Starks HA, Goodman AC, Hart CL, Tobias VD, Gilbert MD, Schumer GP. In Press. Persistent genetic identification of maternal mitochondrial lineage in formalin fixed larval Delta Smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) with species-specific qPCR. San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science. Accepted Nov 1 2025.
Scott M. Blankenship, Cheryl Dean, Katie Karpenko, Myfanwy Johnston, Matthew B. Espe, Mark D Bowen, Matt Brennan, Chris Hart, Andrew A. Schultz, and Gregg Schumer. Tidal influence on environmental DNA detections for Delta Smelt. For publication in the March 2026 issue of San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science
Scherer, A.E., E. Cordner, R. Brown, and J. Merz. In Review. Stayin’ alive: strategies to reduce predation on target species are context-dependent. In review at Ecosphere.
Keel DJ, Karpenko K, Blankenship SM, Schumer G, O’Rourke O, Ostberg CO, Chase DA, Duda JJ. A molecular specimen bank for contemporary and future study captures landscape-scale biodiversity baselines before Klamath River dam removal. Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 1;15(1):20679. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-07042-1. PMID: 40596150; PMCID: PMC12217707.
Sellheim, K., A.E. Scherer,R. Brown, J. Anderson, and J. Merz. 2025. Restored seasonally inundated habitat supports juvenile salmonid rearing and growth in two California Central Valley Streams. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 45(1):32-49. DOI 10.1093/najfmt/vqae003.
Maria Fernanda Guizar Amador, Kathy Darragh, Jasen W Liu, Cheryl Dean, Diego Bogarín, Oscar A Pérez-Escobar, Zuleika Serracín, Franco Pupulin, Santiago R Ramírez, The Gongora gibba genome assembly provides new insights into the evolution of floral scent in male euglossine bee–pollinated orchids, G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics, Volume 14, Issue 11, November 2024, jkae211, https://doi.org/10.1093/g3journal/jkae211
Bowen, L., Waters, S., Rankin, L., Thorne, K., Gille, D., De La Cruz, S., Woo, I., Lewis, L., Karpenko, K., Dean, C., & Schumer, G. (2024). A comparison of eDNA sampling methods in an estuarine environment on presence of longfin smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys) and fish community composition. Environmental DNA, 6(3), e560. https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.560
Blankenship, S., A. Scherer, C. Dean, K. Sellheim, J. Sweeney, and J. Merz. (2024). Applying parentage methods to detect gravel augmentation effects on juvenile Chinook Salmon recruitment rates. River Research and Applications. 40(5), 791–808. https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.4264
Wiggins, J. J., Tobias, V. D., Holcombe, E. F., Karpenko, K., Huber, E. R., & Goodman, A. C. (2024). Leveraging environmental DNA (eDNA) to optimize targeted removal of invasive fishes. Journal of Freshwater Ecology, 39(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/02705060.2024.2378841
Espe, M. B., M. Johnston, S. M. Blankenship, C. A. Dean, M. D. Bowen, A. Schultz, and G. Schumer. 2022. The artemis package for environmental DNA analysis in R. Environmental DNA 4: 523– 532. https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.277
Marshall, N. T., D. E. Symonds, C. A. Dean, G. Schumer, and W. C. Fleece. 2022. Evaluating environmental DNA metabarcoding as a survey tool for unionid mussel assessments. Freshwater Biology 00: 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.13955
Bingham, D. M., A. J. Sepulveda, and S. Painter. 2021. A small proportion of breeders drive American bullfrog invasion of the Yellowstone River Floodplain, Montana. Northwest Science 94(3-4): 231-242. https://doi.org/10.3955/046.094.0302
Moody, K.N., A.E. Scherer,D. O’Connor, H. Heim-Ballew, P.J. Lisi, J.D. Hogan, P.B. McIntyre, and M.J. Blum. 2021. Effectiveness and outcomes of invasive species removal in Hawaiian streams. Biological Invasions 23:1739-1763. DOI 10.1007/s10530-021-02468-w.
Djurhuus, A., C. J. Closek, R. P. Kelly, K. J. Pitz, R. P. Michisaki, H. A. Starks, K. R. Walz, E. A. Andruszkiewicz, E. Olesin, K. Hubbard, E. Montes, D. Otis, F. E. Muller-Karger, F. P. Chavez, A. B. Boehm, and M. Breitbart. 2020. Environmental DNA reveals seasonal shifts and potential interactions in a marine community. Nature Communications 11(254). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-14105-1.
Kimbro, D.L., A.E. Scherer, J. Byers, J.H. Grabowski, A.R. Hughes, M.F. Piehler, and D.L. Smee. 2020. Environmental gradients influence biogeographic patterns of nonconsumptive predator effects on oysters. Ecosphere 11(10):e032260. DOI 10.1002/ecs2.3260.
Closek, C. J., J. A. Santora, H. A. Starks, I. D. Schroeder, E. A. Andruszkiewicz, K. M. Sakuma, S. J. Bograd, E. L. Hazen, J. C. Field, and A. B. Boehm. 2019. Marine vertebrate biodiversity and distribution within the central California Current using environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding and ecosystem surveys. Frontiers in Marine Science 6(732). https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2019.00732
Schumer, G., K. Crowley, E. Maltz, M. Johnston, P. Anders, and S. Blankenship. 2019. Utilizing environmental DNA for fish eradication effectiveness monitoring in streams. Biological Invasions 21: 3415-3426. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-019-02056-z
Schumer, G., E. C. Hansen, P. J. Anders, S. M. Blankenship. 2019. Development of a quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay and environmental DNA sampling methods for Giant Gartersnake (Thamnophis gigas). PLoS ONE 14(9): e0222493. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222493
Bingham, D. M., P. C. Gerrity, and S. Painter. 2018. Genetic tagging is an effective way to monitor survival of released hatchery saugers: conservation efforts in the Wind River, Wyoming. Environmental Practice 20(4): 92-103. https://doi.org/10.1080/14660466.2018.1531667
Scherer, A.E., C.E. Bird, M.R. McCutcheon, X. Hu, and D.L. Smee. 2018. Two-tiered defense strategy may compensate for predator avoidance cost of an ecosystem engineer. Marine Biology 165:131. DOI 10.1007/s00227-018-3391-2
Andruszkiewicz, E. A., H. A. Starks, F. P. Chavez, L. M. Sassoubre, B. A. Block, and A. B. Boehm. 2017. Biomonitoring of marine vertebrates in Monterey Bay using eDNA metabarcoding. PLoS One 12(4): e0176343. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0176343
Blankenship, S. M., G. Schumer, J. P. Van Eenennaam, and Z. J. Jackson. 2017. Estimating number of spawning white sturgeon adults from embryo relatedness. Fisheries Management and Ecology 24:163-172.
Finger, A. J., G. Schumer, A. Benjamin, and S. Blankenship. 2017. Evaluation and interpretation of genetic effective population size of delta smelt from 2011-2014. San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Sciences 15(2). https://doi.org/10.15447/sfews.2017v15iss2art5
Scherer, A.E. and D.L. Smee. 2017. Eastern oysters Crassostrea virginica produce plastic morphological defenses in response to crab predators despite resource limitation. The Biological Bulletin 233(2):144-0150. DOI 10.1086/695470.
Scherer, A.E., M.M. Garcia, and D.L. Smee. 2017. Predatory blue crabs induce stronger nonconsumptive effects in eastern oysters Crassostrea virginica than scavenging blue crabs. PeerJ 5:e3042. DOI 10.7717/peerj.3042.
Bergman, P. S., G. Schumer, S. Blankenship, E. Campbell. 2016. Detection of adult green sturgeon using environmental DNA Analysis. PLOS ONE 11(4): e0153500. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0153500
Scherer, A.E., J. Lunt, A.M. Draper, and D.L. Smee. 2016. Phenotypic plasticity in oysters (Crassostrea virginica) mediated by chemical signals from predators and injured prey. Journal of Invertebrate Biology 135(2):97-107. DOI: 10.1111/ivb.12120.
Bingham, D. M., P. Buckskin, and H. Osborne. 2016. Isolation, migration, and local recruitment drive persistence of cutthroat trout in tributaries near American Falls Reservoir. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 36(3): 590-605. https://doi.org/10.1080/02755947.2016.1165765
McKelvey, K. S., M. K. Young, T. M. Wilcox, D. M. Bingham, K. L. Pilgrim, and M. K. Schwartz. 2016. Patterns of hybridization among cutthroat trout and rainbow trout in northern Rocky Mountain streams. Ecology and Evolution 6(3): 688-706. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.1887
Schreier, B. M., M. R. Baerwald, J. L. Conrad, G. Schumer, and B. May. 2016. Examination of predation on early life stage delta smelt in the San Francisco estuary using DNA diet analysis. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 145(4): 723-733. https://doi.org/10.1080/00028487.2016.1152299
Starks, H. A., A. J. Clemento, and J. C. Garza. 2016. Discovery and characterization of single nucleotide polymorphisms in coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch. Molecular Ecology Resources 16(1): 277-287. https://doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.12430
Scherer, A.E. and D.L. Smee. 2016. A review of predator diet effects on prey defensive responses. Chemoecology 26:83-100. DOI 10.1007/s00049-016-0208-y.
Brandl, S., G. Schumer, B. M. Schreier, J. L. Conrad, B. May and M. R. Baerwald. 2015. Ten real-time PCR assays for detection of fish predation at the community level in the San Francisco Estuary-Delta. Molecular Ecology 15(2): 278-284. https://doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.12305
Bingham, D. M., B. M. Kennedy, K. C. Hanson, and C. T. Smith. 2014. Loss of genetic integrity in hatchery steelhead produced by juvenile-based broodstock and wild integration: conflicts in production and conservation goals. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 34(3): 609-620. https://doi.org/10.1080/02755947.2014.901257
Rawding, D.J., C. S. Sharpe, and S. M. Blankenship. 2014. Genetic-based estimates of adult Chinook salmon spawner abundance from carcass surveys and juvenile out-migrant traps. Transactions of American Fisheries Society 143: 55-67. https://doi.org/10.1080/00028487.2013.829122
Moran, P., D. J. Teel, M. A. Banks, T. D. Beacham, M. R. Bellinger, S. M. Blankenship, J. R. Candy, J. C. Garza, J. E. Hess, S. R. Narum, L. W. Seeb, W. D. Templin, C. G. Wallace, and C. T. Smith. 2013. Divergent life-history races do not represent Chinook salmon coast-wide: the importance of scale in Quaternary biogeography. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 70(3): 415-435. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2012-0135
Scherer, A.E. and N. Santangelo. 2013. Assessment of reproductive requirements in habitat conservation efforts: a case study on blackside dace (Chrosomus cumberlandensis), a federally listed threatened species. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 71:408-415. DOI 10.1139/cjfas-2013-0404.
Baerwald, M. R., B. M. Schreier, G. Schumer, and B. May. 2012. Detection of threatened delta smelt in the gut contents of the invasive Mississippi silverside in the San Francisco Estuary using TaqMan assays. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 141(6): 1600-1607. https://doi.org/10.1080/00028487.2012.717521
Bingham, D. M., R. F. Leary, S. Painter, and F. W. Allendorf. 2012. Near absence of hybridization between sauger and introduced walleye despite massive releases. Conservation Genetics 13: 509-523. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-011-0303-0
Limborg, M. T., S. M. Blankenship, S. F. Young, F. M. Utter, L. W. Seeb, M. H. H. Hansen, and J. E. Seeb. 2012. Signatures of natural selection among lineages and habitats in Oncorhynchus mykiss. Ecology and Evolution 2(1): 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.59
Merz, J. E., P. Skvorc, S. M. Sogard, C. Watry, S. M. Blankenship, and E. E. Van Nieuwenhuyse. 2012. Onset of melanophore patterns in the head region of Chinook salmon: A natural marker for the reidentification of individual fish. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 32(4): 806-816 https://doi.org/10.1080/02755947.2012.681014
Baerwald, M. R., G. Schumer, B. M. Schreier, and B. May. 2011. TaqMan assays for the genetic identification of delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) and wakasagi smelt (Hypomesus nipponensis). Molecular Ecology Resources 11(5):784-785. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-0998.2011.03011.x
Blankenship, S. M., M. R. Campbell, J. E. Hess, M. A. Hess, T. W. Kassler, C. C. Kozfkay, A. P. Matala, S. R. Narum, M. M. Paquin, M. P. Small, J. J. Stephenson, K. I. Warheit, and P. Moran. 2011. Major lineages and metapopulations in Columbia River Oncorhynchus mykiss are structured by dynamic landscape features and environments. Transactions of American Fisheries Society 140(3): 665-684. https://doi.org/10.1080/00028487.2011.584487
Clemento, A. J., A. Abadía-Cardoso, H. A. Starks, and J. C. Garza. 2011. Discovery and characterization of single nucleotide polymorphisms in Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha. Molecular Ecology Resources 11(Suppl. 1): 50-66. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-0998.2010.02972.x
Small, M. P., D. Burgess, C. Dean, and K. I. Warheit. 2011. Does lower Crab Creek in the Eastern Washington desert have a native population of Chinook salmon? Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 140(3): 808-821. https://doi.org/10.1080/00028487.2011.588089
Hamelin, M. E., M. Baz, Y. Abed, C. Couture, P. Joubert, É. Beaulieu, N. Bellerose, M. Plante, C. Mallett, G. Schumer, G. P. Kobinger, and G. Boivin. 2010. Oseltamivir-resistant pandemic A/H1N1 virus is as virulent as its wild-type counterpart in mice and ferrets. PLoS Pathogens 6(7): e1001015. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1001015
Blankenship, S. M., M. P. Small, and J. D. Bumgarner. 2009. Temporal stability of genetic variation within natural populations of summer steelhead receiving mitigation hatchery fish. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 138(5): 1052-1064. https://doi.org/10.1577/T08-165.1
Mckenzie, V. J., and H. A. Starks. 2008. Blood parasites of two Costa Rican amphibians with comments on detection and microfilaria density associated with adult filarial worm intensity. Journal of Parasitology 94(4): 824-829. https://doi.org/10.1645/GE-1433.1
Kobinger, G. P., M. P. Limberis, S. Somanathan, G. Schumer, P. Bell, and J. M. Wilson. 2007. Human immunodeficiency viral vector pseudotyped with the spike envelope of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus transduces human airway epithelial cells and dendritic cells. Human Gene Therapy 18(5): 413-422. https://doi.org/10.1089/hum.2006.194
Pearse, D. E., L. Wooninck, C. A. Dean, and J. C. Garza. 2007. Identification of northeastern pacific rockfish using multilocus nuclear DNA genotypes. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 136(1): 272-280. https://doi.org/10.1577/T06-051.1
Seeb, L. W., A. Antonovich, M. A. Banks, T. D. Beacham, M. R. Bellinger, S. M. Blankenship, M. R. Campbell, N. A. Decovich, J. C. Garza, C. M. Guthrie III, T. A. Lundrigan, P. Moran, S. R. Narum, J. J. Stephenson, K. J. Supernault, D. J. Teel, W. D. Templin, J. K. Wenburg, S. F. Young, and C. T. Smith. 2007. Development of a standardized DNA database for Chinook salmon. Fisheries 32(11): 540-552. DOI: 10.1577/1548-8446(2007)32[540:DOASDD]2.0.CO;2
Kobinger, G. P., H. Feldmann, Y. Zhi, G. Schumer, G. Gao, F. Feldmann, S. Jones, and J. M. Wilson. 2006. Chimpanzee adenovirus vaccine protects against Zaire Ebola virus. Journal of Virology 346(2): 394-401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.virol.2005.10.042
Croyle, M.A., S. M. Callahan, A. Auricchio, G. Schumer, K. D. Linse, J. M. Wilson, L. J. Brunner, and G. P. Kobinger. 2004. PEGylation of vesicular stomatitis virus G pseudotyped lentivirus vector prevents inactivation in serum. Journal of Virology 78(2): 912-921. https://doi.org/10.1128/jvi.78.2.912-921.2004
Blankenship, S. M., B. May, and D. Hedgecock. 2002. Evolution of a perfect simple sequence repeat locus in the context of its flanking sequence. Molecular Biology and Evolution 19(11): 1943-1951. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a004018
Hedgecock, D., M. D. Banks, V. K. Rashbrook, C. A. Dean, and S. M. Blankenship. 2001. Applications of population genetics to conservation of Chinook salmon diversity in the Central Valley. In: Brown RL, editor. Fish Bulletin 179: Contributions to the biology of Central Valley salmonids. Sacramento (CA): California Department Fish and Game.
Banks, M. A., V. K. Rashbrook, M. J. Calavetta, C. A. Dean, and D. Hedgecock. 2000. Analysis of microsatellite DNA resolves genetic structure and diversity of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in California’s Central Valley. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 57(5): 915-927. https://doi.org/10.1139/CJFAS-57-5-915
Banks, M. A., M. S. Blouin, B. A. Baldwin, V. K. Rashbrook, H. A. Fitzgerald, S. M. Blankenship, and D. Hedgecock. 1999. Isolation and inheritance of novel microsatellites in Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tschawytscha). Journal of Heredity 90(2): 281-288. https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/90.2.281
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