BIOLOGY, ECOLOGY, AND MANAGEMENT OF ASIAN CARPS IN NOVEL ECOSYSTEMS

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: HATCH
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0233764
• Project Start Date: Oct 1, 2013
• Project End Date: Sep 30, 2018
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
PURDUE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
WEST LAFAYETTE,IN 47907

Performing Department
Forestry & Natural Resources

Non Technical Summary
Asian carps are considered large threats to the Great Lakes and other global freshwaters given expected trajectories of nutrient flow disruption, food web alterations, and loss of native species that will likely accompany their invasion (Irons et al. 2007, Cooke and Hill 2010). Although the overwhelming focus has been on their threats to the Mississippi River Basin and Laurentian Great Lakes, Asian carps have been widely used in aquaculture in countries around the world, often with established feral populations resulting from both accidental and intentional introductions to novel freshwaters (Kolar et al. 2007). While great effort has been expended to keep these species from entering the Great Lakes via the Illinois River and its connection to the Chicago Area Waterway System, an additional pathway for introduction has been identified at Eagle Marsh near Fort Wayne, Indiana (USA). Immediate action has been taken to prevent such an introduction via passage of adult Asian carp through the installation of a physical barrier across Eagle Marsh. However, the potential trajectories and rates of movement by silver and bighead carps throughout the Wabash River, and especially into the Little River and Eagle Marsh, have not been determined. Understanding the movements of invading species is important for predicting potential impacts (Degrandchamp et al. 2008), knowing where and when they utilize habitats for life history events like reproduction (Williamson and Garvey 2005), and for devising potential control strategies (Degrandchamp et al. 2008). Asian carp are known to make rapid, large scale movements that are usually associated with spawning (Abdusamadov 1987), and migrations may be triggered by factors such as temperature (Degrandchamp et al. 2008) and river stage/flow (Abdusamadov 1987; Degrandchamp et al. 2008). However, the extent and types of habitats used by Asian carp in the Wabash River are unknown, and there is little knowledge of the use of smaller tributary rivers, like the Little River, by Asian carps during any stage of their life cycle. Previous studies on Asian carps' potential expansion in novel ecosystems have determined their fundamental niches within their native distributions and compared them with environmental parameters assessed using global parallels (Chen et al. 2007). These predictions rely on behavioral and physiological traits exhibited by the species as observed in their native ranges. Inherent phenotypic plasticity may produce a broader fundamental niche than is expressed in native distributions and would explain the variation in their rate of dispersal in novel ecosystems. Coulter et al. (2013) have already demonstrated phenotypic plasticity in several spawning traits of Silver Carp in the Wabash River. Asian carp populations may also be rapidly responding to directional selection in novel ecosystems, thus indicating microevolution that favors adaptive traits in these populations. Additional understanding of these species' invasive potentials based on such plasticity and propensity for microevolution would inform invasion biology theory and be highly valuable for management professionals.

Animal Health Component

(N/A)

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

(N/A)

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
135	0810	1070	100%

Knowledge Area
135 - Aquatic and Terrestrial Wildlife;

Subject Of Investigation
0810 - Finfish;

Field Of Science
1070 - Ecology;

Keywords

asian carp

silver carp

bighead carp

phenotypic plasticity

fish movements

invasive species

aquatic nuisance species

Goals / Objectives
My primary research goal is to develop improved methods for controlling Asian carps through understanding of the biology and ecology of these fishes in novel ecosystems. This project will address my primary research goal through field and laboratory studies designed to attain the following objectives: Objective 1: Define the characteristics that enhance the success of Asian carps in novel ecosystems by determining the relative roles of phenotypic plasticity (i.e., inherent ability to acclimatize to novel ecosystems) and microevolution (i.e., inherent ability to become adapted to novel ecosystems) as factors that enable successful invasion and establishment in these systems. Objective 2: Determine ecological characteristics (e.g., movements and habitat use) and biological attributes (e.g., reproduction) of Asian carps that may provide opportunities for controlling these species in novel ecosystems.

Project Methods
My lab will study Asian carp behaviors and evaluate phenotypic plasticity of these species in novel ecosystems. We will evaluate morphometric characteristics of adult fishes collected from the Wabash, Illinois, Missouri, and Mississippi Rivers to determine whether phenotypic differences occur in the shape and size of adult fishes among watersheds with varied geomorphological characteristics. We will also conduct common garden experiments using embryos and larvae collected from the Wabash River (West Lafayette, Indiana), Illinois River (Havana, Illinois), and potentially the Missouri River (Columbia, MO) to determine whether progeny from these different rivers exhibit plastic responses to varied water velocities vs. local adaptations to specific river ecosystem conditions. Finally, we will study movements in the Wabash River by surgically implanting acoustic transmitters to tag 300 Asian carp in the Wabash River. This will allow us to track their movements in time and space over a 3-4 year period. These approaches will provide my lab with important opportunities to both inform invasion biology theory and to develop applied solutions to the control of these fishes. The resulting data and analyses should provide a compelling foundation from which to seek larger funding sources, thus allowing us to expand the scope and impact of my lab's future research. I will work with students and collaborators in other states to collect adult Asian carps for use in studies of morphometrics and growth rates as factors that indicate the relative roles of phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation in their success. Populations of Asian carps from the Missouri, Illinois, Mississippi, and Wabash River watersheds will be sampled simultaneously during the late summer/early fall for this study to ensure that potential variation in morphometric characters is not exaggerated by varied reproductive condition among the watersheds. A minimum of 25 individuals of each sex will be collected from each of the rivers for the study (i.e., a minimum of 50 total individuals/watershed). Morphometric analyses will be based on geometric morphometrics, a technique that records coordinates of landmark anatomical points that have structural, functional, developmental, or evolutionary significance (Richtsmeier et al. 2002). We will use MorphoJ software to conduct the landmark analysis. This software can provide information on the magnitude of variance between landmarks and the directionality of variability in structural shapes. We will also evaluate growth as a potential measure of phenotypic plasticity by comparing length and weight of individual fish with age-at-capture based on cleithra (i.e., skull bones). Molecular genetic analysis will be conducted using mtDNA extraction (sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene and D-loop region, specifically), PCR amplification, and sequencing as outlined in Li et al. (2011). These functional variables for fish species will be compared with possible ecological selection pressures including habitat variation, depth, productivity, and flow using Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration software program (Richter 1996).

Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/18

Outputs
Target Audience:The primary target audience during this period was composed of academicians, researchers, and agency (state and federal) personnel working with Asian carp and other aquatic nuisance species. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?In 2017, this project provided training and professional development opportunities for one full-time technician, two graduate students, and nine undergraduate students over the past year. Specifically, Ms Megan Gunn's efforts have contributed to her development as a manager for the Goforth lab. In addition, Austin Prechtel has continued his Master's work on Asian carp and Christopher Cheek has worked extensively on his Ph.D. project based on the invasive Channel Catfish and Russian Olive study. Purdue undergraduates Samantha Weiss, Matthew Byrnes, Alexandra Verdeja Perez, Rachel Brummet, Josephine Cline, Tevin Tomlinson, GraceWalker, Magdelena Ramos, and Chris Simpson served as either paid or volunteer research technicians on Asian carp and Channel Catfish research projects. Undergraduate Matthew Byrnes conducted a study of age- and-growth in Silver Carp collected from multiple locations within and outside the Wabash River basin. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated via publications in peer-reviewerd journals. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Accomplishments during this time period were primarily related to Objective 2. My lab published two new papers describing the ecology of Silver Carp in the Wabash River. Specifically, we defined ranges for these fish that provide greater insight into the mobility of this species. This is highly relevant to predicting invasions of new ecosystems. In addition, the movements indicate a group of individuals within the population that move very little over time. If a genetic basis exists for this behavior, future addition of individuals that are "stayers" to increase the prevalence of that trait in tjhe population may help to curb movements into new ecosystems. We also demonstrated that there is little overlap between diets of Silver Carp and native Gizzard Shad and Bigmouth Buffalo. Undergraduate student Matthew Byrnes has been working on an age-and=-growth comparison project for Silver Carp collected from multiple locations within and outside the Wabash River basin. My lab also continued work with invasive invasive fishes in general by conducting both field and laboratory studies of Channel Catfish in the San Juan River basin, New Mexico.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Coulter, A.A., H.K. Swanson, and R.R. Goforth. Seasonal variation in resource overlap of invasive and native fishes revealed by stable isotopes. Biological Invasions doi.org/10.1007/s10530-018-1832-y
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Prechtel, A.R., A.A. Coulter, L. Etchison, & R.R. Goforth. 2017. Range estimates and habitat use of Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix: evidence of sedentary and mobile individuals. Hydrobiologia 805:203-218

Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience:The primary target audience during this period was composed of academicians, researchers, and agency (state and federal) personnel working with Asian carp and other aquatic nuisance species. In addition, I also reached general public audiences through direct invited presentations at group meetings. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? In 2017, this project provided training and professional development opportunities for one full-time technician, two graduate students, nine undergraduate students, and two Native American interns over the past year. Specifically, Ms Megan Gunn's efforts have contributed to her development as a manager for the Goforth lab. In addition, Austin Prechtel has continued his Master's work on Asian carp and Christopher Cheek has worked extensively on his Ph.D. project based on the invasive Channel Catfish and Russian Olive study. Dr. Goforth mentored undergraduate student Brandon Benninger in a bigheaded carp control project, and Purdue undergraduates Samantha Weiss, Matthew Byrnes, Alexandra Verdeja Perez, Rachel Brummet, Josephine Cline, and Tevin Tomlinson, and Lerah Smitley served as either paid or volunteer research technicians on Asian carp and Channel Catfish research projects. Undergraduate Joshua Heishman also developed and submitted a manuscript based on work he did with juvenile Asian carp in the Goforth Lab in 2016. Finally, Byron Shorty and Levi James worked with Christopher Cheek on the invasive Channel Catfish project as part of an Americorps program that provides Native Americans with research opportunities. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The results have been disseminated via public presentations and publications in peer-reviewed journals. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? The Goforth lab will continue to monitor the movements and spawning activities of Asian carp in the Wabash River, IN, tobetter understand how these fishes might invade and become established in the Great Lakes and their tributaries. The lab will also continue studying potential facilitation between invasive terrestrial Russian Olive and Channel Catfish in the San Juan River, including feeding trials to determine whether Channel Catfish are able to grow sufficiently on an all-Russian Olive diet to better understand why these fish are often captured with guts packed with Russian Olive fruits. New undergraduate research projects focused on interactions between invasive Gulf Killifish, Fundulus grandis, and native Plains Killifish, Fundulus zebrinus, in the Pecos River, New Mexico, will also be initiated to expand the range of invasive fish studies. Finally, the Goforth lab continue testing and refining the alternative electrical barrier configurations to try to improve the effectiveness of this technology in preventing the spread of Asian carp and other invasive aquatic species between the Mississippi River and Great Lakes basins.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Asian carp, specifically bighead and silver carps, are highly invasive fishes that can highly impact receiving ecosystems. Multiple attempts have been made to predict where and when these species may spread to uninvaded waters, including the Great Lakes and their tributaries. However, these efforts have been constrained by limited information on their ability to acclimate and adapt to novel ecosystems. The Goforth lab has generated research to fill in some of these information gaps, particularly with regard to the reproductive ecology of the species. To date, the Goforth lab has demonstrated that invasive silver carp exhibit spawning behaviors that are inconsistent with those expected based on historical studies in the species' native range. This includes protracted spawning, or spawning over a long period of time, vs. episodic spawning, or spawning that occurs only under specific environmental conditions during a specific time of year. Silver carp and hybrid silver X bighead carp spawn throughout the summer in the Wabash River, IN, which may be a bet-hedging strategy to insure that at least some progeny are produced that have sufficient resources to recruit to the population. Silver carp and hybrid silver X bighead carp also do not require a dramatic change in river water level (i.e., hydrograph) to initiate spawning. Instead, it appears that cumulative growing degree day is a better predictor of the onset of spawning in these fishes. The bottom line is that silver carp and hybrid silver X bighead carp exhibit much greater plasticity, or flexibility, in their spawning ecology than originally thought. This means that they are likely to be able to invade and become established in a wider range of novel environments than those predicted in previous efforts. The Goforth Lab has continued working with the USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center to publish on the results of eDNA sampling efforts for Asian carp in the Wabash River. The Goforth Lab also collaborated with USGS to determine the potential effectiveness of a new microparticle-based piscicide (fish pesticide) that shows promise for selectively controlling Asian carp through targeted ingestion by these filter-feeding fishes. MS student Austin Prechtel has a 2017 publication on movements and ranges of Asian carp in the Wabash River that indicates a tendency for some individuals to remain relatively stationary over time while other individuals move much more frequently and over large distances. This could have implications for future control efforts if it is found that these tendencies are genetically based. I am hopeful that my lab will be able to address this question in future studies. The Goforth lab has also continued developing improved electrical barrier configurations to enhance the effectiveness of the fish barriers constructed in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. These barriers were constructed primarily to exclude Asian carp from the Great Lakes basin, although recent evidence suggests that there may be some potential for fish to breach the barriers. The Goforth lab has developed several alternative barrier configurations that we continue to test to evaluate their effectiveness. Finally, the Goforth Lab has expanded its focus on invasive fishes to include invasive Channel Catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, in the San Juan River where it flows through The Four Corners area. There is great concern about the potential impacts of invasive Channel Catfish predating upon endangered fish species in the river, and there is also evidence that their invasion success may be facilitated by a terrestrial invasive species, Russian Olive, Elaeagnus angustifolia. This represents one of the first in-depth studies of facilitation between aquatic and terrestrial invasive species.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Peoples, B.K. & R.R. Goforth. 2017. The indirect role of species-level factors in biological invasions. Global Ecology and Biogeography 26(5): 524-532.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Peoples, B.K. & R.R. Goforth. 2017. Commonality in traits and hierarchical structure of vertebrate establishment success. Diversity and Distributions 23(8): 854-862.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2017 Citation: Prechtel, A.R., A.A. Coulter, L. Etchison, & R.R. Goforth. 2017. Range estimates and habitat use of Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix: evidence of sedentary and mobile individuals. Hydrobiologia. DOI: 10.1007/s10750-017-3296-y

Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience: The primary target audience during this period was composed of academicians, researchers, and agency (state and federal) personnel working with Asian carp and other aquatic nuisance species. In addition, I also reached general public audiences through direct invited presentations at group meetings. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? This project has provided training and professional development opportunities for one full-time technician, one post-doctoral scholar, one graduate student, and four undergraduate students over the past year. Specifically, Ms Megan Gunn's efforts have contributed to her development as a manager for the Goforth lab. In addition, Dr. Brandon Peoples worked with undergraduates Austin Prechtel, Jenaya Hooks, and Joshua Heishman on projects focused on larger issues in invasion biology (A. Prechtel and J. Hooks) and young-of-year silver carp growth (J. Heishman). Austin Prechtel started working as an MS student in the Goforth lab in January 2016 and is focusing his research on microhabitat use by Asian carps in the Wabash River. Finally, Dr. Goforth mentored undergraduate student Brandon Benninger in a bigheaded carp control project that has provided Mr. Benninger with new skills and research experience. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The results have been disseminated via public presentations, radio and television interviews, and publications in peer-reviewed journals. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? The Goforth lab will continue to monitor the movements and spawning activities of Asian carp in the Wabash River, IN, to better understand how these fishes might invade and become established in the Great Lakes and their tributaries. The lab will also continue studying microhabitat use of larval Asian carp and how this might impact native larval fishes. Finally, the Goforth lab continue testing and refining the alternative electrical barrier configurations to try to improve the effectiveness of this technology in preventing the spread of Asian carp and other invasive aquatic species between the Mississippi River and Great Lakes basins.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Asian carp, specifically bighead and silver carps, are highly invasive fishes that can highly impact receiving ecosystems. Multiple attempts have been made to predict where and when these species may spread to uninvaded waters, including the Great Lakes and their tributaries. However, these efforts have been constrained by limited information on their ability to acclimate and adapt to novel ecosystems. The Goforth lab has generated research to fill in some of these information gaps, particularly with regard to the reproductive ecology of the species. To date, the Goforth lab has demonstrated that invasive silver carp exhibit spawning behaviors that are inconsistent with those expected based on historical studies in the species' native range. This includes protracted spawning, or spawning over a long period of time, vs. episodic spawning, or spawning that occurs only under specific environmental conditions during a specific time of year. Silver carp and hybrid silver X bighead carp spawn throughout the summer in the Wabash River, IN, which may be a bet-hedging strategy to insure that at least some progeny are produced that have sufficient resources to recruit to the population. Silver carp and hybrid silver X bighead carp also do not require a dramatic change in river water level (i.e., hydrograph) to initiatate spawning. Instead, it appears that cumulative growing degree day is a better predictor of the onset of spawning in these fishes. The bottom line is that silver carp and hybrid silver X bighead carp exhibit much greater plasticity, or flexibility, in their spawning ecology than originally thought. This means that they are likely to be able to invade and become established in a wider range of novel environments than those predicted in previous efforts. The Goforth Lab has also continued working with the USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center to collect eDNA samples to better understand the distributions of Asian carp in the Wabash River. A new MS student in the Goforth lab, Austin Prechtel, initiated a project to study microhabitat use by larval Asian carp, and postdoctoral scholar Brandon Peoples worked with undergraduate Joshua Heishman to observe in situ daily age-and-growth of silver carp in the Wabash River. The Goforth lab has also continued developing improved electrical barrier configurations to enhance the effectiveness of the fish barriers constructed in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. These barriers were constructed primarily to exclude Asian carp from the Great Lakes basin, although recent evidence suggests that there may be some potential for fish to breach the barriers. The Goforth lab has developed several alternative barrier configurations that are now being tested to evaluate their effectiveness.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Coulter, A.A., D. Keller, E.J. Bailey, and R.R. Goforth. In press. Predictors of bigheaded carp drifting egg density and spawning in an invaded, free-flowing river. Journal of Great Lakes Research 42(1): 83-89.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Coulter, A.A., E.J. Bailey, D. Keller, and R.R. Goforth. 2016. Invasive Silver Carp movement patterns in the predominantly free-flowing Wabash River (Indiana, USA). Biological Invasions 18(2): 471485.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: R.A. Erickson, � C.B. Rees, A.A. Coulter, C.M. Merkes, S.G. McCalla, K.F. Touzinsky, L. Walleser, R.R. Goforth, and J.J. Amberg. 2016. Detecting the movement and spawning activity of bigheaded carps with environmental DNA. Molecular Ecology Resources 16(4): 957965.

Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience:The primary target audience during this period was composed of academicians, researchers, and agency (state and federal) personnel working with Asian carp and other aquatic nuisance species. In addition, I also reached general public audiences through direct invited presentations at group meetings, as well as live and recorded radio and television events. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has provided training and professional development opportunities for one full-time technician, two graduate students, and three undergraduate students over the past year. Specifically, Ms Megan Gunn's efforts have contributed to her development as a manager for the Goforth lab. As part of this, Ms Gunn trained undergraduate student Jenaya Hooks as a field technician.In addition,Dr. Alison Coulter completed and defended her PhD disseration based on work related to this project.Dr. Coulter also mentored an undergraduate student, Austin Prechtel, in an independent study related to this project, thus providing her with mentoring experience and Austin with research experience. Finally, Dr. Goforth mentoredundergraduate student Brandon Benninger in a bigheaded carp control project that has provided Mr. Benninger with new skills and research experience. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have been disseminated via public presentations, radio and television interviews, and publications in peer-reviewed journals. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The Goforth lab will continue to monitor the movements and spawning activities of Asian carp in the Wabash River, IN, to better understand how these fishes might invade and become established in the Great Lakes and their tributaries. The lab will also continue testing and refining the alternative electrical barrier configurations to try to improve the effectiveness of this technology in preventing the spread of Asian carp and other invasive aquatic species between the Mississippi River and Great Lakes basins.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Asian carp, specifically bighead and silver carps, are highly invasive fishes that can highly impact receivingecosystems. Multiple attempts have been made to predict where and when these speciesmay spread to uninvaded waters, including the Great Lakes and their tributaries.However, these efforts have been constrained by limited information on their ability to acclimate and adapt to novel ecosystems. The Goforth lab has generated research to fill in some of these information gaps, particularly with regard to the reproductive ecology of the species. To date, the Goforth lab has demonstrated that invasivesilvercarp exhibit spawning behaviors that are inconsistent with those expected based on historical studies in the species' native range. This includes protracted spawning, or spawning over a long period of time, vs. episodic spawning, or spawning that occurs only under specific environmental conditions during a specific time of year. Silver carp and hybrid silver X bighead carp spawn throughout the summer in the Wabash River, IN, which may be a bet-hedging strategy to insure that at least some progeny are produced that have sufficient resources to recruit to the population. Silver carp and hybrid silver X bighead carp also do not require a dramatic change in river water level (i.e., hydrograph) to initiatate spawning. Instead, it appears that cumulative growing degree day is abetter predictor of the onset of spawning in these fishes. The bottom line is that silver carp and hybrid silver X bighead carp exhibit much greater plasticity, or flexibility, in their spawning ecology than originally thought. This means that they are likely to be able to invade and become established in a wider range of novel environments than those predicted in previous efforts. The Goforth lab has also worked on developing improved electrical barrier configurations to enhance the effectiveness of the fish barriers constructed in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. These barriers were constructed primarily to exclude Asian carp from the Great Lakes basin, although recent evidence suggests that there may be some potential for fish to breach the barriers. The Goforth lab has developed several alternative barrir configurations that are now being tested to evaluate their effectiveness.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Lenaerts, A.W., A.A. Coulter, Z.S. Feiner, and R.R. Goforth. 2015. Egg size variability in an establishing population of invasive silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (Valenciennes, 1844). Aquatic Invasions 10(4): 449461
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2015 Citation: Coulter, A.A., D. Keller, E.J. Bailey, and R.R. Goforth. In press. Predictors of bigheaded carp drifting egg density and spawning in an invaded, free-flowing river. Journal of Great Lakes Research. DOI: 10.1016/j.jglr.2015.10.009

Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/14

Outputs
Target Audience: The primary audiences for the efforts during the reporting period are academic peers and state and federal natural resource managers. These audiences were reached via presentations at professional meetings, preparation of technical reports, preparation of manuscripts, and consultations. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Two undergraduate students have conducted independent studies as part of this project that will lead to peer-reviewed publications. Three additional undergraduate students have gained field and laboratory experience as a result of their activities on this project. One PhD student has focused her research on this project, and her work is expected to generate 3 additional peer-reviewed papers and a dissertation. Finally, a full-time research technician has gained personnel and laboratory management experience as part of this project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The results have been disseminated as technical reports, professional association presentations, public presentations, and peer-reviewed manuscripts and articles. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? I have applied for funding to support continued research on Wabash River Asian carp that will help to achieve the project goals. More specifically, I anticipate additional funding to support my lab's research on alternative electrical barrier designs to control movements of Asian carps into non-invaded systems, including the Great Lakes. My lab has determined that there is a great deal of variation in the time when spawning begins for Asian carps, although the exact factors that control this are as yet unknown. We will continue work to determine whether spawning events can be predicted, and if so, we will use the resulting predictions to target spawning aggregations and high egg densitiies for control. Finally, integrated management plans are being developed for Asian carps, although there are some concerns about the effectiveness of some components of these plans. My lab will participate in efforts to test the effectiveness of these components (e.g., use of underwater sounds to stress Asian carps in preferred habitats).

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? My lab has continued tracking movements of Asian carps in the Wabash River, Indiana, and data from that study are currently being incorporated into a final report for the grantor and several manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals. We have continued to conduct studies of drifiting Asian carp eggs to better understand their spawning ecology, including environmental factors that influence spawning activities. We have submitted a paper for publication on egg size variation over time, and we will soon submit a manuscript on spawning ecology to a peer-reviewed journal. Finally, my lab's activities have leveraged a new project to evaluate the use of electrical barriers as a tool to control movements of Asian carp and a new collaboration to develop tools to control Asian carp populations using electricity to kill drifiting eggs.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: COULTER, A. A., KELLER, D., AMBERG, J. J., BAILEY, E. J. and GOFORTH, R. R. (2013), Phenotypic plasticity in the spawning traits of bigheaded carp (Hypophthalmichthys spp.) in novel ecosystems. Freshwater Biology, 58: 10291037. doi: 10.1111/fwb.12106
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Accepted Year Published: 2014 Citation: Malaypally, P., A.M. Liceaga, F. San Martin-Gonzalez, K.H. Kim, M. Ferruzzi, and R.R. Goforth. Influence of molecular weight on intracellular antioxidant activity of invasive silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) protein hydrolysates. Journal of Functional Foods. In press