TRA-905: ENCOUNTERING RAINBOW MUSSEL, A SPECIES AT RISK, DURING CONSTRUCTION OF A STORMWATER MANAGEMENT FACILITY

Many freshwater mussels in the Ontario-Great Lakes Area are considered Species at Risk (SAR) and these are increasingly influencing planning, implementation, and monitoring of infrastructure projects near watercourses. In 2010, the City of London commissioned an on-line Stormwater Management Facility in the Stoney Creek watershed in the form of an Erosion Control Wetland. Design objectives included: creation of additional water storage in the floodplain, prevent erosion in the downstream watercourse, and reclaim natural heritage features lost during infrastructure development. Erosion and sediment controls were applied during construction; however, storm events in December 2011 washed out a section of bank that had separated Stoney Creek from the active construction site. The washout released streambed sediments and mussels, including the previously unrecorded SAR Rainbow mussel, into the work area. An emergency mussel relocation protocol was developed, through a collaboration between applicable agencies, to relocate the mussels during the winter months. Ultimately, 16 of 70 mussels collected during the winter relocations were SAR. The timing of the bank collapse and mussel relocations provided a unique situation where recapture and growth comparisons could be made between mussels relocated in extreme weather conditions to mussels relocated during optimal handling temperatures. The Stoney Creek project demonstrated construction delays and costs associated with SAR mussel discovery. The project highlights the importance of detailed environmental assessments prior to project planning so appropriate mitigation measures and environmental monitoring requirements are implemented during construction

TRA-928: FISH BARRIER MITIGATION OF AN OVERSTEEPENED CULVERT WITHIN SAUGEEN FIRST NATION RESERVE

A deteriorated concrete box culvert conveying a tributary of the Saugeen River under Highway 21 in Ontario had reached the end of its lifespan and was in need of replacement. The tributary supports a diverse range of coldwater fish species such as Rainbow Trout; however, fish passage, particularly upstream migration, has been cut off since the culvert and highway were constructed over seventy-five years ago. Specifically, fish passage has been hindered by shallow sheet flow along the sixty metre flat bottom, excessive velocities associated with the smooth, seven percent gradient, and a perched barrier at the downstream outlet. A key component of the culvert replacement was an effort to improve the overall condition of the tributary’s natural environment, including the promotion of fish passage and migration opportunities. The culvert replacement project undertaken by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) and MMM Group, coupled resources with the Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON) Environment office, Parsons biologists, and Aquafor geomorphologists. The most ecologically sensitive replacement methodology of an open bottom structure was not viable for this project as it would have required a full closure of the Highway for approximately four months. A circular steel pipe culvert installed through tunneling was designed to by-pass and replace the existing concrete box culvert. In an effort to mitigate the current barriers to fish with the new pipe culvert, a prefabricated corrugated steel slip liner with engineered baffle arrangement was integrated into the design. The baffle configuration and geometry was designed by Jason Duguay (Université de Sherbrooke) and Ken Hannaford (Gov. NFLD), and the slip liner construction by the Corrugated Steel Pipe Institute. Construction of the new culvert and slip liner was completed in December, 2015, and a two year monitoring program will be undertaken to assess the effectiveness of barrier mitigation and geomorphic stability of the tributary

Characterization of eight polymorphic microsatellite DNA markers for the greenside darter, Etheostoma blennioides (Percidae)

The greenside darter, Etheostoma blennioides is a small benthic fish found in fast-flowing streams in eastern North America. In Canada, this species is native to three, and introduced into one, Great Lakes tributaries in southwestern Ontario. It is currently listed as a species of Special Concern. To characterize population genetic structure and diversity in the Canadian populations of greenside darter, eight polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed for the species. The polymerase chain reaction primers were tested between 32 and 60 individuals from the Sydenham River and yielded a high number of alleles (four to 42 per locus), and observed heterozygosities ranging from 0.14 to 0.82

The effects of river barriers and range expansion of the population genetic structure and stability in Greenside Darter (Etheostoma blennioides) populations

The genetic structure of a stream-dwelling fish, the Greenside Darter, Etheostoma blennioides, is described from variation at nine microsatellite loci in 26 populations in the northern-most portions of the species’ range in southern Ontario, Canada in two sampling years. We found relatively high levels of genetic structure at the among- and within-watershed scales, with some watersheds and populations exhibiting very high divergence. The Ausable River populations were especially isolated, containing distinct populations of potential conservation concern. Temporal replicates at selected localities showed evidence of substantial temporal variation in genetic structure, perhaps resulting from movement among sites. We found strong evidence for an effect of river barriers (dams and weirs) on dispersal measured by genotype assignment techniques. However, we found no bias in upstream vs downstream dispersal. Significant isolation-by-distance relationships in both sample years indicate that river distance is an important factor regulating gene flow in these watersheds. The Canadian Greenside Darter populations are expanding their range into more northerly watersheds, but also show substantial within-watershed genetic structure despite substantial dispersal

Range expansion by invasion: genetic characterization of invasion of the greenside darter (Etheostoma blennioides) at the northern edge of its distribution

Species introductions in freshwater ecosystems are often complex processes, yet an understanding of the nature of the introduction can inform management and conservation actions. The greenside darter (Etheostoma blennioides), until recently a species of special concern, expanded its Canadian range and is now common and widespread in the Grand River watershed (GRW). This is despite there being no evidence of greenside darter in the GRW prior to 1990. The goal of this study was to genetically characterize the GRW greenside darter introduction. Greenside darter were sampled in the GRW, the three known native watersheds in Canada, and one site from Ohio. We measured genetic diversity and population structure, and tested for population bottlenecks using eight microsatellite loci. Genotype assignment was used to identify possible introduction sources. Populations in the GRW showed similar genetic diversity to native watershed populations with no evidence for recent or historical population bottlenecks. Genotype assignment showed that one of the Canadian watersheds and the Ohio site were not potential sources of the GRW greenside darter, whereas the Thames River watershed was the most likely source. Substantial population genetic structure exists among the sample sites in the GRW. Clearly, the current widespread and abundant distribution of the greenside darter in the GRW is not the result of recent expansion of an existing native population, but rather multiple introductions into at least three sites in the GRW, followed by rapid population growth. Although the GRW E. blennioides is introduced, it harbours considerable genetic diversity and represents an important northern range extension for this species

Data from: Hierarchical analysis of genetic structure in the habitat-specialist Eastern Sand Darter (Ammocrypta pellucida)

Quantifying spatial genetic structure can reveal the relative influences of contemporary and historic factors underlying localized and regional patterns of genetic diversity and gene flow – important considerations for the development of effective conservation efforts. Using 10 polymorphic microsatellite loci, we characterize genetic variation among populations across the range of the Eastern Sand Darter (Ammocrypta pellucida), a small riverine percid that is highly dependent on sandy substrate microhabitats. We tested for fine scale, regional, and historic patterns of genetic structure. As expected, significant differentiation was detected among rivers within drainages and among drainages. At finer scales, an unexpected lack of within-river genetic structure among fragmented sandy microhabitats suggests that stratified dispersal resulting from unstable sand bar habitat degradation (natural and anthropogenic) may preclude substantial genetic differentiation within rivers. Among-drainage genetic structure indicates that postglacial (14 kya) drainage connectivity continues to influence contemporary genetic structure among Eastern Sand Darter populations in southern Ontario. These results provide an unexpected contrast to other benthic riverine fish in the Great Lakes drainage and suggest that habitat-specific fishes, such as the Eastern Sand Darter, can evolve dispersal strategies that overcome fragmented and temporally unstable habitats

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in the redside dace, Clinostomus elongatus

We isolated and characterized eight polymorphic microsatellite loci for redside dace (Clinostomus elongatus), a colorful North American cyprinid that is threatened or endangered throughout most of its range. The number of alleles per locus ranged from three to eighteen, with observed heterozygosity ranging from 0.31–0.92. Cross-amplification revealed that these markers will also be useful for examining closely related and more distantly related species, including the rosyside dace (Clinostomus funduloides), Lahontan redside shiner (Richardsonius egregius), hornyhead chub (Nocomis biguttatus), and central stoneroller (Campostoma anomalum). These microsatellite loci will provide a valuable set of tools for examining fine and coarse scale population structure, exploring reproductive success, and testing outcomes of proposed conservation initiatives (e.g. captive breeding and translocation of wild individuals) for redside dace

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in the redside dace, Clinostomus elongatus

We isolated and characterized eight polymorphic microsatellite loci for redside dace (Clinostomus elongatus), a colorful North American cyprinid that is threatened or endangered throughout most of its range. The number of alleles per locus ranged from three to eighteen, with observed heterozygosity ranging from 0.31-0.92. Cross-amplification revealed that these markers will also be useful for examining closely related and more distantly related species, including the rosyside dace (Clinostomus funduloides), Lahontan redside shiner (Richardsonius egregius), hornyhead chub (Nocomis biguttatus), and central stoneroller (Campostoma anomalum). These microsatellite loci will provide a valuable set of tools for examining fine and coarse scale population structure, exploring reproductive success, and testing outcomes of proposed conservation initiatives (e. g. captive breeding and translocation of wild individuals) for redside dace

10 microsatellite loci from Ginson et al. doi: 10.1002/ece3.1392

Allele fragment sizes, in 3 digit Genepop format, for 10 microsatellite loci used in Ginson et al. (doi: 10.1002/ece3.1392)