CURRICULUM VITAE

                                                                   4/27/07

 

 

Gregory G. Sass

Born: 10/16/76, Sheboygan, WI

 

Office Address:

 

Illinois River Biological Station

Illinois Natural History Survey

704 North Schrader

Havana, IL  62644

(309)-543-6000

ggsass@uiuc.edu

 

Professional Employment

 

-  Assistant Professional Scientist, Director, Illinois River Biological Station, Illinois

Natural History Survey, 2006 – present

- Research Associate with Stephen R. Carpenter and James F. Kitchell, Center for

Limnology, University of Wisconsin – Madison, 2004 – 2006

-Research Assistant, Center for Limnology, University of Wisconsin – Madison,

            1999-2004

-Teaching Assistant, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Spring 2002 and 2003

-National Science Foundation IGERT Trainee, University of Wisconsin – Madison,

            1999-2003

-Project Assistant, University of Wisconsin – Madison, Summer 1999

 

Academic Degrees:

 

-Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2004

Advisor: James F. Kitchell.  Dissertation: Fish community and food web responses to a whole-lake removal of coarse woody habitat.

-Master of Science in Zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2001

Advisor: James F. Kitchell.  Thesis: An analysis of walleye, Stizostedion vitreum vitreum,  growth in the ceded territory of northern Wisconsin, 1977-2000.

-Bachelor of Science with honors in biology, Magna Cum Laude, University of South

Florida, 1999.  Advisor: Philip J. Motta.  Thesis: The effects of satiation on prey capture kinematics in the largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides.

 

Additional Research Experience:

 

1.  Volunteer biologist for the monitoring of several species of endangered fishes in the Colorado River, August 2001.  Research consisted of netting the humpback chub, flannelmouth sucker, and bluehead sucker to determine population abundances and growth.

2.  Project Assistant for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Notre Dame Environmental Research Center, summer 1999.  Research consisted of sampling fish and aquatic invertebrates for stable isotope analysis to trace the flow of carbon through aquatic ecosystems.

3.  Biology honors student, University of South Florida, Spring 1998 – Spring 1999.  Research consisted of functional morphology studies of anatomical and behavioral changes in largemouth bass feeding in response to increasing levels of satiation.

4.  Undergraduate assistant to William Ellis, a doctoral student under the supervision of

Dr. Susan Bell, University of South Florida, fall 1997.  Research consisted of improving the experimental design and collecting data regarding the effects of trimming mangrove trees on the abundance of fishes located in a tidal forest of Tampa Bay.

5.  An independent study was conducted to compare dietary overlap between two species of coexisting fishes in a mangrove intertidal environment of Tampa Bay, University of South Florida, fall 1997.  This study was conducted as part of a graduate course in Ichthyology taught by Dr. Philip Motta.

6.  Undergraduate assistant to Susan Jensen, a doctoral student under the supervision of Dr. Susan Bell, University of South Florida, spring 1997.  Research consisted of collecting samples and compiling data for a study on the migration of seagrass beds in several areas of Tampa Bay.

 

Teaching Experience:

 

-  Ecology of Fishes Lecture and Laboratory (ZOO 510, 511) Teaching Assistant, spring

2002 and spring 2003

 

Professional Memberships:

 

-Mississippi River Research Consortium, 2006 - present

-Illinois Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, 2006 - present

-Organization of Biological Field Stations, 2006 - present

-International Association of Great Lakes Research, 2006 - present

-Wisconsin Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, 2003-present

-Walleye Technical Committee of the North Central Division of the American Fisheries

Society, 1999-present

-Ecological Society of America, 1999 - present

-American Fisheries Society, 1999 - present

-Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society, 1998 - present          

-Golden Key National Honor Society, 1997 – present

 

Certifications:

 

-Mega-surgery, Research Animal Resources Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison

-PADI open water, advanced open water, ice, night, deep, rescue SCUBA diver

 

Publications:

 

1.  Mercado-Silva, N., S.J. Gilbert, G.G. Sass, and M.J. Vander Zanden.  Walleye

            recruitment decline as a consequence of rainbow smelt invasions in Wisconsin

            lakes.  Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (Accepted Pending

            Revision).

2.   Roth, B.M., I.C. Kaplan, G.G. Sass, P.T. Johnson, A. Sugden-Newberry, A.C.

Yannarell, T.V. Willis, M.G. Turner, and S.R. Carpenter.  2007.  Linking terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems: the role of woody habitat in lake food webs.

Ecological Modelling  203:439-452.

3.  Sass, G.G., J.F. Kitchell, S.R. Carpenter, T.R. Hrabik, A.E. Marburg, and

M.G. Turner.  2006.  Fish community and food web responses to a whole-lake removal of coarse woody habitat.  Fisheries  31(7):321-330.

4.   Sass, G.G., C.M. Gille, J.T. Hinke, and J.F. Kitchell.  2006.  Whole-lake influences

of littoral structural complexity and prey body morphology on fish predator-prey interactions.  Ecology of Freshwater Fish  15:301-308.

5.  Sass, G.G. and J.F. Kitchell.  2005.  Can growth be used as a surrogate measure of

            walleye (Sander vitreus) abundance change?  Canadian Journal of Fisheries and

Aquatic Sciences  62:2159-2168.

6.  Sass, G.G., S.W. Hewett, T.D. Beard, Jr., A.H. Fayram, and J.F. Kitchell.  2004.  The

role of density-dependence in growth patterns of ceded territory walleye populations of northern Wisconsin: effects of changing management regimes.  North American Journal of Fisheries Management  24:1262-1278.

7.  Flaherty, C.M., G.G. Sass, and K.E. Stiles.  2003.  Human mercury toxicity and ice

            angler fish consumption: are people eating enough to cause health problems?

            Risk Analysis  23:497-504.

8.  Sass, G.G. and P. J. Motta.  2002.  The effects of satiation on strike mode and prey

capture kinematics in the largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides.  Environmental Biology of Fishes  65:441-454. 

 

Theses:

 

9.  Sass, G.G.  2004.  Fish community and food web responses to a whole-lake removal

            of coarse woody habitat.  Ph.D. dissertation, University of Wisconsin – Madison.

10.  Sass, G.G.  2001.  An analysis of walleye, Stizostedion vitreum vitreum, growth in

the ceded territory of northern Wisconsin, 1977-2000.  Master’s thesis, University of Wisconsin – Madison.

11.  Sass, G.G.  1999.  The effects of satiation on strike mode and prey capture

kinematics in the largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides.  Honor’s thesis, University of South Florida.

 

Book Chapters:

 

12.  Irons, K.S., G.G. Sass, M.A. McClelland, and T.M. O’Hara.  2008.  The long-term

            resource monitoring program: insights into the Asian carp invasion of the Illinois

            River, Illinois, USA.  Proceedings of the Asian Carp Symposium.

 

13.  Sass, G.G.  2008.  Coarse woody debris in lakes and streams.  In:

            Encyclopedia of Inland Waters.  G. Likens (ed.).  Elsevier Publishing.

 

14.  Kitchell, J.F. and G.G. Sass.  2008.  Great Lakes ecosystems: invasions, food web

            dynamics, and the challenge of ecological restoration.  In:  The Vanishing

Present: Wisconsin’s Changing Lands, Waters, and Wildlife.  D.M. Waller and T.P. Rooney (eds.).  The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois.

 

Reports:

 

15.  O'Hara, T.M., M.A. McClelland, K.S. Irons, T.R. Cook, and  G.G. Sass. 2007. The

effect of a recently completed Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Project (HREP) on fish abundances in the La Grange Reach of the Illinois River using Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP) data. U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, La Crosse, Wisconsin, Submitted November 2006. In review.

 

Manuscripts in Review:

 

16.  Helmus, M.R. and G.G. Sass.  Differential rapid responses of trophic groups to the

            disruption of a habitat subsidy.

17.  Irons, K.S., G.G. Sass, M.A. McClelland, and J.D. Stafford.  Reduced condition

            Factor of two native fish species coincident with invasion of non-native Asian

            Carps in the Illinois River, USA: evidence for competition and reduced fitness?

18.  Ahrenstorff, T.D., G.G. Sass, and M.R. Helmus.  The influence of littoral zone

coarse woody habitat on home range size, spatial distribution, and feeding

ecology of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides).

 

Manuscripts in Draft Form:

 

19.  Sass, G.G., J.F. Kitchell, and T.R. Hrabik.  Bioenergetic explanations for sexually

dimorphic walleye growth: implications for fisheries management.

20.   Weis, J.J. and G.G. Sass.  Whole-lake influences of coarse woody habitat on

            largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) nest site selection.

21.  Sass, G.G. and J.F. Kitchell.  Bioindicators of walleye population collapse.

22.  Sass, G.G., T.R. Hrabik, and J.F. Kitchell.  Implications of sexually dimorphic

            behavior on walleye Sander vitreus stock-recruitment relationships.

23.  Sass, G.G., M.W. Ebener, D.M. Krueger, J.M. Fox, T.R. Hrabik, and J.F. Kitchell.

            Laurentian Great Lakes fisheries management for the 21st century: an alternative

            perspective.

24.  Guarascio, M.J. and G.G. Sass.  Analysis of delayed fishing mortality in largemouth

            bass (Micropterus salmoides) through mark-recapture studies from simulated

            fishing tournaments.

25.  Sass, G.G., J.F. Kitchell, J.C. Jorgensen, and M.F. Fodale.  Priority management

            recommendations for exotic sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) control in distinct

            thermal regions of Lake Superior.

 

Invited Presentations:

 

1.  Wisconsin Lakes Convention, 2006

     Green Bay, Wisconsin

     Title of Talk:  Lessons Learned from Two Whole-lake Manipulations of Coarse

     Woody Habitat: Implications for Fisheries Management

2.  North American Lake Management Society 25th International Symposium, 2005

     Madison, Wisconsin

     Title of Talk:  Fish Community and Food Web Responses to a Whole-lake

     Removal of Coarse Woody Habitat

3.  Wisconsin Lakes Convention, 2005

     Green Bay, Wisconsin

     Title of Talk:  Fish Community and Food Web Responses to a Whole-lake

     Removal of Coarse Woody Habitat

4.  Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), 2005

     Blacksburg, Virginia

     Title of Talk:  Fish community and Food Web Responses to a Whole-lake

     Removal of Coarse Woody Habitat

5.  Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Lake Leaders Conference, 2004

     Minocqua, Wisconsin

     Title of Talk:  Biomanipulation as a Tool to Mitigate Negative Effects of Exotic

     Rainbow Smelt Introductions; Fish Community and Food Web Responses to a Whole-

     lake Removal of Coarse Woody Habitat

6.  Annual Meeting of the Esocid Technical Committee of the American Fisheries

     Society, 2003

     Minocqua, Wisconsin

     Title of Talk:  Fish Community Responses to a Whole-lake Manipulation of Littoral

     Zone Coarse Woody Habitat: Implications for Esocid Management

7. American Society of Limnology and Oceanography Annual Meeting, 2003

    Salt Lake City, Utah

    Title of Talk:  Fish Community Responses to a Whole-lake Manipulation of Littoral

    Zone Coarse Woody Debris in a Northern Wisconsin Lake

8. Annual Meeting of the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, 2003*

    Madison, Wisconsin

    Title of Talk:  Fish Community Responses to a Whole-lake Manipulation of Littoral

    Zone Coarse Woody Debris

    *Best Student Paper Award

 

Contributed Presentations:

 

1.  Sass, G.G., K.S. Irons, T.M. O’Hara, T.R. Cook, M.A. McClelland, N.N. Michaels,

     M.L. Smith, and M.R. Stroub

     Mississippi River Research Consortium, 2007

     LaCrosse, Wisconsin

     Title of Talk:  Active versus passive management of common and grass carp for

     backwater lake native fish restoration: a case study from the Nature Conservancy’s

     Emiquon Preserve

2.  O’Hara, T.M., M.A. McClelland, K.S. Irons, T.R. Cook, and G.G. Sass

     Mississippi River Research Consortium, 2007

     LaCrosse, Wisconsin

     Title of Talk:  The effect of a recently completed habitat rehabilitation and

     Enhancement project (HREP) on fish abundances in the La Grange Reach of the

     Illinois River using Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP) data

3.  Irons, K.S., G.G. Sass, M.A. McClelland, and J.D. Stafford

     Mississippi River Research Consortium, 2007

     LaCrosse, Wisconsin

     Title of Talk:  Reduced condition factor of two native fish species coincident with

     invasion of of non-native Asian carp in the Illinois River: evidence for competition

     and reduced fitness?

4.  McClelland, M.A. and G.G. Sass 

     Mississippi River Research Consortium, 2007

     LaCrosse, Wisconsin

     Title of Talk:  Trends in largemouth bass and bluegill populations among the upper

     and lower Illinois River, 1957-2006

5.  Michaels, N.N., G.G. Sass, and K.S. Irons

     Mississippi River Research Consortium, 2007

     LaCrosse, Wisconsin

     Title of Poster:  Sportfish trends in the La Grange reach of the Illinois River,

     1994-2006

6.  Stroub, M.R., G.G. Sass, and K.S. Irons

     Mississippi River Research Consortium, 2007

     LaCrosse, Wisconsin

     Title of Poster:  Fish population dynamics of an annually-flooded seasonally-isolated  

     backwater lake of the Illinois River

7.  Sass, G.G., K.S. Irons, T.M. O’Hara, T.R. Cook, M.A. McClelland, N.N. Michaels,

     M.L. Smith, and M.R. Stroub

     Annual Meeting of the Illinois Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, 2007

     Findlay, Illinois

     Title of Talk:  Active versus passive management of common and grass carp for

     backwater lake native fish restoration: a case study from the Nature Conservancy’s

     Emiquon Preserve

8.  O’Hara, T.M., M.A. McClelland, K.S. Irons, T.R. Cook, and G.G. Sass

     Annual Meeting of the Illinois Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, 2007

     Findlay, Illinois

     Title of Talk:  The effect of a recently completed habitat rehabilitation and

     Enhancement project (HREP) on fish abundances in the La Grange Reach of the

     Illinois River using Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP) data

9.  Irons, K.S., G.G. Sass, M.A. McClelland, and J.D. Stafford

     Annual Meeting of the Illinois Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, 2007

     Findlay, Illinois

     Title of Talk:  Reduced condition factor of two native fish species coincident with

     invasion of of non-native Asian carp in the Illinois River: evidence for competition

     and reduced fitness?

10.  McClelland, M.A. and G.G. Sass 

     Annual Meeting of the Illinois Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, 2007

     Findlay, Illinois

     Title of Talk:  Trends in largemouth bass and bluegill populations among the upper

     and lower Illinois River, 1957-2006

11.  Michaels, N.N., G.G. Sass, and K.S. Irons

     Annual Meeting of the Illinois Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, 2007

     Findlay, Illinois

     Title of Poster:  Sportfish trends in the La Grange reach of the Illinois River,

     1994-2006

12.  Stroub, M.R., G.G. Sass, and K.S. Irons

     Annual Meeting of the Illinois Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, 2007

     Findlay, Illinois

     Title of Poster:  Fish population dynamics of an annually-flooded seasonally-isolated  

     backwater lake of the Illinois River

13.  49th Annual Conference of the International Association for Great Lakes Research

     2006

     Windsor, Ontario, Canada

     Title of Talk:  Priority Management Recommendations for Exotic Sea Lamprey

     (Petromyzon marinus) Control in Distinct Thermal Regions of Lake Superior

14.  135th Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, 2005

     Anchorage, Alaska

     Title of Talk:  Fish Community and Food Web Responses to a Whole-lake Removal

     of Coarse Woody Habitat

15.  National Science Foundation Biocomplexity in the Environment Awardees Meeting,

     2005

     Arlington, Virginia

     Title of Poster:  Biocomplexity.  Divergent Dynamics: Complex Interactions of

     Riparian Land, People, and Lakes

16.  134th Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, 2004

     Madison, Wisconsin

     Title of Talk:  Bioindicators of Walleye Population Collapse

17.  89th Meeting of the Ecological Society of America, 2004

     Portland, Oregon

     Title of Talk:  Yellow Perch Population Collapse: Effects of a Whole-lake Removal of

     Coarse Woody Habitat

18.  PERCIS III: The Third International Percid Fish Symposium, 2003

     Madison, Wisconsin

     Title of Talk:  Yellow Perch Population Collapse: Distribution and Abundance

     Responses Associated with a Whole-lake Removal of Littoral Zone Coarse Woody

     Habitat

19.  87th Meeting of the Ecological Society of America, 2002

     Tucson, Arizona

     Title of Talk:  Bioenergetic Explanations for Sexually Dimorphic Walleye Growth:

     the Influences of Sex-specific Reproductive and Activity Costs

20.  131st Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, 2001

     Phoenix, Arizona

     Title of Talk:  Predicting Adult Walleye, Stizostedion vitreum, Densities Across

     Northern Wisconsin Lakes:  Can Within-Lake Population Dynamics be Expanded to

     Regional Scale Management?

21.  86th Meeting of the Ecological Society of America, 2001

     Madison, Wisconsin

     Title of Talk: Whole-lake Patterns of Predation Mortality: The Influence of Littoral

     Zone Structural Complexity and Depth on Fish Predator-prey Interactions

22.  62nd Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference, 2000

     Minneapolis, Minnesota

     Title of Talk: Growth Dynamics of Walleye in Ceded Territory Lakes of Northern

     Wisconsin,1990-1999

23.  American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists 79th Annual Meeting, 1999

     The Pennsylvania State University

     Title of Poster: The Effects of Satiation on Prey Capture Kinematics in the

     Largemouth Bass, Micropterus salmoides

 

Invited Guest Lectures:

 

1.  University of Minnesota – Duluth

     Course: Fisheries Ecology

     October 5, 2005

     Title:  Fish Community and Food Web Responses to a Whole-lake Removal of Coarse

     Woody Habitat

2.  University of Wisconsin – Madison

     Course: General Ecology

     November 15, 2004

     Title of Lecture:  Physiological Ecology: Fundamental and Applied Uses of

     Bioenergetics Models

3.  University of Wisconsin – Madison

     Course: Ecology of Fishes

     March 4, 2003

     Title of Lecture:  Human Effects on Fish Predator-prey Interactions and Population

     Dynamics

4.  University of Minnesota – Duluth

     Course: Fisheries Ecology

     September 26, 2002

     Title of Lecture:  Human Effects on Fish Predator-prey Interactions and Population

     Dynamics

5.  University of Wisconsin - Madison

     Course: Ecology of Fishes

     March 21, 2002

     Title of Lecture:  Applicability of Fish Ecology to Fisheries Management

6.  University of Minnesota - Duluth

     Course: Fisheries Ecology

     September 14, 2001

     Title of Lecture:  Linear and Non-linear Techniques for Estimating Fish Growth

     Parameters

 

Workshops:

 

1.  Littoral Zone Structural Complexity Workshop (Organizer)

     Center for Limnology, Trout Lake Station, Boulder Junction, WI, September 21-23,

2003.    Representatives from:  University of Washington, Minnesota Department of

Natural Resources, Department of Fisheries and Oceans – Canada, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, University of Wisconsin - Madison

 

Manuscript Reviews:

 

Ecology Letters

Ecology and Society

Hydrobiologia

Hydrobiology

Journal of Fish Biology

Journal of Great Lakes Research

Landscape Ecology

North American Journal of Fisheries Management

Restoration Ecology

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society

 

Proposal Reviews:

 

National Science Foundation

National Sea Grant

 

Awards and Honors:

 

-Who’s Who of Emerging Leaders, 1st Edition, 2007 - present

-Who’s Who in America, 60th Edition, 2006 – present

- DIALOG VII Symposium Awardee, Dauphin Island, AL, December 3-10, 2005

 

University of Wisconsin - Madison

 

-2003 WI Chapter of the American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting – Best Student

Paper

-National Science Foundation Integrated Graduate Education and Research Traineeship

(IGERT), Human Dimensions of Social and Aquatic System Interactions, 1999 –

2003

-John Jefferson Davis Travel Award – 2001, 2002, 2003

-Anna Grant Birge Memorial Award – 2001, 2002, 2003

 

University of South Florida

 

-College of Arts and Sciences, Non-Resident Tuition Waiver Scholarship, 1997 - 1999

-Biology Honors Program, 1996 - 1999

-College of Arts and Sciences, Deans List of Scholars, 1996 - 1999

-Honors Convocation, 1995 - 1999

-College of Arts and Sciences Deans List, 1995 - 1996

-Presidential Fee Waiver Scholarship, 1995 - 1997

 

Service Activities:

 

-INHS Division of Ecology and Conservation Science Stream Ecologist Search Committee

-INHS Division of Ecology and Conservation Science Recorder

-North American Journal of Fisheries Management Subcommittee of the American

            Fisheries Society Publication Awards Committee, 2005-2006

-Mentor, Alternative Breaks Program, University of Wisconsin - Madison

-Chair, Graduate Student Activities Committee, Madison Ecology Group, University of

Wisconsin – Madison

-Program mentor for an undergraduate minority student (SEEDS), Ecological Society of

America

-College for Kids Program, University of Wisconsin - Madison

-Saturday Enrichment Program, University of Wisconsin - Madison

 

Grades: 

 

University of South Florida, 1995 - 1999:

 

GPA in Major - 3.913/4.0

Overall GPA - 3.851

 

University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1999-2004

 

GPA in Major – 4.0/4.0

Overall GPA – 3.966

 

Research Interests:

 

My research interests within the field of aquatic ecology have primary emphasis on fish ecology, ichthyology, and fisheries biology.  Specific interests involve predator-prey interactions, bioenergetics, population dynamics, and ecosystem-based fisheries management.  My current research focuses on evaluating the response of fish communities and food webs to whole-lake manipulations of coarse woody habitat in several northern Wisconsin lakes, the ecosystem effects of a whole-lake removal of an exotic fish and crayfish, exotic sea lamprey and lake trout interactions and food web dynamics in Lake Superior, and large river ecology.

 

References:

 

Dr. James F. Kitchell - Graduate Advisor and Research Associate Supervisor

Center for Limnology

University of Wisconsin - Madison

680 N. Park St.

Madison, WI  53706

(608)-262-3014

kitchell@wisc.edu

 

Dr. Stephen R. Carpenter – Committee Member and Research Associate Supervisor

Center for Limnology

University of Wisconsin – Madison

680 N. Park St.

Madison, WI  53706

(608)-262-8690

srcarpen@wisc.edu

 

Dr. Timothy K. Kratz – Director of Trout Lake Research Station

Trout Lake Station

10810 County Hwy N

Boulder Junction, WI  54512

(715)-356-9494

tkkratz@wisc.edu

 

Dr. Pete Nowak – IGERT Trainee Principal Investigator

            Department Chairperson, Professor

            Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Study

            Department of Rural Sociology

            346d Agriculture Hall

            1450 Linden Drive

            Madison, WI  53706

            (608)-265-3581

            pnowak@wisc.edu

 

Dr. Philip J. Motta – Biology Honors Thesis Mentor

            Department of Biology, SCA 110

            University of South Florida

            4202 East Fowler Avenue

            Tampa, FL  33620

            (813)-974-2878

            motta@cas.usf.edu