Progress 04/01/03 to 03/31/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: We completed a study to evaluate host suitability for the endangered dwarf wedgemussel Alasmidonta heterodon in the Delaware River basin. A. heterodon glochidia (larvae) require a host fish to transform into juvenile mussels. Host species for A. heterodon have been identified at the southern and northern extents of its range, but it is uncertain if A. heterodon populations in the central portion of the range, namely in the Delaware River basin, use the same hosts. In spring and summer of 2006 and 2007, we used glochidia from mussels from Flat Brook (NJ) in the upper Delaware River basin to test suitability of a number of potential host fish species. We also collected fish from Delaware River A. heterodon sites during spring, when mussels are known to release glochidia in the wild, to identify any naturally infected fish. In addition, we examined population-level variation in fish host suitability of a known host, the tessellated darter, by comparing suitability of
tessellated darters from three different locations in the Connecticut, Delaware and Susquehanna River basins, using glochidia of mussels from the upper Connecticut River basin. We confirmed four previously identified hosts for A. heterodon: the slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus), mottled sculpin (Cottus bairdi), Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and tessellated darter (Etheostoma olmstedi). We also identified four new potential hosts: the shield darter (Percina peltata), striped bass (Morone saxitilis), banded killifish (Fundulus diaphanus) and brown trout (Salmo trutta). No naturally infected fish hosts for A. heterodon were collected from the Delaware River during spring 2006. Host suitability of darters varied marginally among sources, but in general fish in closest proximity to the Connecticut River mussel source served as the most suitable hosts, producing the greatest number of transformed juvenile A. heterodon. We sampled fish and benthic macroinvertebrates in the Conestoga River and
Middle Creek as part of our dam removal study during 2005 and 2006. We are in the process of finishing the 2006 benthic macroinvertebrate samples and beginning data analysis. We are initiating work on a collaborative project with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Center's Northeast Fisheries Center to evaluate habitat heterogeneity as measured by thalweg profiling and its relation to brook trout abundance in Pennsylvania streams.
PARTICIPANTS: Ms. Barbara S. White, graduate research assistant (Dwarf wedgemussel project); Ms. Brianna Hutchison, graduate research assistant (dam removal project); Ms. Doris Mason, graduate research assistant; and Dr. John Sweka, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (brook trout habitat project).
TARGET AUDIENCES: National Park Service, PA Fish and Boat Commission, and fishery managers and researchers in general.
Impacts
The Dwarf Wedgemussel study addresses a critical information need for the National Park Service fishery managers involved with the restoration and protection of Dwarf Wedgemussel populations in their boundaries. The dam removal study will provide information that will help biologists, policy makers, and citizens make better decisions about which dams should be removed and when is the best time to remove them. The brook trout habitat study will provide information needed by fishery managers (the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission in Pennsylvania specifically) to best evaluate potential to restore brook trout streams.
Publications
- White, B.S. 2007. Evaluation of fish host suitability for the endangered dwarf wedgemussel Alasmidonta Heterodon. M.S. Thesis. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. 86 pgs.
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Progress 01/01/06 to 12/31/06
Outputs
A study designed to evaluate potential fish hosts for the endangered Dwarf Wedgemussel in the Delaware River basin continued. During November 2005 we collected gravid dwarf wedgemussels (DWM) from the upper Connecticut River, NH to be used in a test of tessellated darter host suitability. We collected tessellated darters from five locations during fall 2005 and spring 2006; two sites in the northern extent of the range (Connecticut River (NH), Ashuelot River (NH)), two sites from the middle of the DWM's range in the Delaware River Basin (Delaware River (PA/NY), Flat Brook (NJ)) and one site where no DWM are found (Pine Creek (PA)). We used DWM glochidia from the upper Connecticut River and fish collected from the five locations to test effect of distance from the mussel location on the suitability of a particular host species (i.e., will fish closest to the site of the mussel produce more juveniles that fish collected from areas further from the mussel location?).
Relatively large numbers of transformed juvenile mussels were observed on fish from all locations and preliminary findings indicate no significant differences in host suitability among fish from different locations. We also tested a number of other potential fish host species for DWM in the Delaware River basin. Using glochidia from Flat Brook DWM, we have screened 18 fish species, confirming two known hosts of DWM (slimy sculpin and Atlantic salmon parr) and identifying three new potential host species (shield darter, banded killifish, and brown trout). Screenings of potential hosts are ongoing. We attempted to identify any fish being parasitized by mussels in the wild by collecting various fish species during spring 2006 from areas near DWM sites on the Delaware River mainstem. Tessellated darters, shield darters, blacknose dace, longnose dace, cutlips minnows, margined madtoms, bluntnose minnows, banded killifish and American eels were among the most common species found at these
sites. After each collection, fish were held for one month and siphoned at least once each week to check for dropped glochidia. No glochidia were obtained during this portion of the experiment. A follow-up study based on our previous dam removal monitoring in Pennsylvania was initiated. A number of small dams throughout the Commonwealth have been removed, primarily in the Susquehanna River drainage, in an effort to remove blockages to American shad migrations. In 1999, we initiated a study to document the changes in fish and benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in response to removal of small dams. Our preliminary, and primarily descriptive, analysis of fish and benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages indicate that these small dams can have a dramatic impact on the composition of biological assemblages. A period of about five years will have passed from when the dams were removed, allowing the river system and the biological assemblages it supports to come to some equilibrium. We
sampled, following the same methodology as in the previous study, fishes and benthic macroinvertebrates in fall 2005 and fall 2006.
Impacts
The study to evaluate potential fish hosts for the Dwarf Wedgemussel will address a critical information need for the National Park Service fishery managers that need to address both fishery management needs and the restoration and protection of Dwarf Wedgemussel populations in their boundaries. The study of the effects of dam removals on biotic assemblages will provide information that will help biologists, policy makers, and citizens make better decisions about which dams should be removed and when is the best time to remove them.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 01/01/05 to 12/31/05
Outputs
An evaluation of the relationship between riparian area condition and the structure of fish and benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in the adjacent stream was completed. Fifteen limestone streams, located in Pennsylvanias Ridge and Valley Physiographic Province, were selected along a gradient of watershed land use that ranged from primarily forested land to primarily agricultural land. We used the Rapid Volunteer Evaluation of Riparia (RiVER) protocol (developed by a previous student) to evaluate riparian area condition at the Site (175-280 m), upstream Reach (500 m upstream of the sample site), and Entire Stream (all stream sections above the sample site) scales. At each sample site, we collected benthic macroinvertebrates using both a Surber sampler and a D-frame dip net during May 2004. During Summer 2004, we sampled fish using multiple passes with backpack electrofishing gear to estimate the density of brown trout in the stream. Watersheds varied in agricultural
land use from 22 to 75% and Entire Stream riparian condition scores ranged from poor to excellent. Across sites cumulative total taxa ranged from 27 to 54 and cumulative Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT) taxa ranged from 6 to 23. Density estimates of age-1 and older brown trout ranged from 0 to 1,855 trout/ha. Biomass estimates for age-1 and older brown trout ranged from 0 to 268 kg/ha. Riparian area condition, measured at the Entire Stream scale, was most consistently related to macroinvertebrate richness measures and other attributes of the macroinvertebrate assemblage. The strongest correlation was between Entire Stream riparian condition and total macroinvertebrate taxa. Entire Stream riparian condition was also significantly related to percentage of the five most dominant taxa, percentage EPT (excluding Hydropsychidae and Baetidae), Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index, and the Hilsenhoff Biotic Index. Measures of brown trout population condition were not related to the
measures of riparian area or site condition. Interestingly, brown trout density and biomass in these limestone streams were not related to riparian area condition at any scale. Density and biomass of brown trout may be more affected by factors related to discharge and water temperature than riparian area condition in these limestone streams that are heavily influenced by spring and groundwater sources. Overall, this study showed the importance of riparian condition at the scale of the entire stream in determining benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages. However, riparian area condition at the local scale was not related to benthic macroinvertebrate assemblage structure. Any given point along the longitudinal gradient of a stream may have patches of intact riparian corridor forest; the cumulative effects of upstream riparian condition may act to negate the local site scale condition. Another study designed to evaluate potential fish hosts for the endangered Dwarf Wedgemussel in the
Delaware River basin is currently underway. This study is being conducted in partnership with the National Park Service and the U.S. Geological Service.
Impacts
Relating the condition of riparian areas to biotic assemblages will help support the continued restoration and management of these areas. The study to evaluate potential fish hosts for the Dwarf Wedgemussel will address a critical information need for the National Park Service fishery managers that need to address both fishery management needs and the restoration and protection of Dwarf Wedgemussel populations in their boundaries.
Publications
- Lees, B. W. 2005. Riparian area condition, macroinvertebrate sampling protocol, and biotic assemblage structure of limestone streams in Pennsylvania. M.S. Thesis. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. 111 pp.
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Progress 01/01/04 to 12/31/04
Outputs
A study to evaluate the use of representative reaches to characterize benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages (BMAs) found at several different scales (stream reach, stream, watershed) was completed in fall 2004. This study used a fully nested design in the Allegheny National Forest (ANF) in northwestern Pennsylvania during summer 1999 (n=81) to determine natural patterns of BMAs. Three subsamples of benthic macroinvertebrates were collected at each site using a Hess sampler with a 0.09 square meter area. We found that visual observation (best professional judgment) was a valid method for a priori classification of BMA site type classes (i.e., headwater, midstream, mouth). BMAs were found to change gradually along the longitudinal continuum of a stream rather than form discrete groups. Therefore, a priori classification based on environmental variable site type classes was ineffective at predicting a posteriori group membership. Total taxa, derived from pooled data, for
all samples collected present in the ANF ranged between 12-33% in any one subsample. These values are much lower than the 70% literature value used to typify the majority of taxa present. Due to the continuous nature of BMAs and the inability to adequately collect the majority of taxa in any one subsample, caution should be used in relying solely on one representative sample to characterize other BMAs. Classification of BMAs should be conducted in an iterative fashion, beginning with a priori classes and refining based on the results of a posteriori classification. Field work for a study to evaluate the relationship between riparian area condition and fish and benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages was completed during summer 2004. Laboratory identification of benthic macroinvertebrates and data analysis are currently underway. A study to evaluate potential fish hosts for the endangered Dwarf Wedgemussel is currently in the experimental design stage. This study is being conducted in
partnership with the National Park Service and the U.S. Geological Service.
Impacts
Bioassessment using benthic macroinvertebrates is a common method used to determine the health and integrity of aquatic ecosystems. Many natural resource agencies rely on the representative reach sampling methodology where benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages (BMAs) in one reach represent BMAs in other reaches with similar characteristics. Results from our study will help these agencies design more efficient and effective sampling protocols that will better characterize the health of our stream ecosystems and save money. The study evaluating links between riparian area condition and fish and benthic macroinvertebrates will help natural resource agencies allocate financial resources for riparian area restoration in a more effective manner. Finally, the study to evaluate potential fish hosts for the Dwarf Wedgemussel will address a critical information need for the National Park Service fishery managers that need to address both fishery management needs and the
restoration and protection of Dwarf Wedgemussel populations in their boundaries.
Publications
- Ferreri, C. P., Stauffer, J.R. and Stecko, T.D 2004. Evaluating impacts of mountain top removal/valley fill coal mining on stream fish populations. In R.I. Barnhisel (ed). Proceedings of a joint conference of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation 21st Annual National Conference and the 25th West Virginia Surface Mine Drainage Task Force Symposium, American Society of Mining and Reclamation, Lexington, KY. 576-592.
- Orr, J.C. 2004. Evaluation of the representative reach sampling methodology for biomonitoring using benthic macroinvertebrates. M.S. Thesis. The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. 138 pp.
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Progress 01/01/03 to 12/31/03
Outputs
A Master's Degree project was initiated in September 2003 that will focus on evaluating the relative contribution of riparian condition (as measured by the Rapid Volunteer Evaluation of Riparia protocol that we developed in 2002)to the health of trout populations in coldwater streams in Pennsylvania. Our goal is to evaluate riparian condition as a predictor of fish population abundance to determine linkages between fish populations, instream habitat, and landscape level variables. The project is just being initiated and will continue over the next two years.
Impacts
Using riparian condition as a surrogate for fish population health in a particular watershed can save fishery managers and conservation groups a lot of time and money in monitoring. The outcome of this project will be critical in determining if such a shortcut is feasible and reliable.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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