USGS Science⌕ Search

SEARCH · USGS Science

Results for “Aquatic Sciences”

Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources
USGS2021

Influence of water temperature and biotic interactions on the distribution of westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi) in a population stronghold under climate change

Climate warming is expected to have substantial impacts on native trout across the Rocky Mountains, but there is little understanding of how these changes affect future distributions of co-occurring native fishes within population strongholds. We used mixed-effects logistic regression to investigate the role of abiotic (e.g., temperature) and biotic factors (bull trout presence, Salvelinus confluentus ) on distributions of westslope cutthroat trout ( Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi ; WCT) in the North Fork Flathead River, USA and Canada. The probability of WCT presence increased with stream temperature and decreased with channel gradient and bull trout presence, yet the effect of bull trout was reduced with increasing pool densities. Combining this model with spatially explicit stream temperature projections, we predict a 29% increase in suitable habitat under high emissions through 2075, with gains at mid-elevation sites predicted to exceed bull trout thermal tolerances and high-elevation sites expected to become more thermally suitable for WCT. Our study illustrates the importance of considering abiotic and biotic drivers to assess species response to climate change, helping to guide local-scale climate adaptation and management.

Alberta, British Columbia, Montana↗
USGS2021

As the prey thickens: Rainbow trout select prey based upon width not length

Drift-feeding fish are typically considered size-selective predators. Yet, few studies have explicitly tested which aspect of prey “size” best explains size selection by drift-foraging fish. Here, we develop a Bayesian discrete choice model to evaluate how attributes of both prey and predator simultaneously influence size-selective foraging. We apply the model to a large dataset of paired invertebrate drift ( n = 784) and rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) diets ( n = 1028). We characterized prey “size” using six metrics (length, width, area, hemispherical area, volume, mass) and used pseudo- R 2 to determine which metric best explained observed prey selection across seven taxa. We found that rainbow trout are positively size-selective, they are selecting prey based upon differences in prey width, and size-selectivity increases with fish length. Rainbow trout demonstrated strong selection for the adult and pupae stages of aquatic insects relative to their larval stages. Our study provides strong empirical evidence for size-selective foraging in rainbow trout and demonstrates prey selection is based primarily upon width, not length or area as has been widely reported.

Arizona↗
USGS2021

Effects of a diatom ecosystem engineer (Didymosphenia geminata) on stream food webs: Implications for native fishes

Stream habitat changes affecting primary consumers often indirectly impact secondary consumers such as fishes. Blooms of the benthic algae Didymosphenia geminata (Didymo) are known to affect stream macroinvertebrates, but the potential indirect trophic impacts on fish consumers are poorly understood. In streams of the Kootenai River basin, we quantified the diet, condition, and growth rate of species of trout, char, and sculpin. In 2018, macroinvertebrate taxa composition was different between a stream with Didymo and a stream without, but trout diets, energy demand, and growth rates were similar. Trout abundance was higher in the stream with Didymo, but the amount of drifting invertebrates was higher in the stream without. In 2019, we surveyed 28 streams with a gradient of coverage. Didymo abundance was correlated only with the percentage of aquatic invertebrates in trout diets and was not related to diets of char or sculpin or condition of any species. Thus, we found no evidence for a trophic link between Didymo blooms and the condition or growth of trout, char, or sculpin in mountainous headwater streams.

Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana↗
USGS2021

Reduced recruitment of Chinook salmon in a leveed bar-built estuary

Estuaries are commonly touted as nurseries for salmonids, providing numerous advantages for smolts prior to ocean entry. In bar-built estuaries, sandbars form at the mouth of rivers during periods of low stream flow, closing access to the ocean and preventing outmigration. We evaluated how summer residency in a leveed bar-built estuary affects the growth, survival, and recruitment of a Chinook salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ) population. We performed a mark–recapture study on outmigrants to determine juvenile estuary abundance, growth, and survival. We used returning adult scales and otoliths to determine the relative proportion of summer estuary residents in spawning adults. Juveniles in the estuary grew less after mouth closure, and ultimately summer estuary residents had lower smolt-to-adult survival and contributed disproportionately less to the spawning population than juveniles that reared in the ocean their first summer. Mouth closure may lower food availability and deteriorate estuary conditions by reducing marine prey influx and estuary circulation. This research demonstrates the complexity of estuary dynamics and function as salmonid nurseries, particularly when considering the extensive modification of estuaries.

California↗
USGS2021

Do lake-specific characteristics mediate the temporal relationship between walleye growth and warming water temperatures?

Walleye ( Sander vitreus ) population declines have been linked to climate change, but it is unclear how the growth of this cool-water species may be affected by warming water temperatures. Because warming rates vary among lakes, it is uncertain whether lake characteristics may mediate the temperature effects on walleye growth or may vary as a result of differences in lake habitat or productivity. In this study, we ( i ) quantified walleye annual growth from 1983 to 2015 in 61 lakes in midwestern United States; ( ii ) estimated the relationship between annual early life growth ( ω ; mm·year –1 ) and water growing degree days (GDD); and ( iii ) identified lake characteristics affecting log e ( ω )–GDD relationships. On average, ω estimates significantly increased with increasing GDD; however, this relationship varied in direction and magnitude among lakes. We estimated an 84% posterior probability of a negative effect of water clarity on the log e ( ω )–GDD relationship, suggesting that water clarity may mediate the effect of warming water temperatures by affecting the magnitude and direction of the log e ( ω )–GDD relationship. Our results provide insights into the conservation of cool-water species in a changing environment and identify lakes characteristics in which walleye growth may be more resilient to climate change.

Minnesota, Wisconsin↗
USGS2021

It’s complicated…environmental DNA as a predictor of trout and char abundance in streams

The potential to provide inferences about fish abundance from environmental (e)DNA samples has generated great interest. However, the accuracy of these abundance estimates is often low and variable across species and space. A plausible refinement is the use of common aquatic habitat monitoring data to account for attributes that influence eDNA dynamics. We therefore evaluated the relationships between eDNA concentration and abundance of bull trout ( Salvelinus confluentus ), westslope cutthroat trout ( Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi ) and rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) at 42 stream sites in the Intermountain West (USA and Canada) and tested whether accounting for site-specific habitat attributes improved the accuracy of fish abundance estimates. eDNA concentrations were positively associated with fish abundance, but these relationships varied by species and site, and there was still considerable variation unaccounted for. Random site-level differences explained much of this variation, but specific habitat attributes of those sites explained relatively small amounts of this variation. Our results underscore that either eDNA sampling or environmental characterization will require further refinement before eDNA can be used reliably to estimate fish abundance in streams.

Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington↗
USGS2020

Evidence of prevalent heat stress in Yukon River Chinook salmon

Migrating adult Pacific salmon ( Oncorhynchus spp.) are sensitive to warm water (>18 °C), with a range of consequences from decreased spawning success to early mortality. We examined the proportion of Yukon River Chinook salmon ( O. tshawytscha ) exhibiting evidence of heat stress to assess the potential that high temperatures contribute to freshwater adult mortality in a northern Pacific salmon population. Water temperatures greater than 18 °C have occurred almost annually in the Yukon River and correspond with low population abundance since the 1990s. Using gene transcription products and heat shock protein 70 biomarkers validated by field experiment, we identified heat stress in half of Chinook salmon examined (54%, n = 477) across three mainstem locations and three tributaries in 2016–2017. Biomarkers tracked wide variation in water temperature (14–23 °C) within a tributary. The proportion of salmon with heat stress differed between years at four of the six locations, with more prevalent heat stress in the warmer year. This work demonstrates that warming water temperatures are currently affecting northern populations of Pacific salmon.

Alaska↗
USGS2021

Behavioral responses of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) and white sucker (Catostomus commersonii) to turbulent flow during fishway passage attempts

An understanding of how undesirable and desirable fish species respond behaviorally to turbulent flow in fishways would guide development of selective fish passage techniques. We applied high-resolution computational fluid dynamics modeling and competing risks analysis towards the development of predictive selective passage models. Sea lamprey ( Petromyzon marinus ; an invasive fish in the Great Lakes Basin, North America) upstream passage probability declined from 0.73 to 0.03 as flow conditions became increasingly turbulent, while declines in white sucker ( Catostomus commersonii , a native fish in the region) upstream passage probability were less substantial (0.53 to 0.44). Deploying a sea lamprey trap in the fishway did not effectively reduce sea lamprey upstream passage probability, though capture rate increased during trials with cooler water temperature and low total kinetic energy. Bifurcated fishways that maintain low turbulent flow in the entrapment route and high turbulent flow in the upstream passage route could increase the effectiveness of trapping sea lamprey in fishways as a means to advance selective passage goals.

Wisconsin↗
USGS2021

Recruitment dynamics of non-native largemouth bass within the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta

Largemouth bass (LMB; Micropterus salmoides ) recruitment is limited by a critical developmental period during early life stages, but this mechanism may be less important within non-native habitats. We conducted boat electrofishing surveys in four tidal lakes of California’s Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta (SSJD) from 2010 to 2011 to describe introduced LMB recruitment dynamics. We evaluated growth, proximate composition, and health indices of young-of-the-year (YOY) LMB among tidal lakes and developed an integrated count model to determine how factors known to affect LMB recruitment shape SSJD population structure. Our results show a mismatch among growth, nutrition, and YOY abundance, where the tidal lake with the most abundant and fastest-growing LMB had the poorest nutritional status. The warm winter water temperatures and lack of a hatching-cohort growth advantage suggests overwinter starvation plays a less important role in SSJD LMB recruitment than in many native LMB habitats. Collectively, our results suggest that habitat characteristics (submerged aquatic vegetation) and not overwinter mortality shapes SSJD LMB population structure, a mechanism consistent with contemporary hypotheses about the altered fish community structure of the SSJD.

California↗
USGS2021

Partial migration and spawning movements of humpback chub in the Little Colorado River are better understood using data from autonomous PIT tag antennas

Choosing whether or not to migrate is an important life history decision for many fishes. Here we combine data from physical captures and detections on autonomous passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag antennas to study migration in an endangered fish, the humpback chub (Gila cypha). We develop hidden Markov mark-recapture models with and without antenna detections and find that the model fit without antenna detections misses a large proportion of fish and underestimates migration and survival probabilities. We then assess survival and growth differences associated with life history strategy and migration for different demographic groups (small male, small female, large male, large female). We find large differences in survival according to life history strategy, where residents had much lower over-winter survival than migrants. However, within the migratory life history strategy, survival and growth were similar for active migrants and skipped migrants for all demographic groups. We discuss some common challenges to incorporating detections from autonomous antennas into population models and demonstrate how these data can provide insight about fish movement and life history strategies.

Arizona↗
USGS2021

Surface water with more natural temperatures promotes physiological and endocrine changes in landlocked Atlantic salmon smolts

Hatchery salmonid smolts are often reared using groundwater with elevated temperatures to maximize growth. Previous work has shown that rearing hatchery smolts in surface water with a more natural thermal regime resulted in increased return rates of adult landlocked Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ). We evaluated whether landlocked Atlantic salmon reared in surface water with a natural temperature regime have altered physiological smolt characteristics compared with fish reared in groundwater with elevated winter temperatures. Hatchery fish were sampled three consecutive years from January to May. Additional fish were released as smolts, recaptured, and compared with fry-stocked smolts. Surface water smolts had earlier peaks of plasma T 4 , lower T 3 levels, later peak cortisol, and lower gill Na + /K + -ATPase activity as compared with groundwater smolts. After release and recapture, surface water fish had elevated plasma T 4 and gill Na + /K + -ATPase activity compared with groundwater fish, but less than stream-reared fish. Elevated plasma T 4 in surface water fish in the hatchery and after release may have promoted imprinting and other aspects of smolt development, contributing to the higher adult return rates of a cohort reared in surface water.

Vermont↗
USGS2021

Behavioural response of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) to acoustic stimuli in a small stream

Sea lamprey ( Petromyzon marinus ) are invasive in the Laurentian Great Lakes and parasitically feed on valued fishes. Migration barriers and selective pesticides are used to control sea lamprey, but there is a desire to develop additional control tools such as traps with nonphysical deterrents. Sound has been used as a deterrent for other invasive species, but its potential for manipulating sea lamprey behavior in natural stream conditions remains untested. Here, behavioral responses of upstream-migrating adult sea lamprey in response to low frequency sounds of 70 or 90 Hz was tracked in a small stream (8 m wide) using passive integrated transponder (PIT) telemetry. The low frequency sounds shifted sea lamprey distribution, with up to 30% more sea lamprey detected on PIT antennas without sound compared with PIT antennas with sound playing. Future studies could continue testing low frequency sounds in larger rivers with larger speakers for use as a natural deterrent at sea lamprey barriers to push sea lamprey toward traps.

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences↗
USGS2022

Next-generation lampricides: A three-stage process to develop improved control tools for invasive sea lamprey

Successful integrated management of the invasive predatory sea lamprey ( Petromyzon marinus ) in the Laurentian Great Lakes of North America is owed largely to the long history of beneficial use of two lampricides: 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) and 2′,5-dichloro-4′-nitrosalicylanilide (niclosamide). Ensuring continued successful sea lamprey control necessitates consideration of possible next-generation lampricides to supplement or replace current lampricides. This review identifies fifteen hallmarks of success for current lampricides to be used as design criteria in a search for next-generation lampricides. A three-stage research approach is outlined. Targeted research using omics, computer modelling, and high-throughput technology to define molecular mechanisms and high probability molecular targets for sea lamprey selective toxic action is crucial to prioritizing chemical candidates. Targeted delivery or identifying synergists to existing or new lampricides can provide increased efficiency and reduced environmental impact. Ultimate development of next-generation lampricides will rely on traditional toxicity testing methodologies to ensure safety and regulatory compliance.

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences↗
USGS2022

Eye lenses reveal ontogenetic trophic and habitat shifts in an imperiled fish, Clear Lake hitch (Lavinia exilicauda chi)

Stable isotopes recorded in fish eye lenses are an emerging tool to track dietary shifts coincident with use of diverse habitats over the lifetime of individuals. Eye lenses are metabolically inert, sequentially deposited, archival tissues that can open avenues to chronicle contaminant exposures, diet histories, trophic dynamics and migratory histories of individual fishes. In this study, we demonstrated that trophic histories reconstructed using eye lenses can resolve key uncertainties regarding diet and trophic habitat shifts. Clear Lake hitch ( Lavinia exilicauda chi ), a threatened cyprinid, inhabits a single lake (Clear Lake, Lake County, California) and utilizes tributary streams for reproduction. Bayesian mixing models applied to δ 13 C and δ 15 N recorded in eye lenses uncovered ontogenetic diet shifts that corresponded with shifts in occupation of habitats providing spawning (tributary streams), rearing (littoral lake), and growth (pelagic lake) functions. The reconstruction of size-structured trophic and habitat information can provide vital information needed to manage and conserve imperiled species such as the Clear Lake hitch.

California↗
USGS2021

Tide gates form physical and ecological obstacles to river herring (Alosa spp.) spawning migrations

River herring ( Alosa spp.) are anadromous fish that enter North American Atlantic coastal rivers and lakes each spring to spawn. Anthropogenic structures such as dams and tide gates serve as physical obstacles that limit river herring access to spawning habitat. This study examined the physical and ecological components affecting herring passage through a tide gate by applying a time-to-event analysis framework to multiple movement behaviors derived from telemetry data. Herring had higher passage success early in the season (78%) than later (16%). Key behaviors that govern passage varied with diel period, tide, and flow direction through the gates. Furthermore, these behaviors shifted as the season progressed, consistent with the hypothesis that predator avoidance may be driving passage failure late in the spawning season.

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences↗
USGS2021

An empirically based simulation model to inform flow management for endangered species conservation

Increasing water demand, water development, and ongoing climate change have driven extensive changes to the hydrology, geomorphology and biology of arid-land rivers globally, driving an increasing need to understand how annual hydrologic conditions affect the distribution and abundance of imperiled desert fish populations. We analyzed the relationship between annual hydrologic conditions and the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow ( Hybognathus amarus ) in the Middle Rio Grande, New Mexico, USA, using hurdle models to predict both presence and density as a function of integrated annual hydrologic metrics. Both presence and density were positively related to spring high flow magnitude and duration and negatively related to summer drying, as indicated by an integrated flow metric. Simulations suggest hydrologic conditions near the wettest observed in the data set would be required to meet recovery goals in a single year in all reaches. We demonstrate how the models developed herein can be used to examine alternative water management strategies, including strategies that may currently be socially and logistically infeasible to implement, to identify strategies minimizing trade-offs between conservation and other management goals.

New Mexico↗
USGS2021

Mixed evidence for biotic homogenization of southern Appalachian fish communities

Anthropogenic impacts on the landscape can drive biotic homogenization, whereby distinct biological communities become more similar to one another over time. Land-use change in the Southern Appalachian region is expected to result in homogenization of the highly diverse freshwater fish communities as in-stream habitat alterations favor widespread cosmopolitan species at the expense of more narrowly distributed highland endemic species. We compiled four datasets spanning 25 years to (1) evaluate the effects of environmental factors on relative abundance and richness of highland endemic vs. cosmopolitan species in this region and (2) test for taxonomic homogenization, measured as a change in beta diversity over time. We found that several environmental factors differentially affected highland endemic and cosmopolitan species, with the proportion of forested land cover in a watershed most strongly predicting higher relative abundance and richness of highland endemic species. Our analysis of beta diversity change, however, shows mixed evidence of taxonomic homogenization, depending on how common species are weighted. Shifts in community composition, with or without homogenization, may warrant attention in biodiversity conservation planning.

Georgia, North Carolina↗
USGS2021

Consequences of changing water clarity on the fish and fisheries of the Laurentian Great Lakes

Human-driven environmental change underlies recent changes in water clarity in many of the world’s great lakes, yet our understanding of the consequences of these changes on the fish and fisheries they support remains incomplete. Herein, we offer a framework to organize current knowledge, guide future research, and help fisheries managers understand how water clarity can affect their valued populations. Emphasizing Laurentian Great Lakes findings where possible, we describe how changing water clarity can directly affect fish populations and communities by altering exposure to ultraviolet radiation, foraging success, predation risk, reproductive behavior, or territoriality. We also discuss how changing water clarity can affect fisheries harvest and assessment through effects on fisher behavior and sampling efficiency (i.e., catchability). Finally, we discuss whether changing water clarity can affect understudied aspects of fishery performance, including economic and community benefits. We conclude by identifying generalized predictions and discuss their implications for priority research questions for the Laurentian Great Lakes. Even though the motivation for this work was regional, the breadth of the review and generality of the framework are readily transferable to other freshwater and marine habitats.

Great Lakes↗