SFS Annual Meeting

5/24/2018  |   11:00 - 11:15   |  321

A SOCIAL-ECOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF RIVERINE HABITAT COMPLEXITY: INSECT EMERGENCE, TERRESTRIAL INSECTIVORES, AND PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS Emergence of adult aquatic insects constitutes a resource flux that can influence a suite of terrestrial insectivores, and the timing, magnitude, and composition of these aquatic–terrestrial fluxes can vary considerably in space. Thus, spatial complexity of riverine habitats (or, reciprocally, their homogenization) may influence numerous terrestrial organisms, but these relationships are poorly understood. We conducted a comparative study during summer of 2016 to investigate the effect of spatial heterogeneity on the emergence of aquatic insects, and subsequent consequences for terrestrial predators (using spiders and bats as indicator species) on the Portneuf River in southeast Idaho. Additionally, we administered a social survey assessing public perceptions of habitat complexity to better understand the ways in which people might support or oppose restoration efforts. Although our ecological study demonstrated that complex habitats support greater fluxes of insect emergence and increased densities of riparian spiders, the results of the social survey revealed a potential mismatch. While citizens generally recognized the ecological importance of heterogeneity, they tended to exhibit preference for only moderately complex river systems. Our findings provide a direct, locally relevant basis to inform and adapt restoration efforts planned for the Portneuf River.

Jade Ortiz (Primary Presenter/Author), Idaho State University, ortijade@isu.edu;


Colden Baxter (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Idaho State University, baxtcold@isu.edu;


Donna Lybecker (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Idaho State University, lybedonn@isu.edu;


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5/24/2018  |   11:15 - 11:30   |  321

A STUDY OF RELATIONAL VALUES IN A SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL RIVER SYSTEM: CONNECTIONS BETWEEN FISHING AND HUMAN WELL-BEING Relational values link people and ecosystems via tangible and intangible relationships to nature as well as the principles, virtues and notions of a good life that may accompany these, and their investigation may reframe discussions about environmental protection. Although examples of relational values provided by river systems may be easily perceived by the general public, such as family bonding or relaxation by fishing and recreation, the social and cultural foundations that shape them in river social-ecological systems remain unclear. We used the Henrys Fork Watershed located in Eastern Idaho, a world renowned fishing destination, as a model river-system to explore the linkages between fishing and relational values. We conducted 282 face-to-face social surveys to explore, a) the social importance of different river-ecosystem services and linkages with human well-being, b) perceived benefits provided by fishing as well as factors impacting fish species, and c) differences among stakeholders. Preliminary results indicate 80.6% of unprompted survey respondents identified a form of cultural ecosystem services; and 29% of those respondents directly identified fishing as a main watershed benefit. This demonstrates the importance of fishing as a cornerstone for shaping cultural identity of this region.

Adam Eckersell (Primary Presenter/Author), Idaho State University, eckeadam@isu.edu;


Loni Nelson (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Idaho State University, Idaho State University;


Rob VanKirk (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Henry's Fork Foundation, robert.vankirk@humboldt.edu;


Christina Quintas Soriano (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Idaho State University, quinchris@isu.edu;


Katrina Running (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Idaho State University, runnkatr@isu.edu;


Erika Fulton (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Idaho State University, fulterik@isu.edu;


Colden Baxter (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Idaho State University, baxtcold@isu.edu;


Antonio J. Castro (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Idaho State University, castanto@isu.edu;


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5/24/2018  |   11:30 - 11:45   |  321

ANADROMY IN THE DESERT: BALANCING GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT AND MIGRATION OF ENDANGERED STEELHEAD IN A LARGE SPATIALLY INTERMITTENT WATERSHED Quantifying ecosystem services can be challenging, particularly in the context of groundwater and surface water management—as human populations expand, droughts increase in severity and duration, and costs for water resources climb, determining the degree that freshwater ecosystem health will be traded for water security becomes increasingly contentious. Adding endangered species to the mix further muddies the waters, particularly when the basic natural history needs are poorly parameterized. In the Santa Clara River watershed of southern California, steelhead face a variety of challenges as they complete their anadromous life cycle, including a spatially intermittent mainstem, substantial year-to-year variation in the timing and availability of contiguous flows, physical barriers to fish passage, as well as water diversion for human use. Unlike the rest of southern California, which relies on imported water, local rainfall (and subsequent natural and human-mediated infiltration to groundwater) provides the majority of water budget for the Santa Clara watershed. This talk will address initial efforts and challenges to understanding the life history needs of downstream migrating juvenile steelhead smolts used to inform the development of balanced instream flow budgets for fish migration and groundwater management.

Michael Booth (Primary Presenter/Author), University of Cincinnati, michael.booth@uc.edu;


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5/24/2018  |   11:45 - 12:00   |  321

ASSESSING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WATER QUALITY AND WATERSHED PROTECTION: A CASE STUDY IN QUÉBEC, CANADA The provisioning of water of adequate quality for various human uses is a critical ecosystem service for which demand is rapidly growing. Upland protection (the percentage of protected area within the associated upstream watershed of a given point), is one of the important factors that can help ensure the provision of water quality. In this study, we explore the relationship between upland protection and water quality to help inform the importance of considering watershed boundaries when creating protected areas to optimize their contribution to water quality provisioning. Focusing on water quality data from the province of Quebec, Canada (n=220), we use Generalized linear models and model selection to assess the role of upland protection and land-use on water quality. Results suggest that freshwater bodies with upland protection provide better water quality than those with none, that watersheds with agricultural or urban land-use do not provide as high quality water, whereas those with wetlands and high quality river banks do. These results demonstrate the relationship between how society manages landscapes and water quality provisioning, emphasizing the importance of strategically designing protected areas to optimize their contribution to providing clean water.

Dalal Hanna (Primary Presenter/Author), Carleton University, dalalhanna@cunet.carleton.ca;


Bernhard Lehner (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), McGill University, Montreal, bernhard.lehner@mcgill.ca;


Christopher Solomon (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, solomonc@caryinstitute.org ;


Elena Bennett (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), McGill University, elena.bennett@mcgill.ca;


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5/24/2018  |   12:00 - 12:15   |  321

DIFFERENT USES FOR DIFFERENT WATERS: A POLICY FOR TRADEOFFS IN ECOSYSTEM SERVICES ALONG HUMAN DISTURBANCE GRADIENTS Tradeoffs exist in ecosystem services along human disturbance gradients. One of the simplest of these tradeoffs is between biological condition and fisheries production along gradients of nutrient pollution. Sensitive native species are lost as nutrient pollution increases, but fisheries production increases along that same nutrient pollution gradient. Tradeoffs exist among many ecosystem services along many pollution gradients. These issues are magnified when we expand our scope of assessing ecosystem services from water to land, and from the US to the world, where values of different services change. Water policies deal with these tradeoffs more poorly than land policies, which would never expect that all lands are protected as natural as did the Clean Water Act goal of physical, chemical and biological integrity. Our EPA-STAR funded work assesses the value of water quality, game fish, and biological condition as ecosystem services and how that varies among water body types (lakes, streams, rivers, Great Lakes) in Michigan. We are working on a plan to protect different waters for different uses and thereby optimize value of ecosystem services across the state. This work demands new research questions in freshwater ecosystem conservation and sustainability.

R. Jan Stevenson (Primary Presenter/Author), Michigan State University, rjstev@msu.edu;


Joe Herriges (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Michigan State University, jah@msu.edu;


Frank Lupi (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Michigan State University, lupi@msu.edu;


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5/24/2018  |   12:15 - 12:30   |  321

DO PEOPLE KNOW THE ROLE OF MUSSEL-RELATED ECOSYSTEM SERVICES FOR HUMAN WELLBEING? Ecosystem services are the benefits that humans obtain from ecosystems. Freshwater mussels (Unionoida) provide important ecosystem services in lakes and rivers such biofiltration, nutrient cycling and storage, structural habitat, tools and jewelry, and spiritual enhancement. Freshwater mussels are globally imperiled and their conservation is threatened by human actions such as poor watershed management. An awareness by the public of the ecosystem services provided by mussels could aid in their conservation. To explore the public’s perception of mussel-provided ecosystem services, we conducted a sociocultural valuation. Our study site was a well-studied, small river in the southcentral U.S. known for its high mussel biodiversity, the Kiamichi River. We conducted 400 face-to-face interviews with watershed residents to explore social awareness of a) mussel ecosystem services and linkages with human wellbeing, b) how three different water-flow scenarios might impact ecosystem services provided by mussels. Our study demonstrates that exploring social awareness of ecosystem services is a useful tool in watershed management, as well as in freshwater mussels’ conservation

Antonio J. Castro (Primary Presenter/Author), Idaho State University, castanto@isu.edu;


Caryn C. Vaughn (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Oklahoma, carynvaughn@gmail.com;


Cristina Quintas-Soriano (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Idaho State University, quincris@isu.edu;


Noe Ferreira-Rodriguez (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Universidade de Vigo, noeferreira@uvigo.es;


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