GLIFWC's team of biologists represents a wide array of backgrounds, expertise, and high levels of scholarly achievement. The peer-reviewed articles published through various scientific journals offers a technical look into the research GLIFWC's science professionals have conducted throughout the years in partnership with other science-based organizations.
Ten lessons for controlling invasive species: Wisdom from the long-standing sea lamprey control program on the Laurentian Great Lakes
Author(s): Steven J Cooke, Carrie L Baker, Julia L Mida Hinderer, Michael Siefkes, Jessica M Barber, Todd B Steeves, Margaret F Docker, Weiming Li, Michael P Wilkie, Michael L Jones, Kelly F Robinson, Erin S Dunlop, Cory O Brant, William P Mattes, +3
Year: 2025
Abstract: Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) control in the Laurentian Great Lakes of North America is among the largest and most successful control programs of an invasive species anywhere on the planet. The effort began more than 75 years ago; it unites multiple nations, states, and provinces with the common goal of controlling this invasive species and protecting a valuable fishery. The science-based control program is administered by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC), a body arising from a…
Sustaining Namāēw (Lake Sturgeon): Partner-led Climate Adaptation For Indigenous Fisheries In The Laurentian Great Lakes
Author(s): Holly S. Embke, Robert Croll, Hannah Panci, Aaron Shultz, Sara Skith, Nick Boygo, Marvin DeFoe, Jennifer Gauthier, Gary Michaud, Michael Waasegiizhig Price, Donald Reiter, Jason Schlender, Frank Zomer
Year: 2025
Abstract: Namāēw (Menominee; lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens) have long supported Indigenous culture and food sovereignty but have declined by over 80% in the Laurentian Great Lakes, exacerbating their sensitivity to climate change. Following interest from Indigenous leaders, we initiated a partnership driven effort to 1) assess climate impacts, and 2) develop potential adaptation options for namāēw using a participatory, transdisciplinary approach that combines multiple ways of knowing.
Climate change contributes to the decline in off-reservation tribal harvest availability in the Great Lakes region
Author(s): Madeline Nyblade, Daniel J. Larkin, Darren Vogt, Rob Croll, G.-H. Crystal Ng, William Joe Graveen, Kristen Hanson, Hannah Panci, Brandon Byrne & Bazile Minogiizhigaabo Panek
Year: 2025
Abstract: Climate change threatens the lifeways of Indigenous Peoples, impacting their rights to self-determination and sovereignty. In the Laurentian Great Lakes region, Indigenous communities have experienced harvest declines of wild rice (Ojibwemowin: Manoomin; Dakodiapi: Psiŋ; Latin: Zizania palustris), a sacred aquatic plant central to their culture. Here we analyzed 1985–2020 wild rice density and harvest data in relation to key climate variables. Our results indicate that wild rice stem density in…
Integrating mechanistic models of landscape change and animal behavior to measure functional connectivity
Author(s): Casey C. Day, Patrick A. Zollner, Jonathan H. Gilbert, Eric J. Gustafson
Year: 2025
Abstract: ContextAs land-use change and climate change transform landscapes globally, increases in habitat fragmentation and shifts in habitat composition present challenges for the conservation of wildlife. Behavioral approaches to landscape ecology can explore how animal movement across complex landscapes can drive ecological processes like functional connectivity. By integrating mechanisms that link landscape change to animal behavior, simulation models can project how individuals and populations will…
Seasonal dynamics of small mammal populations: resource availability and cold exposure interact to govern abundance
Author(s): Samuel R. Jolly, Jonathan H. Gilbert, James E. Woodford, Daniel Eklund, and Jonathan N. Pauli
Year: 2024
Abstract: Organisms in seasonal environments respond to both resources in the summer and environmental conditions in winter. Small mammals, in particular, respond quickly to changes in their environment, with many species reliant on the thermal refuge of the subnivium in the winter. However, there has been little research exploring how resources and cold exposure drive the seasonal dynamics of small mammal populations. We studied the populations of three subnivium-specialist small mammal species in…
Special issue: Indigenous research and co‐stewardship of wildlife
Author(s): Jonathan H. Gilbert, Michel T. Kohl
Year: 2024
Abstract: The article explores the significance of Indigenous research and co-stewardship of wildlife, particularly in the United States and Canada. It acknowledges the vast amount of land managed by Indigenous groups, which holds valuable natural resources. The article emphasizes the value of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) in wildlife management and conservation, when combined with Western science. It introduces a special issue on Indigenous research and co-stewardship facilitated by The Wildlife Society and…
Sovereign genes: wildlife conservation, genetic preservation, and Indigenous data sovereignty
Author(s): Paul Robbins, Hilary Habeck Hunt, Francisco Pelegri, Jonathan Gilbert
Year: 2023
Abstract: The application of conservation genetics to wildlife preservation efforts are ongoing and promising. These involve the mobilization of a toolkit that ranges from monitoring the genetic diversity of rare species to more ambitious experiments in repopulating species experiencing genetic bottlenecks. All such efforts are predicated upon the deliberate and thoughtful preservation of existing genetic diversity. The history of genetic collection and conservation, however, for medical and health…
Phenotypic variation in the molt characteristics of a seasonal coat color-changing species reveals limited resilience to climate change
Author(s): Taylor R. Peltier, Shotaro Shiratsuru, Benjamin Zuckerberg, Mark Romanski, Lynette Potvin, Andrew Edwards, Jonathan H. Gilbert, Tanya R. Aldred, Ann Dassow & Jonathan N. Pauli
Year: 2023
Abstract: The snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) possesses a broad suite of adaptations to winter, including a seasonal coat color molt. Recently, climate change has been implicated in the range contraction of snowshoe hares along the southern range boundary. With shortening snow season duration, snowshoe hares are experiencing increased camouflage mismatch with their environment reducing survival. Phenological variation of hare molt at regional scales could facilitate local adaptation in the face of…
A method to sample small mammals in the subnivium
Author(s): Samuel R. Jolly, Allison M. Scott, Tanya R. Aldred, Jonathan H. Gilbert & Jonathan N. Pauli
Year: 2022
Abstract: Winter is a critical yet understudied season for the population dynamics of small mammals. Effectively sampling small mammals that reside in the subnivium in seasonally snow-covered landscapes is logistically challenging and has limited rigorous and cross-seasonal studies of their populations. Herein, we developed a method for live trapping the small-mammal community within the subnivium. Our trapping structures, or “snow culverts,” were easy to build and deploy, and provided protection from…
Case study: Applying the resist–accept–direct framework to an Ojibwe Tribe's relationship with the natural world
Author(s): Aaron Shultz, Mark Luehring, Adam Ray, Joe Dan Rose, Robert Croll, Jonathan Gilbert, Michael Price, Joe Graveen, Lyle Chapman
Year: 2022
Abstract: Ojibwe Tribes' approach to the natural world is guided by the original treaties between beings (species and spirits) and the Ojibwe people who reside in lands now known as the United States and Canada. Relationships with these beings, such as ogaa (walleye Sander vitreus), are best characterized as taking care of a relative/gift for the next seven generations of Ojibwe. Initial denial of treaty rights by the state government has strongly influenced tribes' relationship with their relatives for…