Czesny, Sergiusz Jakob

Principal Research Scientist, Aquatic Ecology
Field Station Director, Lake Michigan Biological Station

Address and Contact Information

1816 S. Oak Street
M/C 652
Champaign, IL  61820

Research Interests

My research interests focus on the ecology and ecophysiology of aquatic ecosystems. I am interested in the ecosystem scale trophic interactions, population dynamics, and early life history of fish, predator-prey interactions, and the ecology of invasive species with emphasis on mechanisms responsible for successful range expansions. I also pursue questions related to the function of essential nutrients (vitamins, fatty acids, etc.) in aquatic food webs and their role in regulating reproductive success and recruitment of fish.

Research Biography

Selected Publications

Happel, A., Jonas, J., McKenna, P., Rinchard, J., He, J. X., Czesny, S. 2018. Spatial Variability of lake trout diets in Lakes Michigan and Huron illustrated through fatty acid and stomach content analyses. Canadian Journal of Fisheries Science

Happel, A., Czesny, S., Rinchard, J., and Hansen, S.D. 2017. Data pre-treatment and choice of resemblance metric affect how fatty acid profiles depict known dietary origins. Ecological Research, 32 (5): 757-767.

Dub, J.D., Roswell, C.R., and Czesny, S. 2017. Utilizing External Features and a Consensus Field-based Approach to determine sex of Lake Michigan yellow perch. North American Journal of Fisheries Management. Vol. 37, Iss. 5

Redman, R., Mackey, S., Dub, J., and Czesny, S. 2017. Lake trout habitat suitability and spawning activity at two offshore reefs in Illinois waters of Lake Michigan. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 43: 335-344.

Happel, A., Rinchard, J., Czesny, S. 2017. Variability in sea lamprey fatty acid profiles indicates a range of host species utilization in Lake Michigan. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 43(1), 182-188.

Creque, S., Chick, J., and Czesny, S.2017. Underestimation of microzooplankton is a macro problem: one size fits all zooplankton sampling needs alterations. Journal of Great lakes Research, 43(1), 91-101.

Foley, C., Hook, t., Happel, A., Bootsma, H., Czesny, S., Janssen, J., Jude, D., Rinchard, J., and Henebry, M.L. 2017 Patterns of integration of invasive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) into a nearshore freshwater food web. Food Webs, 10, 26-38. 

Velotta, J.P., Wegrzyn, J.L., Ginzburg, S., Kang, L., Czesny, S., O’Neill, R.J., McCormick, S.D., Michalak, P., and Schultz, E.T. 2017. Genomic imprints of adaptation to freshwater: parallel transcriptional responses to osmotic challenge are associated with physiological trade-offs in landlocked Alewives. Molecular Ecology, 26, 831-848.

Happel, A., Stratton, L., Pattridge, R., Rinchard, J. and Czesny, S. 2016. Fatty-acid profiles of juvenile lake trout reflect experimental diets consisting of natural prey. Freshwater Biology, 61: 1466–1476. doi:10.1111/fwb.12786

Happel, A., Stratton, L., Kolb, C., Hays, C., Rinchard, J., and Czesny, S. 2016. Evaluating quantitative fatty acid signature analysis (QFASA) in fish using controlled feeding experiments. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 73: 1222-1229.

Martin, B.T., Czesny, S., Wahl, D.H. and Grimm, V. 2016. Scale-dependent role of demography and dispersal on the distribution of populations in heterogeneous landscapes. Oikos, 125: 667-673 DOI: 10.1111/oik.02345.

Happel, A., Lafountain, J., Creque, S., Rinchard, J., Hook, T., Bootsma, H., Janssen, J., Jude, D. and Czesny, S. 2015. Spatio-temporal description of spottail shiner diets through concomitant use of stomach content and biochemical methods. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 41(suppl. 3), 179-184.

Happel, A., Creque, S., Rinchard, J., Hook, T., Bootsma, H., Janssen, J., Jude, D and Czesny, S. 2015. Exploring yellow perch diets in Lake Michigan through stomach content, fatty acids, and stable isotope ratios. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 41(suppl. 3), 172-178.

Weber, M. J., B. Ruebush, S. M. Creque, R. A. Redman, J. M. Dettmers, and S. J. Czesny. 2015. Early life history of alewife Alosa pseudoharengus in southwestern Lake Michigan. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 41(2), 436-447.

Huo, B., Madenjian, C.P., Xie, C.X., Zhao, Y.M., O'Brien, T.P., Czesny, S.J. 2014. Age and growth of round gobies in Lake Michigan, with preliminary mortality estimation. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 40: 712-720. DOI: 10.1016/j.jglr.2014.07.003

Turschak, B.A., D.B. Bunnell, S.J. Czesny, T.O. Hook, J. Janssen, D.M. Warner and H.A. Bootsma. 2014. Nearshore energy subsidies support Lake Michigan fishes and invertebrates following major changes in food web structure. Ecology. 95: 1243-1252. DOI: 10.1890/13-0329.1

Michalak, K., Czesny, S., Epifanio, J., Snyder, R.J., Schultz, E.T., Velotta, J.P., McCormick, S.D., Brown, B.L., Santopietro, G., Michalak, P. 2014. Beta-thymosin gene polymorphism associated with freshwater invasiveness of alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus). Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A-Ecological Genetics and Physiology. 321: 233-240. DOI: 10.1002/jez.1854

Dub, J.D., Redman, R.A., Wahl, D.H., and Czesny, S.J. 2014. Size-specific growth and mortality of juvenile yellow perch in southwestern Lake Michigan. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 40: 179-186. DOI: 10.1016/j.jglr.2013.11.009

Dub, J.D., Redman, R.A., Wahl, D.H., and Czesny, S.J. 2013. Utilizing random forest analysis with otolith mass and total fish length to obtain rapid and objective estimates of fish age. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences70: 1396–1401 dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2013-0169

Lee, B-J., Jaroszewska, M., Dabrowski, K., Czesny, S., and Rinchard, J. 2012. Effects of dietary vitamin B-1 (thiamine) and magnesium on the survival, growth and histological indicators in lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) juveniles. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A-molecular and Integrative Phusiology. 162(3): 219-226. DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2012.03.008

Martin, B.T., Wahl, D.H., and Czesny, S.J. Effect of light intensity, prey density, and ontogeny on foraging success and prey selection of larval yellow perch (Perca flavescens). 2012. Ecology of Freshwater Fish, 21(4): 588-596. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0633.2012.00580.x

Czesny, S., Epifanio, J., and Michalak, P. 2012. Genetic divergence between freshwater and marine morphs of alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus): A ‘next-generation’ sequencing analysis. PLoS ONE, 7(3). Article Number: e31803 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0031803

Czesny, S., Rinchard, J., Lee, B-J., Dabrowski, K., Dettmers, J.M., and Cao, Y. 2012. Does spatial variation in egg thiamine and fatty acid concentration of Lake Michigan lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) lead to differential EMS and yolk edema offspring mortality? Journal of Fish Biology. 80(7): 2475-2493 DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8649.2012.03304.x

Creque, S.M, and Czesny, S.J. 2011. Diet overlap of non-native alewife with native yellow perch and spottail shiner in nearshore waters of southwestern Lake Michigan, 2000-2007. Ecology of Freshwater Fish. 21: 207-221 doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0633.2011.00538.x

Hill, W.R., Rinchard, J.M., and Czesny, S. 2011. Light, nutrients, and fatty acids in stream periphyton. 2011. Freshwater Biology. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.2011.02622.x.

32.  Weber, M.J., Dettmers, J.M., Wahl, D.H. and Czesny, S.J. 2011. Size preferences and behaviors of native yellow perch foraging on invasive round gobies.  Journal of Great Lakes Research, 37: 584-587.

Czesny, S., Rinchard, J. Hansen, S.D, Dettmers, J.M., Dabrowski, K. 2011. Fatty acid signatures of Lake Michigan prey fish and invertebrates: among species differences and spatiotemporal variability. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 68: (7) 1211-1230. doi: 10.1139/f2011-048

Redman R., Czesny, S.J., Dettmers, J.M., Weber, M.J., and Makauskas, D. 2011. Old tales in recent context: current perspective on yellow perch recruitment in Lake Michigan. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 140: 1277-1289.

Martin B.T., Czesny, S.J., and Wahl, D.H. 2011. Vertical distribution of larval fish in pelagic waters of southwest Lake Michigan: implications for growth, survival, and dispersal. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 37: 279-288.

Creque, S.M, Stainbrook, K.M., Glover, D.C., Czesny, S.J., and Dettmers, J.M. 2010. Mapping bottom substrate in Illinois waters of Lake Michigan: Linking substrate and biology. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 36: 780-789.

Weber, M.J., Dettmers, J.M., Wahl, D.H., and Czesny, S. 2010. Effects of predator-prey interactions and benthic habitat complexity on selectivity of a foraging generalist. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, 139, 1004-1013.

Czesny, S., Dettmers, J.M., Rinchard, J., Dabrowski, K. 2009. Linking Egg Thiamine and Fatty Acid Concentrations of Lake Michigan Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) with Early Life Stage Mortality. Journal of Aquatic Animal Health, 21: 262-271.

Vuori, K.A., Paavilainen, T., Nikinmaa, M., Czesny, S. and Rinchard, J. 2009. Molecular markers of yolk-sac fry of lake trout show differences between EMS and M74. Journal of Aquatic Animal Health, 21: 279-289.

Education

PhD, Environmental Sciences, Ohio State University, Columbus, 2000
MS, Applied Ecology, University of Lodz, Poland, 1993

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