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Counihan TD, Bouska KL, Brewer SK, Jacobson RB, Casper AF, Chapman CG, Waite IR, Sheehan KR, Pyron M, Irwin ER, Riva-Murray K, McKerrow AJ, Bayer JM. Identifying monitoring information needs that support the management of fish in large rivers. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0267113. [PMID: 35486607 PMCID: PMC9053787 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Management actions intended to benefit fish in large rivers can directly or indirectly affect multiple ecosystem components. Without consideration of the effects of management on non-target ecosystem components, unintended consequences may limit management efficacy. Monitoring can help clarify the effects of management actions, including on non-target ecosystem components, but only if data are collected to characterize key ecosystem processes that could affect the outcome. Scientists from across the U.S. convened to develop a conceptual model that would help identify monitoring information needed to better understand how natural and anthropogenic factors affect large river fishes. We applied the conceptual model to case studies in four large U.S. rivers. The application of the conceptual model indicates the model is flexible and relevant to large rivers in different geographic settings and with different management challenges. By visualizing how natural and anthropogenic drivers directly or indirectly affect cascading ecosystem tiers, our model identified critical information gaps and uncertainties that, if resolved, could inform how to best meet management objectives. Despite large differences in the physical and ecological contexts of the river systems, the case studies also demonstrated substantial commonalities in the data needed to better understand how stressors affect fish in these systems. For example, in most systems information on river discharge and water temperature were needed and available. Conversely, information regarding trophic relationships and the habitat requirements of larval fishes were generally lacking. This result suggests that there is a need to better understand a set of common factors across large-river systems. We provide a stepwise procedure to facilitate the application of our conceptual model to other river systems and management goals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy D. Counihan
- U.S. Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory, Cook, Washington, United States of America
| | - Kristen L. Bouska
- U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, La Crosse, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Shannon K. Brewer
- U.S. Geological Survey, Alabama Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Auburn, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Robert B. Jacobson
- U.S. Geological Survey, Columbia Environmental Research Center, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Andrew F. Casper
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois River Biological Station, Havana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Colin G. Chapman
- Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Ocean Salmon and Columbia River Program, Clackamas, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Ian R. Waite
- U.S. Geological Survey, Oregon Water Science Center, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Kenneth R. Sheehan
- U.S. Geological Survey, Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, Flagstaff, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Mark Pyron
- Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Elise R. Irwin
- U.S. Geological Survey, Alabama Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Auburn, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Karen Riva-Murray
- U.S. Geological Survey, Northeast Region, Troy, New York, United States of America
| | - Alexa J. McKerrow
- U.S. Geological Survey, Science Analytics and Synthesis, Core Science Systems, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Jennifer M. Bayer
- U.S. Geological Survey, Northwest-Pacific Islands Region, Cook, Washington, United States of America
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Altenritter ME, DeBoer JA, Maxson KA, Casper AF, Lamer JT. Ecosystem responses to aquatic invasive species management: A synthesis of two decades of bigheaded carp suppression in a large river. J Environ Manage 2022; 305:114354. [PMID: 34954679 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.114354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Revised: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The invasion of silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and bighead carp (H. nobilis) or "bigheaded carps" has caused extensive ecological and economic harm throughout the Mississippi River and its tributaries. To prevent their continued spread upstream toward the Great Lakes, intense commercial harvest was implemented on the Illinois River, a large tributary that connects the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan. Since implementation, harvest has reduced densities at the invasion front while also presenting an opportunity to generate a synthesis on ecosystem resilience in the face of accelerating invasion. Resilience, the ability of an ecosystem to recover after perturbation, was observed at local scales and within some taxa but has yet to manifest at a river-wide scale and often co-varied with abiotic environmental or seasonal factors. Thus, while intensive harvest has limited further spread of bigheaded carps, and evidence of additional secondary ecosystem benefits exists, opportunities remain to identify potential pathways that could spread such ecosystem benefits even farther.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew E Altenritter
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Natural History Survey, 704 North Schrader Avenue, Havana, IL, 62644, United States.
| | - Jason A DeBoer
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Natural History Survey, 704 North Schrader Avenue, Havana, IL, 62644, United States
| | - Kristopher A Maxson
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Natural History Survey, 704 North Schrader Avenue, Havana, IL, 62644, United States
| | - Andrew F Casper
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Natural History Survey, 704 North Schrader Avenue, Havana, IL, 62644, United States
| | - James T Lamer
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Natural History Survey, 704 North Schrader Avenue, Havana, IL, 62644, United States
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DeBoer JA, Thoms MC, Lamer JT, Casper AF, Delong MD. Complex to simple: Fish growth along the Illinois River network. Ecological Complexity 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecocom.2020.100891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Chick JH, Gibson-Reinemer DK, Soeken-Gittinger L, Casper AF. Invasive silver carp is empirically linked to declines of native sport fish in the Upper Mississippi River System. Biol Invasions 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-019-02124-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
AbstractEmpirical assessments of the influence of invasive species on native species are infrequent because the required long-term data are rarely available. The invasion of silver carp in the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS) provides a unique opportunity to assess the influence of this invasive species on native fishes because a highly standardized, long-term monitoring program has been sampling the fish communities in six reaches of the UMRS for over 20 years. We analyzed fish abundance (catch per unit effort from electrofishing) and water-quality data collected from 1994 to 2013 from three reaches where silver carp populations have been established since 2000, and three reaches where they are not established. Our results provide empirical evidence of a negative effect of invasive silver carp on native sport fish in the UMRS. Although water temperature, suspended solid concentration, and flooding also differed substantially between control and invaded reaches, only silver carp abundance had a direct negative relationship with the abundance of adult sport fish. Our analyses suggest that the mechanism for this decline may be competition for zooplankton between silver carp and larval/juvenile sport fish. In reaches where silver carp is established, recruitment of juvenile sport fish appears to be constrained relative to reaches where silver carp is not established.
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Wilson WA, Fritts AK, Fritts MW, Unrine JM, Tweedy BN, Casper AF. Freshwater mussel shells (Unionidae) describe anthropogenic changes to trace element cycling within a North American river. Sci Total Environ 2018; 616-617:1066-1076. [PMID: 29089124 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2017] [Revised: 10/18/2017] [Accepted: 10/20/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Bivalve shells provide an unparalleled opportunity for understanding the history of bioavailable trace elements in aquatic systems. The present study analyzed the elements Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, U, V and Zn in freshwater mussel shells collected from a large floodplain river. Shells were collected fresh, sampled from a historic archive, and retrieved from pre-Columbian archeological sites. The elements As, Co, Cu and Ni varied with time over the course of the 20th century. When compared to the pre-Columbian shells, 20th century shell concentrations for these elements were either consistently higher (Co, Cu and Ni) or lower (As). The 20th century shells also had consistently lower concentrations of Mn and Zn when compared to the pre-Columbian period, however diagenesis is the most likely cause of this difference in Mn. The elements Cd and Fe had little spatial or temporal variation in this data set. Several elements (Al, Cr, Hg, Pb, Se, U, and V) were below method detection limits in most shells. This study demonstrated that mussel shells can be used as archives of environmental history in river systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Aaron Wilson
- Department of Biological, Chemical and Physical Sciences, Roosevelt University, 430 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605, USA.
| | - Andrea K Fritts
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois River Biological Station, Havana, IL 62644, USA.
| | - Mark W Fritts
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois River Biological Station, Havana, IL 62644, USA.
| | - Jason M Unrine
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546, USA.
| | - Beth N Tweedy
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Oklahoma, 730 Van Vleet Oval, Room 314, Norman, OK 73019, USA.
| | - Andrew F Casper
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois River Biological Station, Havana, IL 62644, USA.
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Counihan TD, Waite IR, Casper AF, Ward DL, Sauer JS, Irwin ER, Chapman CG, Ickes BS, Paukert CP, Kosovich JJ, Bayer JM. Can data from disparate long-term fish monitoring programs be used to increase our understanding of regional and continental trends in large river assemblages? PLoS One 2018; 13:e0191472. [PMID: 29364953 PMCID: PMC5783367 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2017] [Accepted: 12/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding trends in the diverse resources provided by large rivers will help balance tradeoffs among stakeholders and inform strategies to mitigate the effects of landscape scale stressors such as climate change and invasive species. Absent a cohesive coordinated effort to assess trends in important large river resources, a logical starting point is to assess our ability to draw inferences from existing efforts. In this paper, we use a common analytical framework to analyze data from five disparate fish monitoring programs to better understand the nature of spatial and temporal trends in large river fish assemblages. We evaluated data from programs that monitor fishes in the Colorado, Columbia, Illinois, Mississippi, and Tallapoosa rivers using non-metric dimensional scaling ordinations and associated tests to evaluate trends in fish assemblage structure and native fish biodiversity. Our results indicate that fish assemblages exhibited significant spatial and temporal trends in all five of the rivers. We also document native species diversity trends that were variable within and between rivers and generally more evident in rivers with higher species richness and programs of longer duration. We discuss shared and basin-specific landscape level stressors. Having a basic understanding of the nature and extent of trends in fish assemblages is a necessary first step towards understanding factors affecting biodiversity and fisheries in large rivers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy D. Counihan
- U.S. Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory, Cook, Washington, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Ian R. Waite
- U.S. Geological Survey, Oregon Water Science Center, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Andrew F. Casper
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois River Biological Station, Havana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - David L. Ward
- U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, Flagstaff, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Jennifer S. Sauer
- U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, La Crosse, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Elise R. Irwin
- U.S. Geological Survey, Alabama Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, United States of America
| | - Colin G. Chapman
- Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Ocean Salmon and Columbia River Program, Clackamas, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Brian S. Ickes
- U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, La Crosse, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Craig P. Paukert
- U.S. Geological Survey, Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, The School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
| | - John J. Kosovich
- U.S. Geological Survey, Core Science Analytics, Synthesis, & Libraries, Lakewood, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Jennifer M. Bayer
- U.S. Geological Survey, Northwest Region & Pacific Northwest Aquatic Monitoring Partnership, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
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Gibson-Reinemer DK, Sparks RE, Parker JL, DeBoer JA, Fritts MW, McClelland MA, Chick JH, Casper AF. Ecological Recovery of a River Fish Assemblage following the Implementation of the Clean Water Act. Bioscience 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/biosci/bix110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Gibson-Reinemer DK, Solomon LE, Pendleton RM, Chick JH, Casper AF. Hydrology controls recruitment of two invasive cyprinids: bigheaded carp reproduction in a navigable large river. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3641. [PMID: 28929010 PMCID: PMC5600951 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2017] [Accepted: 07/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
In the Mississippi River Basin of North America, invasive bigheaded carp (silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and bighead carp H. nobilis, also referred to as Asian carp) have spread rapidly over the past several decades. In the Illinois River, an important tributary of the Upper Mississippi River, reproduction appears to be sporadic and frequently unsuccessful, yet bigheaded carp densities in this river are among the highest recorded on the continent. Understanding the causative factors behind erratic recruitment in this commercially-harvested invasive species is important for both limiting their spread and managing their harvest. We analyzed weekly catch records from 15 years of a standardized monitoring program to document the emergence of age-0 bigheaded carp in relation to environmental conditions. The appearance of age-0 fish was generally linked to hydrographic attributes, which probably serve as a cue for spawning. However, we found profound differences in the number of age-0 fish among years, which varied by as much as five orders of magnitude in successive years. The strong link between summer flooding and age-0 fish production we observed emphasizes the importance of understanding the hydrologic context in which sustained invasions occur. Despite evidence of sporadic recruitment, bigheaded carp populations in the Illinois River appear to be consistent or increasing because of particularly strong, episodic year classes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel K Gibson-Reinemer
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois River Biological Station, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois, Havana, IL, United States of America
| | - Levi E Solomon
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois River Biological Station, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois, Havana, IL, United States of America
| | - Richard M Pendleton
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois River Biological Station, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois, Havana, IL, United States of America.,Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America
| | - John H Chick
- Great Rivers Field Station, Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois, Alton, IL, United States of America
| | - Andrew F Casper
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois River Biological Station, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois, Havana, IL, United States of America
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Fritts AK, Fritts MW, Haag WR, DeBoer JA, Casper AF. Freshwater mussel shells (Unionidae) chronicle changes in a North American river over the past 1000years. Sci Total Environ 2017; 575:199-206. [PMID: 27741455 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.09.225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2016] [Revised: 09/23/2016] [Accepted: 09/29/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The Illinois River was substantially altered during the 20th century with the installation of navigational locks and dams, construction of extensive levee networks, and degradation of water quality. Freshwater mussels were affected by these changes. We used sclerochronology and stable isotopes to evaluate changes over time in age-and-growth and food sources for two mussel species: Amblema plicata and Quadrula quadrula. Specimens were collected in years 1894, 1897, 1909, 1912, 1966, and 2013, and archeological specimens were collected circa 850. The von Bertalanffy growth parameter (K) was similar between 850 and 1897, but it increased by 1912 and remained elevated through 2013. Predicted maximum size (Linf) increased over the past millennium, and 2013 individuals were over 50% larger than in 850. Growth indices showed similar patterns of continual increases in growth. Shells were enriched in 13C and 15N during the 20th century, but exhibited a partial return to historical conditions by 2013. These patterns are likely attributable to impoundment, nutrient pollution and eutrophication beginning in the early 20th century followed by recent water quality improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea K Fritts
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois River Biological Station, Havana, IL 62644, USA.
| | - Mark W Fritts
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois River Biological Station, Havana, IL 62644, USA.
| | - Wendell R Haag
- Center for Bottomland Hardwoods Research, US Forest Service, Oxford, MS 38655, USA.
| | - Jason A DeBoer
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois River Biological Station, Havana, IL 62644, USA.
| | - Andrew F Casper
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois River Biological Station, Havana, IL 62644, USA.
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Fritts MW, Deboer JA, Fritts AK, Kellock KA, Bringolf RB, Casper AF. Survey of Intersex Occurrence in Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) from the Upper Illinois River Waterway. The American Midland Naturalist 2016. [DOI: 10.1674/0003-0031-176.1.158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Thorp JH, Flotemersch JE, Delong MD, Casper AF, Thoms MC, Ballantyne F, Williams BS, O'Neill BJ, Haase CS. Linking Ecosystem Services, Rehabilitation, and River Hydrogeomorphology. Bioscience 2010. [DOI: 10.1525/bio.2010.60.1.11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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Kessler RK, Casper AF, Weddle GK. Temporal Variation in Microhabitat Use and Spatial Relations in the Benthic Fish Community of a Stream. American Midland Naturalist 1995. [DOI: 10.2307/2426305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Casper AF. Population and community effects of sediment contamination from residential urban runoff on benthic macroinvertebrate biomass and abundance. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 1994; 53:796-799. [PMID: 7881205 DOI: 10.1007/bf00196206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- A F Casper
- Biological Sciences Program, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale 62901
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