Wednesday, May 25, 2016
10:30 - 12:00

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10:30 - 10:45: / 313 CLIMATE CHANGE AND FRESHWATER BIODIVERSITY

5/25/2016  |   10:30 - 10:45   |  313

CLIMATE CHANGE AND FRESHWATER BIODIVERSITY Human-caused climate change is altering the physical, chemical, and biological nature of river ecosystems. We generally understand that alterations in thermal and flow regimes will directly and indirectly affect both individual populations and patterns of local and regional biodiversity. However, predicting how specific river ecosystems and their biota will respond to future climate change is challenging because of uncertainties in climate change projections, imprecise understanding of the ecological requirements of many species, and the likelihood of context-specific responses of individual rivers to climate change. In this talk, we review the state-of-the-science regarding how climate change will likely influence river biodiversity, identify the factors that influence vulnerability of individual rivers, and summarize the options for mitigating its effects. We also show how use of existing large data sets, new analytical techniques, and ongoing advances in computing power are enabling development of precise stream climate models and biological assessments that have broad utility for advancing the science of stream ecology.

Charles Hawkins (Primary Presenter/Author), Utah State University, chuck.hawkins@usu.edu;


Daniel Isaak ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Research and Development, United States Forest Service, Boise, Idaho 83702, disaak@fs.fed.us;


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10:45 - 11:00: / 313 EFFECTS OF BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS ON LARGE-RIVER ECOSYSTEMS

5/25/2016  |   10:45 - 11:00   |  313

EFFECTS OF BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS ON LARGE-RIVER ECOSYSTEMS Humans have carelessly moved thousands of species of animals, plants, and microbes out of their native ranges, so that rivers around the world now contain many non-native species. In some cases, these non-native species are among the most abundant species in the ecosystem, and have effects on species composition, ecosystem processes, and provision of ecosystem services that are as large or larger than those arising from any other human actions. Nevertheless, we do not have broad-scale, comprehensive, quantitative assessments of biological invasions in rivers comparable to those that are available for other human impacts. Likewise, efforts to control biological invasions, and even recognition of biological invasions as a coherent environmental issue, lag behind those directed at many other issues affecting large rivers. An important, unusual challenge is that single poorly informed or malicious people can have such large effects. Because ecosystems recover from biological invasions so slowly (if at all) compared to many other threats, it is especially important for the long-term management of large rivers that we better understand and control biological invasions.

David Strayer (Primary Presenter/Author), Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, strayerd@caryinstitute.org;


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11:00 - 11:15: / 313 URBANIZATION: USING RESISTANCE TO THIS HOMOGENIZING FORCE TO INFORM MANAGEMENT

5/25/2016  |   11:00 - 11:15   |  313

URBANIZATION: USING RESISTANCE TO THIS HOMOGENIZING FORCE TO INFORM MANAGEMENT Urban development is a homogenizing force in the landscape, producing urban streams across the globe that are more similar to each other than to undisturbed streams within the region. However, differences in climate, natural hydrologic and geologic settings, urban infrastructure, and trajectories of development create variability within an already constrained, homogenizing system. The differences in responses can provide valuable information about mechanisms by which urban disturbances impact stream ecosystem structure and function and can also be used to guide stream protection and restoration. For example, if we can identify natural conditions that provide resistance to low levels of urbanization (e.g., coarse substrates, high water storage capacity, metapopulation connectivity), streams can be managed to provide these conditions or protect streams with these characteristics. Likewise, identifying patterns of urban development and approaches to stormwater management that can minimize impacts of urban disturbance can be used to guide land protection and water management. The next decade of urban stream ecology will involve understanding characteristics that make streams more resistant to urban disturbance as a means to inform management decisions in urbanizing landscapes.

Allison Roy (POC,Primary Presenter), U.S. Geological Survey, Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Massachusetts Amherst, aroy@eco.umass.edu;


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11:15 - 11:30: / 313 MINIMIZING STORMWATER RUNOFF IMPACTS TO STREAMS AND RIVERS THROUGH TARGETED FLOW THRESHOLDS: THE BIOLOGICAL RELEVANCE OF QCRITICAL

5/25/2016  |   11:15 - 11:30   |  313

MINIMIZING STORMWATER RUNOFF IMPACTS TO STREAMS AND RIVERS THROUGH TARGETED FLOW THRESHOLDS: THE BIOLOGICAL RELEVANCE OF QCRITICAL The discharge threshold that initiates streambed mobilization (Qcritical) has been proposed as a geomorphically and biologically relevant target in a recent stormwater management framework proposed by Hawley and Vietz (2016). Although the geomorphic relevance of Qcritical is well established, its influence on biological communities is less documented. To isolate the effects of streambed disturbance on biotic integrity, we used a seven year study at a regional reference site. In the absence of commonly co-occurring drivers in urbanizing streams (habitat loss, poor water quality), streambed disturbance was the dominant driver of variability, with biological indices and geomorphic stability significantly correlated to the amount of time since a Qcritical event. Placed in the context of a 73 site dataset across an urbanization gradient, reference site biological index scores during sample years with atypically frequent Qcritical events were more similar to streams draining catchments with ~30% total impervious area. This study underscores the impact Qcritical exceedance can have on biological communities, suggesting stormwater management should work toward maintaining the natural flow/disturbance regime in order to minimize the impacts of the urban disturbance regime.

Matthew Wooten (Primary Presenter/Author), Northern Kentucky Sanitation District No.1 (SD1), mwooten@sd1.org;


Robert Hawley ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Sustainable Streams, LLC, bob.hawley@sustainablestreams.com;


Elizabeth Fet ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Northern Kentucky Sanitation District No.1 (SD1), efet@sd1.org;


Katherine MacMannis ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Sustainable Streams, LLC, katie.macmannis@sustainablestreams.com;


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11:30 - 11:45: / 313 MIDWESTERN RIVERS: ARE THEY HOTSPOTS, BUFFERS, OR SENTINELS OF AGRICULTURAL LAND USE?

5/25/2016  |   11:30 - 11:45   |  313

MIDWESTERN RIVERS: ARE THEY HOTSPOTS, BUFFERS, OR SENTINELS OF AGRICULTURAL LAND USE? The Midwest has undergone extensive land use change as forest, wetlands, and prairies have been converted to agro-ecosystems, and excess nutrients are a key stressor in agricultural river networks. Given their nutrient status, we expected that Midwestern rivers would have compromised nutrient removal capacity, yet recent research has shown that riverine demand is not necessarily saturated. Nutrient uptake per unit distance was higher in rivers, compared to well-studied headwater streams, suggesting they act as hotspots of nutrient processing. In order to understand the role of riverine nutrient dynamics in light of their headwaters, we studied two river networks with contrasting land use, using a seasonal synoptic sampling regime. As expected, we found that nutrient concentrations were strongly influenced by agriculture, but river mainstems also acted as land use buffers compared to impacted tributaries. Finally, while rivers can act as sentinels of land use change in their catchments, agricultural impacts on rivers can be mitigated. We estimate that recent restoration of ~30,000 acres of floodplain in the Wabash River Basin may equate to measurable regional reductions in nutrient and sediment export.

Jennifer L. Tank (Primary Presenter/Author), University of Notre Dame, tank.1@nd.edu;


Martha M. Dee ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Notre Dame, mdee@nd.edu;


Alessandra Marzadri ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Center for Ecohydraulics Research, University of Idaho , marzadri@ing.unitn.it;


Daniele Tonina ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Center for Ecohydraulics Research, University of Idaho, dtonina@uidaho.edu ;


Alberto Bellin ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Trento, Trento, Italy, Alberto.Bellin@unitn.it ;


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11:45 - 12:00: / 313 OPTICAL WATER QUALITY AND HUMAN PERCEPTIONS OF RIVERS: AN ETHNOHYDROLOGY STUDY

5/25/2016  |   11:45 - 12:00   |  313

OPTICAL WATER QUALITY AND HUMAN PERCEPTIONS OF RIVERS: AN ETHNOHYDROLOGY STUDY Rivers are revered worldwide for their ecologic, scenic, and recreational value. The capacity to communicate effectively among human groups with vested interest in rivers hinges on understanding the nature of human perceptions of water quality and the extent to which they vary intra-culturally. Further, communication can be enhanced with an understanding of the intersection between measured water quality and characteristics of rivers that influence human perceptions. With underwater photographs and measurements of clarity, total suspended solids, particulate phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a concentrations, we conducted a pile-sort activity and interviews with water quality experts and non-experts. Analyses suggested human evaluation of water quality is guided by culturally-constructed criteria, regardless of respondent expertise, experience, or demographics. However, text analysis of responses revealed notable differences in the frequency patterns of descriptive words used by participants. Additionally, measured physical and chemical parameters were strongly related to perceived differences among the underwater images. We suggest that, regardless of variability between individuals, observable characteristics may be the foundation for a common understanding of water quality in rivers.

Amie West (Primary Presenter/Author), University of Arkansas, aowest@uark.edu;


Justin Nolan ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Arkansas, jmnolan@uark.edu;


Thad Scott ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Baylor University, Thad_Scott@baylor.edu ;


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