The role of groundwater pumping and drought in shaping ecological futures for stream fishes in a dryland river basin of the western Great Plains, USA

Falke, Jeffrey A.; Fausch, Kurt D.; Magelky, Robin D.; Aldred, Angela; Durnford, Deanna S.; Riley, Linda K.; Oad, Ramchand

doi:10.1002/eco.158

Cited by 92 publications

(83 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…For example, headwater streams not delineated in hydrographic datasets could bias monitoring designs and affect model estimates by treating streams as uplands. Accurate classification of flow permanence is also critical for setting appropriate expectations for the ecological status of intermittent and ephemeral streams (Fritz et al 2006;Watson and Dallas 2013;Prat et al 2014) and for the early detection and evaluation of anthropogenic drivers of water quantity and quality changes, such as irrigation withdrawals, effluent discharge, and climate change (e.g., Brooks 2009; Falke et al 2011;David et al 2013). The importance of various stream attributes in classifying streamflow duration in our study contributes to a growing collective understanding of the drivers and ecological responses to flow permanence.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Validation of Rapid Assessment Methods to Determine Streamflow Duration Classes in the Pacific Northwest, USA

Nadeau

Leibowitz

Wigington

et al. 2015

Environmental Management

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United States Supreme Court rulings have created uncertainty regarding U.S. Clean Water Act (CWA) authority over certain waters, and established new data and analytical requirements for determining CWA jurisdiction. Thus, rapid assessment methods are needed that can differentiate between ephemeral, intermittent, and perennial streams. We report on the validation of several methods. The first (Interim Method) was developed through best professional judgment (BPJ); an alternative (Revised Method) resulted from statistical analysis. We tested the Interim Method on 178 study reaches in Oregon, and constructed the Revised Method based on statistical analysis of the Oregon data. Next, we evaluated the regional applicability of the methods on 86 study reaches across a variety of hydrologic landscapes in Washington and Idaho. During the second phase, we also compared the Revised Method with a similar approach (Combined Method) based on combined field data from Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. We further compared field-based methods with a GIS-based approach (GIS Method) that used the National Hydrography Dataset and a synthetic stream network. Evaluations of all methods compared results with actual streamflow duration classes. The Revised Method correctly determined known streamflow duration 83.9% of the time, versus 62.3% accuracy of the Interim Method and 43.6% accuracy for the GIS-based approach. The Combined Method did not significantly outperform the Revised Method. Analysis showed biological indicators most accurately discriminate streamflow duration classes. While BPJ established a testable hypothesis, this study illustrates the importance of quantitative field testing of rapid assessment methods. Results support a consistent method applicable across the Pacific Northwest.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Validation of Rapid Assessment Methods to Determine Streamflow Duration Classes in the Pacific Northwest, USA

Nadeau

Leibowitz

Wigington

et al. 2015

Environmental Management

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“…In the future, regional water stress and associated effects on aquatic biodiversity and natural resource commodities will undoubtedly increase (Vo¨ro¨s-marty et al 2010, Steward et al 2013. Though historical stream environments in the Great Plains shaped fish adaptations to withstand harsh conditions such as drought and desiccation (Dodds et al 2004, Lytle andPoff 2004), acceleration of the expansion and contrac-tion of stream ecosystems by humans is beyond the range of conditions with which many fishes can contend (Cross et al 1985, Pigg 1991, Falke et al 2011. This is, in part, because hydrologic changes to stream ecosystems are coupled with shrinking habitat and population sizes that historically buffered environmental disturbances (Perkin and Gido 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…recharge) of the underlying Ogallala or High Plains Aquifer (High Plains hereafter), to the extent that portions of the aquifer are projected to dry by 2060 if practices are not modified (Steward et al 2013). Once-perennial streams that were supported by groundwater input have been transformed to highly variable ephemeral habitats in which long-term persistence of stream fishes is questionable (Falke et al 2011). These broad-scale alterations are reflected by losses in biodiversity among stream-dependent organisms such as fishes Bestgen 1997, Hoagstrom et al 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fragmentation and dewatering transform Great Plains stream fish communities

Perkin

Gido

Cooper

et al. 2015

Ecological Monographs

176

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Abstract. Biodiversity in stream networks is threatened globally by interactions between habitat fragmentation and altered hydrologic regimes. In the Great Plains of North America, stream networks are fragmented by .19 000 anthropogenic barriers, and flow regimes are altered by surface water retention and groundwater extraction. We documented the distribution of anthropogenic barriers and dry stream segments in five basins covering the central Great Plains to assess effects of broad-scale environmental change on stream fish community structure and distribution of reproductive guilds. We used an informationtheoretic approach to rank competing models in which fragmentation, discharge magnitude, and percentage of time streams had zero flow (a measure of desiccation) were included to predict effects of environmental alterations on the distribution of fishes belonging to different reproductive guilds. Fragmentation caused by anthropogenic barriers was most common in the eastern Great Plains, but stream desiccation became more common to the west, where rivers are underlain by the depleted (i.e., extraction . recharge) High Plains Aquifer. Longitudinal gradients in fragmentation and desiccation contributed to spatial shifts in community structure from taxonomically and functionally diverse communities dominated by pelagic reproductive guilds where fragmentation and desiccation were least, to homogenized communities dominated by benthic guilds where fragmentation and desiccation were common. Modeling results revealed these shifts were primarily associated with decline of pelagic reproductive guilds, notably small-bodied pelagophilic and lithopelagophilic fishes that declined in association with decreased fragment length and increased number of days with zero flow. Graph theory combined with a barrier prioritization approach revealed specific fragments that could be reconnected to allow fishes within these guilds to colonize currently unoccupied fragments with the mitigation or removal of small dams (,10 m height). These findings are useful for natural resource managers charged with halting or reversing the prevailing pattern of declining fish diversity in the Great Plains. Our study represents one of the most comprehensive assessments of fish diversity responses to broad-scale environmental change in the Great Plains and provides a conservation strategy for addressing the simultaneous contributions of fragmentation and flow alteration to the global freshwater biodiversity crisis.

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“…Single static physiochemical characteristics for recolonization (Dodds et al 2004;Falke et al 2011). Introduced species have further impacted prairie fi shes through predation and competition .…”

Section: Physical Stream Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Status of Native Stream Fishes within Selected Protected Areas of the Niobrara River in Western Nebraska

Spurgeon¹,

Stasiak²,

Cunningham³

et al. 2014

gpr

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Lotic systems within the Great Plains are characterized by highly fluctuating conditions through both space and time. Fishes inhabiting these systems have adopted specific life-history strategies to survive in such environments; however, anthropogenic disturbance to prairie streams has resulted in declines and extirpation of many native stream fishes. Terrestrial protected areas (i.e., parks and reserves) are designated to support native flora and fauna and, it is assumed, to provide protection to native fishes. We assessed the presence and relative abundance of stream fish populations within protected areas along the Niobrara River in western Nebraska based on data collected during 1979, 1989, 2008, and 2011. The spatial extent of protection, landscape changes resulting in degraded physiochemical parameters, and introduced species may reduce the effectiveness of these terrestrial protected areas in protecting native fishes in Great Plains stream environments.

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The role of groundwater pumping and drought in shaping ecological futures for stream fishes in a dryland river basin of the western Great Plains, USA

Cited by 92 publications

References 61 publications

Validation of Rapid Assessment Methods to Determine Streamflow Duration Classes in the Pacific Northwest, USA

Validation of Rapid Assessment Methods to Determine Streamflow Duration Classes in the Pacific Northwest, USA

Fragmentation and dewatering transform Great Plains stream fish communities

Status of Native Stream Fishes within Selected Protected Areas of the Niobrara River in Western Nebraska

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