I quantify ecological interactions. Specifically my work has focused on understanding how species invasions, eutrophication, climate change, and human decision-making affect lakes.
I've used ecological and time series modeling, geospatial analysis and modeling, comparative ecosystem analysis, paleolimnological records, and stable isotope analyses to quantify the important interactions that teach us about how lakes work. Lakes and the organisms in them make great characters in stories about freshwater and, studying them, figuring out why their stories matter, and sharing those stories has been a ton of fun.
This broad view of ecosystem ecology has also been key for developing a diverse range of research directions that can serve an equally diverse range of undergraduate research interests. Research mentoring has been an important part of my work and the accessibility of freshwater ecology lends itself well to building these projects and relationships.
Publications
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Jurek, C, E Hauck Jacobs, KB Cattoor, G Montz, and JR Walsh. (In revision) Copper provides short-term control of invasive starry stonewort. Journal of Aquatic Plant Management.
Cattoor, KB, A Londo, JR Walsh, and K Lund. (2022) Evaluation of florpyrauxifen-benzyl on invasive hybrid watermilfoil in a central Minnesota lake. Journal of Aquatic Plant Management 60:16-22.
Hansen, GJA, KE Wehrly, K Vitense, JR Walsh, and PC Jacobson. (2022) Quantifying the resilience of coldwater lake habitat to climate and land use change to prioritize watershed conservation. Ecosphere 13(7):e4172. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4172
Martin, BE, JR Walsh, and MJ Vander Zanden. (2022) Rise of a native apex predator and an invasive zooplankton cause successive ecological regime shifts in a North Temperate Lake. Limnology & Oceanography 67(S1):S163-S172. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.12049
Perales, KM, GJA Hansen, CL Hein, JT Mrnak, BM Roth, JR Walsh, and MJ Vander Zanden. (2021) Spatial and temporal patterns in native and invasive crayfishes during a 19-year whole-lake invasive crayfish removal experiment. Freshwater Biology 66(11):2105-2117. https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.13818
Thomas, SM, MR Verhoeven, JR Walsh, DJ Larkin, and GJA Hansen. (2021) Species distribution models for invasive Eurasian watermilfoil highlight the importance of data quality and limitations of discrimination accuracy metrics. Ecology and Evolution 11(18):12567-12582. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8002
Spear, MJ, JR Walsh, A Ricciardi, and MJ Vander Zanden. (2021) The invasion ecology of sleeper populations: Prevalence, persistence, and abrupt shifts. BioScience 71(4):357-369. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biaa168
Matsuzaki, SS, RC Lathrop, SR Carpenter, JR Walsh, MJ Vander Zanden, MR Gahler, and EH Stanley. (2020) Climate and food web effects on the spring clear-water phase in two north-temperate eutrophic lakes. Limnology & Oceanography 66(1):30-46. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.11584
Walsh, JR, GJA Hansen, JS Read, and MJ Vander Zanden. (2020) Comparing models using air and water temperature to forecast an aquatic invasive species response to climate change. Ecosphere 11(7): e03137. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3137
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Magee, MR, CL Hein, Jake R. Walsh, and 10 others. (2019) Scientific advances and adaptation strategies for Wisconsin lakes facing climate change. Lake and Reservoir Management. https://doi.org/10.1080/10402381.2019.1622612
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Walsh, JR. (2019) A twist in the tale told by the muck at the bottom of Lake Mendota. WisContext.
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Walsh, JR. (2019) You can't control what you can't find: Detecting invasive species while they're still scarce. The Conversation.
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Walsh, JR, JR Corman, and SE Munoz. (2019) Coupled long-term limnological data and sedimentary records reveal novel control on water quality in a eutrophic lake. Limnology & Oceanography 64:S34-S48. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.11083
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Walsh, JR, EJ Pedersen, and MJ Vander Zanden. (2018) Detecting species at low densities: a new theoretical framework and an empirical test on an invasive zooplankton. Ecosphere 9(11):e02475. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2475
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Walsh, JR, MJ Spear, TP Shannon, PJ Krysan, and MJ Vander Zanden. (2018) Using eDNA, sediment subfossils, and zooplankton nets to detect invasive spiny water flea (Bythotrephes longimanus). Biological Invasions. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-018-1862-5
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Walsh, JR, RC Lathrop, and MJ Vander Zanden. (2018) Uncoupling indicators of water quality due to the invasive zooplankter, Bythotrephes longimanus. Limnology & Oceanography 63(3):1313-1327. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.10773
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Walsh, JR, RC Lathrop, and MJ Vander Zanden. (2017) Uncoupling indicators of water quality due to the invasive zooplankter, Bythotrephes longimanus. Limnology and Oceaonography. doi/10.1002/lno.10773/full
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Walsh, JR, RC Lathrop, and MJ Vander Zanden. (2017) Invasive invertebrate predator, Bythotrephes longimanus, reverses trophic cascade in a north-temperate lake. Limnology and Oceanography 62(6): 2498-2509. doi: 10.1002/lno.10582
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Walsh, JR, SE Munoz, and MJ Vander Zanden. (2016) Outbreak of an undetected invasive species triggered by a climate anomaly. Ecosphere, 7(12):e01628. 10.1002/ecs2.1628 (Open access)
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Walsh, JR, SR Carpenter, and MJ Vander Zanden. (2016) Invasive species triggers massive loss of ecosystem services through a trophic cascade. PNAS 113 (15): 4081 - 4085. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1600366113
Walsh, JR. 2016. Tiny flea reveals devastating cost of invasive species. The Conversation.