Humpback Chub (Gila cypha) Range Expansion in the Western Grand Canyon

Rogowski, David L.; Osterhoudt, Robin J.; Mohn, Harrison E.; Boyer, Jan K.

doi:10.3398/064.078.0105

Cited by 12 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Recent declines in Lake Mead elevation have increased the extent of the Colorado River in western Grand Canyon by more than 100 rkm, and this warming river segment is now dominated by native fish species (Van Haverbeke et al 2017, Rogowski et al 2018, Kegerries et al 2020). Lake Mead reduction below 346 m above sea level (masl) has also led to the development of Pearce Ferry Rapid, where the river has cut through the reservoir delta outside the original channel, such that water now flows over a bedrock ledge.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water storage decisions will determine the distribution and persistence of imperiled river fishes

Dibble

Yackulic

Kennedy

et al. 2021

Ecological Applications

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Managing the world’s freshwater supply to meet societal and environmental needs in a changing climate is one of the biggest challenges for the 21st century. Dams provide water security; however, the allocation of dwindling water supply among reservoirs could exacerbate or ameliorate the effects of climate change on aquatic communities. Here, we show that the relative sensitivity of river thermal regimes to direct impacts of climate change and societal decisions concerning water storage vary substantially throughout a river basin. In the absence of interspecific interactions, future Colorado River temperatures would appear to benefit both endemic and nonnative fish species. However, endemic species are already declining or extirpated in locations where their ranges overlap with warmwater nonnatives and changes in water storage may lead to warming in some of the coolest portions of the river basin, facilitating further nonnative expansion. Integrating environmental considerations into ongoing water storage negotiations may lead to better resource outcomes than mitigating nonnative species impacts after the fact.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water storage decisions will determine the distribution and persistence of imperiled river fishes

Dibble

Yackulic

Kennedy

et al. 2021

Ecological Applications

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Specific environmental conditions may reduce predation vulnerability in these locations and allow native species to survive. One example of this is near the Colorado River inflow of Lake Mead where juvenile Humpback Chub Gila cypha and Razorback Suckers Xyrauchen texanus appear to be recruiting in the presence of robust populations of introduced warm-water fishes (Albrect et al 2010;Van Haverbeke et al 2017;Rogowski et al 2018). The same pattern of recruitment in juvenile native suckers has also been documented in the San Juan River inflow of Lake Powell (Albrect et al 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

What Environmental Conditions Reduce Predation Vulnerability for Juvenile Colorado River Native Fishes?

Ward

Vaage

2018

Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The incompatibility of native Colorado River fishes and nonnative warm-water sport fishes is well documented, with predation by nonnative species causing rapid declines and even extirpation of native species in most locations. In a few rare instances, native fishes can survive and recruit despite the presence of nonnative warm-water predators, indicating that specific environmental conditions may help reduce predation vulnerability. We experimented with turbidity, artificial blue water colorant (artificial turbidity pond treatment), woody debris, rocks, and aquatic vegetation in a laboratory setting to determine whether any of these types of cover could reduce predation vulnerability and confer survival advantages for juvenile Bonytail Gila elegans (mean = 70 mm total length), Roundtail Chub Gila robusta (mean = 35 mm total length), Humpback Chub Gila cypha (mean = 67 mm total length), and Razorback Sucker Xyrauchen texanus (mean = 74 mm total length). We exposed selected species of juvenile native fishes to predation by adult Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides, Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu, Green Sunfish Lepomis cyanellus, Flathead Catfish Pylodictis olivaris, and Black Bullhead Ameiurus melas in overnight trials. Razorback Suckers served as prey in trials conducted with Largemouth Bass and Black Bullhead. Bonytail served as prey in trials conducted with Largemouth Bass and Flathead Catfish. Roundtail Chub served as prey in trials conducted with Smallmouth Bass and Green Sunfish. We matched sizes of predator and prey so that the maximum body depth of the prey never exceeded 40% of the maximum anatomical gape of the predators. Turbidity of 500 nephlometric turbidity units reduced effectiveness of sight-feeding predators such as Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, and Green Sunfish by up to 50% but also increased predation vulnerability to non–sight-feeding predators (Flathead Catfish and Black Bullhead) by up to 55%. Turbidity was the only treatment that significantly altered predation mortality of native fish. These results may help explain recent patterns of wild juvenile native fish recruitment to adult life stages at the Colorado River inflow in to Lake Mead and at the inflow of the San Juan River into Lake Powell. Both areas possess abundant introduced predatory fishes but are also very turbid.

show abstract

“…; Rogowski et al. ), meeting management goals for rearing. For example, one goal for the conservation of Humpback Chub in Grand Canyon is to expand the role of tributaries in increasing the distribution and size of aggregations in the Colorado River (USFWS :12).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Both efforts were successful in promoting the growth and survival of juveniles, but high emigration rates that were associated with flooding (Van Haverbeke et al 2013;Spurgeon et al 2015b) or competition with nonnative fishes may have limited the persistence and establishment of new populations (Pine et al 2013;Spurgeon et al 2015a). Nevertheless, substantial numbers of Humpback Chub that have dispersed from translocation sites have been observed later integrating with downstream aggregations in the LCR (Van Haverbeke et al 2013) or in other reaches of the Colorado River (Van Haverbeke et al 2017;Rogowski et al 2018), meeting management goals for rearing. For example, one goal for the conservation of Humpback Chub in Grand Canyon is to expand the role of tributaries in increasing the distribution and size of aggregations in the Colorado River (USFWS 2011:12).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nevertheless, translocated fish that have dispersed from Havasu Creek have been recaptured in the Colorado River by management and research agencies (the USFWS, Arizona Game and Fish Department, and USGS). These potentially contributed to the recently expanding populations in western Grand Canyon (Van Haverbeke et al 2017;Rogowski et al 2018), thereby partially fulfilling the conservation goals for the species (USFWS 2011).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Establishment of a Reproducing Population of Endangered Humpback Chub through Translocations to a Colorado River Tributary in Grand Canyon, Arizona

Healy

Smith

Schelly

et al. 2020

N American J Fish Manag

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Translocations, defined herein as the human‐assisted movement of individuals from a source population to other waters within their historical range, are prevalent in recovery plans for endangered fishes. Many translocations fail to establish new populations, however, and outcomes are often poorly documented. Endangered Humpback Chub Gila cypha persist as a self‐sustaining population in Grand Canyon, Arizona, despite threats from introduced nonnative competitors and predators and modified flow, thermal, and sediment regimes due to river regulation. In the decades following the completion of Glen Canyon Dam, the Grand Canyon population has been primarily sustained through reproduction in a single Colorado River tributary, the Little Colorado River (LCR). To establish population redundancy and aid in recovery, we annually translocated between 243 and 509 juvenile Humpback Chub from the LCR to Havasu Creek, a smaller Colorado River tributary in Grand Canyon National Park. Juvenile Humpback Chub were collected from the wild and reared in a hatchery for 8–12 months prior to the translocations. Through biannual mark–recapture sampling in Havasu Creek, we estimated annual abundance for all of the translocated cohorts and found that apparent survival and growth rates met or exceeded the demographic rates that are published for the LCR. We observed reproductively mature adults each year in May, beginning in 2012, and untagged juvenile Humpback Chub beginning in the following year and every year thereafter, with results that indicated successful reproduction. Beginning in 2016, we noted recruitment to maturity of fish that were produced in situ and the population's abundance increased through 2018, indicating potential for the establishment of a self‐sustaining population. As an example of the successful translocation of an endangered species that demonstrates the potential importance of tributaries in the recovery of large‐river fishes, our study may help to inform future recovery planning.

show abstract

Humpback Chub (Gila cypha) Range Expansion in the Western Grand Canyon

Cited by 12 publications

References 15 publications

Water storage decisions will determine the distribution and persistence of imperiled river fishes

Water storage decisions will determine the distribution and persistence of imperiled river fishes

What Environmental Conditions Reduce Predation Vulnerability for Juvenile Colorado River Native Fishes?

Establishment of a Reproducing Population of Endangered Humpback Chub through Translocations to a Colorado River Tributary in Grand Canyon, Arizona

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About