SFS Annual Meeting

5/22/2019  |   09:00 - 09:15   |  151 ABC

MONTANA CONSORTIUM FOR RESEARCH ON ENVIRONMENTAL WATER SYSTEMS (CREWS): APPLICATION TO WATER QUALITY ISSUES IN THE UPPER CLARK FORK RIVER The Montana Consortium for Research on Environmental Water Systems (CREWS) represents a multi-institutional and interdisciplinary program applying molecular, engineering, ecological, and social sciences to water quality issues associated with mining, agricultural, and energy extraction across Montana. As one of the focal systems, the Upper Clark Fork River (UCFR) is being monitored for biogeochemical and biological recovery from over a century of mining influences and contemporary nutrient enrichment, while addressing how rural human communities respond to changes in water quality using a community resilience framework. River monitoring reveals swings in dissolved organic carbon (16.9 to 1.9 mg/L) and nitrate-N (0.35 to 0.03 mg/L) between winter and summer, reflecting high metabolic demand during the growing season. Metal concentrations throughout the UCFR are in excess of standards for aquatic life, and are delivered through food webs in ways not yet characterized. CREWS is addressing the combined influences of gradients in enrichment and metal contamination that may coincide with directional changes in how human communities perceive and respond to water quality challenges.

H. Maurice Valett (Primary Presenter/Author), University of Montana, Division of Biological Sciences, maury.valett@umontana.edu;


Benjamin Colman (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Montana, ben.colman@umontana.edu;


Wyatt Cross (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Montana State University, wyatt.cross@montana.edu ;


Juliana D'Andrilli (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Montana State University, juliana@montana.edu;


Michael DeGrandpre (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Montana, michael.degrandpre@umontana.edu;


Jerry Downey (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Montana Tech, jdowney@mtech.edu;


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


Elizabeth Metcalf (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Montana, Elizabeth.metcalf@umontana.edu;


Robert Payn (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Montana State University, Montana Institute on Ecosystems, rpayn@montana.edu;


Marc Peipoch (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Stroud Water Research Center, mpeipoch@stroudcenter.org;


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5/22/2019  |   09:15 - 09:30   |  151 ABC

MACROPHYTES AND NUTRIENTS IN A STREAM SYSTEM: UTILIZING AND EVALUATING THE QUAL2K MODEL IN THE HENRY’S FORK OF THE SNAKE RIVER Water quality modeling tools such as Qual2K (Q2K) will be key to understanding future nutrient fluxes as western U.S. rivers experience urban development and changes to migratory fish populations. The Q2K model does not account for macrophytes, which may influence nutrient flux and are common in some western rivers such as the Henry’s Fork of the Snake river in east Idaho. Our objectives were to 1) evaluate the effectiveness of Q2K in the Henry’s Fork, and 2) simulate how phosphorus loading is likely to change in the Henry’s Fork given future scenarios of wastewater treatment and kokanee salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) migration. Q2K accurately modeled total phosphorus (TP) flux in the Henry’s Fork, but we struggled to accurately model soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP). SRP was sensitive to phosphorylation rates in sediments, flow rate, and periphyton coverage; processes influenced by macrophyte growth. Future use of Q2K to model P load from wastewater and kokanee in the Henry’s Fork will require an accurate understanding of feedbacks between SRP and macrophytes. Our study results enhance efforts to link nutrient flux and ecosystem change in the Henry’s Fork and in stream ecosystems in general.

John McLaren (Primary Presenter/Author), Utah State University, jacksmclaren@gmail.com;


Phaedra Budy (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), U.S. Geological Survey, Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Utah State University, phaedra.budy@usu.edu;


Soren Brothers (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Utah State University, soren.brothers@usu.edu;


Rob Van Kirk (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Henry's Fork Foundation, rob@henrysfork.org;


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5/22/2019  |   09:30 - 09:45   |  151 ABC

LOSS OF POTENTIAL AQUATIC-TERRESTRIAL SUBSIDIES ALONG THE MISSOURI RIVER FLOODPLAIN The floodplains of large rivers have been heavily modified due to riparian development and channel modifications, both of which can eliminate shallow off-channel habitats. We used field collections of insect emergence, historical mapping, and statistical modeling to estimate the loss of insect emergence due to channel modifications along 1566 km of the Missouri River (USA) floodplain, between 1890 and 2012. Annual production of emerging aquatic insects declined by 36,000 kgC between 1890 and 2012, due to the loss of surface area in backwaters and related off-channel habitats. Under a conservative assumption that riparian birds obtain 10% of their annual energy budget from adult aquatic insects, this amount of insect loss would be enough to subsidize approximately 1,900,000 riparian woodland birds annually. Most of the loss is concentrated in the lower reaches of the Missouri River, which historically had a wide floodplain, a meandering channel, and a high density of off-channel habitats, which were substantially reduced due to channelization and bank stabilization. Our results indicate that the loss of off-channel habitats in large river floodplains has the potential to substantially affect energy availability for riparian insectivores.

Jeff Wesner (Primary Presenter/Author), University of South Dakota, Jeff.Wesner@usd.edu;


David Swanson (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of South Dakota, David.Swanson@usd.edu;


Mark Dixon (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of South Dakota, mark.dixon@usd.edu;


Danielle Quist (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Anoka Ramsey Community College, djquist4109@gmail.com;


Daniel Soluk (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of South Dakota, daniel.soluk@usd.edu ;


Lisa Yager (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), National Park Service, lisa_yager@nps.gov ;


Jerry Warmbold (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of South Dakota, jwarmbold@gmail.com;


Erika Oddy (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of South Dakota, Erika.Oddy@coyotes.usd.edu;


Tyler Seidel (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Minnesota, t.seidel983@gmail.com;


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5/22/2019  |   09:45 - 10:00   |  151 ABC

ASSESSING BIOTIC VERSUS ABIOTIC FACTORS IN SHAPING COMMUNITY STRUCTURE IN LARGE RIVERS: RESPONSE OF ZOOPLANKTON TO ASIAN CARP IN THE ILLINOIS RIVER Developing a fuller understanding the factors shaping aquatic community structure has implications for aquatic ecosystem restoration and management. For example, testing if abiotic variables like temperature, turbidity, or velocity are the main predictors of large rivers zooplankton assemblage abundance, biomass, and diversity. However, if biotic factors like planktivory by an invasive fish are more important, this suggests the structure and dynamics of this type of ecosystem and assemblage is more complex. To make this comparison, the influence of a suite of abiotic and biotic variables on zooplankton density, biomass, and richness over 5 years from 300 km of the Illinois River. Richness responded differently than density or biomass. For example, richness is strongly affected by Asian carp planktivory across the basin, whereas the fish only influenced biomass and density where the invaders abundance was highest. Hydrology and temperature were more important in the upper river, but only for density and biomass. This type of complex response pattern illustrates that, rather than being transient, unstructured ecosystem components, zooplankton are actually integral components of river ecosystems that respond to the mixed drivers of the riverine environment.

Andrew Casper (Primary Presenter/Author), Illinois Natural History Survey, afcasper@illinois.edu;


Ana Chara-Serna (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Centro para la Investigación en Sistemas Sostenibles de Producción Agropecuaria (CIPAV), Carrera 25 No. 6-62, Cali, Colombia, anachara@illinois.edu;


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5/22/2019  |   10:00 - 10:15   |  151 ABC

BIOMASS LOSS AND SPECIES TURNOVER DURING DROUGHT SHIFT COMMUNITY EXCRETION STOICHIOMETRY IN A PRAIRIE STREAM Animal excretion contributes significantly to nutrient cycling. Extreme events such as drought may alter animals’ nutrient contributions to ecosystems through shifts in species composition and biomass. We quantified biomass and nutrient excretion of assemblages comprising fishes, crayfish, and tadpoles in 12 isolated pools during the harshest drought on record for Kings Creek, KS. We predicted assemblage biomass would decline with pool size because of deteriorating conditions and temporal differences in biomass and taxonomic composition would alter assemblage contributions to nutrient recycling. Assemblage N excretion rates declined as biomass was reduced by mortality, emigration, or metamorphosis. P excretion rates initially declined, but increased later because biomass of species with relatively high P excretion rates was maintained. Additionally, biomass of a non-native fish with low excretion N: P increased. Consequently, N: P of assemblage excretion was reduced during drought. Animal-mediated nutrient recycling was altered by the loss of biomass and the stoichiometric traits of taxa that differed in their occurrence among pools and tolerance to drought conditions.

Garrett Hopper (Primary Presenter/Author), Kansas State University, ghopper@ksu.edu;


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


Casey Pennock (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), The Ohio State University, pennock.17@osu.edu;


Skyler Hedden (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Arizona Department of Game and Fish, shedden@azgfd.gov;


Courtney Tobler (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Kansas State University, courtney.tobler@gmail.com;


Crosby Hedden (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Arizona Department of Game and Fish, chedden@azgfd.gov;


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


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