Biostromes, brine flies, birds and the bioaccumulation of selenium in Great Salt Lake, ,Utah

Benthic organisms and substrates in Great Salt Lake, Utah, were sampled to measure selenium concentrations of prey organisms of the birds that utilize the lake for nesting and during migrations. The sampling was focused on stromatolite biostromes, as these solid reef-like structures cover approximately 23% of the oxic benthic area of the lake and are the principal habitat for brine fly (Ephydra cinerea) larvae and pupae. Samples were taken at depths of 1-5 m along two transects in Gilbert Bay were salinities ranged from 116-126 g 1-1..

Importance of Predation by Adult Trout on Mortality Rates of Fingerling Rainbow Trout Stocked in East Canyon Reservoir, Utah

Personnel from Utah State University, working in cooperation with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and the Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, are attempting to determine various sources of mortality of fingerling rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) stocked into mid-elevation reservoirs in the State. Returns of planted fish are often much below desired levels. Angler surveys indicate that in East Canyon Reservoir, fishermen harvest only about 30% of the fingerling trout stocked, and this is a much higher return than in many other waters

Effects of Eutrophication on Birds in Three Bays of Great Salt Lake: A Comparative Analysis with Utah DWR Waterbird Survey Data

Farmington Bay and Bear River support massive numbers of migratory birds. Because of Farmington Bay’s high nutrient loading and hypereutrophic condition, the Utah DWQ has proposed to list it as impaired under EPA’s and Utah’s 303d criteria. There is concern, however, that changing nutrient loading might influence invertebrate prey of birds, but it is not known if this would be a positive or negative effect. Bear River Bay is far less eutrophic, but has a similar shallow morphometry, and thus presents an ideal comparative opportunity to assess the influence of eutrophication on birds. From 2007‐2011 the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources did an extensive survey of birds in Farmington and Bear River Bays, as well as other portions of the lake. The data, however, have never been analyzed to address the relative densities of birds in the two bays. I propose a small project to analyze this data and provide simple graphs that will allow managers to address potential influences of nutrient load reduction on Farmington Bay. The study will provide information for managers and stakeholders deciding whether Farmington Bay should be listed as an impaired water body

Impacts of Eutrophication on Benthic Invertebrates & Fish Prey of Birds in Farmington and Bear River Bays of Great Salt Lake

Farmington Bay’s watershed is primarily in the heavily populated metropolitan Salt Lake City, and consequently, it receives approximately 50% of its inflow from nutrient‐ rich wastewater releases. The high nutrient loads make it eutrophic and reducing the loading has been suggested to reduce blooms of toxic cyanobacteria. However, the bay also supports thousands of wading birds and waterfowl, and there is concern that reducing nutrient inflows might reduce the production of bottom‐dwelling insects and other invertebrates that the birds rely upon

Microhabitat Selection and Diel Movements of Juvenile Rainbow Trout (Salmo Gairdneri) Introduced Into Mid-Elevation Reservoirs in Utah

The distribution and movement patterns of fingerling rainbow trout stocked into reservoirs in Utah were investigated with · SCUBA observations and by vertical gill netting. For several weeks after stocking, fingerling trout (ca. 80 mm standard length) were strongly oriented to the shore, and selected habitats providing cover. During the underwater observations, no fish were seen below depths of 2 meters. Two weeks after stocking, the fingerlings were most abundant under docks near where they were planted, indicating that dispersal was relatively slow. Jacob\u27s electivity indices for natural substrates in water 0-1.5 meter deep were in sand, gravel, cobble, boulders and inundated vegetation

Teaching aquatic ecology within ecosystem and management contexts: The Lake Powell cooperative education program

Resource managers are increasingly asked to work at the ecosystem level of organization and to use team approaches to address management problems. Here we describe a senior/graduate level course that helps students to understand the complexity of an ecosystem, and to begin working with a resource agency. We have collaborated with the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (National Park Service) to find research problems that will help them manage the Lake Powell ecosystem. The Park Service receives useful research from the program, and they have partially underwritten the considerable cost of teaching the course. Projects undertaken have included studying the significance of the pelagic food web for endangered fishes, and the importance of production processes in the extensive side canyons of the reservoir