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Paul Angermeier

Professor

Photograph of Fish Conservation Professor Paul Angermeier

Photography of Fish Conservation Professor Paul Angermeier
Office: 342 Latham Hall
biota@vt.edu
540-231-4501

 

Assistant Unit Leader, Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

B.S., Purdue University (1976)
M.S., University of Illinois (1979)
Ph.D., University of Illinois (1982)

RESEARCH INTERESTS

My research is broadly interested in the ecology and conservation of freshwater ecosystems, with an emphasis on five areas: a) population dynamics of imperiled fishes, b) habitat associations of stream fishes, c) ecosystem services provided by watersheds, d) use of biotic communities to assess water quality, and e) impacts of invasive species. His work applies multiple analytical approaches (eg, field surveys, experiments, simulations) to a range of spatial scales (eg, regional landscapes, watersheds, stream reaches, habitat patches). Overarching aims are to advance scientific understanding of how ecosystems (including ecological and socioeconomic components) operate and to make that knowledge available to resource managers and other stakeholders so they are better able to make decisions to promote sustainability.

  • Constructing Sustainability
  • Fish Ecology
  • Biodiversity Conservation and Environmental Sustainability

Assessment of apparent survival and abundance of Roanoke logperch in response to short-term changes in river flow. Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

The distribution of Roanoke logperch (Percina rex) is fragmented by several large dams, some of which generate electricity via pulsed releases during periods of peak demand for electricity. We are conducting mark-recapture studies of several fish species to characterize how Roanoke logperch or other small fishes respond to the stream-flow fluctuations created by these dams. Minimizing impacts of hydropower dams on imperiled fishes and improving the recovery of the Roanoke logperch will require a better understanding of the linkages between the temporal variability of flow and fitness characteristics (e.g., survival) as well as population dynamics (e.g., changes in abundance) and habitat use. 

Development and application of a multiscale model of habitat suitability for Roanoke logperch. Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. 

Roanoke logperch (Percina rex) are patchily distributed among river drainages, among watersheds within drainages, among stream segments within watersheds, and among channel units (i.e., riffles, pools) within segments. These distributional patterns make conservation planning, management, and recovery actions targeting Roanoke logperch difficult. Thus, a reliable, explicit characterization of Roanoke logperch habitat is still needed. Using data from previous survey efforts, we are currently developing a multiscale habitat suitability model for Roanoke logperch. 

Cost-effectiveness of riparian restoration as a recovery tactic for Roanoke logperch. Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. 

To be cost-effective, habitat management and restoration actions (eg, riparian re-vegetation) need to be based on sound knowledge of fine-sediment sources and transport, as well as relations between watershed land cover and suitability of instream habitat for logperch. Presumably, watersheds and riparian zones with greater high filtration capacity (HFC) are likely to provide more suitable habitat for logperch because less fine sediment reaches the receiving streams. If so, restoring HFC vegetation to riparian zones is a reasonable and tractable tactic for improving logperch habitat and promoting recovery. We are examining sediment linkages from the watershed to the riparian zone to instream benthic conditions to better inform managers about where to restore riparian vegetation most cost-effectively. 

Phenology and habitat use of larval darters in the upper Roanoke River basin. Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

Little is known about the timing of emergence or habitat use for larval Roanoke logperch or other darters inhabiting the upper Roanoke River basin. We will use known mitochondrial gene sequences and lab- reared specimens to identify key areas of the upper Roanoke used by larval darters, describe the timing of spawning and larval development, and investigate linkages among water temperature, river discharge, day length, and spawning periods. Furthermore, we will create an identification key using our photographs of larvae, which will allow us to describe developmental changes and monitor growth rates, as well as allow others to study larval darters without the need for genetic analysis. 

Assessing habitat impacts on the endangered Roanoke logperch. United States Army Corps of Engineers. 

The entire known range of the endangered Roanoke logperch (Percina rex) comprises 4 disjunct areas in Virginia, including the upper Roanoke River and Smith River drainages. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is responsible for protecting and recovering logperch associated with their water projects, including the Roanoke River Flood Reduction Project (RRFRP; an extensive suite of channel modifications) and Philpott Reservoir on Smith River. In particular, the USACE must survey their waters for logperch and suitable habitat, and monitor and manage populations therein. We conduct annual field surveys to monitor logperch distribution and abundance and to assess habitat suitability. 

 

  • Jachowski, D.S., J.J. Millspaugh, P.L. Angermeier, and R. Slotow, editors. 2016. Reintroduction of fish and wildlife populations. University of California Press, Oakland, CA. 395 pp.
  • Mogollón, B., A.M. Villamagna, E.A. Frimpong, and P.L. Angermeier. 2016. Mapping technological and biophysical capacities of watersheds to regulate floods. Ecological Indicators 16: 483-499.
  • Roberts, J.H., P.L. Angermeier, and E.M. Hallerman. 2016. Extensive dispersal of Roanoke logperch(Percina rex) inferred from genetic marker data. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 25: 1-16.
  • Villamagna, A.M., B. Mogollón, and P.L Angermeier. 2017. Inequity in ecosystem service delivery: socioeconomic gaps in the public-private conservation network. Ecology and Society 22 (1):36.[online] http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol22/iss1/art36/.
  • Argentina, J.E., P.L. Angermeier, E.M. Hallerman, and S.A. Welsh. 2018. Spatial extent of analysis influences observed patterns of population genetic structure in a widespread darter species (Percidae). Freshwater Biology 63: 1185–1198.
  • Dunham, J.B., P.L. Angermeier, S.D. Crausbay, A.E. Cravens, H. Gosnell, J. McEvoy, M.A. Moritz, N. Raheem, and T. Sanford. 2018. Rivers are social-ecological systems: time to integrate human dimensions into riverscape ecology and management. WIREs Water. DOI: 10.1002/wat2.1291.
  • Dunn, C.G. and P.L. Angermeier. 2019. Remaining populations of an upland stream fish persist in refugia defined by habitat features at multiple scales. Diversity and Distributions 25: 385–399.DOI:10.1111/ddi.12866.
  • Govenor, H., L.A.H. Krometis, L. Willis, P.L. Angermeier, and W.C. Hession. 2019. Macroinvertebrate sensitivity thresholds for sediment in Virginia streams. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management 15: 77-92. DOI: 10.1002/ieam.4086.
  • Buckwalter, J.D., P.L. Angermeier, J. Argentina, S. Wolf, S. Floyd, and E.M. Hallerman. 2019. Drift of larval darters (Family Percidae) in the upper Roanoke River basin, USA, characterized using phenotypic and DNA barcoding markers. Fishes 4(4), 59; doi:10.3390/fishes4040059.  
  • Buckwalter, J.D., E.A. Frimpong, P.L. Angermeier, and J.N. Barney. 2020. Species traits predict stream-fish invaders in an Appalachian (U.S.A) river basin. Freshwater Biology 65: 552-564. https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.13453.
  • Martin, Z.P., P.L. Angermeier, S. Ciparis, D.J. Orth. 2021. Coal-mining intensity influences species and trait distributions of stream fishes in two Central Appalachian watersheds. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 30: 347-365. DOI:10.1111/eff.12588.
  • Angermeier, P.L., L.A. Krometis, M.J. Stern, and T.L. Hemby. 2021. Exploring relationships among stream health, human well-being, and demographics in Virginia, USA. Ecological Indicators 121 107194. DOI.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.107194.
  • Czuba, J.A., M. Hirschler, E.A. Pratt, A. Villamagna, and P.L. Angermeier. 2022. Bankfull shear velocity predicts embeddedness and silt cover in gravel streambeds. River Research and Applications 38: 59-68. https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.3878.
  • McBaine, K.E., E.M. Hallerman, and P.L. Angermeier. 2022. Direct and molecular observation of movement and reproduction by Candy Darter, Etheostoma osburni, an endangered benthic stream fish in Virginia, USA. Fishes https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3888/7/1/30/pdf. IP-1362