Brief Introduction
Welcome. I am an aquatic ecologist with an interest in conducting research that informs the conservation and management of aquatic biota in an era of global change. I am currently an associate professor in the Department of Biology at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, KS. I enjoy studying all forms of aquatic life, but am especially interested in fishes. For more information visit my Pittsburg State University website.
Welcome. I am an aquatic ecologist with an interest in conducting research that informs the conservation and management of aquatic biota in an era of global change. I am currently an associate professor in the Department of Biology at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, KS. I enjoy studying all forms of aquatic life, but am especially interested in fishes. For more information visit my Pittsburg State University website.
Recent Publications
Whitney, J.E., B.G. Hansen, S.M. Bonjour, A.M. Bell, and M.G. Fishback. In press. Fish behavior, mortality, diet, and movement following a monsoonal spate in the San Juan River, UT, USA. The Western North American Naturalist.
Boroughs, K.L, J.E. Whitney, A.D. King, J.A. Holloway, A.N. Clemens, and A.D. Thompson. 2024. Comparison of threatened Neosho madtom (Noturus placidus) densities between riverscapes differing in anthropogenic stressors, with a particular focus on recovery from mining-derived metal pollution. Environmental Biology of Fishes 107: 59-73. DOI: 10.1007/s10641-024-01510-9
Hedden, C.K., S.C. Hedden, K.B. Gido, and J.E. Whitney. 2023. Resistance and resilience of Sonora Suckers (Catostomus insignis) to extreme wildfire disturbances in the Gila River, NM. The Southwestern Naturalist 67: 133-143. DOI: 10.1894/0038-4909-67.2.133
Whitney, J.E., Z.R. Garrett, B.G. Hansen, J.A. Holloway, A.D. King, and K. Stark. 2023. The second collection record of Northern Studfish (Fundulus catenatus) from Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 126: 51-54. DOI: 10.1660/062.126.0108
Whitney, J.E., B.G. Hansen, S.M. Bonjour, A.M. Bell, and M.G. Fishback. In press. Fish behavior, mortality, diet, and movement following a monsoonal spate in the San Juan River, UT, USA. The Western North American Naturalist.
Boroughs, K.L, J.E. Whitney, A.D. King, J.A. Holloway, A.N. Clemens, and A.D. Thompson. 2024. Comparison of threatened Neosho madtom (Noturus placidus) densities between riverscapes differing in anthropogenic stressors, with a particular focus on recovery from mining-derived metal pollution. Environmental Biology of Fishes 107: 59-73. DOI: 10.1007/s10641-024-01510-9
Hedden, C.K., S.C. Hedden, K.B. Gido, and J.E. Whitney. 2023. Resistance and resilience of Sonora Suckers (Catostomus insignis) to extreme wildfire disturbances in the Gila River, NM. The Southwestern Naturalist 67: 133-143. DOI: 10.1894/0038-4909-67.2.133
Whitney, J.E., Z.R. Garrett, B.G. Hansen, J.A. Holloway, A.D. King, and K. Stark. 2023. The second collection record of Northern Studfish (Fundulus catenatus) from Kansas. Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science 126: 51-54. DOI: 10.1660/062.126.0108
News
February 08-09 2024: Myself and two members of my lab attended the Kansas Natural Resources Conference (KNRC) in Manhattan, KS. Here is a list of the presentations we gave. James Whitney: "Stream Fish and Crayfish Communities of Kansas's Newest State Park"; Josh Holloway: "Spatiotemporal Changes in the Imperiled and Diverse Mussel Assemblage of the Spring River in Response to Known and Emerging Pollutants"; Jordan Haworth: "Using Shell Attributes to Explain Variation in Monkeyface and Fragile Papershell Abundances in the Neosho and Spring Rivers". At KNRC Josh Holloway won the $300 Otto Tiemeier-Frank Cross Scholarship for graduate students from the Kansas Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. May 19 2023: I received a $104,674 grant from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks to fund research during 2023-2026. The title of the research project is "Spatiotemporal Changes in the Imperiled and Diverse Mussel Assemblage of the Spring River in Response to Known and Emerging Pollutants." April 13-16 2023: I tag along with the PSU Herpetology class for a field trip to the Ouachita Mountain Biological Station near Mena, AR. April 04 2023: Blake Hansen successfully defends his thesis. The title of his thesis is "Secondary Channel Backwaters may be Superior Nurseries for Native Fishes in the San Juan River of the American Southwest, but Monsoon-Driven Deteriorations may Lessen their Quality." March 11-18 2023: Over spring break I take 6 Pittsburg State University undergraduate students to South Padre Island, TX so that they can volunteer with Sea Turtle Inc. This was part of a joint trip with Emporia State University, which was organized by Dr. Rachel Bowes. March 06 2023: I received the $10,000 Summer Faculty Research Award from Pittsburg State University that provides financial support for research during the summer of 2023. The title of the research project is "The Influence of Predictable and Random Environmental Factors in Structuring the Distributions of Common and Rare Prairie Stream Fishes." February 20-24 2023: Blake Hansen and I attend the February Biology Committee Meeting of the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program in Durango, CO. At this meeting we give an update of our research progress during the last year. February 14 2023: I attend the Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference in Overland Park, KS. At this conference Blake Hansen wins the Otto Tiemeier-Frank Cross Student Scholarship from the Kansas Chapter of the American Fisheries Society. February 09-10 2023: Myself and three members of my lab attended the Kansas Natural Resources Conference (KNRC) in Manhattan, KS. Here is a list of the talks we gave. James Whitney: "Long-Term Change in Prairie State Park Fish Communities Across a Gradient of Stream Drying"; Blake Hansen: "From Bad to Worse: Poor Backwater Quality Declines Further During the Monsoon Season in the San Juan River of NM, CO, and UT, which may Impede Imperiled Fish Recruitment"; Josh Holloway: Ecological Morphometrics of Orangethroat (Etheostoma spectabile), Plains (E. pulchellum), and Plateau Darters (E. squamosum) in Kansas"; Alex King: "Contemporary Extent of the Blackspotted Topminnow Invasion and Frequency of Hybridization with Native Blackstripe Topminnow in the Spring River Subbasin of Kansas". January 31 2023: Blake Hansen and I virtually attend and present at the 43rd Annual Researcher's Meeting, which is organized by the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program and the San Juan River Basin Recovery Implementation Program. November 16-20 2022: Blake Hansen and I attend the Desert Fishes Council annual meeting in St. George, UT. I presented a talk entitled "Fish Behavior and Mortality During a Monsoonal Spate in the San Juan River, UT, USA", and Blake gave a talk entitled "From Bad to Worse: High Nonnative Densities and Monsoonal-Induced Habitat Deterioration in Backwater Nurseries may Explain the Recruitment Bottleneck of Imperiled Fishes in the San Juan River of NM, CO, and UT." October 10 2022: I give a talk to the Chert Glades Chapter of the Missouri Master Naturalists in Joplin, MO. The talk is entitled "Long-term change of fish communities in a polluted river basin: does cleaner water "act" on fishes?" October 05 2022: I give a seminar entitled "Sewage, Metals, and Sediments as Impediments to Native Fish Conservation in Kansas" as part of the Northeastern State University Science and Technology Seminar Series in Tahlequah, OK. August 10 2022: Alex King successfully defends her thesis. The title of her thesis is "Chemical and Biological Stressors Threaten Native Fish Diversity in the Spring River Subbasin of Kansas." July 01 2022: The second year of our research project entitled "Habitat Characteristics and Resource Availability in Secondary Channel and Mainstem Backwaters of the San Juan River of NM, CO, and UT" begins. May 19 2022: Blake Hansen and I complete swiftwater rescue training in Idaho Springs, CO. April 13 2022: Alex King presented two virtual oral presentations at the Pittsburg State University Research Colloquium, including "Cleansing our waters: how riffle fish communities in the Spring River of Kansas responded to pollution legislation and remediation" and "Contemporary extent of the Blackspotted Topminnow invasion and frequency of hybridization with native Blackstripe Topminnow in the Spring River subbasin." Alex won an award for her presentation on the Spring River riffle fish communities. Furthermore, Blake Hansen gave a poster presentation at the colloquium entitled "Lack of high-quality nurseries is not just a human problem: nonnative fish densities in backwater nurseries of the San Juan River, NM, CO, UT." April 09-10 2022: We have the first joint PSU-KSU Ichthyology field trip, with Baxter Springs, KS serving as our home base. The trip was organized by myself, Dr. Keith Gido, and Dr. Michi Tobler, both from Kansas State University. We collected 51 total fish species during this weekend field trip. April 01 2022: I hosted Dr. Casey Pennock for the PSU Department of Biology Friday seminar series. His talk was entitled "Can water use and fish conservation be balanced?" February 03-04 2022: Myself and three members of my lab attended the Kansas Natural Resources Conference (KNRC) in Manhattan, KS. I presented a talk entitled "Fish behavior and mortality during a monsoonal spate in the San Juan River, UT, USA", and Alex King developed a talk called "Cleansing our waters: how riffle fish communities in the Spring River of Kansas responded to pollution legislation and remediation". Furthermore, poster presentations were given by Blake Hansen ("Lack of High-Quality Nurseries is Not Just a Human Problem: Nonnative Fish Densities in Backwater Nurseries of the San Juan River, NM, CO, UT") and Josh Holloway ("Assessing the Morphological Variability of Orangethroat Darters in an Ecotonal Riverscape"). [Archived News] |
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