The Cooperative Research Units Program is a unique collaborative relationship among federal and state agencies, universities, and a non-profit organization.
The tripartite mission of the Cooperative Research Units Program is:
- Train graduate students for professional careers in natural-resource research and management.
- Conduct research that will create new information useful for natural-resource management.
- Provide technical assistance on application and integration of new science.
The Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit embraces the mission of the Cooperative Research Units Program and contributes daily to the overall success of the Cooperative Research Units Program.
Featured Student
Our students are involved in a wide variety of research, including diversity in ecological functions, invasive species, and habitats of various animals.
Brett Anderson's project is:
Project Sampling Efficiency Assessment for Silver Carp and Bighead Carp in Nebraska Mid-Order Streams and Rivers
- Assess the temporal and spatial distribution and conduct an assessment of population characteristics including—but not limited too—relative abundance, size structure, and age structure of Silver Carp and Bighead Carp populations on the Platte River and lower reaches of major tributaries of Platte River
- Assess population connectivity between the Platte River and Missouri River
- Assess spawning phenology and recruitment of young-of-year Silver Carp and Bighead Carp within the Platte River and within reaches of major tributaries of the Platte River
Brett Anderson
M.S. Candidate, Fisheries
Featured Research Project
Evaluating Spatial Distribution and Composition of Mesopredator Communities in Western Nebraska
May 2024
Mesopredators are important components of animal and plant communities and play a role in maintaining ecosystem function and health. Not only does the presence of mesopredators on the landscape have a strong influence on prey density and vital rates, mesopredator composition has cascading effects on species and ecosystem processes.
Within Nebraska, scant data are available describing predator composition, occurrence and distribution. Given the influence these predators have on species, data on predator communities are needed to address knowledge gaps regarding population dynamics of harvested species and ultimately inform management strategies for both predator and harvested species.
