Oxbow Restorations for Topeka Shiner (Notropis topeka) Recovery: Defining Success

Osterhaus, Dylan M.; Leberg, Samuel S.; Pierce, Clay L.; Stewart, Timothy W.; McCombs, Audrey

doi:10.1674/0003-0031-188.1.56

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…However, study findings of Leberg (2021) provided promising evidence that tile drainage has minimal impacts on oxbow ecology compared to other oxbows in central Iowa. As research continues to establish the efficacy of restoring oxbows for the conservation of Topeka shiners (Osterhaus et al, 2022; Pierce et al, 2019; Simpson et al, 2019), restoration should be focused on locations where tile drainage can be diverted into them for maximum ecosystem benefits.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another question relates to the potential impacts of tile inflow on oxbow temperatures and water quality. Oxbows fed by tile drainage will likely receive greater nutrient loads (e.g., Ikenberry et al, 2014) but it is uncertain what effects the cooler, high nutrient influent tile water will have on oxbow ecosystems, including populations of Topeka Shiner (Osterhaus et al, 2022; Simpson et al, 2019). Lastly, previous work was focused solely on NO 3 ‐N reductions and the effects of oxbow reconstructions on dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) have not been examined.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nutrient retention in tile‐fed and non‐tile reconstructed oxbows in north central Iowa

Pierce

Schilling

2023

J American Water Resour Assoc

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Nutrient export from the agricultural Midwest threatens the Gulf of Mexico and new conservation practices are needed to reduce the loss of nutrient from subsurface tile drainage systems. Oxbows are natural waterbodies formed when a river cuts off a meander loop and water quality benefits of reconstructed oxbows are being increasingly recognized. In this study, we monitored four reconstructed oxbow sites (two tile‐fed, two non‐tile) over a 2‐year period in north‐central Iowa and assessed their capacity for NO3‐N and dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) reductions. Water flow and quality monitoring of tiles, shallow groundwater, oxbow and receiving streams documented that the oxbows were dominated by tile drainage inputs. NO3‐N concentrations were highest in the drainage tiles flowing into the tile‐fed oxbows (mean 8–10 mg/L) and much lower in floodplain groundwater (<1–2 mg/L). Annual NO3‐N loads into the tile‐fed oxbows were substantially larger than input loads into the non‐tiled oxbows. For the two tile‐fed oxbows, the 2‐year NO3‐N retention efficiencies were very similar (0.76–0.77) and on a monthly basis, greater retention efficiencies were measured in summer and fall. DRP concentrations and loads into the tile‐fed oxbows were too low to allow for meaningful estimates of retention. Reconstructing oxbows to receive tile drainage water should be considered a sustainable conservation practice for tile drainage treatment in agricultural areas.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutrient retention in tile‐fed and non‐tile reconstructed oxbows in north central Iowa

Pierce

Schilling

2023

J American Water Resour Assoc

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“…Accelerating oxbow restoration has led to increased monitoring of these ecosystems by The Nature Conservancy, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the United States Geological Survey and other entities. Monitoring projects are conducted in part to determine success or failure of restoring oxbow ecosystem services and habitat for Topeka Shiner [16]. Monitoring typically involves collecting habitat data (depth, width, length, bank angles, substrate, canopy cover, etc.)…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of sampling methods for small oxbow wetland fish communities

Osterhaus

Leberg²,

Pierce³

et al. 2022

PLoS ONE

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Throughout the world, wetlands have experienced degradation and declines in areal coverage. Fortunately, recognition of the value of wetlands has generated interest in preserving and restoring them. Post-restoration monitoring is necessary to analyze success or failure, thereby informing subsequent management decisions. Restoration of oxbow wetlands has become the focus of targeted restoration efforts to promote recovery of biodiversity and sensitive species, and to enhance ecosystem services. The fish communities of oxbows have been the subject of many monitoring studies. However, a recommended sampling methodology for monitoring the fish communities of oxbows has not been described, thereby limiting our capacity to effectively monitor these ecosystems. We compared four sampling methodologies (backpack electrofishing, fyke netting, minnow trapping, and seining) for fish community data collection with a primary objective of determining an effective method for sampling fish communities in small oxbow wetlands. Seining and fyke netting were determined to be effective methods for sampling oxbow fish communities. Backpack electrofishing and minnow trapping produced low taxonomic richness values and sampled a smaller proportion of species present than seining and fyke netting. Although seining and fyke netting produced similar taxonomic diversity and abundance values, these two gears differ in their ease of implementation and potential habitat disturbance generated by sampling. Therefore, consideration must be given to how species present (especially sensitive species) within the wetland could be impacted by sampling disturbance when choosing between seining and fyke netting.

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“…Simpson et al 2019, Osterhaus et al 2022b). However, as determined byOsterhaus et al (2022b), associations between Topeka shiner and other sh species weaken with a larger sample size.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Simpson et al 2019, Osterhaus et al 2022b). However, as determined byOsterhaus et al (2022b), associations between Topeka shiner and other sh species weaken with a larger sample size. Community variation may also be attributed to the frequency of oxbow connection to adjacent streams and the composition at time of disconnection(Osterhaus et al 2022b).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Restored oxbow wetlands within an agricultural landscape: using physical and biological characteristics to evaluate impacts of tile drainage input

Leberg,

Osterhaus,

Pierce

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Oxbow wetlands have been restored in the Midwestern United States to sequester sediment and nutrients originating from agricultural activities and to provide habitat for wetland-dependent species. Intensive agriculture may have adverse impacts on oxbow functions, especially if wetlands receive water inputs from subsurface drainage systems (e.g., tile drainage). To explore the influence of tile drainage on oxbow wetland ecology, we quantified relationships between physical and biotic variables in 12 Iowa, USA oxbows over a two-year period. Six oxbows received direct water inputs from tile drainage (multipurpose oxbows), whereas remaining sites did not (non-tiled oxbows). In each oxbow, we measured physical variables and documented taxonomic composition, diversity, and abundance of macrophytes, macroinvertebrates, and fishes. Although water temperature was lower in multipurpose oxbows, values for remaining physical variables were similar across sites. No significant difference was detected for any biotic variable across oxbow type. Across field seasons, 44 invertebrate taxa were observed in both oxbow types with an average richness of 18.6 in non-tiled oxbows and 17.5 in tile-fed oxbows. We sampled 35 fish species, with an average richness of 8.2 in non-tiled oxbows and 11.4 in multipurpose oxbows. A total of 2682 Topeka shiner were found in both non-tiled and multipurpose oxbows. Non-metric multidimensional scaling revealed that potential physical determinants of macrophyte, invertebrate, and fish abundance were unrelated to tile drainage. Our results suggest that tile drainage has negligible ecological impact on multipurpose oxbows in agricultural landscapes and does not cause physical or biological characteristics to differ significantly between oxbow types.

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Oxbow Restorations for Topeka Shiner (Notropis topeka) Recovery: Defining Success

Cited by 6 publications

References 24 publications

Nutrient retention in tile‐fed and non‐tile reconstructed oxbows in north central Iowa

Nutrient retention in tile‐fed and non‐tile reconstructed oxbows in north central Iowa

Comparison of sampling methods for small oxbow wetland fish communities

Restored oxbow wetlands within an agricultural landscape: using physical and biological characteristics to evaluate impacts of tile drainage input

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