Robert U. (Bud) Fischer

Research Description:

During my years of research, I have come to understand and appreciate a wide diversity of biological areas such as the fields of aquatic biology, fisheries biology, evolutionary biology, and physiological ecology. My approach within these fields of interest integrates theoretical and applied research on natural populations to answering questions concerning such topics as parental investment theory in ectotherms to determining the effects of environmental stressors on aquatic organisms. At the present time, my research focuses on the following two specific areas: 1) examining changes in morphology, physiology, behavior and life-history traits of bluegills and other aquatic organisms in response to environmental perturbation. This research involves both field and laboratory experiments utilizing state of the art laboratory equipment and procedures to answer questions concerning changes in body shape, performance traits, lipid cycles, reproductive cycles, metabolic rates, and age at sexual maturity in bluegills and other aquatic organisms from stressed sites, and 2) determining the effects of land-use practices on stream ecosystems. This research involves intense field analysis to answer questions related to the effects of flow regime and riparian zone changes on species diversity, species richness, biotic integrity and genetic structure of stream fish and invertebrate communities. Recent research projects have specifically examined 1) the effects of landscape processes on fish and invertebrate communities, 2) the effects of near stream habitat changes on the Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI), 3) the effects of stream habitat fragmentation on the genetic diversity of stream fish populations and 4) landscape effects on stream water chemistry and benthic productivity . In addition, I am also conducting research aimed at determining the egg components and developmental process of fish and reptiles in relation to parental investment patterns.

Representative Publications:

Fischer, R. U. and J. D. Congdon. 2008. Changes in bluegill life history in response to thermal extremes. Journal of Thermal Biology (In Press).

Fischer R. U., Klein, R. M and J. Novak. 2008. Isolation effects of aquatic habitat fragmentation on greenside darters. Journal of Fish Biology (In Press).

Casey, E. D., M. E. Mort, and R. U. Fischer. 2008. Phylogeography of the Seal salamander (Desmognathus monticola) as inferred from Intersimple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) data - Journal of Herpetology (In Press).

Day, A. M. Holtrop, H. Dodd, R. Smogor, R. Fischer, and M. Short. 2005. A guide to operation and assembly of an electric seine. Illinois Natural History Publication (technical report 2172).

Kirkham, K. and R. U. Fischer. 2004. The effects of riparian zone fragmentation on algal growth potential and fish growth rates. Bios 75: 2-11.

Nagle, R. D., M.V. Plummer, J. D. Congdon, and R. U. Fischer. 2003. Parental investment, embryo growth, and hatchling lipids in softshell turtles (Apalone mutica) from Arkansas. Herpetologica 59:145-154.

Fischer, R. U. and B. Hausmann. 2003. The role of bowfin in multiple species fisheries management plans. Illinois State Academy of Sciences 96:154-162.

Schable, N. A. R. U. Fischer and T. C. Glen. 2002. Tetranucleotide mirosatellite DNA loci from the dollar sunfish (Lepomis marginatus). Molecular Ecology Notes 2:509-511

Hogan, A. M. and R. U. Fischer. 2002. Relationship between habitat variables and biotic integrity in Illinois streams. Journal of Freshwater Ecology. 17(3):475-483.

Schable, N. A., R. U. Fischer, and T. C. Glen. 2002. Tetranucleotide mirosatellite DNA loci from the dollar sunfish (Lepomis marginatus). Molecular Ecology Notes 2:509-511

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