Measuring the ecological impact of long-term flow disturbance on the macroinvertebrate community in a large Mediterranean climate river

The Feather River is a large flow-regulated river in the Central Valley of California. The Mediterranean climate of the area imposes a natural flow regime for the region that is characterized by predictable high flows in the winter and spring and low flows in the summer and fall. The Oroville Dam complex on the Feather River has created a permanent low-flow section of the river where a base flow is continuous year round but the natural annual variability of flow has been completely eliminated. We used this modified section of the river to examine the ecological impact that removing natural flow variability has on the macroinvertebrate assemblage and how we might measure such a change if it is present. Specifically, we examined whether biodiversity and community similarity differed between the low- and high-flow sections of the river for both benthic and drifting aquatic invertebrates. Using a modified Surber sampler we collected samples at three distinct time periods within a year (January, April, and July) for both drift and benthic fauna. Our results showed little difference between the low- and high-flow assemblages using common measures of diversity (i.e., species richness and Shannon diversity) and a measure of environmental tolerance (Hilsenhoff biotic index). Yet when we employed a multivariate measure of community similarity (i.e., non-metric multidimensional scaling) and associated statistical tests, we found significant assemblage differences between the low- and high-flow sections of the river. This study suggests that flow disturbance of this sort is likely to alter the macroinvertebrate community in ways that are not easily observed using common ecological metrics

Chrysophrys auratus_Microsatellite Genotype Data_Sept2017

Microsatellite genotype data from New Zealand Australasian snapper (Chrysophrys auratus

Data from: Temperate marine protected area provides recruitment subsidies to local fisheries

The utility of marine protected areas (MPAs) as a means of protecting exploited species and conserving biodiversity within MPA boundaries is supported by strong empirical evidence. However, the potential contribution of MPAs to fished populations beyond their boundaries is still highly controversial; empirical measures are scarce and modelling studies have produced a range of predictions, including both positive and negative effects. Using a combination of genetic parentage and relatedness analysis, we measured larval subsidies to local fisheries replenishment for Australasian snapper (Chrysophrys auratus: Sparidae) from a small (5.2 km2), well-established, temperate, coastal MPA in northern New Zealand. Adult snapper within the MPA contributed an estimated 10.6% (95% CI: 5.5-18.1%) of newly settled juveniles to surrounding areas (approx. 400 km2), with no decreasing trend in contributions up to 40 km away. Biophysical modelling of larval dispersal matched experimental data, showing larvae produced inside the MPA dispersed over a comparable distance. These results demonstrate that temperate MPAs have the potential to provide recruitment subsidies at magnitudes and spatial scales relevant to fisheries management. The validated biophysical model provides a cost-efficient opportunity to generalize these findings to other locations and climate conditions, and potentially informs the design of MPA networks for enhancing fisheries management

Chrysophrys auratus_Microsatellite Genotype Data_Sept2017

Microsatellite genotype data from New Zealand Australasian snapper (Chrysophrys auratus

Author Correction: Global status and conservation potential of reef sharks

An Amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.</p