Propagation of Endangered Moapa Dace

Ruggirello, Jack E.; Bonar, Scott A.; Feuerbacher, Olin G.; Simons, Lee H.; Powers, Chelsea

doi:10.1643/ot-18-036

Cited by 3 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Many of the characteristics we found to be important for Moapa Dace spawning in the field were also important for successful propagation of the species in captivity (Table ; Ruggirello et al. ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…These propagation techniques are now being used by the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) to breed and rear a captive population of Moapa Dace (Ruggirello et al. ; B. Senger, NDOW, personal communication).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In subsequent laboratory studies, Moapa Dace were first brought to holding aquaria where water flow was static and they did not successfully propagate or survive well (Ruggirello et al. ). When the fish were transferred to artificial streams where we replicated the conditions we measured in the field (e.g., temperature, flowing water, and substrate), fish mortality decreased to almost zero and fish condition seemed to improve dramatically.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Duplicating the conditions measured in the field—as well as tweaking our laboratory setup with additional flow directed along the bottom of the artificial stream into a cobble bed—was necessary to trigger a successful spawn (Ruggirello et al. ). This suggests that water column average velocity may present too simple a picture of the type of flow required to successfully trigger Moapa Dace spawning.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We used the information generated from this study to design management techniques for endangered species conservation. Data obtained from the present study were used to design facilities for the captive propagation of Moapa Dace, resulting in the first instance (to our knowledge) of captive rearing and spawning of the species (Ruggirello et al 2018). These propagation techniques are now being used by the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) to breed and rear a captive population of Moapa Dace (Ruggirello et al 2018;B.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Use of Underwater Videography to Quantify Conditions Utilized by Endangered Moapa Dace While Spawning

Ruggirello

Bonar

Feuerbacher

et al. 2020

N American J Fish Manag

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Advances in underwater camera technology provide an affordable means to quantify the environmental conditions under which fish spawn. This information is important for investigating spawning ecology, managing habitat, or providing information for captive breeding programs. We deployed 12 modified security cameras underwater to identify environmental conditions related to the spawning behavior of the critically endangered Moapa Dace Moapa coriacea, a Mojave Desert stream‐dwelling cyprinid that had never been observed spawning and that had fallen to a low of 459 individual fish 4 years prior to this study. Camera sites were selected systematically along the stream to represent the variety of conditions available. We divided the field of view in front of each camera into a grid, and we estimated both the available environment and the habitat over which Moapa Dace showed spawning behavior. From over 4,000 10‐min video clips that were randomly selected for analysis, 13 spawning events were identified. Using nonparametric contingency table analyses, we found that Moapa Dace selected depths between 30 and 34 cm, water velocities between 0.11 and 0.17 m/s, cobble substrate, and overhead instream cover. Although the recorded sample size of spawning events was small (13), our sample represents a large proportion of events given that the world's entire population of Moapa Dace at the time was approximately 650 fish distributed over multiple kilometers of stream length. Environmental conditions identified by this study were replicated in laboratory facilities to successfully propagate Moapa Dace for the first time in captivity. These propagation methods are now used in a management setting by the Nevada Department of Wildlife to maintain a captive population of this rare fish. Camera methods can be effective in helping to identify spawning conditions where water clarity is sufficient.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Use of Underwater Videography to Quantify Conditions Utilized by Endangered Moapa Dace While Spawning

Ruggirello

Bonar

Feuerbacher

et al. 2020

N American J Fish Manag

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Ecological divergence of a habitat constructed to harbor an endangered species

Paulson

Chaudoin²,

Martin

2021

Conservat Sci and Prac

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Ecological restoration, habitat creation, and artificial refuges are increasingly essential for conservation, particularly for species that are threatened by the loss or degradation of critical habitat. The Devils Hole pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis) exists in a single small locality subject to the detrimental effects of local groundwater extraction, limited resources, and the gradual deterioration of its gene pool as a consequence of its small effective population size. Multiple attempts at establishing captive populations have been made since the 1970s, but all failed due to mechanical issues combined with lack of staffing, and in one case a hybridization event with a closely related species. In 2012, the completion of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ash Meadows Fish Conservation Facility included a 416 m 3 tank designed to closely emulate the Devils Hole environment. We conducted a comparative analysis of the early-stage ecological community in this newly constructed environment with that of Devils Hole.Results showed significantly different community compositions and temporal variation between the two sites. Differences between the natural and constructed communities were likely driven by environmental and successional stage differences between the natural and constructed habitats. Environmental DNA surveys revealed far greater diversity in both Devils Hole and the refuge tank than detected through traditional visual sampling methods. Our results highlight the importance of monitoring for tracking progress toward a desired ecological community outcome.

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