5/19/2015  |   15:30 - 15:45   |  102D

THE INFLUENCE OF ANTECEDENT FLOW CONDITIONS ON AQUATIC INVERTEBRATE COMMUNITIES Defining environmental flow regimes that protect in-stream communities and ecosystem functions requires both an understanding of the role of the hydrological regime in influencing river ecosystems and quantification of these influences. The objectives of this study were to investigate whether aquatic invertebrate communities across New Zealand exhibit consistent responses to antecedent flow conditions and if so, to develop a hydrology-sensitive invertebrate-based index. Using 22 years of data from 66 sites across New Zealand, we identified several common relationships between the time since a flood and invertebrate community composition. A New Zealand specific version of the UK-based LIFE (Lotic-invertebrate Index for Flow Evaluation) index (LIFE-NZ) was then developed and tested against existing local organic-pollution sensitive invertebrate indices. LIFE-NZ was correlated with local water velocity and antecedent flow, while several existing pollution-sensitive indices were also correlated with antecedent flow. Aquatic invertebrate community composition is affected by many factors, thus indices designed to be sensitive to organic pollution or flow regime are unlikely to be entirely independent. However, hydrology-sensitive invertebrate-based indices are an additional tool available when setting environmental flows.

Michelle Greenwood (Primary Presenter/Author), National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, New Zealand, michelle.greenwood@niwa.co.nz;


Doug Booker (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, New Zealand, doug.booker@niwa.co.nz;


Mike Winterbourn (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Canterbury, New Zealand, .;


Brian Smith (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, New Zealand, brian.smith@niwa.co.nz;

5/19/2015  |   15:45 - 16:00   |  102D

ASSESSMENT OF MACROINVERTEBRATE TRAIT AFFINITIES ALONG A GRADIENT OF STREAMFLOW PERMANENCE IN THE XERIC REGION OF CALIFORNIA, USA Understanding biotic community distributions and dynamics along a gradient of streamflow permanence is important for conservation of biodiversity. We sampled macroinvertebrate assemblages at 27 streams in April 2014, in the Xeric Region of California, USA. Streams ranged from perennial to intermittent sites and had a median of 162 zero-flow days per year. We analyzed 58 macroinvertebrate traits on both a richness and abundance basis. Traits were analyzed as subsets characterized as life history, mobility, morphology, and ecology. We constructed traits space-resemblance matrices and tested for association with groups of environmental factors characterized as water chemistry, stream habitat, and stream flow metrics. Abundance-based traits generally had stronger associations with environmental factors compared to richness-based traits. No significant relations were found with water chemistry for either abundance- or richness-based traits. Abundance-based traits of life history, mobility, morphology, and ecology had significant relations with stream-flow metrics, and excluding ecology, all the same traits were significantly related to habitat variables. Understanding the trait relations to environmental factors is vital for protecting and conserving biodiversity in intermittent streams within arid regions of the world.

Jason May (Primary Presenter/Author), U.S. Geological Survey, California Water Science Center, jasonmay@usgs.gov;


Daren Carlisle (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), U.S. Geological Survey, dcarlisle@usgs.gov;


Larry Brown (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), U.S. Geological Survey, lrbrown@usgs.gov;


Raphael Mazor (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, raphaelm@sccwrp.org;


Eric Stein (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, erics@sccwrp.org;


Andrew C. Rehn (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, arehn@sbcglobal.net;

5/19/2015  |   16:00 - 16:15   |  102D

USING ODONATE EXUVIAE TO DETERMINE POPULATION SEX RATIO AND SEXUAL DIMORPHISM IN BODY SIZE AT EMERGENCE Odonate life histories are intricately tied with the water as well as land, especially during the critical transition from nymph to adult. Understanding the relationship between flow, habitat connectivity and habitat sustainability is key to the development of sustainable management strategies for species of interest. The purpose of this study was to determine the population sex ratio and the relative body size of each sex at emergence for several Odonate species using exuviae. We collected exuviae over 21 days in May and June 2014 from 12 sites near Grand Lake and along the Saint John River in New Brunswick, Canada. Over 2000 exuviae were collected and represent at least 27 species of Odonata. The most abundant species of which were Cobra Clubtail (Gomphus vastus). Using exuviae we can examine Odonate populations without collecting adult individuals, which is important for studying the Skillet Clubtail (Gomphus ventricosus), a local species at risk. Examining the sex ratio and sexual dimorphism in body size at emergence can provide valuable information about the population dynamics and life histories of Odonate species.

Zoe O'Malley (Primary Presenter/Author), University of New Brunswick, r612r@unb.ca;


Jessica Orlofske (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Wisconsin - Parkside, orlofske@uwp.edu;


Wendy Monk (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Environment and Climate Change Canada @ Canadian Rivers Institute, Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada, wmonk@unb.ca;


Allen Curry (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of New Brunswick, racurry@unb.ca;

5/19/2015  |   16:15 - 16:30   |  102D

USING BLOOD HYDROGEN ISOTOPE ❨Δ ²H❩ MEASUREMENTS OF LAKE STURGEON ❨ACIPENSER FLUVESCENS❩ FOR TRACKING MOVEMENTS AND MANAGEMENT. Lake Sturgeon are native to many North American lake and river systems, yet their range has diminished considerably. As part of their recovery, it is necessary to find methods of informing dam-related flow management in order to mitigate the impact of hydroelectric power generation has on this species. Lake Sturgeon are endemic to the Saskatchewan River system but move in waters that differ in isotopic composition. We used a field study and a lab experiment to determine both migration history and timing since migration based on stable hydrogen isotope ?? ²H? in the blood of lake sturgeon. Isotopic determination of lake sturgeon migration routes were consistent with the results of co-occurring radio-telemetry studies, and blood ? ²H values were a function of environmental water exposure and not diet. We describe a new tool to track fish migrations cheaply and less invasively than telemetry for cases where fish move among isotopically different waters. Further, we outline how to apply these results to a inform in-stream flow regimes downstream of Northern Great Plains large hydroelectric facilities.

Iain Phillips (Primary Presenter/Author), Water Security Agency of Saskatchewan, iain.phillips@wsask.ca;


Keith Hobson (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Western Ontario, khobson6@uwo.ca;

5/19/2015  |   16:30 - 16:45   |  102D

MORPHOLOGICAL VARIATION IN CAMPOSTOMA ANOMALUM ACROSS HYDROLOGIC REGIMES. Environmental heterogeneity in streams is largely determined by hydrologic regimes. Because hydrology controls many attributes of the physical environment, organisms adapt and evolve in response to maintained hydrologic regimes. Adaptations may be the result of phenotypic plasticity or genetic divergence, both of which play roles in speciation and evolution. This research utilizes a comparative field study and mesocosm experiment to determine (1) morphological differences between Campostoma anomalum inhabiting two distinct flow regimes and (2) whether phenotypic plasticity or genetic divergence is predominantly driving morphological variation in Campostoma anomalum across hydrologic gradients. We hypothesize Campostoma anomalum from hydrologically variable streams will exhibit smaller anterior body regions, larger caudal regions and less streamlined forms, while Campostoma anomalum from hydrologically stable streams will exhibit larger anterior body regions, smaller caudal regions and streamlined bodies, and variation in body morphology is predominately due to genetic divergence between populations. This study contributes to the understanding of how environmental factors drive natural selection, and may provide insight into the evolutionary consequences of disrupting natural hydrologic patterns, which are increasingly threatened by climate change and anthropogenic alterations.

Lindsey Bruckerhoff (Primary Presenter/Author), Kansas State University, lbrucke@ksu.edu;


Daniel Magoulick (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Arkansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Arkansas, danmag@uark.edu;