1
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Cooke SJ, Piczak ML, Singh NJ, Åkesson S, Ford AT, Chowdhury S, Mitchell GW, Norris DR, Hardesty-Moore M, McCauley D, Hammerschlag N, Tucker MA, Horns JJ, Reisinger RR, Kubelka V, Lennox RJ. Animal migration in the Anthropocene: threats and mitigation options. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:1242-1260. [PMID: 38437713 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
Animal migration has fascinated scientists and the public alike for centuries, yet migratory animals are facing diverse threats that could lead to their demise. The Anthropocene is characterised by the reality that humans are the dominant force on Earth, having manifold negative effects on biodiversity and ecosystem function. Considerable research focus has been given to assessing anthropogenic impacts on the numerical abundance of species/populations, whereas relatively less attention has been devoted to animal migration. However, there are clear linkages, for example, where human-driven impacts on migration behaviour can lead to population/species declines or even extinction. Here, we explore anthropogenic threats to migratory animals (in all domains - aquatic, terrestrial, and aerial) using International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Threat Taxonomy classifications. We reveal the diverse threats (e.g. human development, disease, invasive species, climate change, exploitation, pollution) that impact migratory wildlife in varied ways spanning taxa, life stages and type of impact (e.g. from direct mortality to changes in behaviour, health, and physiology). Notably, these threats often interact in complex and unpredictable ways to the detriment of wildlife, further complicating management. Fortunately, we are beginning to identify strategies for conserving and managing migratory animals in the Anthropocene. We provide a set of strategies that, if embraced, have the potential to ensure that migratory animals, and the important ecological functions sustained by migration, persist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven J Cooke
- Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr, Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Morgan L Piczak
- Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr, Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Navinder J Singh
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Forest Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, 90183, Sweden
| | - Susanne Åkesson
- Department of Biology, Centre for Animal Movement Research, Lund University, Ecology Building, Lund, 22362, Sweden
| | - Adam T Ford
- Department of Biology, University of British Columbia, 1177 Research Road, Kelowna, British Columbia, V1V 1V7, Canada
| | - Shawan Chowdhury
- Institute of Biodiversity, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Dornburger Straße 159, Jena, 07743, Germany
- Department of Ecosystem Services, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstr, 15, Leipzig, 04318, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstr, 4, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - Greg W Mitchell
- Department of Biology and Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr, Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6, Canada
- Wildlife Research Division, Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 1125 Colonel By Dr, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0H3, Canada
| | - D Ryan Norris
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Rd. E, Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Molly Hardesty-Moore
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology and Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
| | - Douglas McCauley
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology and Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
| | - Neil Hammerschlag
- Atlantic Shark Expeditions, 29 Wideview Lane, Boutiliers Point, Nova Scotia, B3Z 0M9, Canada
| | - Marlee A Tucker
- Radboud Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Houtlaan 4, Nijmegen, 6525, The Netherlands
| | - Joshua J Horns
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, 257 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - Ryan R Reisinger
- School of Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton, National Oceanography Center Southampton, University Way, Southampton, SO14 3ZH, UK
| | - Vojtěch Kubelka
- Dept of Zoology and Centre for Polar Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Robert J Lennox
- Ocean Tracking Network, Faculty of Science, Dalhousie University, 1355 Oxford St, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 3Z1, Canada
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2
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Sliger R, Graham J, Hoenke K, Kimball ME, Sterling KA, Peoples BK. Integrating fish swimming abilities into rapid road crossing barrier assessment: Case studies in the southeastern United States. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0298911. [PMID: 38416762 PMCID: PMC10901344 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Many aquatic networks are fragmented by road crossing structures; remediating these barriers to allow fish passage is critical to restoring connectivity. Maximizing connectivity requires effective barrier identification and prioritization, but many barrier prioritization efforts do not consider swimming capabilities of target species. Given the many potential barriers within watersheds, inventory efforts integrating species-specific swimming speeds into rapid assessment protocols may allow for more accurate barrier removal prioritization. In this study, we demonstrate an approach for integrating fish swimming speeds into rapid barrier assessment and illustrate its utility via two case studies. We measured critical swimming speeds (Ucrit) of two stream-resident fish species with very different swimming modes: Yoknapatawpha Darter (Etheostoma faulkneri), an at-risk species whose current distribution is restricted to highly degraded habitat, and Bluehead Chub (Nocomis leptocephalus), an important host species for the federally endangered Carolina Heelsplitter mussel (Lasmigona decorata). We assessed potential barriers for Yoknapatawpha Darters in the Mississippi-Yocona River watershed, and Bluehead Chubs in the Stevens Creek watershed, South Carolina, USA. We integrated Ucrit into the Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership (SARP) barrier assessment protocol by estimating the proportion of individuals per species swimming at least as fast as the current through the assessed structures. Integrating Ucrit estimates into the SARP protocol considerably increased barrier severity estimates and rankings only for Yoknapatawpha Darters in the Yocona River watershed. These results indicate the importance of including species-specific swimming abilities in rapid barrier assessments and the importance of species-watershed contexts in estimating where swimming speed information might be most important. Our method has broad application for those working to identify barriers more realistically to improve species-specific fish passage. This work represents a next step in improving rapid barrier assessments and could be improved by investigating how results change with different measurements of swimming abilities and structure characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ridge Sliger
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, United States of America
| | - Jessica Graham
- St. Andrew and St. Joseph Bays Estuary Program, Florida State University, Panama City, FL, United States of America
- Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Kathleen Hoenke
- Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Matthew E Kimball
- Baruch Marine Field Laboratory, University of South Carolina, Georgetown, SC, United States of America
| | - Kenneth A Sterling
- USDA Forest Service, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Naches Ranger District, Naches, WA, United States of America
| | - Brandon K Peoples
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, United States of America
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3
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Baldan D, Cunillera-Montcusí D, Funk A, Piniewski M, Cañedo-Argüelles M, Hein T. The effects of longitudinal fragmentation on riverine beta diversity are modulated by fragmentation intensity. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 903:166703. [PMID: 37683866 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
The loss of longitudinal connectivity affects river systems globally, being one of the leading causes of the freshwater biodiversity crisis. Barriers alter the dispersal of aquatic organisms and limit the exchange of species between local communities, disrupting metacommunity dynamics. However, the interplay between connectivity losses due to dams and other drivers of metacommunity structure, such as the configuration of the river network, needs to be explored. In this paper, we analyzed the response of fish communities to the network position and the fragmentation induced by dams while controlling for human pressures and environmental gradients. We studied three large European catchments covering a fragmentation gradient: Upper Danube (Austrian section), Ebro (Spain), and Odra/Oder (Poland). We quantified fragmentation through reach-scaled connectivity indices that account for the position of barriers along the dendritic network and the dispersal capacity of the organisms. We used generalized linear models to explain species richness and Local Contributions to Beta Diversity (LCBD) and multilinear regressions on the distance matrix to describe Beta Diversity and its Replacement and Richness Difference components. Results show that species richness was not affected by fragmentation. Network centrality metrics were relevant drivers of beta diversity for catchments with lower fragmentation (Ebro, Odra), and fragmentation indices were strong beta diversity predictors for the catchment with higher fragmentation (Danube). We conclude that in highly fragmented catchments, the effects of network centrality/isolation on biodiversity could be masked by the effects of dam fragmentation. In such catchments, metapopulation and metacommunity dynamics can be strongly altered by barriers, and the restoration of longitudinal connectivity (i.e. the natural centrality/isolation gradient) is urgent to prevent local extinctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damiano Baldan
- Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Reaserch (ISPRA), Campo S. Provolo, 4665, 30122 Venezia, Italy; National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics - OGS, Trieste, Italy.
| | - David Cunillera-Montcusí
- FEHM-Lab (Freshwater Ecology, Hydrology and Management), Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; GRECO, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, University of Girona, Girona, Spain; Departamento de Ecología y Gestión Ambiental, Centro Universitario Regional del Este (CURE), Universidad de la República, Tacuarembó s/n, Maldonado, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Andrea Funk
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Meta Ecosystem Dynamics in Riverine Landscapes, Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor Mendel Str. 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria; WasserCluster Lunz - Biologische Station, Dr. Carl-Kupelwieser-Prom. 5, 3293 Lunz am See, Austria
| | - Mikołaj Piniewski
- Department of Hydrology, Meteorology and Water Management, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 159, 02-776 Warszawa, Poland
| | - Miguel Cañedo-Argüelles
- FEHM-Lab (Freshwater Ecology, Hydrology and Management), Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), Carrer de Jordi Girona, 18-26, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Thomas Hein
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Meta Ecosystem Dynamics in Riverine Landscapes, Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Gregor Mendel Str. 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria; WasserCluster Lunz - Biologische Station, Dr. Carl-Kupelwieser-Prom. 5, 3293 Lunz am See, Austria.
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4
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Januchowski-Hartley SR, Pawar SK, Yang X, Jorissen M, Bristol R, Mantel S, White JC, Januchowski-Hartley FA, Roces-Díaz JV, Gomez CC, Pregnolato M. Supporting proactive planning for climate change adaptation and conservation using an attributed road-river structure dataset. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 321:115959. [PMID: 36007386 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Freshwater species and their habitats, and transportation networks are at heightened risk from changing climate and are priorities for adaptation, with the sheer abundance and individuality of road-river structures complicating mitigation efforts. We present a new spatial dataset of road-river structures attributed as culverts, bridges, or fords, and use this along with data on gradient and stream order to estimate structure sensitivity and exposure in and out of special areas of conservation (SAC) and built-up areas to determine vulnerability to damage across river catchments in Wales, UK. We then assess hazard of flooding likelihood at the most vulnerable structures to determine those posing high risk of impact on roads and river-obligate species (fishes and mussels) whose persistence depends on aquatic habitat connectivity. Over 5% (624/11,680) of structures are high vulnerability and located where flooding hazard is highest, posing high risk of impact to roads and river-obligate species. We assess reliability of our approach through an on-ground survey in a river catchment supporting an SAC and more than 40% (n = 255) of high-risk structures, and show that of the subset surveyed >50% had obvious physical degradation, streambank erosion, and scouring. Our findings help us to better understand which structures pose high-risk of impact to river-obligate species and humans with increased flooding likelihood.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sayali K Pawar
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK; Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 4HN, UK
| | - Xiao Yang
- Department of Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA
| | | | - Rochelle Bristol
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Sukhmani Mantel
- ARUA Water Centre of Excellence, Rhodes University, Makhanda, 6140, Eastern Cape, South Africa
| | - James C White
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK; River Restoration Centre, Cranfield University, Cranfield, Bedfordshire, MK43 0AL, UK
| | | | - José V Roces-Díaz
- Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), Cerdanyola del Valles 36, Barcelona, 08193, Spain
| | - Carlos Cabo Gomez
- Department of Geography, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK; Department of Mining Exploitation, University of Oviedo, Campus de Mieres, 33600, Spain
| | - Maria Pregnolato
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TR, UK
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5
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Waldman JR, Quinn TP. North American diadromous fishes: Drivers of decline and potential for recovery in the Anthropocene. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabl5486. [PMID: 35089793 PMCID: PMC8797777 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abl5486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Diadromous fishes migrate between freshwater and marine habitats to complete their life cycle, a complexity that makes them vulnerable to the adverse effects of current and past human activities on land and in the oceans. Many North American species are critically endangered, and entire populations have been lost. Major factors driving declines include overfishing, pollution, water withdrawals, aquaculture, non-native species, habitat degradation, over-zealous application of hatcheries designed to mitigate effects of other factors, and effects of climate change. Perhaps, the most broadly tractable and effective factors affecting diadromous fishes are removals of the dams that prevent or hinder their migrations, alter their environment, and often favor non-native biotic communities. Future survival of many diadromous fish populations may depend on this.
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Affiliation(s)
- John R. Waldman
- Queens College and Graduate School, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
- Corresponding author.
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6
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Meixler MS. A species-specific fish passage model based on hydraulic conditions and water temperature. ECOL INFORM 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2021.101407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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7
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Cooper AR, Infante DM, O'Hanley JR, Yu H, Neeson TM, Brumm KJ. Prioritizing native migratory fish passage restoration while limiting the spread of invasive species: A case study in the Upper Mississippi River. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 791:148317. [PMID: 34412399 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Despite increasing efforts globally to remove dams and construct fish passage structures, broad-scale analyses balancing tradeoffs between cost and habitat gains from these mitigations infrequently consider invasive species. We present an optimization-based approach for prioritizing dam mitigations to restore habitat connectivity for native fish species, while limiting invasive species spread. Our methodology is tested with a case study involving 240 dams in the Upper Mississippi River, USA. We integrate six native migratory fish species distribution models, distributions of two invasive fishes, and estimated costs for dam removal and construction of fish passes. Varying budgets and post-mitigation fish passage rates are analyzed for two scenarios: 'no invasives' where non-selective mitigations (e.g., dam removal) are used irrespective of potential invasive species habitat gains and 'invasives' where a mixture of selective (e.g., lift-and-sort fish passage) and non-selective mitigations are deployed to limit invasive species range expansion. To achieve the same overall habitat connectivity gains, we find that prioritizations accounting for invasive species are 3 to 6 times more costly than those that do not. Habitat gains among native fish species were highly variable based on potential habitat overlap with invasive species and post-mitigation passabilities, ranging from 0.4-58.9% ('invasives') and 7.9-95.6% ('no invasives') for a $50M USD budget. Despite challenges associated with ongoing nonnative fish invasions, opportunities still exist to restore connectivity for native species as indicated by individual dams being frequently selected in both scenarios across varying passabilities and budgets, however increased restoration costs associated with invasive species control indicates the importance of limiting their further spread within the basin. Given tradeoffs in managing for native vs. invasive species in river systems worldwide, our approach demonstrates strategies for identifying a portfolio of candidate barriers that can be investigated further for their potential to enhance native fish habitat connectivity while concurrently limiting invasive species dispersal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur R Cooper
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, USA.
| | - Dana M Infante
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, USA
| | - Jesse R O'Hanley
- Kent Business School, University of Kent, UK; Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, UK
| | - Hao Yu
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, USA
| | - Thomas M Neeson
- Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, University of Oklahoma, USA
| | - Kyle J Brumm
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, USA
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8
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Thomas MJ, Pawar SK, Januchowski‐Hartley SR. A European eel (
Anguilla anguilla
) case study using structured elicitation to estimate instream infrastructure passability for freshwater fishes. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Merryn J. Thomas
- Department of Biosciences Swansea University Swansea UK
- School of Psychology Cardiff University Cardiff UK
| | - Sayali K. Pawar
- Department of Biosciences Swansea University Swansea UK
- Department of Geography and Environmental Science Dundee University Nethergate Dundee UK
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9
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Finn RJR, Chalifour L, Gergel SE, Hinch SG, Scott DC, Martin TG. Quantifying lost and inaccessible habitat for Pacific salmon in Canada’s Lower Fraser River. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Riley J. R. Finn
- Department of Forest and Conservation Science Faculty of Forestry The Conservation Decisions Lab University of British Columbia 2424 Main Mall Vancouver British ColumbiaV6T 1Z4Canada
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation Sidney British ColumbiaV8L 3Y3Canada
| | - Lia Chalifour
- Department of Forest and Conservation Science Faculty of Forestry The Conservation Decisions Lab University of British Columbia 2424 Main Mall Vancouver British ColumbiaV6T 1Z4Canada
- Department of Biology University of Victoria Victoria British ColumbiaV8W 2Y2Canada
| | - Sarah E. Gergel
- Department of Forest and Conservation Science Faculty of Forestry University of British Columbia 2424 Main Mall Vancouver British ColumbiaV6T 1Z4Canada
| | - Scott G. Hinch
- Department of Forest and Conservation Science Faculty of Forestry Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory University of British Columbia 2424 Main Mall Vancouver British ColumbiaV6T 1Z4Canada
| | - David C. Scott
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation Sidney British ColumbiaV8L 3Y3Canada
- Department of Forest and Conservation Science Faculty of Forestry Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory University of British Columbia 2424 Main Mall Vancouver British ColumbiaV6T 1Z4Canada
| | - Tara G. Martin
- Department of Forest and Conservation Science Faculty of Forestry The Conservation Decisions Lab University of British Columbia 2424 Main Mall Vancouver British ColumbiaV6T 1Z4Canada
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10
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Hermoso V, Clavero M, Filipe AF. An accessible optimisation method for barrier removal planning in stream networks. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 752:141943. [PMID: 33207516 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Barriers associated to human infrastructure are a widespread impact in freshwater ecosystems worldwide, disrupting connectivity along river networks and key processes. Restoration of connectivity has risen in the last decade, with thousands of dams, weirs and culverts removed. Spatial optimisation methods can help inform decision on what barriers to remove to maximise gain in connectivity under limited budgets. However, current optimisation approaches rely on programming skills that are not easily accessible to stakeholders, which restrict the use of these methods. We demonstrate how Marxan, a publicly available tool, can be used to prioritise the allocation of barrier removal projects. We mapped the distribution of >900 barriers in the Tagus River (Iberian Peninsula) and 29 freshwater fish species with different movement abilities and needs. We assessed the passability of each barrier by all species and relative removal cost. We then identified priority barriers for removal to increase connectivity of populations of all species simultaneously. We tested two alternative scenarios: i) locking out barriers assesses as non-removable for their high strategic value or removal cost and ii) making all barriers available for removal. We found that connectivity recovery targets could be achieved by removing a small proportion of barriers, and avoiding large infrastructure. However, for some species, large recovery targets could only be achieved by removing some of these large infrastructures at high increases in cost. We also found some spatial differences in the recovery value of particular barriers for improving upstream and downstream connectivity. Our study demonstrates how to use a robust optimisation approach in an accessible tool, to address the complexity of prioritisation exercises commonly faced by stakeholders when deciding where to invest in barrier removal projects. This will improve decision-making for river connectivity restoration through a transparent, reproducible, and better-informed approach than traditional opportunistic or ranking-based approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virgilio Hermoso
- Centre de Ciència i Tecnologia Forestal de Catalunya (CTFC), Solsona, Lleida, Spain; Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia.
| | | | - Ana Filipa Filipe
- CIBIO/InBio, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal; Centro de Estudos Florestais, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
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11
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Prunier JG, Poesy C, Dubut V, Veyssière C, Loot G, Poulet N, Blanchet S. Quantifying the individual impact of artificial barriers in freshwaters: A standardized and absolute genetic index of fragmentation. Evol Appl 2020; 13:2566-2581. [PMID: 33294009 PMCID: PMC7691472 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Revised: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Fragmentation by artificial barriers is an important threat to freshwater biodiversity. Mitigating the negative aftermaths of fragmentation is of crucial importance, and it is now essential for environmental managers to benefit from a precise estimate of the individual impact of weirs and dams on river connectivity. Although the indirect monitoring of fragmentation using molecular data constitutes a promising approach, it is plagued with several constraints preventing a standardized quantification of barrier effects. Indeed, observed levels of genetic differentiation GD depend on both the age of the obstacle and the effective size of the populations it separates, making comparisons of the actual barrier effect of different obstacles difficult. Here, we developed a standardized genetic index of fragmentation (F INDEX), allowing an absolute and independent assessment of the individual effects of obstacles on connectivity. The F INDEX is the standardized ratio between the observed GD between pairs of populations located on either side of an obstacle and the GD expected if this obstacle completely prevented gene flow. The expected GD is calculated from simulations taking into account two parameters: the number of generations since barrier creation and the expected heterozygosity of the populations, a proxy for effective population size. Using both simulated and empirical datasets, we explored the validity and the limits of the F INDEX. We demonstrated that it allows quantifying effects of fragmentation only from a few generations after barrier creation and provides valid comparisons among obstacles of different ages and populations (or species) of different effective sizes. The F INDEX requires a minimum amount of fieldwork and genotypic data and solves some of the difficulties inherent to the study of artificial fragmentation in rivers and potentially in other ecosystems. This makes the F INDEX promising to support the management of freshwater species affected by barriers, notably for planning and evaluating restoration programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérôme G. Prunier
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)Université Paul Sabatier (UPS)UMR 5321Station d’Ecologie Théorique et ExpérimentaleMoulisFrance
| | - Camille Poesy
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)Université Paul Sabatier (UPS)UMR 5321Station d’Ecologie Théorique et ExpérimentaleMoulisFrance
| | - Vincent Dubut
- CNRSIRDAvignon UniversitéIMBEAix Marseille UnivMarseille UniversitéFrance
| | - Charlotte Veyssière
- CNRSUPSUMR 5174 EDB (Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique)École Nationale de Formation Agronomique (ENFA)Toulouse Cedex 4France
| | - Géraldine Loot
- CNRSUPSUMR 5174 EDB (Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique)École Nationale de Formation Agronomique (ENFA)Toulouse Cedex 4France
| | - Nicolas Poulet
- DRAS, Pôle R&D écohydraulique OFBIMFT‐PPRIMEOffice Français de la BiodiversitéToulouseFrance
| | - Simon Blanchet
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)Université Paul Sabatier (UPS)UMR 5321Station d’Ecologie Théorique et ExpérimentaleMoulisFrance
- CNRSUPSUMR 5174 EDB (Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique)École Nationale de Formation Agronomique (ENFA)Toulouse Cedex 4France
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12
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Ishiyama N, Ryo M, Kataoka T, Nagayama S, Sueyoshi M, Terui A, Mori T, Akasaka T, Nakamura F. Predicting the ecological impacts of large-dam removals on a river network based on habitat-network structure and flow regimes. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2018; 32:1403-1413. [PMID: 29785835 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2018] [Revised: 05/11/2018] [Accepted: 05/16/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Large dams provide vital protection and services to humans. However, an increasing number of large dams worldwide are old and not operating properly. The removal of large dams has excellent potential to restore habitat connectivity and flow regimes; therefore, projecting the related ecological consequences is an emerging need for water resource and ecosystem management. However, no modeling methods are currently available for such projections at the basin scale. We devised a scheme that integrates changes in flow regimes and habitat network structure into a basin-scale impact assessment of removal of large dams and applied it to the Nagara-Ibi Basin, Japan. We used a graph-theoretical approach and a hydrological model, to quantify changes in habitat availability for 11 freshwater fishes at the basin scale under multiple removal scenarios. We compared these results with the change predicted using a conventional scheme that considered only changes to the habitat network due to dam removal. Our proposed scheme revealed that an increase in flow variability associated with dam removal projected both positive and negative effects on basin-scale habitat availability, depending on the focal species, endangered species had a negative response to dam removal. In contrast, the conventional approach projected only positive effects for all species. This difference in the outcomes indicates that large-dam removal can have negative and positive effects on watershed restoration due to changes in flow regimes. Our results also suggest the effect of removal of large dams may depend on the dams and their locations. Our study is the first step in projecting ecological trade-offs associated with the removal of large dams on riverscapes at the basin scale and provides a foundation for future process-based watershed restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nobuo Ishiyama
- Department of Forest Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, N9 W9 Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8589, Japan
| | - Masahiro Ryo
- Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Altensteinstrasse 6, Berlin, D-14195, Germany
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-M1-4 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-0033, Japan
| | - Taiga Kataoka
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1-M1-4 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-0033, Japan
| | - Shigeya Nagayama
- River Basin Research Center, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu, 501-1193, Japan
| | - Masanao Sueyoshi
- Department of Forest Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, N9 W9 Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8589, Japan
| | - Akira Terui
- Department of Forest Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, N9 W9 Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8589, Japan
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, 140 Gortner Laboratory, 1479 Gortner Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55108, U.S.A
| | - Terutaka Mori
- Department of General Systems Studies, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo, 153-8902, Japan
| | - Takumi Akasaka
- Laboratory of Conservation Ecology, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Nishi 2-sen 11, Inadacho, Obihiro, 080-8555, Japan
| | - Futoshi Nakamura
- Department of Forest Science, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, N9 W9 Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8589, Japan
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13
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Neeson TM, Moody AT, O'Hanley JR, Diebel M, Doran PJ, Ferris MC, Colling T, McIntyre PB. Aging infrastructure creates opportunities for cost-efficient restoration of aquatic ecosystem connectivity. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2018; 28:1494-1502. [PMID: 29885265 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2017] [Revised: 03/15/2018] [Accepted: 04/27/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
A hallmark of industrialization is the construction of dams for water management and roads for transportation, leading to fragmentation of aquatic ecosystems. Many nations are striving to address both maintenance backlogs and mitigation of environmental impacts as their infrastructure ages. Here, we test whether accounting for road repair needs could offer opportunities to boost conservation efficiency by piggybacking connectivity restoration projects on infrastructure maintenance. Using optimization models to align fish passage restoration sites with likely road repair priorities, we find potential increases in conservation return-on-investment ranging from 17% to 25%. Importantly, these gains occur without compromising infrastructure or conservation priorities; simply communicating openly about objectives and candidate sites enables greater accomplishment at current funding levels. Society embraces both reliable roads and thriving fisheries, so overcoming this coordination challenge should be feasible. Given deferred maintenance crises for many types of infrastructure, there could be widespread opportunities to enhance the cost effectiveness of conservation investments by coordinating with infrastructure renewal efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas M Neeson
- Geography & Environmental Sustainability, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, 73019, USA
| | - Allison T Moody
- Center for Limnology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, USA
| | - Jesse R O'Hanley
- Kent Business School, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7FS, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew Diebel
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison, Wisconsin, 53707, USA
| | | | - Michael C Ferris
- Computer Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, USA
| | - Timothy Colling
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan, 49931, USA
| | - Peter B McIntyre
- Center for Limnology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706, USA
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14
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Milt AW, Diebel MW, Doran PJ, Ferris MC, Herbert M, Khoury ML, Moody AT, Neeson TM, Ross J, Treska T, O'Hanley JR, Walter L, Wangen SR, Yacobson E, McIntyre PB. Minimizing opportunity costs to aquatic connectivity restoration while controlling an invasive species. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2018; 32:894-904. [PMID: 29813172 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2017] [Accepted: 03/02/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Controlling invasive species is critical for conservation but can have unintended consequences for native species and divert resources away from other efforts. This dilemma occurs on a grand scale in the North American Great Lakes, where dams and culverts block tributary access to habitat of desirable fish species and are a lynchpin of long-standing efforts to limit ecological damage inflicted by the invasive, parasitic sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus). Habitat restoration and sea-lamprey control create conflicting goals for managing aging infrastructure. We used optimization to minimize opportunity costs of habitat gains for 37 desirable migratory fishes that arose from restricting sea lamprey access (0-25% increase) when selecting barriers for removal under a limited budget (US$1-105 million). Imposing limits on sea lamprey habitat reduced gains in tributary access for desirable species by 15-50% relative to an unconstrained scenario. Additional investment to offset the effect of limiting sea-lamprey access resulted in high opportunity costs for 30 of 37 species (e.g., an additional US$20-80 million for lake sturgeon [Acipenser fulvescens]) and often required ≥5% increase in sea-lamprey access to identify barrier-removal solutions adhering to the budget and limiting access. Narrowly distributed species exhibited the highest opportunity costs but benefited more at less cost when small increases in sea-lamprey access were allowed. Our results illustrate the value of optimization in limiting opportunity costs when balancing invasion control against restoration benefits for diverse desirable species. Such trade-off analyses are essential to the restoration of connectivity within fragmented rivers without unleashing invaders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin W Milt
- Center for Limnology, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 680 N Park Street, Madison, WI 53706, U.S.A
| | - Matthew W Diebel
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 101 S Webster Street, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707-7921, U.S.A
| | - Patrick J Doran
- The Nature Conservancy, 101 E César E. Chàvez Avenue, Lansing, MI 48906, U.S.A
| | - Michael C Ferris
- Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 330 N. Orchard Street, Madison, WI 53715, U.S.A
| | - Matthew Herbert
- The Nature Conservancy, 101 E César E. Chàvez Avenue, Lansing, MI 48906, U.S.A
| | - Mary L Khoury
- The Nature Conservancy, 101 E César E. Chàvez Avenue, Lansing, MI 48906, U.S.A
| | - Allison T Moody
- Center for Limnology, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 680 N Park Street, Madison, WI 53706, U.S.A
| | - Thomas M Neeson
- Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, The University of Oklahoma, 100 East Boyd Street, Norman, OK 73019, U.S.A
| | - Jared Ross
- The Nature Conservancy, 101 E César E. Chàvez Avenue, Lansing, MI 48906, U.S.A
| | - Ted Treska
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on detail to Great Lakes Fishery Commission, 2100 Commonwealth Boulevard, Suite 100, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, U.S.A
| | - Jesse R O'Hanley
- Kent Business School, Sibson, Parkwood Road, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7FS, U.K
| | - Lisa Walter
- Great Lakes Fishery Commission, 2100 Commonwealth Boulevard, Suite 100, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, U.S.A
| | - Steven R Wangen
- Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 330 N. Orchard Street, Madison, WI 53715, U.S.A
| | - Eugene Yacobson
- The Nature Conservancy, 101 E César E. Chàvez Avenue, Lansing, MI 48906, U.S.A
| | - Peter B McIntyre
- Center for Limnology, University of Wisconsin - Madison, 680 N Park Street, Madison, WI 53706, U.S.A
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15
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Neeson TM, Doran PJ, Ferris MC, Fitzpatrick KB, Herbert M, Khoury M, Moody AT, Ross J, Yacobson E, McIntyre PB. Conserving rare species can have high opportunity costs for common species. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2018; 24:3862-3872. [PMID: 29654612 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2017] [Accepted: 03/09/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Conservation practitioners face difficult choices in apportioning limited resources between rare species (to ensure their existence) and common species (to ensure their abundance and ecosystem contributions). We quantified the opportunity costs of conserving rare species of migratory fishes in the context of removing dams and retrofitting road culverts across 1,883 tributaries of the North American Great Lakes. Our optimization models show that maximizing total habitat gains across species can be very efficient in terms of benefits achieved per dollar spent, but disproportionately benefits common species. Conservation approaches that target rare species, or that ensure some benefits for every species (i.e., complementarity) enable strategic allocation of resources among species but reduce aggregate habitat gains. Thus, small habitat gains for the rarest species necessarily come at the expense of more than 20 times as much habitat for common ones. These opportunity costs are likely to occur in many ecosystems because range limits and conservation costs often vary widely among species. Given that common species worldwide are declining more rapidly than rare ones within major taxa, our findings provide incentive for triage among multiple worthy conservation targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas M Neeson
- Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma
| | | | - Michael C Ferris
- Department of Computer Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Kimberly B Fitzpatrick
- Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma
| | | | | | - Allison T Moody
- Center for Limnology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
| | - Jared Ross
- The Nature Conservancy, Chicago, Illinois
| | | | - Peter B McIntyre
- Center for Limnology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
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17
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King S, O'Hanley JR, Newbold LR, Kemp PS, Diebel MW. A toolkit for optimizing fish passage barrier mitigation actions. J Appl Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Steven King
- UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre; 219 Huntingdon Road Cambridge CB3 0DL UK
| | | | - Lynda R. Newbold
- International Centre for Ecohydraulics Research; University of Southampton; Southampton SO17 1BJ UK
| | - Paul S. Kemp
- International Centre for Ecohydraulics Research; University of Southampton; Southampton SO17 1BJ UK
| | - Matthew W. Diebel
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; 2801 Progress Road Madison WI 53716 USA
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18
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Enhancing ecosystem restoration efficiency through spatial and temporal coordination. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:6236-41. [PMID: 25918378 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1423812112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In many large ecosystems, conservation projects are selected by a diverse set of actors operating independently at spatial scales ranging from local to international. Although small-scale decision making can leverage local expert knowledge, it also may be an inefficient means of achieving large-scale objectives if piecemeal efforts are poorly coordinated. Here, we assess the value of coordinating efforts in both space and time to maximize the restoration of aquatic ecosystem connectivity. Habitat fragmentation is a leading driver of declining biodiversity and ecosystem services in rivers worldwide, and we simultaneously evaluate optimal barrier removal strategies for 661 tributary rivers of the Laurentian Great Lakes, which are fragmented by at least 6,692 dams and 232,068 road crossings. We find that coordinating barrier removals across the entire basin is nine times more efficient at reconnecting fish to headwater breeding grounds than optimizing independently for each watershed. Similarly, a one-time pulse of restoration investment is up to 10 times more efficient than annual allocations totaling the same amount. Despite widespread emphasis on dams as key barriers in river networks, improving road culvert passability is also essential for efficiently restoring connectivity to the Great Lakes. Our results highlight the dramatic economic and ecological advantages of coordinating efforts in both space and time during restoration of large ecosystems.
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