6/06/2017  |   09:00 - 09:15   |  302B

GIS-BASED CLASSIFICATION OF RIVERS FOR STUDIES OF MACROSYSTEM ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT The field of riverine macrosystem ecology remains broadly defined and understudied. Previous research has focused on a range of scales, with many possible approaches to identifying the physical variables essential for analyzing aquatic systems. Based on previous research, we have found that a small selection of variables related to hydrogeomorphic structure are adequate for characterizing rivers at the macrosystem scale. To extract and organize these variables, we developed a set of GIS-based tools, termed RESonate, which can automatically extract hydrogeomorphic variables from readily available geospatial datasets and modeling procedures. This approach can assess the character of large river networks quickly and at very low cost. While this methodology has been applied to multiple river systems, the procedure of validating the selection outcomes has not been properly analyzed, nor has it been used on geographically disparate systems. As such, we provide an example of river classification for closely analogous mountain steppe ecoregions in the United States and Mongolia. We outline the advantages of the tool in performing regional to watershed scale analysis, as well as additional methodologies that have been incorporated to support site selection and sampling strategies for aquatic ecologists.

Nicholas Kotlinski (Primary Presenter/Author), Kansas Biological Survey, University of Kansas, kotlinskikansas@gmail.com;


James H. Thorp ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Kansas/Kansas Biological Survey, thorp@ku.edu;


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6/06/2017  |   09:15 - 09:30   |  302B

MACROECOLOGICAL RIVERINE COMPARISONS OF THREE BASINS IN MOUNTAIN STEPPE ECOREGION OF THE GREAT BASIN This component of the MACRO (Macroecological Riverine Synthesis) project focuses on characterization of hydro-geomorphology to relate riverine ecology through Functional Process Zones (FPZs) as defined by Thorp, et al. (2006). The overall project will include a comparison of riverine ecosystems of temperate and mountain steppe ecosystems between Continental United States and Mongolia. In the first year data was collected using adapted EPA Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) (McDonald et al., 2002) and Physical Habitat (PHAB) protocols to provide characterization of selected sites associated with four different FPZs on three rivers (Carson, Bear and Humbolt) in the Great Basin. This information is used to compare riverine physical habitat characteristics along basins and between basins and to compare FPZ characterization to geomorphologic characterization through principal component and cluster analysis. References: Thorp, J. H., M. C. Thoms, and M. D. Delong. 2006. The riverine ecosystem synthesis: Biocomplexity in river networks across space and time. River Research and Applications 22:123-147. Michael E. McDonald, Steven Paulsen, Roger Blair, et al. 2002. Research Strategy, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program. Environmental Protection Agency Archive

John Costello (Primary Presenter/Author), South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, john.costello@mines.sdsmt.edu;


Nicholas Kotlinski ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Kansas Biological Survey, University of Kansas, kotlinskikansas@gmail.com;


Scott Kenner ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Scott.Kenner@sdsmt.edu;


James H. Thorp ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Kansas/Kansas Biological Survey, thorp@ku.edu;


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6/06/2017  |   09:30 - 09:45   |  302B

THE LAKE-CATCHMENT (LAKECAT) DATASET FOR CHARACTERIZING HYDROLOGICALLY-RELEVANT LANDSCAPE FEATURES FOR LAKES ACROSS THE CONTERMINOUS US Lake conditions, including their biota, respond to both natural and human-related landscape features. Characterizing these features within the contributing areas (i.e., delineated watersheds) of lakes could improve the analysis and the sustainable use and management of these important aquatic resources. However, the specialized geospatial techniques required to define and characterize lake watersheds has limited their widespread use in both scientific and management efforts. We developed the LakeCat Dataset to improve the accessibility of such information for lakes within the conterminous US (CONUS). LakeCat parallels another recent USEPA dataset developed for streams (i.e., StreamCat). LakeCat contains watershed-level characterizations of several hundred natural (e.g., soils, geology, climate, and land cover) and anthropogenic (e.g., urbanization, agriculture, mining, and forest management) landscape features for ca. 376,000 lakes across the CONUS. LakeCat can be quickly paired with lake samples to provide independent variables for modeling and other analyses. We will present the LakeCat framework, main features of the dataset, and examples of linking field data to LakeCat to model and predict the condition of all lakes nationally rather than only those that have been sampled.

Ryan Hill (Primary Presenter/Author), US Environmental Protection Agency, hill.ryan@epa.gov;
Ryan Hill is an aquatic ecologist with the U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development. He is interested in how watershed conditions drive differences in freshwater diversity and water quality across the United States. He has worked extensively with federal physical, chemical, and biological datasets to gain insights into the factors affecting water quality and biotic condition of freshwaters across the conterminous US. He has also worked to develop and distribute large datasets of geospatial watershed metrics for streams and lakes for the Agency (EPA’s StreamCat and LakeCat datasets). Ryan completed his PhD in Watershed Ecology at Utah State University in 2013 with Dr. Chuck Hawkins. He was an ORISE postdoctoral fellowship at the U.S. EPA from 2014-2019 before joining the EPA in 2019.

Marc Weber ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), US EPA, Pacific Ecological Systems Division, Corvallis, OR, weber.marc@epa.gov;


Rick Debbout ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), CSRA, debbout.rick@epa.gov;


Scott Leibowitz ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), US EPA, Pacific Ecological Systems Division, Corvallis, OR, leibowitz.scott@epa.gov;


Anthony Olsen ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), EPA, olsen.tony@epa.gov;


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6/06/2017  |   09:45 - 10:00   |  302B

MACRO-SCALE AND LOCAL DRIVERS OF ANNUAL METABOLISM IN STREAMS AND RIVERS In streams and rivers, ecosystem services integrate metabolic processes over timescales of seasons to years. Major theories of metabolism describe local, regional, and longitudinal patterns at similar timescales. In contrast, our empirical understanding of gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER) derives from measurements spanning much shorter periods. Here we synthesize newly-estimated and previously published annual metabolic rates from >350 streams and rivers to understand their patterns and drivers. Metabolism varied less among than within years, suggesting that annual rates are the appropriate timescale to compare systems. Effects of drainage area on GPP varied with climate and land use, but a newly-developed light model that incorporates both local and regional factors better explained these patterns. ER was better predicted by GPP in larger channels, where more light supports production and more discharge dilutes terrestrial inputs. Net Ecosystem Production (NEP) was virtually always negative, and extreme heterotrophy occurred near pollutant discharge points (NPDES) and canal discharges. We conclude that annual metabolism of modern river networks reflects both broad-scale climatic and terrestrial patterns as well as local anthropogenic drivers.

Jim Heffernan (Primary Presenter/Author), Duke University, james.heffernan@duke.edu;


Philip Savoy ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Duke University, philip.savoy@gmail.com;


Edward Stets ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), US Geological Survey, tedstets@gmail.com;


Alison Appling ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), US Geological Survey, alison.appling@gmail.com;


Emily Bernhardt ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Duke University, ebernhar@duke.edu;


Jordan Read ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), US Geological Survey, jread@usgs.gov;


Emily Stanley ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Wisconsin - Madison, ehstanley@wisc.edu;


Robert O. Hall ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Flathead Lake Biological Station, University of Montana, bob.hall@flbs.umt.edu;


Maite Arroita ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of the Basque Country, maite.arroita@ehu.eus;


Jacques Finlay ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Minnesota, jfinlay@umn.edu;


Natalie Griffiths ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, griffithsna@ornl.gov;


Jud Harvey ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), U. S. Geological Survey, National Research Program, Reston, VA, USA, jwharvey@usgs.gov;


David Lorenz ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), US Geological Survey, lorenz@usgs.gov;


Charles Yackulic ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), USGS Southwest Biological Science Center, Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, cyackulic@usgs.gov;


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6/06/2017  |   10:00 - 10:15   |  302B

MACROSCALE PATTERNS OF FACTORS CONTROLLING RIVER METABOLISM IN THREE TEMPERATE STEPPE RIVER BASINS Large rivers of the temperate steppe provide key habitats and water resources. We can characterize the trophic status of river reaches through estimation of riverine metabolism represented by gross primary productivity (GPP), ecosystem respiration (ER), and net ecosystem production (NEP). We anticipated increased GPP and autotrophic respiration with a corresponding decrease in heterotrophic respiration along the upstream to downstream, high to low energy, and narrow to wide gradients. We collected diel oxygen, temperature, light, and geo/hydromorphologic data in three large temperate steppe watersheds distributed broadly across the Western United States, and used a single-station Bayesian model to estimate GPP, ER, and aeration (k) from 41 stream sites in several functional processing zones. The model struggled to fit upland high energy sites with highest aeration and GPP>>ER. Upland sites exhibited more variable GPP, ER, K, and net ecosystem productivity (NEP) than lowlands. Our results unexpectedly indicated that upland low energy sites exhibited higher aeration than lowland high energy sites. Our data suggest a hybrid functional processing/ river continuum model applies to macro-scale patterns of river metabolism.

Walter Dodds ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Kansas State University, wkdodds@ksu.edu;


Sudeep Chandra ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Global Water Center and Biology Department, University of Nevada, Reno, sudeep@unr.edu;


Anne Schechner (Primary Presenter/Author), Kansas State University, anneschechner@ksu.edu;


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6/06/2017  |   10:15 - 10:30   |  302B

Thermal perfomance curves for whole ecosystem metabolism reveal pronounced thermal optima In the last decade, the influence of temperature on GPP and ER and the response of GPP to variation in light intensity have been formalized in dynamic models describing diel changes in dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration. We used a dynamic model for DO and Markov chain Monte Carlo to estimate parameters prescribing the light response of GPP and the temperature sensitivity of GPP and ER for multiple stream reaches in 3 biomes on a daily basis. We found that thermal optima, the temperatures that maximize DO production (autotrophy) or consumption (heterotrophy), often exist for individual reaches. In temperate streams, optima tend to fall below or at mean daily temperatures, whereas in colder, high-latitude streams, optima occur at or above mean daily temperatures. Optimal temperature, although variable across reaches and biomes, does not vary predictably with temperature sensitivity of GPP and ER. Furthermore, light intensity accentuates the thermal response of individual stream reaches and often increases the optimal temperature. Our results suggest that the temperature that maximizes DO flux is more consistent than other components of thermal response, e.g. Q10 and activation energy.

Ford Ballantyne (POC,Primary Presenter), University of Georgia, fb4@uga.edu;


Chao Song ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Taizhou University, songchaonk@163.com ;


Janine Ruegg ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Brandenburg University of Technology, jrueegg@GMAIL.COM;


Amy Rosemond ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Georgia, rosemond@uga.edu;


Walter Dodds ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Kansas State University, wkdodds@ksu.edu;


William Breck Bowden ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Vermont, breck.bowden@uvm.edu;


John Kominoski ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Florida International University, jkominos@fiu.edu;
John Kominoski is an ecosystem ecologist and biogeochemist who studies how effects of diverse types of disturbances interact with other long-term environmental changes to influence ecosystem structure and functions. He is the Lead PI of the Florida Coastal Everglades Long Term Ecological Research program, where his lab studies how coastal biogeochemistry is changing with hydrologic presses from saltwater intrusion from sea-level rise and hydrologic pulses from restoration and storms. The Kominoski Lab also studies how urban coastal ecosystems respond to seasonal changes in hydrology, flood pulses, and sea-level rise.

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