Article
Fisheries
Jordan H. Hartman, Eric R. Larson
Summary: This study characterizes the state of knowledge on the impacts of non-game native transplant (NGNT) fishes as potentially overlooked invasive species in the United States. The study finds that the impacts of many widespread NGNT species have not been studied extensively, especially in terms of genetic and ecosystem impacts. The researchers recommend focusing on studying the impacts of the most widespread NGNT species in understudied U.S. river basins to identify which fishes require prevention and management as invasive species.
Article
Fisheries
Rachelle C. Johnson, David A. Beauchamp, Julian D. Olden
Summary: A bioenergetic model for Redside Shiner was developed, providing a tool to assess its trophic role in invaded ecosystems and evaluate potential impacts on native species. Results showed that increased water temperature may favor growth and expansion of Redside Shiner populations while negatively affecting some salmonids.
TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dol Raj Chalise, A. Sankarasubramanian, Julian D. D. Olden, Albert Ruhi
Summary: River scientists conducted a study to understand the effects of dam regulation on river flow regimes. By analyzing data from 175 pairs of regulated and unregulated USGS gages, they found that dams not only affect the magnitude and variability of flow, but also the dominant periodicities of a river's flow regime. The analysis also revealed that the alteration of flow periodicity varies over time, with dam operations, changes in dam capacity, and environmental policies shifting the relative importance of periodicities.
Article
Biology
Rachel M. Fricke, Julian D. Olden
Summary: This article provides a synthetic perspective on innovative technologies for invasive species management, including pathway intervention, spread prevention, impact mitigation, and public engagement. It also introduces tools that facilitate big data processing, such as automated image and text recognition based on machine learning. Finally, it explores the challenges and opportunities for integrating emerging technologies into invasive species management.
Article
Ecology
Daniel K. K. Szydlowski, Ashley K. K. Elgin, David M. M. Lodge, Jeremy S. S. Tiemann, Eric R. R. Larson
Summary: A central focus of invasive species research has been on human efforts to eradicate invaders or reduce their abundance to mitigate the worst of their impacts. However, in some cases, populations of invasive species decline without human intervention, which may inform management responses to these invaders.
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Fisheries
Keith B. B. Gido, Megan J. J. Osborne, David L. L. Propst, Thomas F. F. Turner, Julian D. D. Olden
Summary: Climate change and other human stressors in the American Southwest are threatening the conservation of native fish diversity. The severe megadrought has exacerbated the impacts of altered hydrology, poor water quality, invasive species, and habitat fragmentation. Existing conservation actions may not be sufficient and more resources, as well as novel approaches, are needed to prevent extinctions and prioritize environmental flows and connectivity of populations.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jordan H. Hartman, Jeremy S. Tiemann, Joshua L. Sherwood, Philip W. Willink, Kurt T. Ash, Mark A. Davis, Eric R. Larson
Summary: This study examined a potential intraspecific invasion in Lake Michigan and adjacent waters. It found that new populations of banded killifish were the eastern subspecies, with lower genetic diversity compared to the western subspecies. Non-native eastern banded killifish were predominantly found in clear sites affected by dreissenid mussel invasions, highlighting the potential risk to the conservation of the native western banded killifish.
JOURNAL OF GREAT LAKES RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Meryl C. C. Mims, Joseph C. C. Drake, Joshua J. J. Lawler, Julian D. D. Olden
Summary: Climate change may exacerbate habitat loss for amphibians, and reducing breeding habitat alone can lead to population declines. This study used a simulation-based approach to model the response of the Arizona treefrog to reductions in breeding habitat availability. The results showed that reductions in breeding habitat alone resulted in a significant decline in population, and scenarios with both breeding habitat loss and recruitment failure had even greater declines.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Qihong Dai, Yong Cao, Maria L. Chu, Eric R. Larson, Cory D. Suski
Summary: Global climate change and agricultural disturbance have significant impacts on freshwater biodiversity in the Midwestern US. Agricultural conservation practices have been implemented to reduce sediment and nutrient loading, but their effectiveness on biodiversity remains uncertain. This study examined how agricultural conservation practices affect both taxonomic and functional diversity under climate change using the Kaskaskia River Watershed in Illinois as a case study.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kathleen B. Quebedeaux, Christopher A. Taylor, Amanda N. Curtis, Eric R. Larson
Summary: This study characterized the distribution, habitat associations, and conservation status of the Boston Mountains Crayfish. It found that average annual precipitation had a strong effect on the historic distribution of this species, and its presence was negatively associated with sandy soils and other burrowing crayfish species. Additionally, this study successfully developed an environmental DNA assay for this terrestrial crayfish.
Article
Biology
Mathis L. Messager, Julian D. Olden, Jonathan D. Tonkin, Rachel Stubbington, Jane S. Rogosch, Michelle H. Busch, Chelsea J. Little, Annika W. Walters, Carla L. Atkinson, Margaret Shanafield, Songyan Yu, Kate S. Boersma, David A. Lytle, Richard H. Walker, Ryan M. Burrows, Thibault Datry
Summary: Accelerating the design and implementation of environmental flows (e-flows) is crucial for preserving freshwater biodiversity and its benefits. However, the current focus on ensuring adequate flow conditions at local sites overlooks the role of other ecological processes, hindering the effectiveness of e-flow programs. In this study, a step-by-step operational framework is proposed to address this gap and improve e-flow outcomes by considering metasystem dynamics.
Article
Ecology
Kai Chen, Stephen R. Midway, Brandon K. Peoples, Beixin Wang, Julian D. Olden
Summary: Land use intensification has caused noticeable changes in plant and animal communities worldwide. By studying riverine fish and insect communities across different land use gradients in the United States, this study found that both taxonomic and functional community composition exhibit abrupt threshold changes due to land use conversion. The study also revealed that functional composition shows greater geographic consistency compared to taxonomic composition in response to urban and agricultural land use change. Additionally, the traits contributing the most to functional composition change vary along urban and agricultural land gradients. This study highlights the importance of considering trait-based indicators of community change in informing land use management strategies and policies.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Angela H. Arthington, David Tickner, Michael E. McClain, Mike C. Acreman, Elizabeth P. Anderson, Suresh Babu, Chris W. S. Dickens, Avril C. Horne, Nitin Kaushal, Wendy A. Monk, Gordon C. O'Brien, Julian D. Olden, Jeffrey J. Opperman, Afua G. Owusu, N. LeRoy Poff, Brian D. Richter, Sergio A. Salinas-Rodriguez, Beauty Shamboko, Rebecca E. Tharme, Sarah M. Yarnell
Summary: This article provides an overview of key factors for successful implementation of e-flows and biodiversity outcomes, as well as recommendations to overcome constraints. It emphasizes the importance of legislation and governance, resource investment, stakeholder engagement, and consider trade-offs, water infrastructure retrofitting, and climate change adaptation in e-flow implementation for river conservation.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Review
Limnology
Erin C. Seybold, Anna Bergstrom, C. Nathan Jones, Amy J. Burgin, Sam Zipper, Sarah E. Godsey, Walter K. Dodds, Margaret A. Zimmer, Margaret Shanafield, Thibault Datry, Raphael D. Mazor, Mathis L. Messager, Julian D. Olden, Adam Ward, Songyan Yu, Kendra E. Kaiser, Arial Shogren, Richard H. Walker
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Flavien Garcia, Ivan Paz-Vinas, Arnaud Gaujard, Julian D. Olden, Julien Cucherousset
Summary: Understanding how obligate freshwater organisms colonize seemingly isolated ecosystems has long fascinated ecologists. Recent investigations reveal that fish eggs can survive the digestive tract of birds and hatch successfully once deposited. This study provides multiple lines of evidence supporting the avian zoochory as a probable pathway for fish colonization of remote or newly-formed freshwater ecosystems, using European perch as a case study.