts at different spatial scales. [4] Moerke's doctoral work received the President's Award from the North American Benthological Society.

Career

Moerke became an Assistant Professor at Lake Superior State University in 2004. She has won multiple teaching awards, and developed a service-based course on stream restoration in which students worked with a local conservation district on projects. [5] In addition to her position as a professor in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment, Moerke was also the co-director of its Aquatic Research lab and is now the director of the university's Center for Freshwater Research and Education.

The St. Mary's River, deemed a Great Lakes Area of Concern due to its degraded environmental status, has served as the site of much of Moerke's research. Moerke has studied zooplankton, Lake Sturgeon, and Atlantic salmon in the river, as well as physical conditions such as sediment quality. This included contributing to a 2010 assessment of the river's biology and hydrology for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, concluding that ongoing shifts in the biological community had the potential to drastically alter the ecosystem if they continued. [6] In 2015, she performed a baseline documentation of the Little Rapids section of the river for the Great Lakes Commission and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Moerke has also documented the positive effects of restoration on that section of the river, such as increased abundance and diversity of fish and benthic macroinvertebrates. [7]

In parallel, Moerke has studied the ecology of fishes in Great Lakes tributaries, including the interaction between non-native, stocked Pacific salmon and native Brook trout, [8] and the way that salmon transport pollutants in their bodies to their spawning grounds. [9] Moerke's collaborations have revealed that the effects of these salmon on primary producers and nutrient dynamics in areas where they have been introduced differs from effects on stream ecology in their home ranges in the Pacific Northwest of North America. [10]

Moerke has worked to develop metrics and indices of the biological condition of wetlands in the Great Lakes region [11] [12] as well as assessing invasive species in the wetlands. [13]

In 2011, Moerke edited a special issue of the Journal of Great Lakes Research devoted to the ecology of the St. Mary's River. [14] Moerke was the lead author on a chapter of the textbook Methods in Stream Ecology. [15]

Moerke has served as a scientific advisor to state and local governments, including on Michigan's Water Quality Advisory Committee. In 2018, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder appointed her to the nine-member Environmental Science Advisory Board of Michigan's Department of Technology, Management, and Budget, [16] and she is also an advisor to the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission. [17]

In 2020, she was chosen for a three-year term on the Society for Freshwater Science's Executive Committee (one year each as President-Elect, President, and Past President) [2] after previously serving in various roles for the society and its academic journal, Freshwater Science.

Awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Lakes</span> Group of lakes in North America

The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the east-central interior of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. The five lakes are Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, and they are in general on or near the Canada–United States border. Hydrologically, Michigan and Huron are a single body of water joined at the Straits of Mackinac. The Great Lakes Waterway enables modern travel and shipping by water among the lakes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wetland</span> Type of land area that is flooded or saturated with water

A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally for a shorter periods. Flooding results in oxygen-poor (anoxic) processes taking place, especially in the soils. Wetlands form a transitional zone between waterbodies and dry lands, and are different from other terrestrial or aquatic ecosystems due to their vegetation's roots having adapted to oxygen-poor waterlogged soils. They are considered among the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems, serving as habitats to a wide range of aquatic and semi-aquatic plants and animals, with often improved water quality by the plants removing excess nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marsh</span> Low-lying and seasonally waterlogged land

In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants. More in general, the word can be used for any low-lying and seasonally waterlogged terrain. In Europe and in agricultural literature low-lying meadows that require draining and embanked polderlands are also referred to as marshes or marshland.

Freshwater ecosystems are a subset of Earth's aquatic ecosystems. They include lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, springs, bogs, and wetlands. They can be contrasted with marine ecosystems, which have a larger salt content. Freshwater habitats can be classified by different factors, including temperature, light penetration, nutrients, and vegetation. There are three basic types of freshwater ecosystems: Lentic, lotic and wetlands. Freshwater ecosystems contain 41% of the world's known fish species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sturgeon Bay</span> Arm of Green Bay within the Door Peninsula, Wisconsin

Sturgeon Bay is an arm of Green Bay extending southeastward approximately 10 miles into the Door Peninsula at the city of Sturgeon Bay, located approximately halfway up the Door Peninsula. The bay is connected to Lake Michigan by the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal. The Potawatomi name for Sturgeon Bay is "Na-ma-we-qui-tong".

Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus) or Columbia River redband trout. Steelhead are native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific basin in Northeast Asia and North America. Like other sea-run (anadromous) trout and salmon, steelhead spawn in freshwater, smolts migrate to the ocean to forage for several years and adults return to their natal streams to spawn. Steelhead are iteroparous, although survival is only approximately 10–20%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic salmon</span> Species of fish

The Atlantic salmon is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. It is the third largest of the Salmonidae, behind Siberian taimen and Pacific Chinook salmon, growing up to a meter in length. Atlantic salmon are found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into it. Most populations are anadromous, hatching in streams and rivers but moving out to sea as they grow where they mature, after which the adults seasonally move upstream again to spawn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pink salmon</span> Species of fish

Pink salmon or humpback salmon is a species of euryhaline ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. It is the type species of the genus Oncorhynchus, and is the smallest and most abundant of the seven officially recognized species of salmon. The species' scientific name is based on the Russian common name for this species gorbúša (горбуша), which literally means humpie.

An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem found in and around a body of water, in contrast to land-based terrestrial ecosystems. Aquatic ecosystems contain communities of organisms—aquatic life—that are dependent on each other and on their environment. The two main types of aquatic ecosystems are marine ecosystems and freshwater ecosystems. Freshwater ecosystems may be lentic ; lotic ; and wetlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydrobiology</span> Science of life and life processes in water

Hydrobiology is the science of life and life processes in water. Much of modern hydrobiology can be viewed as a sub-discipline of ecology but the sphere of hydrobiology includes taxonomy, economic and industrial biology, morphology, and physiology. The one distinguishing aspect is that all fields relate to aquatic organisms. Most work is related to limnology and can be divided into lotic system ecology and lentic system ecology.

The lake sturgeon, also known as the rock sturgeon, is a North American temperate freshwater fish, one of about 25 species of sturgeon. Like other sturgeons, this species is a bottom feeder and has a partly cartilaginous skeleton, an overall streamlined shape, and skin bearing rows of bony plates on the sides and back.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freshwater fish</span> Fish that mostly live in freshwater

Freshwater fish are fish species that spend some or all of their lives in bodies of fresh water such as rivers, lakes and inland wetlands, where the salinity is less than 1.05%. These environments differ from marine habitats in many ways, especially the difference in levels of osmolarity. To survive in fresh water, fish need a range of physiological adaptations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intermittent river</span> River that periodically ceases to flow

Intermittent, temporary or seasonal rivers or streams cease to flow every year or at least twice every five years. Such rivers drain large arid and semi-arid areas, covering approximately a third of the Earth's surface. The extent of temporary rivers is increasing, as many formerly perennial rivers are becoming temporary because of increasing water demand, particularly for irrigation. Despite inconsistent water flow, intermittent rivers are considered land-forming agents in arid regions, as they are agents of significant deposition and erosion during flood events. The combination of dry crusted soils and the highly erosive energy of the rain cause sediment resuspension and transport to the coastal areas. They are among the aquatic habitats most altered by human activities. During the summer even under no flow conditions the point sources are still active such as the wastewater effluents, resulting in nutrients and organic pollutants accumulating in the sediment. Sediment operates as a pollution inventory and pollutants are moved to the next basin with the first flush. Their vulnerability is intensified by the conflict between water use demand and aquatic ecosystem conservation. Advanced modelling tools have been developed to better describe intermittent flow dynamic changes such as the tempQsim model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beaver dam</span> Dam constructed by beavers

A beaver dam or beaver impoundment is a dam built by beavers; it creates a pond which protects against predators such as coyotes, wolves and bears, and holds their food during winter. These structures modify the natural environment in such a way that the overall ecosystem builds upon the change, making beavers a keystone species and ecosystem engineers. They build prolifically at night, carrying mud with their forepaws and timber between their teeth.

Landscape limnology is the spatially explicit study of lakes, streams, and wetlands as they interact with freshwater, terrestrial, and human landscapes to determine the effects of pattern on ecosystem processes across temporal and spatial scales. Limnology is the study of inland water bodies inclusive of rivers, lakes, and wetlands; landscape limnology seeks to integrate all of these ecosystem types.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental issues with salmon</span>

Salmon population levels are of concern in the Atlantic and in some parts of the Pacific. Salmon are typically anadromous - they rear and grow in freshwater, migrate to the ocean to reach sexual maturity, and then return to freshwater to spawn. Determining how environmental stressors and climate change will affect these fisheries is challenging due to their lives split between fresh and saltwater. Environmental variables like warming temperatures and habitat loss are detrimental to salmon abundance and survival. Other human influenced effects on salmon like overfishing and gillnets, sea lice from farm raised salmon, and competition from hatchery released salmon have negative effects as well.

Margaret A. Palmer is a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Entomology at the University of Maryland and director of the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC). Palmer works on the restoration of streams and rivers, and is co-author of the book Foundations of Restoration Ecology. Palmer has been an invited speaker in numerous and diverse settings including regional and international forums, science-diplomacy venues, and popular outlets such as The Colbert Report.

Nancy Tuchman is an American environmental scientist, educator, and activist. She specializes on human impacts on aquatic ecosystem function, with a focus on coastal Great Lake ecosystems. Tuchman is dedicated to raising public awareness about issues of global climate change and education. Her dedication is shown through her thirty years of educating students in environmental sciences at Loyola University Chicago. In 2013 she founded the Institute of Environmental Sustainability on Loyola University's campus - which later became the School of Environmental Sustainability in late 2020 - and is a driver of environmental change and progress in the Chicago area.

The Society for Freshwater Science (SFS) is an international scientific society whose members study freshwater ecosystems and ecosystems at the interface between aquatic and terrestrial habitats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bradley Cardinale</span> American ecologist and conservation biologist

Bradley Cardinale is an American ecologist, conservation biologist, academic and researcher. He is Head of the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management and Penn State University.

References

  1. ↑ "Meet CFRE Faculty and Staff". Lake Superior State University. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  2. 1 2 "Moerke heads scientific group". saultstar. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  3. ↑ Moerke, Ashley H.; Lamberti, Gary A. (2003-08-01). "Responses in Fish Community Structure to Restoration of Two Indiana Streams". North American Journal of Fisheries Management. 23 (3): 748–759. doi:10.1577/M02-012. ISSN   0275-5947.
  4. ↑ Moerke, Ashley H.; Lamberti, Gary A. (2004). "Restoring Stream Ecosystems: Lessons from a Midwestern State". Restoration Ecology. 12 (3): 327–334. doi:10.1111/j.1061-2971.2004.0340.x. ISSN   1526-100X. S2CID   14424344.
  5. ↑ "Incorporating service learning into higher education to address water resource issues". nabs.confex.com. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  6. ↑ Bain, Mark K.; Arend, Kristin; Steinhart, Geoffrey; Moerke, Ashley; Varnakovida, Pariwate (2010-07-30). "St. Marys River Biological Status and Hydrologic Performance Indicators" (PDF). International Upper Great Lakes Study. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  7. ↑ Molina-Moctezuma, Alejandro; Ellis, Eric; Kapuscinski, Kevin L.; Roseman, Edward F.; Heatlie, Terry; Moerke, Ashley (2021). "Restoration of rapids habitat in a Great Lakes connecting channel, the St. Marys River, Michigan". Restoration Ecology. 29 (1): e13310. doi:10.1111/rec.13310. ISSN   1526-100X. S2CID   228935981.
  8. ↑ Janetski, David J.; Moerke, Ashley H.; Chaloner, Dominic T.; Lamberti, Gary A. (2011). "Spawning salmon increase brook trout movements in a Lake Michigan tributary". Ecology of Freshwater Fish. 20 (2): 209–219. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0633.2010.00479.x. ISSN   1600-0633.
  9. ↑ Janetski, David J.; Chaloner, Dominic T.; Moerke, Ashley H.; Rediske, Richard R.; O’Keefe, James P.; Lamberti, Gary A. (2012-08-07). "Resident Fishes Display Elevated Organic Pollutants in Salmon Spawning Streams of the Great Lakes". Environmental Science & Technology. 46 (15): 8035–8043. Bibcode:2012EnST...46.8035J. doi:10.1021/es301864k. ISSN   0013-936X. PMID   22770612.
  10. ↑ Janetski, David J; Dominic T, Chaloner; Ashley H, Moerke; Peter S, Levi; Gary A, Lamberti (2013-12-14). "Novel environmental conditions alter subsidy and engineering effects by introduced Pacific salmon". Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 71 (4): 502–513. doi:10.1139/cjfas-2013-0292.
  11. ↑ Cooper, Matthew J.; Lamberti, Gary A.; Moerke, Ashley H.; Ruetz, Carl R.; Wilcox, Douglas A.; Brady, Valerie J.; Brown, Terry N.; Ciborowski, Jan J. H.; Gathman, Joseph P.; Grabas, Greg P.; Johnson, Lucinda B. (2018-09-10). "An expanded fish-based index of biotic integrity for Great Lakes coastal wetlands". Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 190 (10): 580. doi:10.1007/s10661-018-6950-6. ISSN   1573-2959. PMC   6133009 . PMID   30203154.
  12. ↑ Uzarski, Donald G.; Brady, Valerie J.; Cooper, Matthew J.; Wilcox, Douglas A.; Albert, Dennis A.; Axler, Richard P.; Bostwick, Peg; Brown, Terry N.; Ciborowski, Jan J. H.; Danz, Nicholas P.; Gathman, Joseph P. (2017-02-01). "Standardized Measures of Coastal Wetland Condition: Implementation at a Laurentian Great Lakes Basin-Wide Scale". Wetlands. 37 (1): 15–32. doi: 10.1007/s13157-016-0835-7 . hdl: 20.500.12648/2295 . ISSN   1943-6246.
  13. ↑ Schock, Neil T.; Reisinger, Alexander J.; Reisinger, Lindsey S.; Cooper, Matthew J.; Cibrowski, Jan J. H.; Gehring, Thomas M.; Moerke, Ashley H.; Ruetz, Carl R.; Uzarski, Donald G. (2019-08-01). "Relationships between the distribution and abundance of the invasive faucet snail (Bithynia tentaculata) and environmental factors in Laurentian Great Lakes coastal wetlands". Biological Invasions. 21 (8): 2613–2628. doi:10.1007/s10530-019-02000-1. ISSN   1573-1464. S2CID   146807353.
  14. ↑ "Journal of Great Lakes Research | Ecology of the St. Marys River | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier". www.sciencedirect.com. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  15. ↑ Moerke, Ashley H.; Ruetz, Carl R.; Simon, Troy N.; Pringle, Catherine M. (2017). "Macroconsumer–Resource Interactions". Methods in Stream Ecology, Volume 1. pp. 399–412. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-416558-8.00019-6. ISBN   978-0-12-416558-8.
  16. ↑ "Professor Moerke appointed to state board". Sault Ste. Marie Evening News - Sault Ste. Marie, MI. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  17. ↑ "Great Lakes Fishery Commission - Advisors". www.glfc.org. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  18. ↑ "Distinguished Teaching Award". Lake Superior State University. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  19. ↑ "Awards and Recognition". Lake Superior State University. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  20. ↑ "Undercurrents: The Newsletter of the Michigan Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, February" (PDF). American Fisheries Society Michigan Chapter. February 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-05-12. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
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