SFS Annual Meeting

5/21/2019  |   14:00 - 14:15   |  151 DEF

EFFECTS OF DIVERSIONS AND IMPOUNDMENTS ON CONTINUUM OF UPPER COLORADO RIVER BASIN PROCESSES We deployed dissolved oxygen (DO), specific conductivity (SpC), and pressure sensors upstream and downstream of 2 deep-release (DR) impoundments, 1 surface-release (SR) impoundment, and 2 run of the river (ROR) diversions in the Upper Colorado River Basin during summer and fall 2018. Div1 diverts water for hydropower and returns flow back to the river upstream of our sensors while div2 diverts water for irrigation. For the DR impoundments, DO increased by 0.89 and 1.64 mg/L, water temperature decreased by 2.20 and 6.53 °C, SpC decreased by 26.17 and 15.75 ?S/cm, and % DO saturation increased by 6.24 and 5.38%. For the SR impoundment, DO decreased by 0.80 mg/L, water temperature increased by 3.63 °C, SpC increased by 18.95 ?S/cm, and % DO saturation decreased by 2.38%. For the diversions, DO decreased by 0.20 and 0.16 mg/L, water temperature increased by 0.55 and 0.54 °C, % DO saturation decreased by 1.62 and 0.77% while SpC decreased by 156.31 ?S/cm and increased by 2.29 ?S/cm for div1 and div2, respectively. All impoundments have a greater effect on DO, water temperature, and % DO saturation than the diversions.

Margaret Spangler (Primary Presenter/Author), University of Colorado, margaret.spangler@colorado.edu;


Michael Gooseff (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Colorado, michael.gooseff@colorado.edu;


Robert Hensley (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) operated by Battelle, hensley@battelleecology.org;


Matthew Cohen (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Florida, mjc@ufl.edu;


Patrick Hendrickson (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Colorado, Patrick.Hendrickson@Colorado.EDU;


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5/21/2019  |   14:15 - 14:30   |  151 DEF

FLOOD DYNAMICS DRIVE THE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF RUSSIAN OLIVE INVASIONS ON A RIVERINE FLOODPLAIN Russian Olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) invasions are pervasive on North American rivers, yet mechanisms governing Russian Olive distributions on floodplains remain unclear. We hypothesized that habitat suitability and propagule pressure are influenced by flood inundation frequency, and therefore predicted a strong spatial association between inundation return interval and Russian Olive occurrence. We conducted a geospatial analysis relating Russian Olive distribution and density to flood inundation zones associated with frequent (i.e., the 1.5-year) to infrequent (i.e., the 500-year) flood return intervals in our study area, the Yellowstone River at Fort Keogh, Montana. The distribution of Russian Olive was highly spatially associated with zones of frequent inundation. Specifically, the 1.5-year to 10-year inundation zones comprise only 35% of the study area, but contain 81% of Russian Olive cover. These findings suggest that hydrochory (waterborne seed dispersal) may be an important mechanism and that frequent flooding may enhance Russian Olive habitat suitability.

Ann Marie Reinhold (Primary Presenter/Author), Montana State University, Montana Institute on Ecosystems, reinhold@montana.edu;


Natalie M. West (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), USDA-ARS Pest Management Research Unit, Natalie.West@ARS.USDA.GOV;


Erin K. Espeland (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), USDA-ARS Pest Management Research Unit, deceased;


Geoffrey Poole (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Montana State University, Montana Institute on Ecosystems, gpoole@montana.edu ;


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5/21/2019  |   14:30 - 14:45   |  151 DEF

GOING WITH THE FLOW: THE ECOLOGICAL LINKAGES OF NEOTROPICAL FISHES TO HYDROLOGY The Neotropics has numerous large river systems and the highest diversity of freshwater fishes on Earth. Flow characteristics of these rivers are a factor that has been linked to life cycle and ecology of many freshwater fishes. Human activities and their consequences, such as climate change, infrastructure development, and land use change, are altering the natural hydrology of Neotropical rivers. Hydrologic alterations also could disrupt the life cycles and ecological linkages of fishes to river flows. To quantify the ecological implications of changing hydrology on fish, a comprehensive understanding of relationships between hydrology and ecology is needed. We did a systematic review of the literature to answer: What are the relationships between the natural flow regime and the ecology of fishes in major Neotropical river systems? Our preliminary results returned >1500 papers published since 1945. Research has focused mainly in the Amazon (36%) and Parana (21%) basins. Using a text-mining approach, we identified the linkages of flow characteristics with reproduction, feeding, growth, and species. Our results could help inform new research and the decision-making process for management and conservation in the region in light of ongoing landscape and river alterations.

Guido A. Herrera-R (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Florida International University, guherrer@fiu.edu;


Elizabeth P Anderson (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA, eanderson8@gmail.com;


Aldo Farah-Pérez (Primary Presenter/Author), Florida International University, afara017@fiu.edu;


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5/21/2019  |   15:00 - 15:15   |  151 DEF

UNTANGLING EFFECTS OF PREDATORS AND LANDSCAPE FACTORS AS DRIVERS OF STREAM FISH COMMUNITY STRUCTURE Predators strongly effect stream fish at fine spatial scales, but it is unclear how these responses scale up to influence stream fish communities at broad spatial scales. Because predators and prey respond to environmental variability, measuring responses to predators requires untangling the effects of abiotic factors on both predators and prey. We collected fish community data in the summers of 2017 and 2018 and used a hierarchical modeling approach paired with structural equation modeling to determine how factors measured at the watershed and reach spatial scales influence the distribution of a predatory fish, Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides). We then compared how fish species richness and community composition responded to the presence of bass mediated by environmental factors. Bass probability of occurrence increased with catchment area, while richness responded to abiotic variation at multiple scales. Richness was higher at sites with bass, but fish community composition did not exhibit strong responses to the presence of bass. As both stream habitats and predation pressure continue to change globally, it is necessary to understand the effects of predators and environmental variation as drivers of community structure to inform management of stream biota.

Keith Gido (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Kansas State University, kgido@ksu.edu;


Michael Estey (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), US Fish and Wildlife Service, mike_estey@fws.gov;


Pamela Moore (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), US Fish and Wildlife Service, pamela_j_moore@fws.gov;


Lindsey Bruckerhoff (Primary Presenter/Author), Kansas State University, lbrucke@ksu.edu;


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