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Mejia FH, Ouellet V, Briggs MA, Carlson SM, Casas-Mulet R, Chapman M, Collins MJ, Dugdale SJ, Ebersole JL, Frechette DM, Fullerton AH, Gillis CA, Johnson ZC, Kelleher C, Kurylyk BL, Lave R, Letcher BH, Myrvold KM, Nadeau TL, Neville H, Piégay H, Smith KA, Tonolla D, Torgersen CE. Closing the gap between science and management of cold-water refuges in rivers and streams. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:5482-5508. [PMID: 37466251 PMCID: PMC10615108 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Human activities and climate change threaten coldwater organisms in freshwater ecosystems by causing rivers and streams to warm, increasing the intensity and frequency of warm temperature events, and reducing thermal heterogeneity. Cold-water refuges are discrete patches of relatively cool water that are used by coldwater organisms for thermal relief and short-term survival. Globally, cohesive management approaches are needed that consider interlinked physical, biological, and social factors of cold-water refuges. We review current understanding of cold-water refuges, identify gaps between science and management, and evaluate policies aimed at protecting thermally sensitive species. Existing policies include designating cold-water habitats, restricting fishing during warm periods, and implementing threshold temperature standards or guidelines. However, these policies are rare and uncoordinated across spatial scales and often do not consider input from Indigenous peoples. We propose that cold-water refuges be managed as distinct operational landscape units, which provide a social and ecological context that is relevant at the watershed scale. These operational landscape units provide the foundation for an integrated framework that links science and management by (1) mapping and characterizing cold-water refuges to prioritize management and conservation actions, (2) leveraging existing and new policies, (3) improving coordination across jurisdictions, and (4) implementing adaptive management practices across scales. Our findings show that while there are many opportunities for scientific advancement, the current state of the sciences is sufficient to inform policy and management. Our proposed framework provides a path forward for managing and protecting cold-water refuges using existing and new policies to protect coldwater organisms in the face of global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francine H. Mejia
- U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Cascadia Field Station, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Valerie Ouellet
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Orono, Maine, USA
| | - Martin A. Briggs
- Observing Systems Division, U.S. Geological Survey, Hydrologic Remote Sensing Branch, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
| | - Stephanie M. Carlson
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Roser Casas-Mulet
- Aquatic Systems Biology Unit, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
- Department of Infrastructure Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Mollie Chapman
- Department of Geography, URPP Global Change and Biodiversity, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mathias J. Collins
- National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Gloucester, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Joseph L. Ebersole
- Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - Danielle M. Frechette
- Maine Department of Marine Resources, Bureau of Sea Run Fisheries and Habitat, Augusta, Maine, USA
| | - Aimee H. Fullerton
- Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | | | - Zachary C. Johnson
- U.S. Geological Survey, Washington Water Science Center, Tacoma, Washington, USA
| | - Christa Kelleher
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Lafayette College, Easton, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
| | - Barret L. Kurylyk
- Department of Civil and Resource Engineering, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Rebecca Lave
- Department of Geography, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
| | - Benjamin H. Letcher
- U.S. Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center, S.O. Conte Fish Research Center, Turners Falls, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Knut M. Myrvold
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Lillehammer, Norway
| | - Tracie-Lynn Nadeau
- Region 10, Water Division, Oregon Operations Office, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | | | - Herve Piégay
- UMR 5600 CNRS EVS, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, University of Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Kathryn A. Smith
- Department of Civil and Resource Engineering, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Diego Tonolla
- Institute of Natural Resource Sciences, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Wädenswil, Switzerland
| | - Christian E. Torgersen
- U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Cascadia Field Station, Seattle, Washington, USA
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Hsu TTD, Yu D, Wu M. Predicting Fecal Indicator Bacteria Using Spatial Stream Network Models in A Mixed-Land-Use Suburban Watershed in New Jersey, USA. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:4743. [PMID: 36981647 PMCID: PMC10049084 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20064743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Good water quality safeguards public health and provides economic benefits through recreational opportunities for people in urban and suburban environments. However, expanding impervious areas and poorly managed sanitary infrastructures result in elevated concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria and waterborne pathogens in adjacent waterways and increased waterborne illness risk. Watershed characteristics, such as urban land, are often associated with impaired microbial water quality. Within the proximity of the New York-New Jersey-Pennsylvania metropolitan area, the Musconetcong River has been listed in the Clean Water Act's 303 (d) List of Water Quality-Limited Waters due to high concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB). In this study, we aimed to apply spatial stream network (SSN) models to associate key land use variables with E. coli as an FIB in the suburban mixed-land-use Musconetcong River watershed in the northwestern New Jersey. The SSN models explicitly account for spatial autocorrelation in stream networks and have been widely utilized to identify watershed attributes linked to deteriorated water quality indicators. Surface water samples were collected from the five mainstem and six tributary sites along the middle section of the Musconetcong River from May to October 2018. The log10 geometric means of E. coli concentrations for all sampling dates and during storm events were derived as response variables for the SSN modeling, respectively. A nonspatial model based on an ordinary least square regression and two spatial models based on Euclidean and stream distance were constructed to incorporate four upstream watershed attributes as explanatory variables, including urban, pasture, forest, and wetland. The results indicate that upstream urban land was positively and significantly associated with the log10 geometric mean concentrations of E. coli for all sampling cases and during storm events, respectively (p < 0.05). Prediction of E. coli concentrations by SSN models identified potential hot spots prone to water quality deterioration. The results emphasize that anthropogenic sources were the main threats to microbial water quality in the suburban Musconetcong River watershed. The SSN modeling approaches from this study can serve as a novel microbial water quality modeling framework for other watersheds to identify key land use stressors to guide future urban and suburban water quality restoration directions in the USA and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsung-Ta David Hsu
- New Jersey Center for Water Science and Technology, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ 07043, USA
| | - Danlin Yu
- Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ 07043, USA
| | - Meiyin Wu
- New Jersey Center for Water Science and Technology, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ 07043, USA
- Department of Biology, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ 07043, USA
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Hemstrom W, Dauwalter D, Peacock MM, Leasure D, Wenger S, Miller MR, Neville H. Population genomic monitoring provides insight into conservation status but no correlation with demographic estimates of extinction risk in a threatened trout. Evol Appl 2022; 15:1449-1468. [PMID: 36187186 PMCID: PMC9488680 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The current extinction crisis requires effective assessment and monitoring tools. Genetic approaches are appealing given the relative ease of field sampling required to estimate genetic diversity characteristics assumed related to population size, evolutionary potential, and extinction risk, and to evaluate hybridization with non-native species simultaneously. However, linkages between population genetic metrics of diversity from survey-style field collections and demographic estimates of population size and extinction risk are still in need of empirical examples, especially for remotely distributed species of conservation concern where the approach might be most beneficial. We capitalized on an exceptional opportunity to evaluate congruence between genetic diversity metrics and demographic-based estimates of abundance and extinction risk from a comprehensive Multiple Population Viability Analysis (MPVA) in a threatened fish, the Lahontan cutthroat trout (LCT). We sequenced non-native trout reference samples and recently collected and archived tissue samples of most remaining populations of LCT (N = 60) and estimated common genetic assessment metrics, predicting minimal hybridization with non-native trout, low diversity, and declining diversity over time. We further hypothesized genetic metrics would correlate positively with MPVA-estimated abundance and negatively with extinction probability. We uncovered several instances of hybridization that pointed to immediate management needs. After removing hybridized individuals, cautious interpretation of low effective population sizes (2-63) suggested reduced evolutionary potential for many LCT populations. Other genetic metrics did not decline over time nor correlate with MPVA-based estimates of harmonic mean abundance or 30-year extinction probability. Our results demonstrate benefits of genetic monitoring for efficiently detecting hybridization and, though genetic results were disconnected from demographic assessment of conservation status, they suggest reduced evolutionary potential and likely a higher conservation risk than currently recognized for this threatened fish. We emphasize that genetic information provides essential complementary insight, in addition to demographic information, for evaluating species status.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Hemstrom
- Department of Animal ScienceUniversity of CaliforniaDavisCaliforniaUSA
| | | | | | - Douglas Leasure
- WorldPop, Geography and Environmental ScienceUniversity of SouthamptonSouthamptonUK
| | - Seth Wenger
- Odum School of EcologyUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGeorgiaUSA
| | - Michael R. Miller
- Department of Animal ScienceUniversity of CaliforniaDavisCaliforniaUSA
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Precision of Headwater Stream Permanence Estimates from a Monthly Water Balance Model in the Pacific Northwest, USA. WATER 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/w14060895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Stream permanence classifications (i.e., perennial, intermittent, ephemeral) are a primary consideration to determine stream regulatory status in the United States (U.S.) and are an important indicator of environmental conditions and biodiversity. However, at present, no models or products adequately describe surface water presence for regulatory determinations. We modified the Thornthwaite monthly water balance model (MWBM) with a flow threshold parameter to estimate flow permanence and evaluated the model’s accuracy and precision for more than 1.3 million headwater stream reaches in the U.S. Pacific Northwest (PNW). Stream reaches were assigned to one of eight calibration groups by unsupervised classification based on sensitivity to MWBM parameters. Suitable MWBM parameter sets were identified by comparing modeled stream permanence estimates to surface water presence observations (SWPO). Parameter sets with accuracies > 65% were considered suitable. The MWBM estimated stream permanence with high precision at 40% of reaches, with poor precision at 20% of reaches, and no suitable parameter sets were identified for 40% of reaches. Results highlight the need for increased SWPO collection to improve calibration and assessment of stream permanence models. Additionally, implementation of the MWBM to estimate surface water presence indicates potential for process-based models to predict stream permanence with future development.
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Pilliod DS, Hausner MB, Scherer RD. From satellites to frogs: Quantifying ecohydrological change, drought mitigation, and population demography in desert meadows. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 758:143632. [PMID: 33218818 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Revised: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Increasing frequency and severity of droughts have motivated natural resource managers to mitigate harmful ecological and hydrological effects of drought, but drought mitigation is an emerging science and evaluating its effectiveness is difficult. We examined ecohydrological responses of drought mitigation actions aimed at conserving populations of the Columbia spotted frog (Rana luteiventris) in a semi-arid valley in Nevada, USA. Abundance of this rare frog had declined precipitously after multiple droughts. Mitigation included excavating ponds to increase available surface water and installing earthen dams to raise water tables. We assessed responses of riparian vegetation to mitigation using a 30-year time series of satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and gridded weather data. We then analyzed a 23-year mark-recapture dataset to evaluate the effects of drought mitigation and NDVI on the probability of frog survival and rates of recruitment. After accounting for interannual precipitation variability, we found that NDVI increased significantly from before to after drought mitigation, suggesting that mitigation influenced the hydrology and vegetation of the meadows. Frog survival increased with NDVI, but mitigation had a stronger effect than NDVI suggesting that excavated mitigation ponds were particularly important for frog survival during drought. In contrast, frog recruitment was associated with NDVI more than mitigation, but only in meadows where NDVI was dependent on precipitation. At meadows with available groundwater, recruitment was associated with mitigation ponds. These findings suggest that mitigation ponds are critical for juvenile frogs to recruit into the adult population, but recruitment can also be increased by raising water tables in meadows lacking groundwater sources. Lagged recruitment (i.e., effects on larvae and juveniles) was negatively associated with NDVI. This study illustrates the ecohydrological complexity of drought mitigation and demonstrates novel ways to assess the effectiveness of drought mitigation using time series of readily available satellite imagery and organismal data.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S Pilliod
- U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, 970 Lusk Street, Boise, ID 83706, USA.
| | - Mark B Hausner
- Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute, 2215 Raggio Pkwy, Reno, NV 89512, USA
| | - Rick D Scherer
- Conservation Science Partners, 5 Old Town Square, Suite 205, Fort Collins, CO 80524, USA
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