The influence of air temperature, groundwater discharge, and climate change on the thermal diversity of stream fishes in southern Ontario watersheds

Chu, Cindy; Jones, Nicholas E.; Mandrak, Nicholas E.; Piggott, Andrew R.; Minns, Charles K.

doi:10.1139/f08-007

Cited by 58 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…During previous periods of climate change, riparian areas served as refugia because they provided microclimates that protected plant biodiversity (Bakker 1984, Meave andKellman 1994). Riparian vegetation can maintain cooler water temperatures by shading water from sunlight (Sridhar et al 2004, Cassie 2006) and the infusion of cold groundwater into warmer surface waters creates and maintains pockets of cool water (Chu et al 2008). Thus, riparian areas provide thermal refugia for animals with thermoregulatory limitations.…”

Section: Expanding Thermal Refugiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Why Climate Change Makes Riparian Restoration More Important than Ever: Recommendations for Practice and Research

Seavy¹,

Gardali²,

Golet³

et al. 2009

Ecological Restoration

186

139

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Over the next century, climate change will dramatically alter natural resource management. Specifically, historical reference conditions may no longer serve as benchmarks for restoration, which may foster a "why bother?" attitude toward ecological restoration. We review the potential role for riparian restoration to prepare ecological systems for the threats posed by climate change. Riparian ecosystems are naturally resilient, provide linear habitat connectivity, link aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and create thermal refugia for wildlife: all characteristics that can contribute to ecological adaptation to climate change. Because riparian systems and the projected impacts of climate change are highly variable geographically, there is a pressing need to develop a place-based understanding of climate change threats to riparian ecosystems. Restoration practitioners should consider how they can modify practices to enhance the resilience of riparian ecosystems to climate change. Such modifications may include accelerating the restoration of private lands, participating in water management decisions, and putting the emerging field of restoration genetics into practice.

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Section: Expanding Thermal Refugiamentioning

confidence: 99%

Why Climate Change Makes Riparian Restoration More Important than Ever: Recommendations for Practice and Research

Seavy¹,

Gardali²,

Golet³

et al. 2009

Ecological Restoration

186

139

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Such stressors include removal of riparian forest associated with logging (Gomi et al, 2006;Holtby, 1988;Leach et al, 2012), changes in runoff generation and riparian characteristics associated with urban development (Pluhowski, 1972;Klein, 1979), and changes in streamflow regime associated with withdrawals, diversions and impoundments (Hockey et al, 1982;Hamblin and McAdam, 2003;Meier et al, 2003). In addition, a number of studies have made projections of the effects of future climate scenarios on stream temperatures, individual fish species and fish assemblages over the coming decades (Eaton and Scheller, 1996;Mohseni et al, 2003;Chu et al, 2005;Buisson et al, 2008;Chu et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying Temperature Thresholds Associated with Fish Community Changes in British Columbia, Canada, to Support Identification of Temperature Sensitive Streams

Parkinson

Lea

Nelitz³

et al. 2015

River Research & Apps

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We collected fish samples and measured physical habitat characteristics, including summer stream temperatures, at 156 sites in 50 tributary streams in two sampling areas (Upper Fraser and Thompson Rivers) in British Columbia, Canada. Additional watershed characteristics were derived from GIS coverages of watershed, hydrological and climatic variables. Maximum weekly average temperature (MWAT), computed as an index of summer thermal regime, ranged from 10 to 23°C. High values of MWAT were associated with large, warm, low relief watersheds with a high lake influence. Measures of community similarity suggested that the fish community changed most rapidly through a lower transition zone at an MWAT of about 12°C and an upper transition zone at an MWAT of about 19°C. These results were confirmed using existing fisheries inventory data combined with predictions of MWAT from a landscape-scale regression model for the Thompson River watershed. For headwater sites in the Chilcotin River watershed (which drains into the middle Fraser River), the relative dominance of bull trout versus rainbow trout (based on inventory data) decreased with increasing predicted MWAT although the distinction was not as clear as for the Thompson River sites. The fish communities in these watersheds can be characterized in terms of very cold water (bull trout and some cold water species), cold water (salmonids and sculpins) and cool water (minnows and some cold water salmonids). The two transition zones (ca 12 and 19°C) can be used to identify thresholds where small changes in stream temperature can be expected to lead to large changes in fish communities. Such clear, quantifiable thresholds are critical components of a management strategy designed to identify and protect vulnerable fish communities in streams where poor land use practices, alone or in combination with climatic change, can lead to changes in stream temperatures.

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“…Brook trout have been lost from over 50% of the historical habitat in Connecticut, USA, (Hudy et al 2008), and lotic populations are primarily located in small, cold headwater streams (Kanno and Vokoun 2008). Land development and resulting habitat alteration has often been associated with population declines (Kanno et al 2010;Stranko et al 2008;Waco and Taylor 2010), and climate change raises concern for the persistence of this steno-thermal species (Chu et al 2008;Flebbe et al 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sibship reconstruction for inferring mating systems, dispersal and effective population size in headwater brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) populations

2010

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Brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis populations have declined in much of the native range in eastern North America and populations are typically relegated to small headwater streams in Connecticut, USA. We used sibship reconstruction to infer mating systems, dispersal and effective population size of resident (non-anadromous) brook trout in two headwater stream channel networks in Connecticut. Brook trout were captured via backpack electrofishing using spatially continuous sampling in the two headwaters (channel network lengths of 4.4 and 7.7 km). Eight microsatellite loci were genotyped in a total of 740 individuals (80-140 mm) subsampled in a stratified random design from all 50 m-reaches in which trout were captured. Sibship reconstruction indicated that males and females were both mostly polygamous although single pair matings were also inferred. Breeder sex ratio was inferred to be nearly 1:1. Few large-sized fullsib families ([3 individuals) were inferred and the majority of individuals were inferred to have no fullsibs among those fish genotyped (family size = 1). The median stream channel distance between pairs of individuals belonging to the same large-sized fullsib families ([3 individuals) was 100 m (range: 0-1,850 m) and 250 m (range: 0-2,350 m) in the two study sites, indicating limited dispersal at least for the size class of individuals analyzed. Using a sibship assignment method, the effective population size for the two streams was estimated at 91 (95%CI: 67-123) and 210 (95%CI: 172-259), corresponding to the ratio of effectiveto-census population size of 0.06 and 0.12, respectively. Both-sex polygamy, low variation in reproductive success, and a balanced sex ratio may help maintain genetic diversity of brook trout populations with small breeder sizes persisting in headwater channel networks.

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The influence of air temperature, groundwater discharge, and climate change on the thermal diversity of stream fishes in southern Ontario watersheds

Cited by 58 publications

References 21 publications

Why Climate Change Makes Riparian Restoration More Important than Ever: Recommendations for Practice and Research

Why Climate Change Makes Riparian Restoration More Important than Ever: Recommendations for Practice and Research

Identifying Temperature Thresholds Associated with Fish Community Changes in British Columbia, Canada, to Support Identification of Temperature Sensitive Streams

Sibship reconstruction for inferring mating systems, dispersal and effective population size in headwater brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) populations

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