Tolerance of glacial-melt stoneflies (Plecoptera) and morphological responses of chloride cells to stream salinity.

Aquatic insects within glacial-melt streams are adapted to low dissolved inorganic ion concentrations. Increases in ion concentrations in glacial-melt streams are predicted with increasing air temperatures, which may impact future aquatic insect survival in these streams. We hypothesized that stonefly (Plecoptera) naiads from glacial-melt streams acclimated to different conductivity would differ in survival, median lethal concentrations, and chloride cell responses to elevated conductivity above that expected in our study streams. We conducted field bioassays in remote glacial-melt streams in southwestern China in 2015 and exposed representative stonefly naiads (Chloroperlidae, Nemouridae, Taeniopterygidae) from stream sites differing in conductivity to experimental conductivity ranging from 11 to 20,486 µS/cm for up to 216 h. We examined survivorship, calculated 96-h median lethal concentrations, and measured chloride cell responses with scanning electron microscopy. Chloroperlidae survival after 120 and 216 h did not differ (P > 0.05) among conductivity treatments. The combined Nemouridae/Taeniopterygidae survival after 120 and 216 h was the least (P < 0.05) in conductivity treatments >16,349 µS/cm. Taeniopterygidae survival after 120 h was also the least (P < 0.05) in conductivity treatments >16,349 µS/cm. The 96-h median lethal concentrations did not differ (P > 0.05) between the combined Nemouridae/Taeniopterygidae group (2306 µS/cm) and Taeniopterigydae (2002 µS/cm) and were lower (P < 0.05) than the 96-h median lethal concentration for Chloroperlidae (8167 µS/cm). Chloroperlidae caviform cell number, density, and area decreased (P < 0.05) with increasing conductivity. Taeniopterygidae caviform cell count decreased (P < 0.05) with increasing conductivity, but cell density and area did not. Chloroperlidae and Taeniopterygidae coniform cell characteristics and Nemouridae bulbiform cell characteristics were not affected by conductivity. Our results suggest that Chloroperlidae, Nemouridae, and Taeniopterygidae from glacial-melt streams in China may be able to tolerate moderate increases in conductivity (i.e., 100 to 200 µS/cm).

Injury frequency and severity in crayfish communities as indicators of physical habitat quality and water quality within agricultural headwater streams.

Crayfishes (Decapoda) are common inhabitants of agricultural headwater streams in the Midwestern USA that have been impacted by physical habitat degradation and contamination by agricultural pollutants. The frequency and severity of injuries within crayfish communities are indicators of crayfish aggression, which is influenced by physical, chemical, and biotic factors. Previous studies have not evaluated the relationships of the frequency and severity of crayfish injuries with physical habitat quality, water quality, and biotic factors within agricultural headwater streams. Understanding these relationships will assist with determining if crayfish injury variables can serve as an indicator of physical habitat quality or water quality in these small degraded streams. We sampled crayfishes, documented the frequency and type of injuries, and measured instream habitat and water chemistry in 2014 and 2015 within 12 agricultural headwater streams in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. We documented five native crayfish species from 1641 adult captures. The most abundant species were Faxonius rusticus, Faxonius immunis, and Faxonius propinquus. Linear mixed effect model analyses indicated that four crayfish injury response variables were positively correlated (p < 0.05) with crayfish density, physical habitat quality, and water velocity diversity and that crayfish injury response variables were more strongly correlated with crayfish density than physical habitat quality or water quality. Our results indicate that response variables describing the severity and frequency of crayfish injuries can be effective indicators of physical habitat quality in agricultural headwater streams.

Conservation implications of fish-habitat relationships in channelized agricultural headwater streams.

Channelized agricultural headwater streams are common throughout agricultural watersheds in the midwestern United States. Understanding fish-habitat relationships within these streams will provide information that can assist with developing conservation and restoration strategies for these degraded streams. From spring 2006 to fall 2010, we collected fishes and measured riparian habitat, instream habitat, and water chemistry variables from seven sites in Cedar Creek, Indiana, and 14 sites in Upper Big Walnut Creek, Ohio. We found that fish community structure was more strongly correlated with instream habitat than riparian habitat or water chemistry in both watersheds. We also observed interrelationships among instream habitat, watershed size, and fish communities within both watersheds that suggest that the hydrological changes that occur with increasing watershed size are the underlying factor for fish community changes that occur with increasing watershed size. Our results suggest that conservation and restoration efforts within channelized agricultural headwater streams in the midwestern United States, where nutrients and herbicide concentrations are low, need to address physical habitat degradation to positively influence fish community structure.

Impact of student-induced disturbance on stream macroinvertebrates differs among habitat types.

Environmental impacts from ecotourism and outdoor recreation activities on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are well-reported in the literature, but less is known regarding the impacts of outdoor environmental education activities. Student activity during stream classes may cause substrate disruption and localized impacts on stream macroinvertebrates. We hypothesized that student activity would negatively impact macroinvertebrate community structure in three habitat types (riffle, run, pool) within a site regularly used for stream classes while no impact from student activity would occur in the same three habitat types within an unused site. We addressed the hypothesis by sampling macroinvertebrates monthly for one year in the riffles, runs, and pools at the class site and the unused site within a fourth order stream in central Ohio. The results indicated reduced macroinvertebrate abundance and richness in the riffle at the class site during periods with student activity and no differences between site types during periods without student activity. No impacts of stream classes on macroinvertebrate communities were observed in runs or pools. The results suggest that environmental education organizations should avoid repetitive use of the same site for their stream classes to avoid reductions of macroinvertebrate abundance and taxa richness that can impact the students' educational experience.

Public health perspectives of channelized and unchannelized headwater streams in central Ohio: a case study.

Headwater streams constitute the majority of watersheds in the United States and many in the midwest have been channelized for agricultural drainage. Public health implications of water chemistry and aquatic insects within channelized and unchannelized headwater streams have not been explored. We sampled water chemistry and aquatic insects in two channelized and two unchannelized headwater streams in central Ohio from December 2005 until November 2008. Maximum concentrations of ammonium, nitrate plus nitrite, and chlorothalonil were greater in channelized streams. Nitrate plus nitrite and atrazine also exceeded drinking water standards more often in channelized streams. Maximum concentrations of simazine and the percentage of times it exceeded the drinking water standards were greater in unchannelized streams. The predicted hazard potential of nutrient and pesticide mixtures was greater in channelized streams. Mosquito abundance did not differ between stream types. Chironomid abundance was greater in channelized streams. Biting dipterans did not exhibit consistent abundance trends and only differed between stream types in the summer and fall. Our results suggest that if whole stream uptake of nutrients and pesticides is minimal in channelized headwater streams then nutrient and pesticide inputs from these streams may impact downstream drinking water sources. Our results also suggest channelized and unchannelized headwater streams are not serving as a significant source of mosquitoes.

Influence of spatial resolution on assessing channelization impacts on fish and macroinvertebrate communities in a warmwater stream in the southeastern United States.

The choice of spatial and temporal scale used in environmental assessments may influence the observed results. One method of assessing the impact of stream habitat alterations involves the comparison of response variables among treatment categories (i.e., impacted and unimpacted sites). The influence of spatial resolution on patterns of response variables among treatment categories in assessments of stream channelization and other types of habitat alterations has not been evaluated. We examined how patterns of 10 community response variables among channel types and our interpretations of channelization impacts on fish and macroinvertebrate communities differed among three spatial resolutions in a warmwater stream in Mississippi and Alabama. Four fish and three macroinvertebrate community response variables exhibited different patterns among channel types at different spatial resolutions. Our interpretations of the impacts of channelization on fish and macroinvertebrate communities differed among spatial resolutions. Channelization had a negative influence on fish communities either with or without evidence of potential community recovery in one channel type. Channelization impacts on macroinvertebrate communities ranged from a negative influence to no effect. Our results suggest that spatial resolution can influence the observed results and interpretations derived from assessments of stream habitat alterations.

Patterns of avian nest predators and a brood parasite among restored riparian habitats in agricultural watersheds.

In fragmented edge-dominated landscapes, nest predation and brood parasitism may reduce avian reproductive success and, ultimately, populations of some passerine species. In the fragmented agroecosystem of northwest Mississippi, placement of drop-pipe structures has been used as a restoration technique for abating gully erosion along stream banks. These actions have formed small herbaceous and woody habitat extensions into former agricultural lands. We quantified species relative abundances, species richness, and evenness of avian nest predators and a brood parasite within four categories of constructed habitat resulting from drop-pipe installation. Differences in the abundance of two nest predators, cotton mouse (Peromyscus gossypinus) and blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata), were observed among constructed habitats. However, relative abundances of other predators such as common grackle (Quiscalus quiscula), American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos), and hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus), and the obligate brood parasite brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) did not differ among four habitat categories. Although species richness, abundance, and evenness of potential nest predators were generally similar among the constructed habitats, predator species composition varied, suggesting that these habitats supported different predator communities. This difference is important because as each predator species is added to or deleted from the community, variation may occur in the framework of prey search methods, predator strategies, and potentially overall predation pressure. We suggest that land managers using drop-pipes as part of stream restoration projects allow for the development of the constructed habitat with the largest area and greatest vegetative structure.