Local and Systemic Controls on Fish and Fish Habitat in South Dakota Rivers and Streams: Implications for Management

Assessments of the health of rivers and streams in prairie environments would improve if the role of systemic patterns and processes among geologic-climatic settings in controlling physical habitat and fish communities were better defined. My research approach was based on a premise that assessments of the health of rivers and streams in prairie environments would benefit from studies that 1) examine the moderating effects of systemic patterns and processes by comparing physical habitat continua and fish communities among geologic-climatic settings, 2) determine the relative influence of locally interacting variables (e .g., channel shape and riparian vegetation) and systemic processes in structuring physical habitat and fish communities among a range of streams sizes, and 3) test the effects of biotic and abiotic controls on habitat partitioning by fish during critical periods of low flows common in prairie streams. My research had three complementary parts: two field studies and a laboratory study. The first field study tested the hypothesis that systemic processes moderate physical riverine environments, and thus biological communities, in distinct ways between a semi-arid region and a subhumid region. The second field study tested the hypothesis that in a subhumid region the interactions of local variables have greater influence on physical habitat and fish communities in small streams than in rivers. The laboratory study tested the influence of predators, large woody debris, and turbidity on habitat use by common minnow species under simulated low flow conditions. In the first study, longitudinal trends in channel morphometry, bankfull dimensions, stream bank and riparian traits, substrate, and fish community attributes were compared between the Bad River in a semi-arid region of western South Dakota and the Big Sioux River in the sub-humid region in eastern South Dakota. Findings suggest that along the Big Sioux River, the longitudinal changes in physical characteristics are gradual and continuous. Bankfull dimensions, channel bottom width, sand substrate, and streambank as deposition increased longitudinally while silt substrate, and percent of bank with vegetation decreased. In contrast, in the Bad River, longitudinal changes in these physical characteristics showed either a random pattern or a pattern of no change. In the Bad River, vertical channel dimensions (i.e., bank length and bank height) did increase with watershed size but not uniformly as they did in the Big Sioux River. Relationships of fish community attributes with watershed size were similar to the physical patterns. For example, in the Big Sioux River, most fish community attributes showed a continuous pattern of change either upward or downward with watershed size. In contrast, in the Bad River, most attributes show no discrete changes with watershed. My findings show that while prairie streams in sub-humid regions exhibit a truncation of the river continuum concept (RCC), physically and biologically, in semiarid regions, further truncation of the upper part of the RCC occurs. While both rivers had similarities in pioneering species in the upper parts of each river, only the Big Sioux River had a headwater component in the upper part. Also, a general randomness or lack of pattern in the physical and biological structure in the Bad River can be conceptualized as a longitudinal stretching of a reach of river into a longer segment of river. This would account for the seemingly lack of pattern in fishes. In the second study, findings indicate that variation in channel morphometry, physical habitat, and riparian-r1elated habitat decreases with watershed size in a subhumid prairie stream. Variation in channel morphometry, physical habitat, and riparian related habitat in tributaries could not be explained by local riparian conditions or adjacent land use. In fact, land use was or had been pasture, which limited comparison with other adjacent land use types (e.g., cropland). Furthermore, within pastures the level of animal vegetation use could not account for variation in riparian-related cover types among tributary sites. In this study the range of physical conditions among tributaries was coupled with a range of biological attributes. However, very few significant correlations were found between the biological and physical attributes. This suggests that the systemic controls even among small watersheds do have an influence on site-specific physical habitat and biological attributes. Several phenomena are probably responsible for this variation: hydrologic alterations caused by upland conversion to agriculture, cumulative loss of riparian buffering capacity, subtle differences in sub-watershed hydrology and geology, and flow fluctuations. In the laboratory study, low flow conditions were simulated in three experimental streams. Two suites of trials were performed: low and high turbidity trials

Second Biennial Watershed Management Workshop for the James, Vermillion, and Big Sioux Rivers

Watershed management means managing the South Dakota landscape. Many stakeholders are responsible for the landscape; therefore, cooperation, communication, knowledge, and a good sprinkling of wisdom must bring the various issues together for comprehensive watershed management. This watershed management workshop was a continuation of the first workshop held in Huron, S.D. in February of 1995. As with the first, the goals were to bring people together to discuss principles related to earth processes, natural resources, agronomy, range science, fish and wildlife, and human uses. A third of the workshop was devoted to learning about the diverse programs, projects, people, and funding that are already available. A series of • case histories of watershed management from South Dakota and other states was followed by a panel discussion

Evaluation of Smallmouth Bass Introductions in South Dakota Lakes

In 1989, electrofishing gear and modified-fyke (trap) nets were used to sample smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieui during the spring from five lakes of varying environmental characteristics in eastern South Dakota. The\ mean length of smallmouth bass caught by electrofishing was significantly smaller (P=0.0001) than those caught in fyke nets. Highly significant correlations were found between paired mean electrofishing and mean fyke net catch rates among lakes, both for stock- length (18 cm) fish (r=0.973, P=0.005) and all fish ( r = 0.948, P=0.014). These correlations suggest that both gears were not seriously affected by environmental conditions within the ranges encountered. An s posteriori analysis indicated that mean electrofishing catch rates among lakes were 50.1/h over rock/boulder substrates, 7.0/h over sand/gravel substrates, and 0.0/h over silt/organic substrates. Delineation of catch rate data by habitat type indicated habitat use and the influence of habitat differences on overall catch rates. Thus, population density was partially related to available habitat and that standardized sampling programs must consider habitat at sampling stations. In 1990, smallmouth bass were again sampled in the spring from two East River lakes, the mainstem Missouri River reservoirs, and three West River reservoirs. Mean electrofishing catch rates, age and growth, recruitment, size and age structure, and fish body condition from 1989 and 1990 samples were summarized and used to assess stocking efforts, and to provide a preliminary assessment of the need for harvest regulations . Stocking efforts were successful in most waters where rock/boulder habitats were available. Dominant year classes in the samples were not entirely dependent upon the stocking of fingerlings. Differences in growth, variability in recruitment, and a range in total annual mortality could affect size structure and density of smallmouth bass. Hypothetical proportional stock densities (PSD) and densities of quality-length (�180 mm) smallmouth bass were generated from simple modelling to help illustrate these interactions and provide a basis for further assessment of harvest regulations. Limnological data were collected from five eastern South Dakota lakes in 1989 and were examined in relation to smallmouth bass population characteristics. Rock/boulder habitats were a definite prerequisite to the successful establishment of smallmouth bass. Lake morphometry appeared to be related to reproductive success. Lakes with low shoreline development tended to have less potential for reproductive success. However, shoreline development may not be a limiting factor if rock/boulder substrates are already minimal. Potential competition for food may exist between young-of-year smallmouth bass and yellow perch as indicated by age-0 smallmouth bass growth, age-0 and age-1 yellow perch density, and changes in mean length of Daphnia spp. Crayfish densities were low to non-existent where structural complexity of habitat (i.e., interspersion of substrate types) was low and smallmouth bass populations were concentrated

An Environmental History of Lower St. Regis: Lake Degradation and the Path to Ecological Redemption

This paper examines the environmental history of Lower St. Regis Lake (Franklin County, NY), the historic location of the Paul Smith’s Hotel and the present day site of Paul Smith’s College. Using water quality and fiisheries data collected by students, faculty, and environmental professionals, this article examines ecological changes that have taken place in the lake during the last 50 years. An analysis of lake-bottom sediments also reaches farther back in time to show what Lower St. Regis might have been like long before Paul Smith arrived. The story illustrates the effects of massive loading of phosphorus on water quality, places the lake within the context of the environmental awakening of the late 1960s and early 1970s, and chronicles steps that have been taken move Lower St. Regis Lake from a state of degradation toward “ecological redemption

Population balance modelling for a flow induced phase inversion based granulation in a two-dimensional rotating agglomerator

A novel two-dimensional rotating agglomerator was developed to carry out the flow induced phase inversion (FIPI) based granulation. The process in this agglomerator shows that a continuous paste flow (mixed with liquid binder and primary particles) is extruded into the interstice of two relatively rotating disks, as the paste becomes solidified due to the loss of heat to the disks, it is then broken into granules by the shearing force imposed by the rotating disk. Experimental measurements have shown that the size of these granules is enlarged along the positive radial direction of the disks. It is also found that these granules contain approximately the same quantity of binder in terms of its volume fraction. The paper thus proposes a population balance (PB) model to describe the growth of the granules by considering a size independent agglomeration kernel. The PB simulated results are found to be well capable of describing the change of the particle size distribution (PSD) of the granules in the radial direction. This study also proposes a velocity profile for the paste flow and attempts to establish a quantitative relationship between the granulation rate and the deformation rate as this would help us understand the mechanism of the agglomeration. It is hoped that this study would be used to improve the design of the agglomerator and to assure the control of the process and the granular product quality

Superform formulation for vector-tensor multiplets in conformal supergravity

The recent papers arXiv:1110.0971 and arXiv:1201.5431 have provided a superfield description for vector-tensor multiplets and their Chern-Simons couplings in 4D N = 2 conformal supergravity. Here we develop a superform formulation for these theories. Furthermore an alternative means of gauging the central charge is given, making use of a deformed vector multiplet, which may be thought of as a variant vector-tensor multiplet. Its Chern-Simons couplings to additional vector multiplets are also constructed. This multiplet together with its Chern-Simons couplings are new results not considered by de Wit et al. in hep-th/9710212.Comment: 28 pages. V2: Typos corrected and references updated; V3: References updated and typo correcte

Sampling a Littoral Fish Assemblage: Comparison of Small-Mesh Fyke Netting and Boat Electrofishing

We compared small-mesh (4-mm) fyke netting and boat electrofishing for sampling a littoral fish assemblage in Muskegon Lake, Michigan. We hypothesized that fyke netting selects for small-bodied fishes and electrofishing selects for large-bodied fishes. Three sites were sampled during May (2004 and 2005), July (2005 only), and September (2004 and 2005). We found that the species composition of captured fish differed considerably between fyke netting and electrofishing based on nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). Species strongly associated with fyke netting (based on NMDS and relative abundance) included the brook silverside Labidesthes sicculus, banded killifish Fundulus diaphanus, round goby Neogobius melanostomus, mimic shiner Notropis volucellus, and bluntnose minnow Pimephales notatus, whereas species associated with electrofishing included the Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, catostomids (Moxostoma spp. and Catostomus spp.), freshwater drum Aplodinotus grunniens, walleye Sander vitreus, gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum, and common carp Cyprinus carpio. The total length of fish captured by electrofishing was 12.8 cm (95% confidence interval ¼ 5.5– 17.2 cm) greater than that of fish captured by fyke netting. Size selectivity of the gears contributed to differences in species composition of the fish captured, supporting our initial hypothesis. Thus, small-mesh fyke nets and boat electrofishers provided complementary information on a littoral fish assemblage. Our results support use of multiple gear types in monitoring and research surveys of fish assemblages. Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2007, Originally published in the North American Journal of Fisheries Management 27: 825-831, 2007

Watershed Management Workshop for the James, Vermillion, and Big Sioux Rivers

Rivers have become prominent subjects for natural resource personnel and the public. There are new riparian and wetland programs, controversial flooding and water quality issues, proposed water development projects, and innovative thinking about ecosystem management. The Watershed Management Workshop for the James, Vermillion, and Big Sioux rivers was developed to bring people, projects, problems, and programs together from the watersheds to discuss current and future needs for management, research, and cooperative efforts. The workshop opened with a discussion of basic principles of terrestrial, riparian, and aquatic components of a watershed and was followed by a case history of a watershed management program in Minnesota. This set the stage for a discussion of specific projects and programs that are underway on the James, Vermillion, and Big Sioux River watersheds

Effective supergravity descriptions of superstring cosmology

This text is a review of aspects of supergravity theories that are relevant in superstring cosmology. In particular, it considers the possibilities and restrictions for `uplifting terms', i.e. methods to produce de Sitter vacua. We concentrate on N=1 and N=2 supergravities, and the tools of superconformal methods, which clarify the structure of these theories. Cosmic strings and embeddings of target manifolds of supergravity theories in others are discussed in short at the end.Comment: 12 pages, contribution to the proceedings of the 2nd international conference on Quantum Theories and Renormalization Group in Gravity and Cosmology, Barcelona, July 11-15, 2006, Journal of Physics

Asymptotic models for the generation of internal waves by a moving ship, and the dead-water phenomenon

This paper deals with the dead-water phenomenon, which occurs when a ship sails in a stratified fluid, and experiences an important drag due to waves below the surface. More generally, we study the generation of internal waves by a disturbance moving at constant speed on top of two layers of fluids of different densities. Starting from the full Euler equations, we present several nonlinear asymptotic models, in the long wave regime. These models are rigorously justified by consistency or convergence results. A careful theoretical and numerical analysis is then provided, in order to predict the behavior of the flow and in which situations the dead-water effect appears.Comment: To appear in Nonlinearit