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Dr. Robert Humston

Howe Hall 311

Phone (540) 458-8341

E-mail: humstonr@wlu.edu

 

Education

Undergraduate Degree:  Biology & English, Bowdoin College

Graduate Degree: PhD, Marine Biology and Fisheries, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (University of Miami)

Co-Advisors: Jerry Ault and Don Olson

 

Positions

Assistant Professor, Washington and Lee University, 2008 - present

Assistant Professor, Virginia Military Institute, 2004-2008

Visiting Assistant Professor, Washington and Lee University, 2003-2004

Postdoctoral Researcher

      Penn State University, 2002, Advisor: David Mortensen

      RSMAS / U. Miami, 2001, Advisor: Jerry Ault

 

Memberships

Ecological Society of America

American Fisheries Society

American Institute of Fisheries Research Biologists

 

Courses Taught at W&L (current and pending)

Fundamentals of Biology: Marine Biology (Biology 111)

Introduction to Environmental Studies (ENV 110)

Aquatic Restoration Ecology (Biology Seminar; Winter 2009)

Environmental Modeling (Spring 2009)

Aquatic Ecology (Fall 2009)

Watershed Ecology and Management (Winter 2011)

The Chesapeake Bay Watershed (Spring 2011)

 

Curriculum vitae

 

Current Research Interests

Smallmouth Bass Dispersal and Otolith Chemistry:  My students and I are using trace element chemistry of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) otoliths to study movement of juvenile and adult bass between the upper James River and its tributary Maury River.  The unique chemistry of each river - and even within distinct 'reaches' within these rivers - is recorded in the bass otoliths (ear stones) and preserved there as the fish grow.  We have successfully used otolith chemistry to distinguish natal origins of young-of-year fish, and recently applied these same spatial 'signatures' to estimate dispersal of recruits between rivers in their first year.  Our current focus is on determining if these chemical signatures change from year to year, or within-years, and if the growth of fish from larvae to juveniles affects the incorporation of elements into their otoliths.  This research is currently funded by a grant from the Jeffress Memorial Trust.

 

Basin-Scale Patterns of Recruitment Exchange and Population Genetics in River-Tributary Networks

The smallmouth bass otolith chemistry research is part of a larger effort to understand the spatial structure of fish populations in connected river systems.  Specifically, we're interested in looking at movement of juveniles and adults between connected rivers and how this contributes to (potential) metapopulation dynamics among the main stem of a river and its larger tributaries.  Our study system is the Upper James River and its larger tributaries.  This research is a collaborative effort with Eric Hallerman (Fisheries & Wildlife, VA Tech) and Simon Thorrold  (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution).

 

Our plan is to use molecular (microsatellite) methods to assess genetic variation across the Upper James basin and among its major tributaries.  At the same time, we will employ otolith chemistry methods to track exchange of juveniles (recruits) between populations in the tributaries and main stem river.  Otolith methods will indicate how much exchange occurs between rivers, while the genetic analyses will determine if  this exchange contributes to reproduction and population growth in the James River or its tributaries.  Results from this research will be useful for managing fish populations in these systems.  If tributaries are important sources (or sinks) for recruitment in the James River population then land use, water quality, and fishery harvest regulations in these rivers will have important impacts on the James River fishery.

 

Fish Movement Behavior and Impacts on Population / Fishery Dynamics

As the tools available to study fish movement become increasingly sophisticated, we are learning more and more about the movement behavior of fish and the role such behavior can play in population / fishery dynamics.  The tools available to study fish movement today are amazing.  While the research described above is focused on large- or coarse-scale movements (dispersal and migration), these events are the result of small-scale movements and the constant interaction between individual fish and their surrounding environment.  In the near future I plan to couple tracking and mark-recapture experiments with those ongoing studies to attempt to understand how individual behavior leads to these population-level dynamics.  Currently, I am developing collaborations with scientists at the Universidade do Amazonas (Manaus, Brazil) to study movement behavior of other species using otolith chemistry data.  I'll post more information about these projects as possible.

Photos to come soon!

Representative Publications

* indicates undergraduate co-authors

Humston, R., B.M. Priest*, W.C. Hamilton III*, and P. Bugas.  In review. Recruitment exchange between tributary and main stem stocks of smallmouth bass determined from otolith chemistry.  Submitted to Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. 

Humston, R., D.A. Mortensen and D. Wyse-Pester.  Provisionally accepted.  Assessing management impacts on spatial dynamics of common sunflower (Helianthus annuus).  Submitted to Weed Science.

Humston, R. and E. Ortiz-Barney.  2007.  Evaluating course impact on student environmental values in undergraduate ecology with a novel survey instrument.  Teaching Issues and Experiments in Ecology v. 4. (journal website)

Humston, R., J.S. Ault, J. Schratweiser, M.F. Larkin, and J. Luo.  2007.  Incorporating user-group expertise in bonefish and tarpon fishery research to support science-based management decision making.  In: Biology and Management of Tarpon and Bonefish Fisheries.  J.S. Ault (ed).  Taylor and Francis. (publisher website)

Ault, J.S., R. Humston, and 9 co-authors. 2007.  Population dynamics and resource ecology of tarpon and bonefish.  In: Biology and Management of Tarpon and Bonefish Fisheries.  J.S. Ault (ed).  Taylor and Francis.   (publisher website)

Luo, J., J.S. Ault, M.F. Larkin, R. Humston and D.B. Olson.  2007.  Seasonal migratory patterns and vertical habitat utilization of Atlantic Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) from satellite PAT Tags.  In: Biology and Management of Tarpon and Bonefish Fisheries.  J.S. Ault (ed).  Taylor and Francis.  (publisher website)

Larkin, M.F., J.S. Ault, R. Humston, and J. Luo.  2007.  Tagging of bonefish in south Florida to study population movements and stock dynamics.  In: Biology and Management of Tarpon and Bonefish Fisheries.  J.S. Ault (ed).  Taylor and Francis.  (publisher website)

Humston, R. and D. Harbor.  2006. Geologic analyses for evaluating watershed heterogeneity: implications for otolith microchemistry studies.  Proceedings of the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 60:132-139. (PDF)

Dauer, J.T., D.A. Mortensen, and R. Humston.  2006.  Controlled environment experiments to predict dispersal distances of horseweed (Conyza canadensis) seed.  Weed Science 54(3):484-489.  [Outstanding Paper of the Year, Weed Science Society of America 2006.] (PDF)

Humston, R., D.A. Mortensen and O.N. Bjørnstad.  2005.  Anthropogenic forcing on the spatial dynamics of an agricultural weed: the case of the common sunflower.  Journal of Applied Ecology 42:863-872. (PDF)

Humston, R., J.S. Ault, M.F. Larkin, and J. Luo. 2005.  Movement of bonefish (Albula vulpes) in Biscayne Bay determined using ultrasonic transmitters and a passive acoustic receiver array.  Marine Ecology Progress Series 291:237-248. (PDF)

Humston, R., D.B. Olson , and J.S. Ault.  2004.  Models of behavioral movement and their influence on simulated population dynamics.  Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 133:1304-1328. (PDF)

Humston, R., J. Ault, M. Lutcavage, and D.B. Olson. 2000. Schooling and migration of large pelagics relative to environmental clues.  Fisheries Oceanography 9(2):136-146. (PDF)

Ault, J.S., S.G. Smith, J.E. Serafy, R. Humston, and G. Diaz. 1999.  A spatial dynamic multistock production model. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 56:4-25. (PDF)