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Jossie E, Seaborn T, Baxter CV, Burnham M. Using social-ecological models to explore stream connectivity outcomes for stakeholders and Yellowstone cutthroat trout. Ecol Appl 2023; 33:e2915. [PMID: 37635644 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
Despite growing interest in conservation and re-establishment of ecological connectivity, few studies have explored its context-specific social-ecological outcomes. We aimed to explore social and ecological outcomes to changing stream connectivity for both stakeholders and native fish species impacted by habitat fragmentation and nonnative species. We (1) investigated stakeholder perceptions of the drivers and outcomes of stream connectivity, and (2) evaluated the effects of stakeholder-identified connectivity and nonnative species scenarios on Yellowstone cutthroat trout (YCT) populations. Our study was conducted in the Teton River, Idaho, USA. We integrated two modeling approaches, mental modeling and individual-based ecological modeling, to explore social-ecological outcomes for stakeholders and YCT populations. Aggregation of mental models revealed an emergent pattern of increasing complexity as more types of stakeholders were considered, as well as gaps and linkages among different stakeholder knowledge areas. These results highlight the importance of knowledge sharing among stakeholders when making decisions about connectivity. Additionally, the results from the individual-based models suggested that the potential for a large, migratory life history form of YCT, in addition to self-preference mating where they overlap with rainbow trout, had the strongest effects on outcomes for YCT. Exploring social and ecological drivers and outcomes to changing connectivity is useful for anticipating and adapting to unintended outcomes, as well as making decisions for desirable outcomes. The results from this study can contribute to the management dialogue surrounding stream connectivity in the Teton River, as well as to our understanding of connectivity conservation and its outcomes more broadly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Jossie
- Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho, USA
| | - Travis Seaborn
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
| | - Colden V Baxter
- Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho, USA
| | - Morey Burnham
- Department of Sociology, Social Work, and Criminology, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho, USA
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Adams MM, Baxter CV, Delehanty DJ. Emergence phenology of the giant salmonfly and responses by birds in Idaho river networks. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2023.804143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Emergence of adult aquatic insects from rivers is strongly influenced by water temperature, and emergence timing helps to determine the availability of this ephemeral food resource for birds and other terrestrial insectivores. It is poorly understood how spatial heterogeneity in riverine habitat mediates the timing of emergence. Such spatiotemporal variation may have consequences for terrestrial insectivores that rely on aquatic-derived prey resources. We investigated emergence phenology of the giant salmonfly, Pteronarcys californica, at three spatial scales in two Idaho river networks. We examined the influence of tributary confluences on salmonfly emergence timing and associated insectivorous bird responses. Salmonfly emergence timing was highly variable at the basin-scale during the period we sampled (May–June). Within sub-drainage pathways not punctuated by major tributaries, emergence followed a downstream-to-upstream pattern. At the scale of reaches, abrupt changes in thermal regimes created by 10 major tributary confluences created asynchrony in emergence of 1–6 days among the 20 reaches bracketing the confluences. We observed 10 bird species capturing emerged salmonflies, including 5 species typically associated with upland habitats (e.g., American robin, red-tailed hawk, American kestrel) but that likely aggregated along rivers to take advantage of emerging salmonflies. Some birds (e.g., Lewis’s woodpecker, western tanager, American dipper) captured large numbers of salmonflies, and some of these fed salmonflies to nestlings. Emergence asynchrony created by tributaries was associated with shifts in bird abundance and richness which both nearly doubled, on average, during salmonfly emergence. Thermal heterogeneity in river networks created asynchrony in aquatic insect phenology which prolonged the availability of this pulsed prey resource for insectivorous birds during key breeding times. Such interactions between spatial and temporal heterogeneity and organism phenology may be critical to understanding the consequences of fluxes of resources that link water and land. Shifts in phenology or curtailment of life history diversity in organisms like salmonflies may have implications for these organisms, but could also contribute to mismatches or constrain availability of pulsed resources to dependent consumers. These could be unforeseen consequences, for both aquatic and terrestrial organisms, of human-driven alteration and homogenization of riverscapes.
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Owens DC, Heatherly TN, Eskridge KM, Baxter CV, Thomas SA. Seasonal Variation in Terrestrial Invertebrate Subsidies to Tropical Streams and Implications for the Feeding Ecology of Hart’s Rivulus (Anablepsoides hartii). Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.788625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Terrestrial invertebrates are important subsidies to fish diets, though their seasonal dynamics and importance to tropical stream consumers are particularly understudied. In this year-round study of terrestrial invertebrate input to two Trinidadian headwater streams with different forest canopy densities, we sought to (a) measure the mass and composition of terrestrial inputs with fall-in traps to evaluate the influences of seasonality, canopy cover, and rainfall intensity, and; (b) compare terrestrial and benthic prey importance to Anablepsoides hartii (Hart’s Rivulus), the dominant invertivorous fish in these streams, by concurrently measuring benthic and drifting invertebrate standing stocks and the volume and composition of invertebrates in Rivulus guts throughout the year. The biomass of terrestrial invertebrate fall-in was 53% higher in the wet versus dry season; in particular, ant input was 320% higher. Ant biomass fall-in also increased with the density of canopy cover among sampling locations within both streams. Greater precipitation correlated with increased ant inputs to the more open-canopied stream and increased inputs of winged insects in the more closed canopy stream. Concurrently, the biomass of benthic invertebrates was reduced by more than half in the wet season in both streams. We detected no differences in the total volume of terrestrial prey in Rivulus diets between seasons, though ants were a greater proportion of their diet in the wet season. In contrast, benthic prey were nearly absent from Rivulus diets in the wet season in both streams. We conclude that terrestrial invertebrates are a substantial year-round prey subsidy for invertivores in tropical stream ecosystems like those we studied, which may contrast to most temperate streams where such terrestrial inputs are significantly reduced in the cold season. Interestingly, the strongest seasonal pattern in these tropical streams was observed in benthic invertebrate biomass which was greatly reduced and almost absent from Rivulus diets during the wet season. This pattern is essentially the inverse of the pattern observed in many temperate streams and highlights the need for additional studies in tropical ecosystems to better understand how spatial and temporal variation in terrestrial subsidies and benthic prey populations combine to influence consumer diets and the structure of tropical stream food webs.
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Albertson LK, Briggs MA, Maguire Z, Swart S, Cross WF, Twining CW, Wesner JS, Baxter CV, Walters DM. Dietary composition and fatty acid content of giant salmonflies (
Pteronarcys californica
) in two Rocky Mountain rivers. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Zachary Maguire
- Department of Ecology Montana State University Bozeman Montana USA
| | - Sophia Swart
- Department of Ecology Montana State University Bozeman Montana USA
| | - Wyatt F. Cross
- Department of Ecology Montana State University Bozeman Montana USA
| | - Cornelia W. Twining
- Limnological Institute University of Konstanz Constance Germany
- Department of Migration Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior Radolfzell Germany
- Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution Eawag Kastanienbaum Switzerland
| | - Jeff S. Wesner
- Department of Biology University of South Dakota Vermillion South Dakota USA
| | - Colden V. Baxter
- Department of Biological Sciences Stream Ecology Center, Idaho State University Pocatello Idaho USA
| | - David M. Walters
- U.S. Geological Survey Columbia Environmental Research Center Columbia Missouri USA
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Torgersen CE, Le Pichon C, Fullerton AH, Dugdale SJ, Duda JJ, Giovannini F, Tales É, Belliard J, Branco P, Bergeron NE, Roy ML, Tonolla D, Lamouroux N, Capra H, Baxter CV. Riverscape approaches in practice: perspectives and applications. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 97:481-504. [PMID: 34758515 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Landscape perspectives in riverine ecology have been undertaken increasingly in the last 30 years, leading aquatic ecologists to develop a diverse set of approaches for conceptualizing, mapping and understanding 'riverscapes'. Spatiotemporally explicit perspectives of rivers and their biota nested within the socio-ecological landscape now provide guiding principles and approaches in inland fisheries and watershed management. During the last two decades, scientific literature on riverscapes has increased rapidly, indicating that the term and associated approaches are serving an important purpose in freshwater science and management. We trace the origins and theoretical foundations of riverscape perspectives and approaches and examine trends in the published literature to assess the state of the science and demonstrate how they are being applied to address recent challenges in the management of riverine ecosystems. We focus on approaches for studying and visualizing rivers and streams with remote sensing, modelling and sampling designs that enable pattern detection as seen from above (e.g. river channel, floodplain, and riparian areas) but also into the water itself (e.g. aquatic organisms and the aqueous environment). Key concepts from landscape ecology that are central to riverscape approaches are heterogeneity, scale (resolution, extent and scope) and connectivity (structural and functional), which underpin spatial and temporal aspects of study design, data collection and analysis. Mapping of physical and biological characteristics of rivers and floodplains with high-resolution, spatially intensive techniques improves understanding of the causes and ecological consequences of spatial patterns at multiple scales. This information is crucial for managing river ecosystems, especially for the successful implementation of conservation, restoration and monitoring programs. Recent advances in remote sensing, field-sampling approaches and geospatial technology are making it increasingly feasible to collect high-resolution data over larger scales in space and time. We highlight challenges and opportunities and discuss future avenues of research with emerging tools that can potentially help to overcome obstacles to collecting, analysing and displaying these data. This synthesis is intended to help researchers and resource managers understand and apply these concepts and approaches to address real-world problems in freshwater management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian E Torgersen
- U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Cascadia Field Station, University of Washington, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, Box 352100, Seattle, WA, 98195, U.S.A
| | - Céline Le Pichon
- INRAE, HYCAR, Université Paris-Saclay, 1 rue Pierre Gilles de Gennes, CS 10030, Antony Cedex, 92761, France
| | - Aimee H Fullerton
- NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Fish Ecology Division, 2725 Montlake Blvd. E., Seattle, WA, 98112, U.S.A
| | - Stephen J Dugdale
- School of Geography, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, U.K
| | - Jeffrey J Duda
- U.S. Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research Center, 6505 NE 65th St., Seattle, WA, 98115, U.S.A
| | - Floriane Giovannini
- INRAE, DipSO (Directorate for Open Science), 1 rue Pierre Gilles de Gennes, CS 10030, Antony Cedex, 92761, France
| | - Évelyne Tales
- INRAE, HYCAR, Université Paris-Saclay, 1 rue Pierre Gilles de Gennes, CS 10030, Antony Cedex, 92761, France
| | - Jérôme Belliard
- INRAE, HYCAR, Université Paris-Saclay, 1 rue Pierre Gilles de Gennes, CS 10030, Antony Cedex, 92761, France
| | - Paulo Branco
- Centro de Estudos Florestais, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, 1349-017, Portugal
| | - Normand E Bergeron
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Eau Terre Environnement, 490 rue de la Couronne, Québec, QC, G1K 9A9, Canada
| | - Mathieu L Roy
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, 1550 Av. d'Estimauville, Québec, QC, G1J 0C3, Canada
| | - Diego Tonolla
- Institute of Natural Resource Sciences, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Grüental, Wädenswil, 8820, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Lamouroux
- INRAE, RiverLy, 5 rue de la Doua, CS 20244, Villeurbanne Cedex, 69625, France
| | - Hervé Capra
- INRAE, RiverLy, 5 rue de la Doua, CS 20244, Villeurbanne Cedex, 69625, France
| | - Colden V Baxter
- Stream Ecology Center, Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, 83209, U.S.A
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Honious SAS, Hale RL, Guilinger JJ, Crosby BT, Baxter CV. Turbidity Structures the Controls of Ecosystem Metabolism and Associated Metabolic Process Domains Along a 75-km Segment of a Semiarid Stream. Ecosystems 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-021-00661-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Marcarelli AM, Baxter CV, Benjamin JR, Miyake Y, Murakami M, Fausch KD, Nakano S. Magnitude and direction of stream–forest community interactions change with timescale. Ecology 2020; 101:e03064. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Revised: 02/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Amy M. Marcarelli
- Department of Biological Sciences Michigan Technological University Houghton Michigan 49931 USA
| | - Colden V. Baxter
- Department of Biological Sciences Stream Ecology Center Idaho State University Pocatello Idaho 83209 USA
| | - Joseph R. Benjamin
- Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center U.S. Geological Survey Boise Idaho 83702 USA
| | - Yo Miyake
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering Ehime University Matsuyama 790‐8577 Japan
| | - Masashi Murakami
- Community Ecology Lab Faculty of Science Chiba University Chiba 263-8522 Japan
| | - Kurt D. Fausch
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado 80523 USA
| | - Shigeru Nakano
- Center for Ecological Research Kyoto University Hirano Shiga 520-2113 Japan
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Macek CL, Hale RL, Baxter CV. Dry Wetlands: Nutrient Dynamics in Ephemeral Constructed Stormwater Wetlands. Environ Manage 2020; 65:32-45. [PMID: 31761956 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-019-01227-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [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: 01/17/2019] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Constructed stormwater wetlands (CSWs) are used to address contaminants in urban stormwater such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), but their performance is variable. Ephemeral CSWs tend to be less effective than perennial CSWs at removing N and P. We asked: How does wetland vegetation and sediment affect nutrient cycling/release from sediment and vegetation in ephemeral CSWs? We focused on two ephemeral urban CSWs in Pocatello, ID, USA, one densely vegetated and the other nearly bare. We rewetted intact cores of dry wetland sediments and, separately, senesced vegetation for 1 week at the end of the summer dry period to assess whether wetland sediments and vegetation acted as sources or sinks of N and P. For both CSWs, there was a pulse of nutrients immediately following rewetting, but the magnitude of that pulse and subsequent changes in nutrient concentrations suggest different processes dominate at each wetland, driven by differences in wetland vegetation and associated sediment characteristics. There was evidence of denitrification between and during events at the vegetated wetland, but larger fluxes of P at this site suggests a tradeoff between denitrification and P release. While the experimental results suggested specific biogeochemical controls, CSW nutrient concentrations during three events were more dynamic and suggested more biogeochemical complexity than that represented in our experiment, both within events and seasonally. Ephemeral CSWs may create unique biogeochemical conditions and require careful design to ensure N and P retention. Managers will also need to consider whether perennial water sources would improve CSW function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn L Macek
- Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, 83209, USA
| | - Rebecca L Hale
- Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, 83209, USA.
| | - Colden V Baxter
- Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, 83209, USA
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9
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Collins SF, Baxter CV, Marcarelli AM, Felicetti L, Florin S, Wipfli MS, Servheen G. Reverberating effects of resource exchanges in stream–riparian food webs. Oecologia 2019; 192:179-189. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04574-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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10
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Huang L, Liao FH, Lohse KA, Larson DM, Fragkias M, Lybecker DL, Baxter CV. Land conservation can mitigate freshwater ecosystem services degradation due to climate change in a semiarid catchment: The case of the Portneuf River catchment, Idaho, USA. Sci Total Environ 2019; 651:1796-1809. [PMID: 30317170 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.09.260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [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: 07/19/2018] [Revised: 09/20/2018] [Accepted: 09/20/2018] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
There is increasing evidence of environmental change impacts on freshwater ecosystem services especially through land use and climate change. However, little is known about how land conservation could help mitigate adverse water-sustainability impacts. In this paper, we utilized the InVEST tool and the Residual Trends method to assess the joint effects and relative contributions of climate change and land conservation on freshwater ecosystem services in the Portneuf River catchment in Idaho, USA. We developed five hypothesized scenarios regarding gain and loss in the enrollment of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), the largest agricultural land-retirement program in the U.S., plus riparian buffer and assessed their interactions with climate change. Results suggest that the realized water yield in the Portneuf River catchment would possibly be 56% less due to climate change and 24% less due to the decline of CRP enrollment. On the contrary, if CRP enrollment is promoted by ~30% and riparian buffer protection is implemented, the water supply reduction in the year 2050 could be changed from 56% to 26%, the total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) export would be reduced by 10% and 11%, and the total suspended sediment (TSS) reduced by 17%. This study suggests that increasing implementation of the CRP would likely preserve key freshwater ecosystem services and assist proactive mitigation, especially for semiarid regions vulnerable to changing climate conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Huang
- Department of Geography, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844-3021, United States
| | - Felix Haifeng Liao
- Department of Geography, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844-3021, United States.
| | - Kathleen A Lohse
- Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83209-8007, United States
| | - Danelle M Larson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83209-8007, United States
| | - Michail Fragkias
- Department of Economics, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725-1620, United States
| | - Donna L Lybecker
- Department of Political Science, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83209-8007, United States
| | - Colden V Baxter
- Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83209-8007, United States
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrine E. Behn
- Department of Biological Sciences Idaho State University Pocatello Idaho 83209 USA
| | - Colden V. Baxter
- Department of Biological Sciences Idaho State University Pocatello Idaho 83209 USA
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Tiegs SD, Costello DM, Isken MW, Woodward G, McIntyre PB, Gessner MO, Chauvet E, Griffiths NA, Flecker AS, Acuña V, Albariño R, Allen DC, Alonso C, Andino P, Arango C, Aroviita J, Barbosa MVM, Barmuta LA, Baxter CV, Bell TDC, Bellinger B, Boyero L, Brown LE, Bruder A, Bruesewitz DA, Burdon FJ, Callisto M, Canhoto C, Capps KA, Castillo MM, Clapcott J, Colas F, Colón-Gaud C, Cornut J, Crespo-Pérez V, Cross WF, Culp JM, Danger M, Dangles O, de Eyto E, Derry AM, Villanueva VD, Douglas MM, Elosegi A, Encalada AC, Entrekin S, Espinosa R, Ethaiya D, Ferreira V, Ferriol C, Flanagan KM, Fleituch T, Follstad Shah JJ, Frainer Barbosa A, Friberg N, Frost PC, Garcia EA, García Lago L, García Soto PE, Ghate S, Giling DP, Gilmer A, Gonçalves JF, Gonzales RK, Graça MAS, Grace M, Grossart HP, Guérold F, Gulis V, Hepp LU, Higgins S, Hishi T, Huddart J, Hudson J, Imberger S, Iñiguez-Armijos C, Iwata T, Janetski DJ, Jennings E, Kirkwood AE, Koning AA, Kosten S, Kuehn KA, Laudon H, Leavitt PR, Lemes da Silva AL, Leroux SJ, LeRoy CJ, Lisi PJ, MacKenzie R, Marcarelli AM, Masese FO, McKie BG, Oliveira Medeiros A, Meissner K, Miliša M, Mishra S, Miyake Y, Moerke A, Mombrikotb S, Mooney R, Moulton T, Muotka T, Negishi JN, Neres-Lima V, Nieminen ML, Nimptsch J, Ondruch J, Paavola R, Pardo I, Patrick CJ, Peeters ETHM, Pozo J, Pringle C, Prussian A, Quenta E, Quesada A, Reid B, Richardson JS, Rigosi A, Rincón J, Rîşnoveanu G, Robinson CT, Rodríguez-Gallego L, Royer TV, Rusak JA, Santamans AC, Selmeczy GB, Simiyu G, Skuja A, Smykla J, Sridhar KR, Sponseller R, Stoler A, Swan CM, Szlag D, Teixeira-de Mello F, Tonkin JD, Uusheimo S, Veach AM, Vilbaste S, Vought LBM, Wang CP, Webster JR, Wilson PB, Woelfl S, Xenopoulos MA, Yates AG, Yoshimura C, Yule CM, Zhang YX, Zwart JA. Global patterns and drivers of ecosystem functioning in rivers and riparian zones. Sci Adv 2019; 5:eaav0486. [PMID: 30662951 PMCID: PMC6326750 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aav0486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2018] [Accepted: 11/29/2018] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
River ecosystems receive and process vast quantities of terrestrial organic carbon, the fate of which depends strongly on microbial activity. Variation in and controls of processing rates, however, are poorly characterized at the global scale. In response, we used a peer-sourced research network and a highly standardized carbon processing assay to conduct a global-scale field experiment in greater than 1000 river and riparian sites. We found that Earth's biomes have distinct carbon processing signatures. Slow processing is evident across latitudes, whereas rapid rates are restricted to lower latitudes. Both the mean rate and variability decline with latitude, suggesting temperature constraints toward the poles and greater roles for other environmental drivers (e.g., nutrient loading) toward the equator. These results and data set the stage for unprecedented "next-generation biomonitoring" by establishing baselines to help quantify environmental impacts to the functioning of ecosystems at a global scale.
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Kennedy TA, Muehlbauer JD, Yackulic CB, Lytle DA, Miller SW, Dibble KL, Kortenhoeven EW, Metcalfe AN, Baxter CV. Flow Management for Hydropower Extirpates Aquatic Insects, Undermining River Food Webs. Bioscience 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biw059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [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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14
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Collins SF, Baxter CV, Marcarelli AM, Wipfli MS. Effects of experimentally added salmon subsidies on resident fishes via direct and indirect pathways. Ecosphere 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Scott F. Collins
- Stream Ecology CenterDepartment of Biological SciencesIdaho State University Pocatello ID 83209 USA
| | - Colden V. Baxter
- Stream Ecology CenterDepartment of Biological SciencesIdaho State University Pocatello ID 83209 USA
| | - Amy M. Marcarelli
- Stream Ecology CenterDepartment of Biological SciencesIdaho State University Pocatello ID 83209 USA
- Department of Biological SciencesMichigan Technological University Houghton MI 49931 USA
| | - Mark S. Wipfli
- U.S. Geological SurveyAlaska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research UnitInstitute of Arctic BiologyUniversity of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks AK 99775 USA
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Walters DM, Rosi-Marshall E, Kennedy TA, Cross WF, Baxter CV. Mercury and selenium accumulation in the Colorado River food web, Grand Canyon, USA. Environ Toxicol Chem 2015; 34:2385-2394. [PMID: 26287953 DOI: 10.1002/etc.3077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [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: 12/23/2014] [Revised: 03/05/2015] [Accepted: 05/20/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg) and selenium (Se) biomagnify in aquatic food webs and are toxic to fish and wildlife. The authors measured Hg and Se in organic matter, invertebrates, and fishes in the Colorado River food web at sites spanning 387 river km downstream of Glen Canyon Dam (AZ, USA). Concentrations were relatively high among sites compared with other large rivers (mean wet wt for 6 fishes was 0.17-1.59 μg g(-1) Hg and 1.35-2.65 μg g(-1) Se), but consistent longitudinal patterns in Hg or Se concentrations relative to the dam were lacking. Mercury increased (slope = 0.147) with δ(15) N, a metric of trophic position, indicating biomagnification similar to that observed in other freshwater systems. Organisms regularly exceeded exposure risk thresholds for wildlife and humans (6-100% and 56-100% of samples for Hg and Se, respectfully, among risk thresholds). In the Colorado River, Grand Canyon, Hg and Se concentrations pose exposure risks for fish, wildlife, and humans, and the findings of the present study add to a growing body of evidence showing that remote ecosystems are vulnerable to long-range transport and subsequent bioaccumulation of contaminants. Management of exposure risks in Grand Canyon will remain a challenge, as sources and transport mechanisms of Hg and Se extend far beyond park boundaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Walters
- US Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | | | - Theodore A Kennedy
- US Geological Survey, Southwest Biological Science Center, Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - Wyatt F Cross
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - Colden V Baxter
- Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho, USA
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Collins SF, Marcarelli AM, Baxter CV, Wipfli MS. A Critical Assessment of the Ecological Assumptions Underpinning Compensatory Mitigation of Salmon-Derived Nutrients. Environ Manage 2015; 56:571-586. [PMID: 25968140 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-015-0538-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2014] [Accepted: 05/04/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
We critically evaluate some of the key ecological assumptions underpinning the use of nutrient replacement as a means of recovering salmon populations and a range of other organisms thought to be linked to productive salmon runs. These assumptions include: (1) nutrient mitigation mimics the ecological roles of salmon, (2) mitigation is needed to replace salmon-derived nutrients and stimulate primary and invertebrate production in streams, and (3) food resources in rearing habitats limit populations of salmon and resident fishes. First, we call into question assumption one because an array of evidence points to the multi-faceted role played by spawning salmon, including disturbance via redd-building, nutrient recycling by live fish, and consumption by terrestrial consumers. Second, we show that assumption two may require qualification based upon a more complete understanding of nutrient cycling and productivity in streams. Third, we evaluate the empirical evidence supporting food limitation of fish populations and conclude it has been only weakly tested. On the basis of this assessment, we urge caution in the application of nutrient mitigation as a management tool. Although applications of nutrients and other materials intended to mitigate for lost or diminished runs of Pacific salmon may trigger ecological responses within treated ecosystems, contributions of these activities toward actual mitigation may be limited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott F Collins
- Stream Ecology Center, Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, USA,
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Ryan Bellmore
- Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, 777 NW 9th Street, Suite 400, Corvallis, Oregon 97330 USA
- Columbia River Research Laboratory, Western Fisheries Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Cook, Washington 98605 USA
- Stream Ecology Center, Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho 83209-8007 USA
| | - Colden V. Baxter
- Stream Ecology Center, Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho 83209-8007 USA
| | - Patrick J. Connolly
- Columbia River Research Laboratory, Western Fisheries Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Cook, Washington 98605 USA
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Marcarelli AM, Baxter CV, Wipfli MS. Nutrient additions to mitigate for loss of Pacific salmon: consequences for stream biofilm and nutrient dynamics. Ecosphere 2014. [DOI: 10.1890/es13-00366.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Cross WF, Baxter CV, Rosi-Marshall EJ, Hall RO, Kennedy TA, Donner KC, Wellard Kelly HA, Seegert SEZ, Behn KE, Yard MD. Food-web dynamics in a large river discontinuum. ECOL MONOGR 2013. [DOI: 10.1890/12-1727.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Bellmore JR, Baxter CV, Martens K, Connolly PJ. The floodplain food web mosaic: a study of its importance to salmon and steelhead with implications for their recovery. Ecol Appl 2013; 23:189-207. [PMID: 23495646 DOI: 10.1890/12-0806.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Although numerous studies have attempted to place species of interest within the context of food webs, such efforts have generally occurred at small scales or disregard potentially important spatial heterogeneity. If food web approaches are to be employed to manage species, studies are needed that evaluate the multiple habitats and associated webs of interactions in which these species participate. Here, we quantify the food webs that sustain rearing salmon and steelhead within a floodplain landscape of the Methow River, Washington, USA, a location where restoration has been proposed to restore side channels in an attempt to recover anadromous fishes. We combined year-long measures of production, food demand, and diet composition for the fish assemblage with estimates of invertebrate prey productivity to quantify food webs within the main channel and five different, intact, side channels; ranging from channels that remained connected to the main channel at low flow to those reduced to floodplain ponds. Although we found that habitats within the floodplain had similar invertebrate prey production, these habitats hosted different local food webs. In the main channel, 95% of total prey consumption flowed to fishes that are not the target of proposed restoration. These fishes consumed 64% and 47% of the prey resources that were found to be important to fueling chinook and steelhead production in the main channel, respectively. Conversely, in side channels, a greater proportion of prey was consumed by anadromous salmonids. As a result, carrying capacity estimates based on food were 251% higher, on average, for anadromous salmonids in side channels than the main channel. However, salmon and steelhead production was generally well below estimated capacity in both the main and side channels, suggesting these habitats are under-seeded with respect to food, and that much larger populations could be supported. Overall, this study demonstrates that floodplain heterogeneity is associated with the occurrence of a mosaic of food webs, all of which were utilized by anadromous salmonids, and all of which may be important to their recovery and persistence. In the long term, these and other fishes would'likely benefit from restoring the processes that maintain floodplain complexity.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Ryan Bellmore
- U.S. Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research Center, Columbia River Research Laboratory, Cook, Washington 98605, USA.
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Mineau MM, Baxter CV, Marcarelli AM, Minshall GW. An invasive riparian tree reduces stream ecosystem efficiency via a recalcitrant organic matter subsidy. Ecology 2012; 93:1501-8. [DOI: 10.1890/11-1700.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Bellmore JR, Baxter CV, Ray AM, Denny L, Tardy K, Galloway E. Assessing the potential for salmon recovery via floodplain restoration: a multitrophic level comparison of dredge-mined to reference segments. Environ Manage 2012; 49:734-750. [PMID: 22323109 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-012-9813-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2010] [Accepted: 01/06/2012] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Pre-restoration studies typically focus on physical habitat, rather than the food-base that supports aquatic species. However, both food and habitat are necessary to support the species that habitat restoration is frequently aimed at recovering. Here we evaluate if and how the productivity of the food-base that supports fish production is impaired in a dredge-mined floodplain within the Yankee Fork Salmon River (YFSR), Idaho (USA); a site where past restoration has occurred and where more has been proposed to help recover anadromous salmonids. Utilizing an ecosystem approach, we found that the dredged segment had comparable terrestrial leaf and invertebrate inputs, aquatic primary producer biomass, and production of aquatic invertebrates relative to five reference floodplains. Thus, the food-base in the dredged segment did not necessarily appear impaired. On the other hand, we observed that off-channel aquatic habitats were frequently important to productivity in reference floodplains, and the connection of these habitats in the dredged segment via previous restoration increased invertebrate productivity by 58%. However, using a simple bioenergetic model, we estimated that the invertebrate food-base was at least 4× larger than present demand for food by fish in dredged and reference segments. In the context of salmon recovery efforts, this observation questions whether additional food-base productivity provided by further habitat restoration would be warranted in the YFSR. Together, our findings highlight the importance of studies that assess the aquatic food-base, and emphasize the need for more robust ecosystem models that evaluate factors potentially limiting fish populations that are the target of restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Ryan Bellmore
- Stream Ecology Center, Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, USA.
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Cross WF, Baxter CV, Donner KC, Rosi-Marshall EJ, Kennedy TA, Hall RO, Kelly HAW, Rogers RS. Ecosystem ecology meets adaptive management: food web response to a controlled flood on the Colorado River, Glen Canyon. Ecol Appl 2011; 21:2016-2033. [PMID: 21939041 DOI: 10.1890/10-1719.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Large dams have been constructed on rivers to meet human demands for water, electricity, navigation, and recreation. As a consequence, flow and temperature regimes have been altered, strongly affecting river food webs and ecosystem processes. Experimental high-flow dam releases, i.e., controlled floods, have been implemented on the Colorado River, U.S.A., in an effort to reestablish pulsed flood events, redistribute sediments, improve conditions for native fishes, and increase understanding of how dam operations affect physical and biological processes. We quantified secondary production and organic matter flows in the food web below Glen Canyon dam for two years prior and one year after an experimental controlled flood in March 2008. Invertebrate biomass and secondary production declined significantly following the flood (total biomass, 55% decline; total production, 56% decline), with most of the decline driven by reductions in two nonnative invertebrate taxa, Potamopyrgus antipodarum and Gammarus lacustris. Diatoms dominated the trophic basis of invertebrate production before and after the controlled flood, and the largest organic matter flows were from diatoms to the three most productive invertebrate taxa (P. antipodarum, G. lacustris, and Tubificida). In contrast to invertebrates, production of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) increased substantially (194%) following the flood, despite the large decline in total secondary production of the invertebrate assemblage. This counterintuitive result is reconciled by a post-flood increase in production and drift concentrations of select invertebrate prey (i.e., Chironomidae and Simuliidae) that supported a large proportion of trout production but had relatively low secondary production. In addition, interaction strengths, measured as species impact values, were strongest between rainbow trout and these two taxa before and after the flood, demonstrating that the dominant consumer-resource interactions were not necessarily congruent with the dominant organic matter flows. Our study illustrates the value of detailed food web analysis for elucidating pathways by which dam management may alter production and strengths of species interactions in river food webs. We suggest that controlled floods may increase production of nonnative rainbow trout, and this information can be used to help guide future dam management decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wyatt F Cross
- Department of Ecology, 310 Lewis Hall, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, USA.
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Marcarelli AM, Baxter CV, Mineau MM, Hall RO. Quantity and quality: unifying food web and ecosystem perspectives on the role of resource subsidies in freshwaters. Ecology 2011; 92:1215-25. [PMID: 21797150 DOI: 10.1890/10-2240.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 175] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Although the study of resource subsidies has emerged as a key topic in both ecosystem and food web ecology, the dialogue over their role has been limited by separate approaches that emphasize either subsidy quantity or quality. Considering quantity and quality together may provide a simple, but previously unexplored, framework for identifying the mechanisms that govern the importance of subsidies for recipient food webs and ecosystems. Using a literature review of > 90 studies of open-water metabolism in lakes and streams, we show that high-flux, low-quality subsidies can drive freshwater ecosystem dynamics. Because most of these ecosystems are net heterotrophic, allochthonous inputs must subsidize respiration. Second, using a literature review of subsidy quality and use, we demonstrate that animals select for high-quality food resources in proportions greater than would be predicted based on food quantity, and regardless of allochthonous or autochthonous origin. This finding suggests that low-flux, high-quality subsidies may be selected for by animals, and in turn may disproportionately affect food web and ecosystem processes (e.g., animal production, trophic energy or organic matter flow, trophic cascades). We then synthesize and review approaches that evaluate the role of subsidies and explicitly merge ecosystem and food web perspectives by placing food web measurements in the context of ecosystem budgets, by comparing trophic and ecosystem production and fluxes, and by constructing flow food webs. These tools can and should be used to address future questions about subsidies, such as the relative importance of subsidies to different trophic levels and how subsidies may maintain or disrupt ecosystem stability and food web interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy M Marcarelli
- Stream Ecology Center, Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho 83209, USA.
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Lance MJ, Baxter CV. Abundance, Production, and Tissue Composition of Mountain Whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni) in a Central Idaho Wilderness Stream. Northwest Science 2011. [DOI: 10.3955/046.085.0303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Benjamin JR, Fausch KD, Baxter CV. Species replacement by a nonnative salmonid alters ecosystem function by reducing prey subsidies that support riparian spiders. Oecologia 2011; 167:503-12. [PMID: 21688160 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-011-2000-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2010] [Accepted: 04/08/2011] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Replacement of a native species by a nonnative can have strong effects on ecosystem function, such as altering nutrient cycling or disturbance frequency. Replacements may cause shifts in ecosystem function because nonnatives establish at different biomass, or because they differ from native species in traits like foraging behavior. However, no studies have compared effects of wholesale replacement of a native by a nonnative species on subsidies that support consumers in adjacent habitats, nor quantified the magnitude of these effects. We examined whether streams invaded by nonnative brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in two regions of the Rocky Mountains, USA, produced fewer emerging adult aquatic insects compared to paired streams with native cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii), and whether riparian spiders that depend on these prey were less abundant along streams with lower total insect emergence. As predicted, emergence density was 36% lower from streams with the nonnative fish. Biomass of brook trout was higher than the cutthroat trout they replaced, but even after accounting for this difference, emergence was 24% lower from brook trout streams. More riparian spiders were counted along streams with greater total emergence across the water surface. Based on these results, we predicted that brook trout replacement would result in 6-20% fewer spiders in the two regions. When brook trout replace cutthroat trout, they reduce cross-habitat resource subsidies and alter ecosystem function in stream-riparian food webs, not only owing to increased biomass but also because traits apparently differ from native cutthroat trout.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph R Benjamin
- Stream Ecology Center, Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID 83209-8007, USA.
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Marcarelli AM, Van Kirk RW, Baxter CV. Predicting effects of hydrologic alteration and climate change on ecosystem metabolism in a western U.S. river. Ecol Appl 2010; 20:2081-2088. [PMID: 21265442 DOI: 10.1890/09-2364.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
We estimated past and future hydrographs and patterns of ecosystem metabolism in a fifth-order river of the western United States, where water use and climate change are both expected to alter hydrology in the immediate future. We first reconstructed the unregulated hydrograph to estimate how the current hydrograph has been altered. Due to consumptive use, 95% as irrigation, current discharge during summer (July-September) was 70% lower than would occur if the river was unregulated. We then predicted a future hydrograph including effects of consumptive use and climate change; the magnitude of flow changes were minor under this regime relative to those already manifested by consumptive uses. We used time-series regression and a six-year continuous record of open-water metabolism to demonstrate that, under the current hydrologic regime, gross primary production (GPP) was dependent on both water temperature and flow and that ecosystem respiration (ER) was most dependent on temperature. Monte Carlo simulations under the three hydrologic regimes and three temperature scenario's (current, +2 degrees C, +4 degrees C) suggested that flow, but not temperature, may have profound effects on the magnitude of metabolism. Linking temporally detailed analyses of ecological function and hydrology may lead to better understanding and management of changes due to basin-scale water use and/or global-scale climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy M Marcarelli
- Stream Ecology Center and the Center for Ecological Research and Education, Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho 83209, USA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel L. Malison
- Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho 83209 USA
| | - Colden V. Baxter
- Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho 83209 USA
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Malison RL, Benjamin JR, Baxter CV. Measuring adult insect emergence from streams: the influence of trap placement and a comparison with benthic sampling. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.1899/09-086.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rachel L. Malison
- Stream Ecology Center, Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho 83209 USA
| | - Joseph R. Benjamin
- Stream Ecology Center, Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho 83209 USA
| | - Colden V. Baxter
- Stream Ecology Center, Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho 83209 USA
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Baxter CV, Fausch KD, Murakami M, Chapman PL. Invading rainbow trout usurp a terrestrial prey subsidy from native charr and reduce their growth and abundance. Oecologia 2007; 153:461-70. [PMID: 17530293 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-007-0743-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2007] [Accepted: 03/26/2007] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Movements of prey organisms across ecosystem boundaries often subsidize consumer populations in adjacent habitats. Human disturbances such as habitat degradation or non-native species invasions may alter the characteristics or fate of these prey subsidies, but few studies have measured the direct effects of this disruption on the growth and local abundance of predators in recipient habitats. Here we present evidence, obtained from a combined experimental and comparative study in northern Japan, that an invading stream fish usurped the flux of allochthonous prey to a native fish, consequently altering the diet and reducing the growth and abundance of the native species. A large-scale field experiment showed that excluding terrestrial invertebrates that fell into the stream with a mesh greenhouse reduced terrestrial prey in diets of native Dolly Varden charr (Salvelinus malma) by 46-70%, and reduced their growth by 25% over six weeks. However, when nonnative rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were introduced, they monopolized these prey and caused an even greater reduction of terrestrial prey in charr diets of 82-93%, and reduced charr growth by 31% over the same period. Adding both greenhouse and rainbow trout treatments together produced similar results to adding either alone. Results from a comparative field study of six other stream sites in the region corroborated the experimental findings, showing that at invaded sites rainbow trout usurped the terrestrial prey subsidy, causing a more than 75% decrease in the biomass of terrestrial invertebrates in Dolly Varden diets and forcing them to shift their foraging to insects on the stream bottom. Moreover, at sites with even low densities of rainbow trout, biomass of Dolly Varden was more than 75% lower than at sites without rainbow trout. Disruption of resource fluxes between habitats may be a common, but unidentified, consequence of invasions, and an additional mechanism contributing to the loss of native species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colden V Baxter
- Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, and Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
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Wright KK, Baxter CV, Li JL. Restricted hyporheic exchange in an alluvial river system: implications for theory and management. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005. [DOI: 10.1899/04-090.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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