Diane Waller

Diane Waller
Research Fellow
Research Fishery Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey
She/her
[email protected]
Lab website
Education
  • B.A. Biology, Luther College
  • Ph.D. Zoology and Fish Parasitology, Iowa State University
External Affiliations

U.S. Geological Survey

Areas of Interest

Zebra mussels

Biography

Dr. Diane Waller's research focuses on development and evaluation of selective management strategies for aquatic invasive species, particularly zebra and quagga mussels. She is especially interested in developing control tools and application methods that minimize impacts to nontarget species. The goal of her research is to provide sound management strategies and tools to resource managers to minimize the impact of invasive species. She also conducts research on native freshwater mussels to improve conservation efforts for this imperiled fauna, including life history studies, propagation methods, and health assessment studies. She also has a personal interest (obsession) in sustainable gardening and preservation of heirloom garden plants.

Research

Implementing a structured decision outcome for invasive mussels

Select Publications

Dahlberg, A. D., Waller, D. L., Severson, T. J., Barbour, M. T., Meulemans, M., Wise, J. K., Bajcz, A. W., Jankowski, M., & Phelps, N. B. D. (2025). Using bioavailability modeling to refine copper treatments for zebra mussel control and better understanding risks to non-target species. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 29333. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-09231-4
 
Dahlberg, A. D., Waller, D. L., Hammond, D., Lund, K., & Phelps, N. B. D. (2023). Open water dreissenid mussel control projects: Lessons learned from a retrospective analysis. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 10410. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-36522-5
 
Hernández Elizárraga, V. H., Ballantyne, S., O’Brien, L. G., Americo, J. A., Suhr, S. T., Senut, M.-C., Minerich, B., Merkes, C. M., Edwards, T. M., Klymus, K., Richter, C. A., Waller, D. L., Passamaneck, Y. J., Rebelo, M. F., & Gohl, D. M. (2023). Toward invasive mussel genetic biocontrol: Approaches, challenges, and perspectives. iScience, 26(10). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2023.108027