SFS Annual Meeting

5/22/2018  |   11:00 - 11:15   |  310 B

FISH ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION IN INTERMITTENT RIVERS: MAJOR ADVANCES AND KNOWLEDGE GAPS Intermittent rivers and streams are present in all climates, account for approximately one half of the global river network, and are projected to grow substantially in number due to climate change and water abstraction. Our knowledge about the ecology of fish inhabiting these systems is limited compared to our knowledge regarding other biological groups inhabiting intermittent streams and to our understanding of fish ecology in permanent waters. Researchers working with fishes tended to overlook intermittent rivers, in part because these seasonally-drying systems were often viewed as harsh, undesirable environments for fish species. Since 1990, the number of studies focusing on intermittent rivers has grown exponentially, including those about fish inhabiting these ecosystems. With the intent of comprehensively reviewing all scientific literature about fish ecology in intermittent rivers through 2016, we conducted a literature review, read all the literature covering any aspect of fish ecology in intermittent streams (380 papers), and extracted all relevant information from the articles. Here, we will present our key findings, and highlight major advances in the field as well the main knowledge gaps that may help set the course for future research.

Pablo Rodríguez-Lozano (Primary Presenter/Author), Department of Geography, University of the Balearic Islands, 07122 Palma, Spain, pablo.rodriguez@uib.es;


Jordan Wingenroth (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, California, U.S., j.wingenroth@berkeley.edu;


Stephanie Carlson (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, California, U.S., smcarlson@berkeley.edu;


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5/22/2018  |   11:15 - 11:30   |  310 B

ISOLATED STREAM POOLS: A BOTTLENECK FOR SURVIVAL OF ENDANGERED COHO SALMON (ONCORHYNCHUS KISUTCH) IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA As drying proceeds in intermittent rivers, isolated stream pools can form, stopping streamflow and generally subjecting resident biota to increased water temperature, lower dissolved oxygen and other potential limiting factors for survival. Identifying environmental factors and threshold values that trigger mortality in isolated pools is essential for predicting future effects of global change. For juvenile Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), harsh environmental conditions in isolated pools could represent a bottleneck influencing the persistence of this endangered species. We used a mixed model approach to identify environmental factors that influenced juvenile Coho salmon survival in eight stream reaches within tributaries of the Russian River, California between 2011-2016. We then used classification trees to identify threshold values of factors that correlated with drastic reductions in survival when reached. Results indicated dissolved oxygen, flow (mean, min, max), wetted volume, and water temperature limited salmon survival across all stream reaches. Among these factors, dissolved oxygen and wetted volume had the greatest influence on survival with precipitous declines at < 5mg/L and < 20 m^3, respectively. Our results inform predictions on future salmon survival and help managers identify priority reaches for protection and enhancement.

Ross Vander Vorste (Primary Presenter/Author), Rivers Study Center and Department of Biology - University of Wisconsin La Crosse , vandervorste.ross@gmail.com;


Mariska Obedzinski (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), California Sea Grant, mobedzinski@ucsd.edu;


Sarah Nossaman Pierce (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), California Sea Grant, snossamanpierce@ucsd.edu;


Ted Grantham (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of California, Berkeley, tgrantham@berkeley.edu;


Stephanie Carlson (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, California, U.S., smcarlson@berkeley.edu;


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5/22/2018  |   11:30 - 11:45   |  310 B

MACROINVERTEBRATE RESPONSE TO LOSS OF CURRENT DURING LOW FLOW EVENTS IN LOWLAND STREAMS Environmental change leads to an increase in periods of low flow in northwestern European lowland streams. One of the most common effects observed in the temperate zone is the temporal loss of current, transforming streams into stagnant water bodies. During these stagnation events the environmental conditions in the stream change drastically. To understand the effects of stagnation on the macroinvertebrate community inhabiting these systems, a 10-week field experiment (BACI) was carried out in which flow was manipulated to allow comparison between a stagnant and a flowing reach. We investigated the effects of stagnation on the macroinvertebrate community composition and characterized the changes in environmental conditions (DO, nutrients) and habitat structure (substrates, vegetation). Habitat preferences of the species collected (amongst others rheophily, saproby, sensitivity for low flows) were used to derive indicators for the different phases of degradation during stagnation.

Ralf C.M. Verdonschot (Primary Presenter/Author), Wageningen Environmental Research, ralf.verdonschot@wur.nl;


Piet F.M. Verdonschot (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Amsterdam / Wageningen Environmental Research , piet.verdonschot@wur.nl;


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5/22/2018  |   11:45 - 12:00   |  310 B

FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OF FISH COMMUNITIES FROM MEDITERRANEAN-CLIMATE STREAMS SHOW CONTRASTING RESPONSES TO DISTURBANCES Fish communities from streams and rivers in Mediterranean-climate regions present alarming declines over the last decades, and this is expected to continue due the effects of global change. Thus, more information is still needed on how freshwater fauna will respond to different types of disturbances. Here we explored community responses of fish from Mediterranean streams to anthropogenic impacts measured by the Mediterranean Reference Condition index, biotic pressures by means of the abundance of alien species, and natural environmental changes measured by flow intermittence. We used both quantitative (measured body length) and multichoice traits (reophily, feeding and reproduction habitat, feeding diet and lifespan extracted from literature) to analyse changes in traits, functional redundancy, functional richness, and response diversity. Functional redundancy decreased with flow intermittence independently of anthropogenic stressors, whereas the functional redundancy of invertivorous native fish decreased only with the combined effect of both disturbances. This suggests that anthropogenic disturbances in combination with flow intermittence could risk the resilience capacity of native fish feeding on invertebrates and, in turn, alter the whole ecosystem functioning. Biotic pressures negatively affected native species richness and altered most of functional metrics.

Núria Cid (Primary Presenter/Author), INRAE, nuria.cid-puey@inrae.fr;


Dolors Vinyoles (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Barcelona, d.vinyoles@ub.edu;


Pablo Rodríguez-Lozano (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Department of Geography, University of the Balearic Islands, 07122 Palma, Spain, pablo.rodriguez@uib.es;


Cayetano Gutiérrez-Cánovas (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Barcelona, cayeguti@um.es ;


Nuria Bonada (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Barcelona, bonada@ub.edu;


Pau Fortuño (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Barcelona, pfortuno@ub.edu;


Jérôme Latron (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), IDAEA-CSIC, jerome.latron@idaea.csic.es;


Pilar Llorens (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), IDAEA-CSIC, pilar.llorens@idaea.csic.es;


Francesc Gallart (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), IDAEA-CSIC, francesc.gallart@idaea.csic.es;


Narcís Prat (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Barcelona, nprat.ub.edu;


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5/22/2018  |   12:00 - 12:15   |  310 B

BIOLOGICAL TRAITS REVEAL CONTRASTING AQUATIC INVERTEBRATE DISPERSAL STRATEGIES IN PERENNIAL AND INTERMITTENT RIVERS. Dispersal is a key process in community assembly that depends on endogenous (an organism’s biological capacity) and exogenous (connectivity of habitats) factors. Contrary to perennial rivers, intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams experience loss of hydrological connectivity, which is likely to affect dispersal processes. However, little is known about the relative roles of exogenous and endogenous dispersal factors in shaping communities. We created a database compiling nine dispersal-related traits for 420 aquatic invertebrate genera from Europe and used it to assess the effect of flow intermittence on community dispersal capacity. While traits related to weak dispersal abilities were dominant in intermittent rivers, perennial rivers were colonized by organisms with large wings and long life span, indicating contrasting dispersal strategies between the two river types. Our results suggest that exogenous factors such as wind direction or topography may affect dispersal more strongly in intermittent than perennial rivers. Therefore, intermittent river communities could be particularly sensitive to spatial isolation. Further exploration of the effects of endogenous and exogenous dispersal on community assembly is needed to better predict community responses to environmental changes.

Romain Sarremejane (Primary Presenter/Author), Nottingham Trent University, romain.sarremejane02@ntu.ac.uk;


Núria Cid (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), INRAE, nuria.cid-puey@inrae.fr;


Miguel Cañedo-Argüelles (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Barcelona, mcanedo.fem@gmail.com;


Adolfo Cordero-Rivera (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Vigo, adolfo.cordero@uvigo.es;


Zoltán Csabai (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Pécs, Department of Hydrobiology, csabai@gamma.ttk.pte.hu;


Thibault Datry (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), INRAE, France, Thibault.datry@inrae.fr;


Cayetano Gutiérrez-Cánovas (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Barcelona, cayeguti@um.es.es;


Jani Heino (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Finnish Environment Institute, Jani.Heino@ymparisto.fi;


Andrés Millán (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Universidad de Murcia, acmillan@um.es;


Amael Paillex (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), ECOTEC Environment SA, 1203, Geneva, Switzerland, amael.paillex@eawag.ch;


Petr Paril (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Masaryk University, paril@sci.muni.cz;


Rachel Stubbington (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Nottingham Trent University, rachel.stubbington@ntu.ac.uk;


J. Manuel Tierno de Figueroa (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Granada, jmtdef@ugr.es;


Philippe Usseglio-Polatera (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Continental Environments (LIEC), CNRS UMR 7360, University of Lorraine, France, philippe.usseglio-polatera@univ-lorraine.fr;


Carmen Zamora-Muñoz (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Granada, czamora@ugr.es;


Nuria Bonada (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Barcelona, bonada@ub.edu;


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