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Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences Undergraduate Research Opportunities |
Many undergraduate students in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences have the opportunity to become involved in a research project of their own. Such experiences are wonderful opportunities for students to both expand their horizons and prepare for future employment or graduate school opportunities.
Most undergraduate involvement in research efforts depends primarily on interest and self-motivation from the undergraduate student. In addition, many such efforts result from an undergraduate student working as a technician for a graduate student, which allows a mentoring relationship to develop between the undergraduate and both the graduate student and her/his faculty advisor.
Below is a list of the professional meeting presentations and peer-reviewed publications that were undertaken by our undergraduate students over the past 5 years. We primarily provide these lists so that the diversity of research topics can be discerned.
Student Presentations (undergraduate students in bold text)
2008 Dagel, J.D., M.R. Wuellner, and D.W. Willis. Population dynamics and food habits of channel catfish in Lake Sharpe. 44th Annual Meeting, Dakota Chapter, American Fisheries Society (poster).
2008 Galster, B.J., M.R. Wuellner, T.M. Selch, B.D.S. Graeb, S.R. Chipps, and D.W. Willis. Assessing food competition between walleye and smallmouth bass using a basic approach. 44th Annual Meeting, Dakota Chapter, American Fisheries Society.
2008 Grote, J.D., M.R. Wuellner, B.D.S. Graeb, and D.W. Willis. Early life history of gizzard shad in Hipple Lake, South Dakota. 44th Annual Meeting, Dakota Chapter, American Fisheries Society.
2008 Mosel, K.J., J.C. Jolley, J.A. Klammer, and D.W. Willis. Pony Lake renovation: fish community description. 39th Annual Meeting, Nebraska Chapter, American Fisheries Society (poster).
2007 Coulter, D.P., J.C. Jolley, and D.W. Willis. Common carp age, growth, and population structure in Sandhill Lakes. 43rd Annual Meeting, Dakota Chapter, American Fisheries Society (poster).
2007 Galster, B.J., M.R. Wuellner, T.M. Selch, B.D.S. Graeb, S.R. Chipps, and D.W. Willis. Food competition between walleye and smallmouth bass. 68th Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference.
2007 Galster, B.J., B.D.S. Graeb, T.M. Selch, M.R. Wuellner, S.R. Chipps, and D.W. Willis. Food competition between walleye and smallmouth bass: a preliminary investigation. 43rd Annual Meeting, Dakota Chapter, American Fisheries Society (poster).
2007 Grote, J.D., M.R. Wuellner, and D.W. Willis. Determining the potential for middle-out food web effects by gizzard shad in a Missouri River reservoir. 68th Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference (poster).
2007 Sindelar, S.C., N.L. Ahrens, and C.R. Berry Jr. Investigation of zooplankton communities in wildlife watering ponds of Badlands National Park, South Dakota. 68th Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference (poster).
2007 Livings, M.E., C.W. Schoenebeck, and M.L. Brown. A quantitative comparison of two zooplankton sampling gears. 68th Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference (poster).
2007 Schaeffer, T.W., M.R. Wuellner, and D.W. Willis. Population assessment of white bass (Morone chrysops) in Lake Sharpe, South Dakota. 43rd Annual Meeting, Dakota Chapter, American Fisheries Society (poster).
2006 DeWitte, A.C., K.R. Edwards, Q.E. Phelps, and D.W. Willis. Precision of common carp age estimates using five different aging structures. 42nd Annual Meeting, Dakota Chapter, American Fisheries Society (poster).
2006 Edwards, K.R., Q.E. Phelps, and D.W. Willis. First-year growth and overwinter survival of common carp in two South Dakota glacial lakes. 42nd Annual Meeting, Dakota Chapter, American Fisheries Society.
2006 Edwards, K.R., Q.E. Phelps, and D.W. Willis. Bluegill recruitment related to temperature, precipitation, and winter severity in four South Dakota impoundments. 42nd Annual Meeting, Dakota Chapter, American Fisheries Society (poster).
2006 Gosch, N.J.C., Q.E. Phelps, and D.W. Willis. Habitat characteristics at bluegill spawning colonies in a South Dakota glacial lake. 42nd Annual Meeting, Dakota Chapter, American Fisheries Society.
2006 Gosch, N.J.C., Q.E. Phelps, and D.W. Willis. Habitat characteristics at bluegill spawning colonies in a South Dakota glacial lake. 37th Annual Meeting, Nebraska Chapter, American Fisheries Society (poster).
2006 Gosch, N.J.C., Q.E. Phelps and D.W. Willis. Habitat characteristics at bluegill spawning colonies in a South Dakota glacial lake. 67th Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference (poster).
2006 Hoagstrom, C.W., A.C. DeWitte, N.J.C. Gosch, and C.R. Berry Jr. Warmwater fish communities of the Cheyenne River drainage. 91st Annual Meeting, South Dakota Academy of Science.
2006 Hoagstrom, C.W., C.R. Berry Jr., N.J.C. Gosch, and A.C. DeWitte. Fish assemblage structure in the North American great plains: a case history. 54th Annual Meeting, North American Benthological Society.
2006 Kaemingk, M.A., B.D.S. Graeb, C.W. Hoagstrom, and D.W. Willis. Patterns of juvenile fish diversity within the Lewis and Clark reservoir system. 42nd Annual Meeting, Dakota Chapter, American Fisheries Society.
2006 Kaemingk, M.A., B.D.S. Graeb, C.W. Hoagstrom, and D.W. Willis. Patterns of fish diversity within the Lewis and Clark reservoir and delta. 67th Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference.
2006 Livings, M.E., C.W. Schoenebeck, and M.L. Brown. Does habitat complexity affect long-term anchor tag retention in yellow perch? 67th Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference (poster).
2006 Rydell, J.J., J.C. Jolley, and D.W. Willis. Northern pike population structure in Hackberry Lake, Nebraska. 37th Annual Meeting, Nebraska Chapter, American Fisheries Society (poster).
2005 DeWitte, A.C., K.R. Edwards, Q.E. Phelps, and D.W. Willis. Precision of common carp age estimates using five different aging structures. 66th Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference (poster).
2005 Edwards, K.R., Q.E. Phelps, J.L. Shepherd, J.D. Jungwirth, and D.W. Willis. Comparison of scale and otolith age estimates for two South Dakota bluegill populations. 90th Annual Meeting, South Dakota Academy of Science.
2005 Edwards, K.R., Q.E. Phelps, M.J. Ward, and D.W. Willis. Hatch timing, daily growth and cohort composition of age-0 common carp in two glacial lakes. 41st Annual Meeting, Dakota Chapter, American Fisheries Society (poster).
2005 Edwards, K.R., N.J.C. Gosch, Q.E. Phelps, and D.W. Willis. Bluegill recruitment related to temperature, precipitation, and winter severity in four South Dakota impoundments. 66th Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference (poster).
2005 Gosch, N.J.C., K.R. Edwards, Q.E. Phelps, and D.W. Willis. First-year growth and overwinter survival of common carp in two South Dakota glacial lakes. 66th Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference (poster).
2005 Kaemingk, M.A., B.D.S. Graeb, M.L. Brown, and D.W. Willis. Reproductive ecology of sauger. 41st Annual Meeting, Dakota Chapter, American Fisheries Society.
2005 Weber, M.J., B.D.S. Graeb, J.P. Lott, S.D. Potter, and D.W. Willis. Early life history of fishes in Missouri River reservoirs. 41st Annual Meeting, Dakota Chapter, American Fisheries Society.
2004 Fjeld, D.L., B.D.S. Graeb, and D.W. Willis. Reproduction and growth of gizzard shad in three Missouri River reservoirs. 40th Annual Meeting, Dakota Chapter, American Fisheries Society.
2004 Thompson, J.L., B.D.S. Graeb, and D.W. Willis. Factors influencing delayed mortality of tournament-caught walleyes. 40th Annual Meeting, Dakota Chapter, American Fisheries Society.
2003 Hoffman, K.A., S.K. Wilson, and D.W. Willis. Seasonal comparison of panfish relative abundance and size structure in two gear types in an extensively vegetated small South Dakota impoundment. 39th Annual Meeting, Dakota Chapter, American Fisheries Society (poster).
2003 Phelps, Q.E., D.A. Isermann, and D.W. Willis. Hatching dynamics and daily growth of age-0 smallmouth bass in two South Dakota glacial lakes. 39th Annual Meeting, Dakota Chapter, American Fisheries Society (poster).
2003 Phelps, Q.E., D.A. Isermann, and D.W. Willis. Influence of hatch timing and daily growth rate on size structure of age-0 largemouth bass cohorts in Enemy Swim Lake, South Dakota. 88th Annual Meeting, South Dakota Academy of Science.
2003 Phelps, Q.E., M.J. Ward, D.A. Isermann, and D.W. Willis. Relations between climatological variables and larval yellow perch abundance in eastern South Dakota glacial lakes. 64th Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference.
2003 Schultz, D.W., D.A. Isermann, and D.W. Willis. Hatching dynamics and daily growth of age-0 black crappies in two South Dakota glacial lakes. 39th Annual Meeting, Dakota Chapter, American Fisheries Society (poster).
2003 Schultz, D.W., D.A. Isermann, and D.W. Willis. Hatch dates and daily growth of age-0 black crappies in Pickerel Lake, South Dakota. 88th Annual Meeting, South Dakota Academy of Science.
2003 Ward, M.J., D.A. Isermann, and D.W. Willis. Effects of maternal size on egg characteristics in South Dakota yellow perch populations. 88th Annual Meeting, South Dakota Academy of Science.
2003 Ward, M.J., D.W. Willis, and D.A. Isermann. Relation of larval yellow perch (Perca flavescens) abundance to climatological patterns in eastern South Dakota glacial lakes. 17th Annual National Science Foundation EPSCoR National Conference (poster).
Publications (undergraduate students in bold text)
Rasmus, R.A., Q.E. Phelps, J.P. Duehr, and C.R. Berry Jr. In press. Population characteristics of lotic orangespotted sunfish in South Dakota. Journal of Freshwater Ecology.
Grovenburg, T.W., J.A. Jenks, R.W. Klaver, K.L. Monteith, D.W. Galster, R.J. Schauer, W.W. Morlock, and J.A. Delger. 2008. Factors effecting road mortality of white-tailed deer in eastern South Dakota. Human-Wildlife Conflicts 2:48-59.
Hoagstrom, C.W., A.C. DeWitte, N.J.C. Gosch, and C.R. Berry Jr. 2007. Historical fish assemblage flux in the Cheyenne River below Angostura Dam. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 22:219-230.
Kaemingk, M.A., B.D.S. Graeb, C.W. Hoagstrom, and D.W. Willis. 2007. Patterns of fish diversity in a mainstem Missouri River reservoir and associated delta. River Research and Applications 23:786-791.
Livings, M.E., C.W. Schoenebeck, and M.L. Brown. 2007. Long-term anchor tag retention in yellow perch, Perca flavescens (Mitchill). Fisheries Management and Ecology 14:365-366.
Phelps, Q.E., K.R. Edwards, and D.W. Willis. 2007. Precision of five structures for estimating age of common carp. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 27:103-105.
Runia, T.J., D.E. Hubbard, and A.A. Boe. 2007. Use of switchgrass seed as wild bird feed. Proceedings of the South Dakota Academy of Science 86:83-88.
Bouska, W.W. and J.A. Jenks. 2006. Effects of grazing on small mammal abundance in eastern South Dakota. South Dakota Academy of Science 85:113-118.
Gosch, N.J.C., Q.E. Phelps, and D.W. Willis. 2006. Habitat characteristics at bluegill spawning colonies in a South Dakota glacial lake. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 15:464-469.
Gronke, W.K., S.R. Chipps, S.J. Banda, and K.F. Higgins. 2006. Reticulate melanism in western painted turtles (Chrysemys picta bellii): exploring linkages with habitat and heating rates. American Midland Naturalist 156:289-298.
Hoagstrom, C.W., A.C. DeWitte, N.J.C. Gosch, and C.R. Berry Jr. 2006. Perennial-warmwater fish communities of the Cheyenne River drainage: a seasonal assessment. Proceedings of the South Dakota Academy of Science 85:213-245.
Edwards, K.R., Q.E. Phelps, J.L. Shepherd, D.W. Willis, and J.D. Jungwirth. 2005. Comparison of scale and otolith age estimates for two South Dakota bluegill populations. Proceedings of the South Dakota Academy of Science 84:181-186.
Graeb, B.D.S., J.L. Shepherd, D.W. Willis, and J.S. Sorensen. 2005. Delayed mortality of tournament-caught walleye. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 25:251-255.
Billington, N., R. Koigi, F. White, D. Porter, B. Graeb, and D. Willis. 2004. Use of isozyme markers to document hybridization between walleye and sauger in three Missouri River reservoirs in South Dakota. Gene Families and Isozymes Bulletin 37:26.
Chipps, S.R., J.A. Porter, and D.H. Wahl. 2004. Phenotypic variation and vulnerability to predation in juvenile bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus). Oecologia 138:32-38.
Kezar, S.J. and J.A. Jenks. 2004. Relative abundance of small mammals in native and restored tallgrass prairie. South Dakota Academy of Science 83:37-41.
Olson, N.W., S.K. Wilson, and D.W. Willis. 2004. Effects of spatial variation on zooplankton community assessment in fishery studies. Fisheries (Bethesda) 29(4):17-22.
Reighard, S.L. Sr., A.D. Bucholz, J.A. Haahr, and J.A. Jenks. 2004. Fox squirrel weight and age structure in mast and non-mast forests. South Dakota Academy of Science 83:51-58.
Ward, M.J., M.R. Anderson, S.J. Fisher, D.A. Isermann, Q.E. Phelps, and D.W. Willis. 2004. Relations between climatological variables and larval yellow perch abundance in eastern South Dakota glacial lakes. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 19:213-218.
Isermann, D.A., J.R. Meerbeek, G.D. Scholten, and D.W Willis. 2003. Evaluation of three different structures used for walleye age estimation with emphasis on removal and processing times. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 23:625-631.
Olson, N.W., C.P. Paukert, D.W. Willis, and J.A. Klammer. 2003. Prey selection and diets of bluegills Lepomis macrochirus with differing population characteristics in two Nebraska natural lakes. Fisheries Management and Ecology 10:31-40.
Phelps, Q.E., D.A. Isermann, and D.W. Willis. 2003. Influence of hatch timing and daily growth rate on size structure of age-0 largemouth bass cohorts in Enemy Swim Lake, South Dakota. Proceedings of the South Dakota Academy of Science 82:35-41.
Schultz, D.W., D.A. Isermann, and D.W. Willis. 2003. Hatching dates and daily growth of age-0 black crappies in Pickerel Lake, South Dakota. Proceedings of the South Dakota Academy of Science 82:153-160.
