No quarter: Lack of refuge during flow intermittency results in catastrophic mortality of an imperiled minnow

Archdeacon, Thomas P.; Reale, Justin K.

doi:10.1111/fwb.13607

Cited by 28 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 99 publications

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“…Rio Grande silvery minnow spawn non-adhesive, neutrally buoyant ova directly into the water column [35], a mode of reproduction found in several other cyprinid species in the Great Plains of the western United States [36]. For Rio Grande silvery minnow, annual reproductive success is highly variable and is tied to high flows in spring [18,33,37], likely through creation of nursery habitats for larvae and juveniles [38,39]. Rio Grande silvery minnow were listed as endangered in 1994.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Rio Grande silvery minnow are directly impacted by intermittent streamflow. During periods of river drying, Rio Grande silvery minnow are forced into isolated pools [37]. Compared to other intermittent streams in the American Great Plains region [15,40] and around the world [41], isolated pools in the MRG are shallow (<0.6 m) and short-lived, with only a small percentage persisting > 4 days [37].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During periods of river drying, Rio Grande silvery minnow are forced into isolated pools [37]. Compared to other intermittent streams in the American Great Plains region [15,40] and around the world [41], isolated pools in the MRG are shallow (<0.6 m) and short-lived, with only a small percentage persisting > 4 days [37]. Globally, isolated pools can last for weeks to years and allow the persistence of fishes and other organisms [42][43][44].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, in parts of the MRG, the river channel is perched above irrigation canals built for downstream water deliveries [46], which has resulted in rapid onset of intermittent conditions and evaporation of isolated pools due to a lack of connection to groundwater. In the absence of fish rescue, stranding in isolated pools in the MRG would result in almost certain mortality of fishes during summer months [37]. Thus, immediate rescue of Rio Grande silvery minnow, i.e., collection from isolated pools and translocation to areas with perennial surface flow, is performed before complete desiccation of isolated pools occurs as a conservation action to mitigate for the negative effects of streamflow intermittency.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Rescue efforts remain a major management strategy for Rio Grande silvery minnow during periods of streamflow intermittency and have been employed every year since 2009 [37]. In order to evaluate the severity of thermal conditions fish are exposed to prior to rescue, we used multi-year data collected during fish rescue to estimate hourly and seasonal changes in pool temperatures during streamflow intermittency.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fish Rescue during Streamflow Intermittency May Not Be Effective for Conservation of Rio Grande Silvery Minnow

Archdeacon

Diver

Reale

2020

Water

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Streamflow intermittency can reshape fish assemblages and present challenges to recovery of imperiled species. During streamflow intermittency, fish can be subjected to a variety of stressors, including exposure to crowding, high water temperatures, and low dissolved oxygen, resulting in sublethal effects or mortality. Rescue of fishes is often used as a conservation tool to mitigate the negative impacts of streamflow intermittency. The effectiveness of such actions is rarely evaluated. Here, we use multi-year water quality data collected from isolated pools during rescue of Rio Grande silvery minnow Hybognathus amarus, an endangered minnow. We examined seasonal and diel water quality patterns to determine if fishes are exposed to sublethal and critical water temperatures or dissolved oxygen concentrations during streamflow intermittency. Further, we determined survival of rescued Rio Grande silvery minnow for 3–5 weeks post-rescue. We found that isolated pool temperatures were much warmer (>40 °C in some pools) compared to upstream perennial flows, and had larger diel fluctuations, >10 °C compared to ~5 °C, and many pools had critically low dissolved oxygen concentrations. Survival of fish rescued from isolated pools during warmer months was <10%. Reactive conservation actions such as fish rescue are often costly, and in the case of Rio Grande silvery minnow, likely ineffective. Effective conservation of fishes threatened by streamflow intermittency should focus on restoring natural flow regimes that restore the natural processes under which fishes evolved.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Fish Rescue during Streamflow Intermittency May Not Be Effective for Conservation of Rio Grande Silvery Minnow

Archdeacon

Diver

Reale

2020

Water

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Effects of flow recession regime on stranding of Rio Grande silvery minnow suggests that conservation actions must overcome evolutionary traps

Archdeacon

Gonzales

Thomas

et al. 2022

Aquatic Conservation

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1. Flow intermittence is a major disturbance for riverine fishes. Many species of fishes that evolved in naturally intermittent streams have specialized adaptations to survive drought such as movement to refuge habitats. Conservation of fishes in river systems with highly altered flow regimes requires understanding of how individuals and populations respond to flow intermittence.2. Here, flow was manipulated in two 16-km segments of the Rio Grande, New Mexico, to determine whether managed flow recession could reduce stranding imperilled Rio Grande silvery minnow in isolated pools.3. Slower flow recessions did not decrease stranding in isolated pools over the range tested. Flow recession rate appeared to have an adverse impact on stranding; fewer fish were stranded under faster recession rates, but complex interactions were evident. Fish were stranded throughout both segments regardless of flow recession rate.4. No evidence of a synchronized movement response was observed. Instead, many Rio Grande silvery minnows were probably trapped within proximal habitats, which dry completely and function as evolutionary traps, rather than moving to areas of perennial flow. Use of proximal habitats during streamflow intermittence has implications for management of the species and mitigation of mortality, including managed flow recession rates, and position and function of refuge habitats.5. Effective mitigation for flow intermittence and stranding in streams with highly modified flow regimes will depend on the life history and behavioural response of the species. For Rio Grande silvery minnow, facilitating adaptive behaviour would require creating refuge areas that increase fish survival for weeks to months, as reducing the attractiveness of the traps is likely to be impossible given lack of a synchronized movement response to declining flows. Mismatching life-history strategies, behaviour, and scale of conservation actions may result in ineffective

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Extreme low‐flow effects on riverine fauna: A perspective on methodological assessments

et al. 2022

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River flow regimes face increasing pressure from human activities including water resource management operations and climate change. Consequently, extreme hydrological events are becoming more severe and commonplace, and there is a pressing need to understand and manage their ecological effects. Extreme low-flows (ELFs)those displaying significantly greater magnitudes and durations than typical low-flow conditionsare being increasingly experienced globally. Fish and macroinvertebrate responses to ELFs have been more widely researched relative to other organism groups in riverine environments, although such studies have employed variable methodological techniques. In this perspective piece, we identify field-based assessments and controlled experiments as two key research paradigms used to examine riverine faunal responses to ELFs. Field-based

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No quarter: Lack of refuge during flow intermittency results in catastrophic mortality of an imperiled minnow

Abstract: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creat ive Commo ns Attri bution-NonCo mmerc ial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

Cited by 28 publications

References 99 publications

Fish Rescue during Streamflow Intermittency May Not Be Effective for Conservation of Rio Grande Silvery Minnow

Fish Rescue during Streamflow Intermittency May Not Be Effective for Conservation of Rio Grande Silvery Minnow

Effects of flow recession regime on stranding of Rio Grande silvery minnow suggests that conservation actions must overcome evolutionary traps

Extreme low‐flow effects on riverine fauna: A perspective on methodological assessments

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