Water-level decline in the Apalachicola River, Florida, from 1954 to 2004, and effects on floodplain habitats

Light, Helen M.; Vincent, Kirk R.; Darst, Melanie R.; Price, Franklin D.

doi:10.3133/sir20065173

Cited by 34 publications

(54 citation statements)

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“…Altering the natural flow regime of fluvial systems through flow control via dams and levees may cause changes in the channel characteristics and hydrology of both the mainstem river and floodplain habitats. These changes may affect fish communities by deepening the mainstem channel, leading to decreased floodplain inundation or complete disconnection of a floodplain channel from its associated mainstem river channel (Ligon et al, 1995;Light et al, 2006). This process may ultimately result in limiting fish access to floodplain habitats.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Importance of Floodplain Connectivity to Fish Populations in the Apalachicola River, Florida

Burgess

Pine

Walsh

2012

River Research & Apps

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Floodplain habitats provide critical spawning and rearing habitats for many large‐river fishes. The paradigm that floodplains are essential habitats is often a key reason for restoring altered rivers to natural flow regimes. However, few studies have documented spatial and temporal utilization of floodplain habitats by adult fish of sport or commercial management interest or assessed obligatory access to floodplain habitats for species' persistence. In this study, we applied telemetry techniques to examine adult fish movements between floodplain and mainstem habitats, paired with intensive light trap sampling of larval fish in these same habitats, to assess the relationships between riverine flows and fish movement and spawning patterns in restored and unmodified floodplain distributaries of the Apalachicola River, Florida. Our intent is to inform resource managers on the relationships between the timing, magnitude and duration of flow events and fish spawning as part of river management actions. Our results demonstrate spawning by all study species in floodplain and mainstem river habitat types, apparent migratory movements of some species between these habitats, and distinct spawning events for each study species on the basis of fish movement patterns and light trap catches. Additionally, Micropterus spp., Lepomis spp. and, to a lesser degree, Minytrema melanops used floodplain channel habitat that was experimentally reconnected to the mainstem within a few weeks of completing the restoration. This result is of interest to managers assessing restoration activities to reconnect these habitats as part of riverine restoration programmes globally. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Importance of Floodplain Connectivity to Fish Populations in the Apalachicola River, Florida

Burgess

Pine

Walsh

2012

River Research & Apps

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“…Increased runoff as a result of floodplain deforestation to accommodate agriculture hastens the depthreduction process (Ritchie et al 1979;McHenry et al 1982;Wren et al 2008). In managed river systems, hydrological modifications to rivers adjacent to floodplain lakes, such as channelization, may exacerbate further depth reductions by causing drops in water level and by reducing connectivity as a result of stream bed degradation (Light et al 2006). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depth as an organizer of fish assemblages in floodplain lakes

Miranda

2010

Aquat Sci

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Depth reduction is a natural process in floodplain lakes, but in many basins has been accelerated by anthropogenic disturbances. A diverse set of 42 floodplain lakes in the Yazoo River Basin (Mississippi, USA) was examined to test the hypothesis of whether depth reduction was a key determinant of water quality and fish assemblage structure. Single and multiple variable analyses were applied to 10 commonly monitored water variables and 54 fish species. Results showed strong associations between depth and water characteristics, and between depth and fish assemblages. Deep lakes provided less variable environments, clearer water, and a wider range of microhabitats than shallow lakes. The greater environmental stability was reflected by the dominant species in the assemblages, which included a broader representation of large-body species, species less tolerant of extreme water quality, and more predators. Stability in deep lakes was further reflected by reduced among-lake variability in taxa representation. Fish assemblages in shallow lakes were more variable than deep lakes, and commonly dominated by opportunistic species that have early maturity, extended breeding seasons, small adult size, and short lifespan. Depth is a causal factor that drives many physical and chemical variables that contribute to organizing fish assemblages in floodplain lakes. Thus, correlations between fish and water transparency, temperature, oxygen, trophic state, habitat structure, and other environmental descriptors may ultimately be totally or partly regulated by depth. In basins undergoing rapid anthropogenic modifications, local changes forced by depth reductions may be expected to eliminate species available from the regional pool and could have considerable ecological implications.

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“…Published reports (Light et al 2006) identified the USGS gage near Sumatra (No. 02359170) as the approximate boundary of river tidal extent.…”

Section: Hydrologic Characterizationmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…1). The Apalachicola represents the largest river in Florida and the fourth largest in the Southeast U.S. in terms of volume (Ward et al 2005, Light et al 2006. Wetland hydrology along the lower river is affected by a combination of factors, but primarily by river flow and tidal range.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Forested Wetland Communities as Indicators of Tidal Influence along the Apalachicola River, Florida, USA

Anderson

Lockaby

2011

Wetlands

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On coastal rivers, tidal freshwater forested wetlands occur at the upriver extent of tidal influence. How far upriver is uncertain, because tidal conditions gradually diminish and it is unknown how forest species and edaphic conditions shift in response. Forested wetlands along the lower Apalachicola River were evaluated for the influence of tidal hydrology on community composition, structure, and soil conditions. A total of 37 forest plots were established along a tidal gradient and classified as tidal or non-tidal based on data from water level recorders and wetland proximity to the river mouth. Canopy trees were measured to calculate species importance values and four distinct communities (two tidal and two non-tidal) were discerned based on a two-way cluster analysis. Forest structure differed between wetlands, with tidal wetlands having smaller tree diameters and greater density. Surface soils in tidal wetlands contained higher percent carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur. Soil electrical conductivity was also higher in tidal wetlands and, along with concentrations of extractable Na and Mg, corresponded with 2-dimensional ordination axes for species analyzed by non-metric multidimensional scaling. Forest communities clearly differed in composition, structure, and soil conditions, and provided a good indicator of tidal hydrology along the Apalachicola River.

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Water-level decline in the Apalachicola River, Florida, from 1954 to 2004, and effects on floodplain habitats

Cited by 34 publications

References 0 publications

Importance of Floodplain Connectivity to Fish Populations in the Apalachicola River, Florida

Importance of Floodplain Connectivity to Fish Populations in the Apalachicola River, Florida

Depth as an organizer of fish assemblages in floodplain lakes

Forested Wetland Communities as Indicators of Tidal Influence along the Apalachicola River, Florida, USA

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