6/05/2017  |   09:15 - 09:30   |  306C

ASSESSING CONTEMPORARY DISTURBANCE AND CLIMATE CHANGE RISKS FOR MICHIGAN’S VULNERABLE STREAM FISHES We assessed the vulnerability of stream fishes of greatest conservation need in Michigan to current and future environmental threats. We first developed habitat suitability models for 27 stream fishes using MaxEnt, incorporating current stream temperature and flow estimates as predictors. We then developed future habitat suitable projections using 13 climate change models for mid and late century. Model results were then used to examine both the individual and combined vulnerability of highly suitable stream habitats to habitat fragmentation, anthropogenic landscape disturbances, and climate change. Warmwater and large river fishes gained habitat under climate change due to increased water temperatures and stream flows, while coolwater and coldwater fishes are projected to lose habitat. Analysis of fragmentation among streams habitats indicates high levels of fragmentation for many stream fishes. In addition, nearly 53% of highly suitable stream fish habitats are moderately to severely disturbed from agriculture and urban development. Assessing multiple threats to stream fish habitats, both contemporary and future, is needed to provide information vital to ongoing stream fish conservation efforts.

Arthur Cooper (Primary Presenter/Author), Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, coopera6@msu.edu;


Kevin Wehrly ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Michigan Department of Natural Resources, wehrlyk@michigan.gov;


Presentation:
This presentation has not yet been uploaded.

6/05/2017  |   09:30 - 09:45   |  306C

A FISH EYE VIEW OF ‘BROWNING’: DIRECT VS INDIRECT EFFECTS OF ORGANIC MATTER LOADING ON FISH-ZOOPLANKTON INTERACTIONS Mechanisms driving the ‘browning’ of fresh waters are currently under intense investigation. However, less is known about the direct and indirect effects browning will have on the structure and function of aquatic communities. We investigated the effect of browning on larval Micropterus salmoides and their zooplankton prey. Experimental tanks were established in the laboratory where water color was altered with increasing concentrations of Super Hume (absorbance at 440 nm = 1.4 – 9.6 m<-1>). Direct effects on foraging efficiency and selectivity were assessed with short-term feeding experiments. Indirect effects were assessed over the course of one month, observing changes in the growth and abundance of algae and zooplankton and subsequent effects on fish feeding rate and growth. Browning did not directly alter the ability of larval fish to see and capture prey across our brown water treatments. However, we did observe significant indirect effects on fish due to decreases in algae and zooplankton with increased water color. Thus, browning is likely to reduce energy transfer to larval fish during a critical stage of development due to a reduction in prey availability rather than a reduction in visual acuity.

Jacob Spain ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Longwood University, jacob.spain@live.longwood.edu;


Troy Clift ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Longwood University, troy.clift@live.longwood.edu;


Dina Leech (Primary Presenter/Author), Longwood University, leechdm@longwood.edu;


Presentation:
This presentation has not yet been uploaded.

6/05/2017  |   09:45 - 10:00   |  306C

CAN ACID DEPOSITION RECOVERY AND CHANGING WATER CLARITY INSULATE FISH IN MOUNTAIN LAKES FROM CHANGING CLIMATE CONDITIONS? With over two decades of declining acid deposition across eastern North America, we are seeing a strong recovery of coldwater fish in many historically acidified lakes in New York State. Unfortunately, while ecological recovery from acidification is progressing in surface water environments, these systems face new threats from climate change. Coldwater fish communities across eastern North America recovering from acidification face projected increases in frequency and severity of hot summers, shifting concern for these communities from surface water acidity to thermal stress. Data from lakes in Adirondack Mountains of New York, however, suggest that changes in water clarity associated with acid deposition recovery may enhance lake stratification leading to shallower thermocline development, thereby increasing coldwater refuge habitat in these lakes during mid-summer. Changes in lake clarity and decreasing thermocline depth that in-turn increase thermal refuge habitat could mitigate against impacts of climate change for thermally sensitive fish species in these lake systems.

Dana Warren (Primary Presenter/Author), Oregon State University, dana.warren@oregonstate.edu;


Daniel Josephson ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Cornell University, dcj3@cornell.edu;


Clifford Kraft ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Cornell University, cek7@cornell.edu;


Charles Driscoll ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Syracuse University, ctdrisco@syr.edu ;


Presentation:
This presentation has not yet been uploaded.

6/05/2017  |   10:00 - 10:15   |  306C

The Clean Water Act and Carolina and Delmarva Bays and Pocosins The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the primary federal law in the United States for protecting the quality of aquatic resources, including wetlands. A better understanding of connectivity within the aquatic ecosystem has become a key analytical component for those implementing the CWA or potentially affected by its requirements. Along the Atlantic Coastal plain, wetlands known as Carolina and Delmarva bays and pocosins have received attention from the scientific community after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decisions in SWANCC (2001) and Rapanos (2006), as they are often considered to be “geographically isolated.” This presentation will discuss the chemical, physical, and biological connectivity of Carolina and Delmarva bays and pocosins to larger downstream waters; the effects these wetlands have downstream; and the treatment of these wetland types under current regulations defining which waters are covered under the CWA.

Rose Kwok (Primary Presenter/Author), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, kwok.rose@epa.gov;


Presentation:
This presentation has not yet been uploaded.

6/05/2017  |   10:15 - 10:30   |  306C

Connectivity Matters: Portfolios Of Hydrologic Connections Among Geographically Isolated Wetlands And To Rivers Are Important Determinants Of Watershed Functions Wetlands are being lost or degraded more quickly than any other type of ecosystem. A particularly vulnerable landscape is the Prairie Pothole Region of central North America, where a vast majority of the wetlands that were left after the retreat of the last glacier have been lost over the last century due to human activities. The small and isolated nature of these “geographically isolated” wetlands means that they are often not considered worthy of protection; however, we developed both satellite-based measurements and process-based models to estimate both surface and subsurface hydrological connections at local (wetland to neighboring wetlands) and watershed (wetland to rivers) scales. We then applied the fused measurements and models to explore their determinants of biogeochemical function (e.g., nitrogen removal and phosphorus retention) and biodiversity function. Our science – both measurements and models – provides clear evidence of the interdependence of hydrologic connectivity on biogeochemistry and biodiversity and important insight into why these vulnerable wetlands must be protected to ensure watershed functions.

Irena Creed (Primary Presenter/Author), School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, irena.creed@usask.ca;
Irena Frances Creed is a Professor and Canada Research Chair in Watershed Sciences at Western University in Canada. Her research leadership and activity have improved our understanding of watershed hydrological and biogeochemical functions under present and predicted climate scenarios. By coupling this understanding with innovative techniques in geographic information systems, remote sensing and modeling to characterize these functions, she has enabled governments to develop planning and regulatory tools in support of innovative policies designed to ensure the sustainability of watershed systems.

Ali Ameli ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Western University, ameli.ali.shz.u@gmail.com;


Ben DeVries ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Maryland, bdv@umd.edu;


Marta Zaffaroni ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Western University, zaffaronimarta@gmail.com;


Patrizia Zamberletti ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Western University, patrizia.zamberletti@gmail.com;


Francesco Accatino ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Institut national de la recherche agronomique, francesco.accatino@gmail.com;


Presentation:
This presentation has not yet been uploaded.