Article
Environmental Sciences
Caitlyn Donadt, Colin A. Cooke, Jennifer A. Graydon, Mark S. Poesch
Summary: Bioaccumulation of mercury in freshwater fish is a complex process influenced by environmental and biological factors. While surface water mercury concentrations were high in the studied tributaries of the Red Deer River, patterns of fish THg concentrations varied by species. The study suggests that mercury poses a risk to piscivorous wildlife health in these streams, but bioaccumulation is not solely driven by environmental factors and commonly associated factors like body size and trophic level may not strongly influence mercury concentrations in these ecosystems.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Neal D. Mundahl, Will L. Varela, Cole Weaver, Erik D. Mundahl, Jennifer L. Cochran-Biederman
Summary: Riparian buffers along streams can intercept eroding soils, contaminants, and nutrients, improving stream habitats and increasing the health of aquatic communities. A survey conducted in a Minnesota stream showed that the implementation of a state-mandated buffer law resulted in improved stream habitats and fish and benthic invertebrate communities. However, the improvement in biotic community metrics was not significant, indicating that more time may be needed for the biotic communities to adapt to the changed habitat conditions.
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Adrian Pascual, Christian P. Giardina, Nicholas A. Povak, Paul F. Hessburg, Gregory P. Asner
Summary: Decision-making resource stewardship models rely on statistical relationships between management actions and ecosystem services provisioning. The operationalization of management actions benefits from models capable to isolate synergic statistical relationships from trade-offs. We showcase two existing watershed planning studies requiring spatiotemporal operationalization to better schedule management actions. The study in Hawai'i Island (USA) focused on invasive species while another in Babeldaob Island (Republic of Palau) tackled wildfire management. Both planning exercises relied on Ecosystem Management Decision Support to populate hydrologically defined management units for supporting water resource decision-making. In this viewpoint we identify shortcomings and potential future directions aligned with shaping stewardship responses to the interactive constraints of climate mitigation and management costs within a very needed optimization framework capable to operationally support landscape managers and drive solutions on ES management and valuation.
ECOLOGICAL MODELLING
(2022)
Article
Fisheries
Martin A. Simonson, Michael J. Weber, Audrey L. McCombs, Andrew R. Annear
Summary: Catch per unit effort (CPUE) is commonly used as an index of fish abundance, but its variation may be influenced by environmental conditions. This study developed a hierarchical model to estimate the relative abundance of common carp and bigmouth buffalo using electrofishing survey data from six shallow lakes in Iowa. The results showed that the hierarchical model can be a viable substitute for labor-intensive capture-mark-recapture methods to estimate unknown latent variables like relative abundance.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FISHERIES AND AQUATIC SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Mengistu Asmamaw, Seid Tiku Mereta, Argaw Ambelu
Summary: This study demonstrates the significant effects of hydrological and stream habitat alterations on macroinvertebrates, highlighting the importance of forested areas in buffering hydrological disturbances and protecting habitat. The management priorities aiming to protect and restore stream condition are crucial for maintaining stream resilience to ecological disturbances.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Fisheries
Graham F. Montague, Daniel E. Shoup, Douglas L. Zentner, Richard A. Snow, Patrick B. Cooney
Summary: Management efforts are focused on Blue Catfish Ictalurus furcatus populations, but there is a lack of standardized sampling procedures using low-frequency electrofishing (LFE), which hinders the collection of comparable data. Wetlab LFE trials were conducted to determine optimal power densities for capturing surfacing Blue Catfish. Our results suggest that a power density between 9.29 x 10(-5) and 0.2084 mu W/cm(3) is most likely to elicit a surfacing response. Further research is needed to map power densities at different distances from the electrode before standard power tables can be produced.
NORTH AMERICAN JOURNAL OF FISHERIES MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sicheng Ao, Ming-Chih Chiu, Xianfu Li, Lu Tan, Qinghua Cai, Lin Ye
Summary: In the central Hengduan Mountains, farmland area, instream dissolved silicate (DSi), and water temperature (WT) were found to have significant negative relationships with stream periphyton biomass. However, dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) had non-significant effects. The study highlights the importance of farmland management and instream DSi for stream ecosystems in the region.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Fisheries
Zachary S. Moran, Joseph N. Stoeckel, Brandon K. Peoples
Summary: The Blue Catfish is a popular sport fish in its native range but a prolific invasive species elsewhere. This study aimed to determine the differences in LFE catch between spring and summer, the impact of environmental variables, and the relationship with habitat use of Blue Catfish. The study found that habitat use was heterogeneous, but catch rates were proportional to habitat use, and varied based on factors such as conductivity and flow velocity.
NORTH AMERICAN JOURNAL OF FISHERIES MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Fisheries
Martin A. Simonson, Michael J. Weber, Audrey McCombs
Summary: The electrofishing catch per effort for Common Carp and Bigmouth Buffalo showed hyperstability, with catch rates saturating as density increased. Water temperature and season were found to affect fish catch rates. Electrofishing may be useful for monitoring population fluctuations, but could be misleading at low population densities.
NORTH AMERICAN JOURNAL OF FISHERIES MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Darien N. Becker, Jason A. Hubbart, James T. Anderson
Summary: Wetland mitigation efforts have increased in the United States, but there is a lack of pre-restoration data collection. This study conducted surveys on Ruby Run in West Virginia to determine the baseline abundance and diversity. The results showed relatively consistent diversity across years, except for a decrease in anurans. Therefore, wetland mitigation efforts should be monitored using multiple taxa to improve wetland management practices.
Article
Ecology
Kelsey J. Solomon, Rebecca J. Bixby, Seth J. Wenger, Catherine M. Pringle
Summary: Terrestrial and stream ecosystems are interconnected, and the effects of nonnative pest infestation on tree mortality and riparian tree species losses on stream ecosystems are still unclear. This study compared the differences in riparian canopy cover, algal standing crop, and diatom assemblage composition before and after a massive die-off of riparian eastern hemlock caused by invasive insects. The results showed that although canopy openness increased after hemlock death, it did not significantly affect algal standing crop.
FRESHWATER SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Limnology
Severine Martini, Floriane Larras, Aurelien Boye, Emile Faure, Nicole Aberle, Philippe Archambault, Lise Bacouillard, Beatrix E. Beisner, Lucie Bittner, Emmanuel Castella, Michael Danger, Olivier Gauthier, Lee Karp-Boss, Fabien Lombard, Frederic Maps, Lars Stemmann, Eric Thiebaut, Philippe Usseglio-Polatera, Meike Vogt, Martin Laviale, Sakina-Dorothee Ayata
Summary: Aquatic ecologists are urged to use functional trait-based approaches and follow specific development paths outlined in this framework, including unifying definitions, utilizing databases, and synthesizing traditional and innovative methods, to address scientific challenges and foster opportunities for future research.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Fisheries
Benjamin E. Meyer, Mark S. Wipfli, Erik R. Schoen, Daniel J. Rinella, Jeffrey A. Falke
Summary: Climate change is impacting the distribution and productivity of Pacific salmon. Warmer temperatures in high latitudes have led to increased growth of juvenile salmon, but the duration of this trend and its impact on growth in the future remains uncertain. This study examines the potential influence of climate warming on the growth rates of juvenile Chinook and Coho Salmon in southcentral Alaska through modeling and analysis of diet and growth data. The results suggest that while the direct effects of climate warming on growth are negative, an extended growing season could offset some of these reductions.
TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Rubina Mondal, Anuradha Bhat
Summary: Stable isotope analysis (SIA) has been used to study the trophic relationships of fish communities in eastern and central India. The study found that central Indian streams had longer food web lengths and higher trophic diversity among fishes, while eastern Indian streams showed greater feeding niche overlap and omnivory. Benthopelagic fishes were found to be the largest guild in both regions. This research provides valuable insights into the trophic patterns of tropical stream ecosystems and serves as a baseline for future studies in Indian stream fish communities.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ines C. Dias, Ana Marcalo, Diana Feijo, Isabel Domingos, Alexandra A. Silva
Summary: Interactions between cetaceans and the purse seine fishery in coastal waters of mainland Portugal were examined. Common dolphins were the most frequently observed species with interactions, and the occurrence of interactions varied annually and geographically. Fishing effort and catch per unit effort of sardine were found to have a significant influence on the interactions. The study suggests the importance of monitoring the fishery to implement management plans and support global efforts for sustainable fisheries and marine mammal conservation.
AQUATIC CONSERVATION-MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS
(2022)