Figure 1 - uploaded by Dean Fitzgerald
Content may be subject to copyright.
Map of the Grand River watershed in southern Ontario showing the locations of Laurel (L), Canagagigue (W), and Carroll (C) Creeks. Each stream is represented by a schematic showing 1995 sampling sections (single letters) sampling stations (pairs of letters), and dominant land use.
Source publication
Anthropogenic modification of small stream habitats insouthern Ontario has occurred with little concern forindigenous, non-game fish communities. The combinedeffects of urbanization, impoundment, and agricultureon the fish communities of three small streams, fromheadwaters to near-confluence locations, wereevaluated by comparing current fish commun...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... three streams examined in this study are of 4th or 5th order and occur within the Grand River watershed in southern Ontario. Canagagigue and Laurel Creeks are cool-to warm-water streams respectively, while Carroll Creek is cool-water in nature (Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA), 1979; Figure 1). Each of these streams has been altered by man since European colonization (Francis, 1996). ...
Context 2
... of Laurel Creek during 1995 involved 13 sampling stations (LA-LM) separated into five sampling sections ( Figure 1). The stations and sections were upstream of the reservoir (section A; stations LA-LC), near to where the reservoir was constructed and just downstream (B; LD, LF, LG), the plunge pool of the reservoir (C; LE), downstream of Columbia Lake (D; LI, LJ), and downstream of Silver Lake (E; LK-LM). ...
Context 3
... stations and sections were upstream of the reservoir (section A; stations LA-LC), near to where the reservoir was constructed and just downstream (B; LD, LF, LG), the plunge pool of the reservoir (C; LE), downstream of Columbia Lake (D; LI, LJ), and downstream of Silver Lake (E; LK-LM). Canagagigue Creek was sampled at 12 stations separated into 10 sections ( Figure 1). The stations and sections included the west headwater branch (section A; stations WA, WB), east headwater branch (B; WC, WD), below Floradale Mill Pond (C; WDD), where the reservoir was constructed and just downstream (D; WF), the plunge pool of the reservoir (E; WE), upstream of Elmira (F; WG), within Shirt Factory Creek tributary (G; WH), within urban Elmira (H; WI), downstream of the Elmira STP (I; WJ), and upstream of the Grand River (J; WK). ...
Context 4
... stations and sections included the west headwater branch (section A; stations WA, WB), east headwater branch (B; WC, WD), below Floradale Mill Pond (C; WDD), where the reservoir was constructed and just downstream (D; WF), the plunge pool of the reservoir (E; WE), upstream of Elmira (F; WG), within Shirt Factory Creek tributary (G; WH), within urban Elmira (H; WI), downstream of the Elmira STP (I; WJ), and upstream of the Grand River (J; WK). Carroll Creek was sampled at six stations that were separated into two sections ( Figure 1). The stations and sections represented the upper (section U; stations CA-CC) and lower (L; CD-CF) parts of the stream based on the distance to the confluence with the Grand River. ...
Context 5
... involved random selection of riffle-pool sequences and a single pass using either a minnow seine with a bag (Franklin Net and Twine, Wheatley, ON, CA; 1.2 m × 4 m with a 1.2 m 3 bag with 5-mm stretched mesh) or a backpack electrofisher (SmithRoot, Vancouver, WA, USA). The more exten- (Figure 1). At each station, two similar reaches (∼30 m) were initially isolated with seine nets. ...
Context 6
... third cluster separated into sections represent- 1966, 1979, and 1995. See text and Figure 1 for details on sampling stations. ing: i) both headwater sections (WA, WB, 1966-95), Shirt Factory Creek (WG, 1966-95), and the sections below Floradale Mill Pond (WC, 1966-95), and ii) all the remaining sections upstream and downstream of Elmira. ...
Similar publications
We present an evaluation system and framework for determining the relations between processes that generate physical features and how these features are used by fish. This information is essential for long-term management of fish habitat within watersheds. The model is hierarchical at three scales: watershed, reach, and site. Physical characteristi...
Citations
... In many fish kill events, most of the fish killed are non-game species, including cyprinids (e.g., minnows, shiners, dace, chubs), catostomids (suckers), clupeids (shad), percids (darters), cottids (sculpin), and others [3,4,6]. Although not as highly valued by the general public, these species serve important roles in community stability and energy transfer to higher trophic levels [7][8][9]. Their recovery after a fish kill is just as important for overall ecosystem function as the recovery of the top-level piscivorous game fishes [4]. ...
Toxic runoff from heavy rains on 26 September 2019 caused a complete fish kill on the 2 km long headwater reach of Garvin Brook, Winona County, Minnesota, USA. This project examined the recovery of the slimy sculpin (Uranidea cognata) population within the lower 900 m of the kill zone, comparing relative abundance estimates and size structures between the kill zone and a downstream, unimpacted reference section. Electrofishing surveys were conducted at 24 sites (12 within both kill and reference zones) at 6, 11, 18, 28, and 42 months post-kill to assess relative abundance (catch-per-effort (CPE), fish/min) and population age structures (based on total length). At six months post-kill, sculpin were present throughout the kill zone. However, adult CPE declined significantly with upstream distance, which was suggestive of the ongoing immigration of adult sculpin from downstream. Age structures were similar in kill and reference zones with all size/age groups present in both zones after six months, while CPE was twice as high in the reference (6.3 fish/min) versus the kill zone (3.0 fish/min). After 11 months, CPE did not differ between zones (14 fish/min) and remained that way for the remainder of the study. However, age structures differed dramatically between zones at both 11 and 18 months post-kill; adult sculpin were significantly more abundant in the reference zone, whereas juvenile fish dominated the kill zone. By 28 months post-kill, both sculpin abundance and age structure within the kill zone had fully recovered from the kill. Sculpin recovery was accomplished mostly through enhanced reproduction within the kill zone following initial post-kill movements of both adult and juvenile fish into the kill zone from downstream. Low predation on juvenile sculpin due to a reduced abundance of trout and adult sculpin post-kill likely allowed more rapid recovery of the sculpin population within the kill zone.
... In many fish kill events, most of the fish killed are non-game species, including cyprinids (e.g., minnows, shiners, dace, chubs), catostomids (suckers), clupeids (shad), percids (darters), cottids (sculpin), and others [3][4]6]. Although not as highly valued by the general public, these species serve important roles in community stability and energy transfer to higher trophic levels [7][8][9]. Their recovery after a fish kill is just as important for overall ecosystem function as the recovery of the top-level piscivorous game fishes [4]. ...
Toxic runoff from heavy rains on 26 September 2019 caused a complete fish kill on the 2-km-long headwater reach of Garvin Brook, Winona County, Minnesota, USA. This project examined recovery of the slimy sculpin (Uranidea cognata) population within the lower 900 m of the kill zone, comparing relative abundance estimates and size structures between the kill zone and a downstream, unimpacted reference section. Electrofishing surveys were conducted at 24 sites (12 within both kill and reference zones) at six, 11, 18, 28, and 42 months post-kill to assess relative abundance (catch-per-effort [CPE], fish/min) and population age structures (based on total length). At six months post-kill, sculpin were present throughout the kill zone. However, adult CPE declined significantly with upstream distance, suggestive of on-going immigration of adult sculpin from downstream. Age structures were similar in kill and reference zones with all size/age groups present in both zones after six months, while CPE was twice as high in the reference (6.3 fish/min) versus the kill zone (3.0 fish/min). After 11 months, CPE did not differ between zones (14 fish/min) and remained that way for the remainder of the study. However, age structures differed dramatically between zones at both 11 and 18 months post-kill; adult sculpin were significantly more abundant in the reference zone, whereas juvenile fish dominated the kill zone. By 28 months post-kill, both sculpin abundance and age structure within the kill zone had fully recovered from the kill. Sculpin recovery was accomplished mostly through enhanced reproduction within the kill zone following initial post-kill movements of both adult and juvenile fish into the kill zone from downstream. Low predation on juvenile sculpin due to reduced abundance of trout and adult sculpin post-kill likely allowed more rapid recovery of the sculpin population within the kill zone.
... catchment and ecoregion) to highlight the flexibility to tailor methods to different scales based on the species or communities of interest.In addition to highlighting issues of conservation status, these methods are also effective for describing changes in ecological communities. The results from the present study align with a growing body of research documenting range reductions for native, specialist species paired with range increases in generalist and or invasive species(Fitzgerald et al., 1997;Gido et al., 2010;Smith et al., 2014;Buckwalter et al., 2017;Starks et al., 2018). Contrasting conclusions of the present study and those ofMatthews & Marsh-Matthews (2015), which stated that overall patterns of fish community composition in Oklahoma and western Arkansas had largely remained unchanged through time, are probably caused by dissimilarities in spatial coverage and methodology.At both the regional and catchment scales, the greatest declines in species occurrences were attributed to reductions of true minnow(i.e. ...
Although non‐game fishes typically dominate lists of threatened and imperilled species, funding mechanisms for non‐game species are usually less robust than those for game species. This imbalance emphasizes the need for methodologies to identify imperilled species effectively and ensure efficient allocation of limited conservation resources.
A database comprising >3,900 fisheries surveys conducted between 1905 and 2020 in Great Plains streams of Oklahoma (USA) was used to develop methodology for identifying species in need of conservation by assessing differences in species occurrences and trends in species ranges through time.
Changes in occurrence for 92 species at both river catchment and ecoregion scales were assessed. Generalized linear models indicated significant differences between historical and contemporary fish communities at both scales. Univariate testing showed 84 instances of species occurrences changing in at least one catchment.
Declines in occurrence were observed for eight species currently listed as species of greatest conservation need in Oklahoma and were used to identify five candidate species for listing. Family‐level trends in species occurrences suggested declines of native true minnow species and increases in generalist sunfishes and catfishes through time.
Trends in detections within each hydrologic unit code sampled were used as a proxy for tracking changes in species range within each catchment. Various species were used as case studies to highlight this method.
The results demonstrate how managers can apply an empirical methodology that extracts information from long‐term datasets to optimize conservation efforts for stream fishes and associated taxa.
... and Marsh-Matthews (2016) showed that the examined stream fish assemblage always returned towards an average assemblage structure in spite of flood events over 40 years.Franssen et al. (2011) also revealed that assemblage stability was not associated with stream hydrology.Magalhães et al. (2007) supported this view and showed that natural environmental variation (present-day droughts) caused relatively small and transient changes to stream fish assemblages. In contrast, humanmediated stressors generally form highly variable fish assemblages and often induce dramatic and irreversible changes in fish assemblage structure over time (e.g.Erős et al., 2020;Fitzgerald et al., 1998;Matono et al., 2012). Therefore, the crucial need for long-term monitoring programs cannot be emphasized enough, without which detecting and predicting shifts in fish populations and comparing the importance of natural vs. human-induced alterations are extremely difficult. ...
The temporal dynamics of biotic communities have been widely examined by ecologists. However, systematic reviews on how habitat features, sampling and data evaluation influence temporal patterns are rather sporadic. Here, we reviewed 307 peer-reviewed scientific articles to characterize the methods and the approaches, as well as to identify the knowledge gaps in the assessment of the temporal dynamics of freshwater fish assemblages with special regard to their stability patterns. The number of publications increased exponentially over decades. We revealed a highly uneven distribution of the studies among continents and ecosystems with a dominant number of papers derived from North America and Europe, and from lotic systems, especially. We also found large variability among studies even within similar habitat types in the examined spatial and temporal scales, sampling methods used, examined assemblage attributes, potential stressors and data analyses. Several knowledge gaps, such as the limited number of large-scale studies, the insufficient knowledge on the long-term dynamics of early life history stages and on trait-based assemblage organization, were highlighted. For enabling meaningful comparisons of fish assemblage dynamics in space and time, further developments in standardization procedures are needed across sampling and data evaluation possibilities. Publicly accessible long-term data sets with more details on sampling and environmental parameters would also be critically important to determine the effect of a variety of factors on the stability vs. variability of fish assemblages.
... The substantial reduction in Hornyhead Chub distribution within the Platte River drainage is attributable to competition and to increased agriculture and drought, which have reduced the availability of the cool, clear, low-silt perennial streams favored by Hornyhead Chub (Lachner and Jenkins 1971). Hornyhead Chub are sensitive to disturbance, and population extirpation has been associated with habitat and flow alteration due to urbanization, suburbanization, impoundment, and agriculture (Fitzgerald et al. 1998;Mammoliti 2002;Miltner et al. 2004). Catastrophic events have also led to Hornyhead Chub population extirpations, including a mine waste spill on Boulder Creek, Colorado, and the 2012 Arapahoe Fire on the North Laramie River, Wyoming (Propst and Carlson 1986;WGFD 2015). ...
Translocation of isolated species into suitable habitats may help to secure vulnerable, geographically limited species. Due to the decline of Wyoming Hornyhead Chub Nocomis biguttatus, conservation actions, such as the translocation of populations within the plausible historical range, are being considered to improve population redundancy and resiliency to disturbance events. Translocation of Wyoming Hornyhead Chub must be rigorously evaluated because a hatchery stock does not exist, so all fish used in translocations will come from the wild population. We present an approach to identify the best available translocation sites prior to translocation efforts taking place. We evaluated fish community composition and habitat conditions at 54 potential translocation sites for Hornyhead Chub within 12 streams of the North Platte River basin of Wyoming. We used two analyses to identify translocation sites that were most similar to currently occupied Hornyhead Chub sites on the Laramie River: hurdle models to predict hypothetical abundance of Hornyhead Chub at translocation sites and nonmetric multidimensional scaling with fish community and habitat conditions. Presence and abundance of Hornyhead Chub were positively related to a lack of nonnative predators and to habitat features characteristic of backwater and velocity refuge habitats (e.g., minimum water velocity and width‐to‐depth ratio). We used a rank scoring system to weight the outcomes of each analysis, and the highest‐ranking translocation sites occurred at a historically occupied locality, the Sweetwater River. Our approach may be appropriate for other at‐risk species with isolated distributions and little historical data.
... NMDS plots indicated delayed temporal response to instream habitat restoration. It has been reported in other systems that response to habitat alteration can be delayed up to 10 years (Fitzgerald, Kott, Lanno, & Dixon, 1998), and restoration guides recommend a minimum of 5 years of continuous sampling to accurately assess biotic response post-restoration (Roni, 2005). ...
Decades of anthropogenic pressure have harmed riverscapes throughout North America by degrading habitats and water quality and can result in the extirpation of sensitive aquatic taxa. Local stream restoration projects have increased in frequency, but monitoring is still infrequent. In 2010, Kickapoo Creek in East Central Illinois was subjected to a stream restoration project that included implementation of artificial riffles, riprap, scouring keys, and riparian vegetation. We monitored the restoration efforts for 6 years after the restoration through annual sampling efforts at restored and reference sites to determine changes in habitat and fish assemblage using standard habitat sampling and electrofishing techniques. We observed distinct temporal and spatial shifts in physico‐chemical parameters along with changes in fish community structure. Although biotic integrity remained moderately low in reference assemblages, restored reaches showed 3‐year delay in response to restoration, with biotic integrity positively linked to additional instream habitat and altered channel morphology. Larger substrate sizes, submerged terrestrial vegetation, and newly formed scour pools along with reduced siltation were found in the restored sites, in contrast to the reference sites. These changes resulted in increased species diversity, reduced number of opportunistic species and consequently an overall increase in health of fish communities. We also observed recruitment of habitat specialists and increase in species with reproductive strategies that rely on complex substrates. The results of this study highlight some of the complex dynamics driving reach‐scale restoration projects. We demonstrate the usefulness of structural restoration as a management tool to increase biotic integrity through long‐term alteration of critical habitat. The delay in the response of species to the restoration efforts emphasizes the need for long‐term continuous temporal and spatial monitoring.
... Several studies have shown relationships between ichthyofauna and land use in microbasins in temperate regions (Roth, Allan, & Ericson, 1996;Fitzgerald, Kott, Lanno, & Dixon, 1998;Rosenvald, Järvekülg, & Lõhmus, 2014). However, in the Neotropics, this issue is not well explored (Levêque, Oberdorff, Paugy, Stiassny, & Tedesco, 2008) and is a critical situation, considering that 40 % of the Neotropical ichthyofauna remains unknown (Reis, Kullander, & Ferraris, 2003). ...
Igarapes are Amazonian streams that are extremely susceptible to environmental changes. Due to the rapidly occurring riparian land use changes, and the several impacts these may have on fish assemblages, it is highly valuable to describe and understand the current relationships between these assemblages and the local environmental conditions, especially in barely know areas. In this research, we studied the taxonomic composition and fish assemblage attributes variation in three streams with different riparian conservation conditions: forest, intermediate and pasture. Samplings were performed every two months from October 2011 to September 2012, in three 1(st) order streams in the Machado River Basin, Rondonia. Fish were collected using trawls (seine net with a mesh size of 2 mm) and dip nets (2 mm mesh) along the entire stretch; the obtained samples were preserved and identified per site type. A total of 2 141 fish specimens belonging to 59 species, 17 families and five orders were recorded. Unlike the intermediate and pasture streams, the forest stream showed a high richness and low abundance. The forested stream exhibited the highest diversity and evenness value, and had low dominance, unlike the other streams. The variance partitioning and partial Redundancy Analysis (pRDA) indicated that assemblage composition was significantly explained by the environmental variables such as: depth, water velocity, pteridophytes and grasses, but not by spatial predictors. The non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis showed that intermediate and pasture streams separated from the forested stream. We concluded that both, the stream environmental variables and fish assemblage attributes were influenced by the different conservation status and land cover. Given the influence of regional processes, which have a pervasive role in local fish assemblages, land use at the watershed scale is important, especially to explain the higher richness and diversity found in forested streams.
... Although the application of environmental quality indices and the use of fish and macroinvertebrates as bioindicators and as biomonitoring tools has been widely demonstrated for estimating ecological integrity in river ecosystems (Joy andDeath 2002, Leunda et al. 2009), the use of indices and fauna censuses must be combined with a comprehensive knowledge of taxonomy, habitat requirements, and physiology of the organisms used as bioindicators. Furthermore, some studies show that changes in fish assemblages do not occur immediately when anthropogenic impacts begin but may take many years of exposure, causing a gradual replacement of species (Fitzgerald et al. 1998). This delayed response demonstrates the need for continued and prolonged monitoring to accurately understand and detect changing fish assemblages (Appelberg et al. 1995, Gutreuter et al. 1995. ...
This work provides insight into an Andean–Amazonian river system by conducting a comprehensive study of the biodiversity and ecological processes in a poorly studied neotropical freshwater ecosystem. Hacha River in western Colombia harbours a rich and largely unknown biodiversity and is experiencing an increase in anthropogenic impacts from the city of Florencia. Changes in natural habitat characteristics and environmental quality were analysed and related to the distribution of fish and macroinvertebrates. Four environmental quality indices were applied, and concentrations of potential water pollutants were measured. All environmental quality indices used were reliable because they produced similar assessments of the ecological integrity of the study sites and were inversely related to the potential water pollutant concentrations. Fish and macroinvertebrate communities notably changed in response to differences in environmental quality, reinforcing the ecological integrity assessments. Nevertheless, natural gradients that influence fish and macroinvertebrate distributions showed an overlap with changes in environmental quality, thereby confounding the ability to discern the influence of natural and anthropogenic-induced alterations and to confirm an initial shift in fish assemblages due to anthropogenic impacts.
... In San Diego and Mission Bays, nearshore communities may be subject to less direct disturbance than deeper channels that are routinely dredged and, thus, may be more stable. However, it is possible that press disturbances are affecting these eelgrass assemblages, but changes in structure have remained undetected due to substantial time lags (Fitzgerald et al. 1998;Borja et al. 2010). In addition, future community changes may be accelerated by the combination of climate change with continued alteration of habitat and water quality. ...
Changes in fish assemblages were tracked in representative eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) beds within two estuaries on the urbanised coast of southern California, USA, San Diego Bay and Mission Bay, from 1987 to 2010. Assemblages were sampled twice yearly (spring and summer) at day and night using beach seines. Assemblage stability was examined over time along with changes in assemblage structure across time of day and season, including the influence of temporally variable abiotic variables. Only the occasionally occurring fish, those present in <70% of samples, in Mission Bay appeared to be shifting to a new assemblage. Although season and sampling time significantly affected assemblages, correlations with abiotic factors were low. Given the long history of urban development of these estuaries, community shifts may have occurred prior to the onset of sampling, giving the appearance of stability. Alternatively, eelgrass habitat may be providing a refuge from long-term disturbances.
... It can be highlighted the studies of Feyrer and Healey (2003), which determined the importance of environmental variables on the fish fauna of the South Delta in California, and of Hanchet (2012) who examined the effect of four different land uses on the distribution of native fish in the Waikato River, New Zealand. Although Ward and Stanford (1989), Fitzgerald et al. (1998), Lammert and Allan (1999) have already sought to relate land use to the fish fauna in micro basins, studies on this subject in neotropical regions are scarce. ...
Objectives:Among the most relevant issues in community ecology is the
influence of different ways of addressing the pattern of diversity and distribution of species,
and based on this, the present study sought to evaluate the influence of landscape and
local characteristics on the richness and composition of fish assemblages in the Ivinhema
River basin. Method: In the present study, we used data of distribution of fish species
in 25 stretches of streams of the Ivinhema River basin, Upper Paraná River, aiming to
know the role of local characteristics and land use on fish assemblages. Results: We
identified 113 fish species, and those sampled in a greater number of sites were: Astyanax
altiparanae and Serrapinnus notomelas. The richness varied between 4 and 65 species. The
regression tree allowed explaining 89.3% of richness variation, and permitted to identify
that altitude is the main predictor of richness. According to the canonical correspondence
analysis, variables that most influenced the species distribution were: altitude, depth,
width, velocity, conductivity and percentage of built-up areas. Conclusions: Our results
suggested that factors that most influenced fish assemblages in the Ivinhema River basin
were physiographic and limnological characteristics, followed by land use
