Jake’s research examines behavioural ecology, energy dynamics, and the effects of fisheries interactions on bonefish in The Bahamas and Puerto Rico. Bonefish are prevalent throughout the tropics and sub-tropics worldwide, and are a highly popular sport fish that generates significant revenue for many local economies. Jake’s primary goal is to determine bonefish behaviours (i.e. resting, swimming, feeding) and energy usage in multiple environments to assess how bonefish utilize different habitats. He is also examining fine scale habitat use of bonefish in Puerto Rico to assess daily and seasonal patterns of movement and important habitat characteristics for bonefish. Additionally, he is quantifying the effects of a common stressor, catch-and-release angling, on bonefish behaviour and survival, as well as testing methods for facilitating recovery after angling to improve post-release survival from predation. Overall, Jake’s research aims to inform basic biology including foraging, movement, and life history theories, as well as applied conservation of bonefish populations and marine ecosystems.
Background
Ph.D., Biology, Carleton University (2016)
Thesis title: Behavioural and physiological ecology of coastal marine fish: basic and applied perspectives Supervisors: Dr Steven J. Cooke & Dr Andy Danylchuck.
Research Biologist, Trent University (2011)
M.Sc., Environmental and Life Sciences Program, Trent University (2009-2011)
Thesis title: Invasion dynamics of the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) in the Trent-Severn Waterway. Supervisor: Dr. Michael Fox
B.Sc., Biology, Trent University (2005-2009)
Thesis title: The effects of agricultural land use on the bioavailability of dissolved organic carbon in stream ecosystems. Supervisor: Dr. Marguerite Xenopoulos
Lab Publications (107)
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Robichaud, J.A., M.L. Piczak, L. LaRochelle, J.L. Reid, A.D. Chhor, P.E. Holder, L.B. Nowell, J.W. Brownscombe, A.J. Danylchuk, and S.J. Cooke. 2024. Interactive effects of fish handling and water temperature on reflex impairment of angled Rainbow Trout. Fisheries Research 274(2024):106993. -
Zolderdo, A.J., J.W. Brownscombe, A.E.I. Abrams, C.D. Suski and S.J. Cooke. 2024. Space use and residency patterns of largemouth bass relative to a freshwater protected area. Aquatic Sciences. 86:23.
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Casselberry, G.A., G.B. Skomal, L.P. Griffin, J.W. Brownscombe, A. Filous, P.E. Holder, J. Dello Russo, C. Morgan, J. Kneebone, A.J. Adams, S.J. Cooke, and A.J. Danylchuk. 2024. Depredation rates and spatial overlap between Great Hammerhead Sharks (Sphyrna mokarran) and Atlantic Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) in a recreational fishing hotspot. Marine and Coastal Fisheries. 16:e10277.
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Griffin, L. P., Brownscombe, J. W., Adams, A. J., Wilson, J. K., Casselberry, G. A., Holder, P. E., Filous, A., Lowerre-Barbieri, S. K., Cooke, S. J., and Danylchuk, A. J. 2023 . Individual variation and repeatability of Atlantic tarpon Megalops atlanticus migrations in the southern United States: Implications for conservation and management. Marine Biology. 170:168
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Cooke, S.J., R.A. Castaneda, A.J. Reid, A. Duncan, C.T. Hasler, J. Brownscombe, A. Howarth, M.L. Piczak, S.J. Kerr, M.L. Jones, J.M. Casselman, J.G. Imhof and N.E. Mandrak. 2023. Freshwater fisheries resources and management: Canadian contexts. Pages 57-90 in C.T. Hasler, J.G. Imhof, N.E. Mandrak and S.J. Cooke, Editors. Freshwater fisheries in Canada: Historical and contemporary perspectives on the resources and their management. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, MD.
Other Publications
Brownscombe, J.W., M.G. Fox. 2013. Living at the edge of the front; reduced predation risk to invasive round goby in a Great Lakes tributary. Hydrobiologia. 707: 199-208.
Houston, B.E., A.C. Rooke, J.W. Brownscombe, M.G. Fox. 2013. Overwinter survival, energy storage and reproductive allocation in the invasive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) from a river system. Ecology of Freshwater Fish. DOI: 10.1111/eff.12071.
Brownscombe, J.W., L. Masson, D.V. Beresford, M.G. Fox.2012. Modeling round goby Neogobius melanostomus range expansion in a Canadian river system. Aquatic Invasions 7:537–545.
Groen, M., N.M. Sopinka, J.R. Marentette, A.R. Reddon, J.W. Brownscombe, M.G. Fox, S.E. Marsh-Rollo, S. Balshine. 2012. Is there a role for aggression in round goby invasion fronts? Behaviour 0: 1–19.
Brownscombe, J.W., M.G. Fox. 2012. Range expansion dynamics of the invasive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) in a river system. Aquatic Ecology 46:175–189.
Gutowsky, L.F., J.W. Brownscombe, M.F. Fox. 2011. Angling to estimate the density of large round goby (Neogobius melanostomus). Journal of Fisheries Research 108: 228–231.
