Benedict, Lauren

Delgado, Rose

Knight, Janna

McGuirt, Emily

Van Heyningen, Josiah

English

Liberty University Digital Commons

Comparing historic and current biodiversity of three Piedmont lakes and the implications of lake expansion via dam replacement on avian and aquatic organismsLauren Benedict, Rose Delgado, Emily McGuirt, Josiah Van Heyningen, Janna Knight, Dr. Matthew Becker and Dr. Kyle HarrisOpossum creek has historically been a forested creek area with plenty of shade and detritus for the creek community. However, because of the Camp Hydaway lake expansion project currently underway, a large majority of the forest around opossum creek has been clear cut for construction purposes.This study seeks to determine the effects that dam removal and replacement have on the aquatic and avian populations at Camp Hydaway Lake by comparing that location to two lakes that are of similar size to what the expanded Camp Hydaway Lake will eventually be. To compare the differences that have already occurred due to the clear cutting at Camp Hydaway, a survey of the current fish community above and below Camp Hydaway dam will be compared to historical data of the community prior to the area being clear-cut.Dam implementation and removal can greatly alter wetland ecosystems. Dam implementation causes a lotic system and removal does the opposite. In relation to fish, dam implementation reduces range, abundance, diversity, genetic mixing, and creates a barrier to dispersion and migration (Korris et al., 2015).By increasing the size of the lentic environment above the dam, the avian community is often positively impacted as avian diversity and abundance increases with lake area (Paszkowski & Tonn, 2000). Much research has been done investigating the impacts of dam implementation and removal, but little has been done in terms of the impacts of lake expansion via dam replacement.ObjectivesTo assess the impacts of expanding Camp Hydaway Lakefrom 6 to 31 acres (Liberty University), we will be surveyingCamp Hydaway Lake and Albemarle Lake (35 acres) andStonehouse Lake (41 acres) which are similar to the post-construction size of Camp Hydaway Lake• For the avian community, the study will be focused on thewaterbirds on or actively engaging with the lake.• Fish data will be collected by electroshocking CampHydaway Lake upstream and downstream of the currentdam, as well as at the location of the future dam and thelengths of any sunfish, crappies, and largemouth basscaught will be measured.• Bird point count surveys will be conducted at all threelocations near sunrise or sunset when waterbird activityis highest, and the surveys will last 30 minutes each(Clipp et al., 2017).• Historical fish data for Camp Hydaway Lake collected byLiberty University and data for the other two lakescollected by the Virginia Department of WildlifeResources will be used as well as historical birddata from the Cornell eBird database.• Species composition between lakes will be comparedusing diversity indices of both the Morisita's index andShannon Diversity IndexMethodsReferences Expected ResultsFigure 1. Proposed layout of the future 31-acre Hydaway Lake. Estimated time of completion is Fall 2022.Figure 2. Current 6-acre Hydaway Lake areaFigure 3. Current 41-acre Stonehouse Lake areaFigure 4. Current 35-acres Lake Albemarle areaBroader Impact• With an increase in lake area, there should be an increase in diversity of both fish communities and waterbird species• The communities described at the current Hydaway Lake should be smaller or less diverse than the communities described at Lake Albemarle and Stonehouse Lake• The communities described at Lake Albemarle and Stonehouse Lake should be similar, as the lakes are compatible in size and species occurrence• Upstream of Hydaway Lake and downstream of HydawayLake should present different fish communities, as well as the new location for the dam• The fish community is expected to change in regard to the dynamic of predators/prey species and tolerance levels• With larger lake size, there will be an expected increase in wintering waterbirds and piscivores, while residential species and migratory birds may occur in similar numbersFigure 6. Belted Kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon as seen at HydawayLake (Sibley, D., n.d.).Figure 5. Largemouth Bass, Micropterus salmoides as seen at Hydaway Lake (Beasely, D., n.d.).Beasely, D. (n.d.). Grow Big Bass. Trophy Largemouth Bass Fishery: Keys to Sustainability. photograph, Solitude Lake Management. Retrieved from https://www.solitudelakemanagement.com/blog/trophy-largemouth-bass-fishery-keys-to-sustainability/.Google Earth Pro. (March 23, 2016). Camp Hydaway Lake, Lynchburg, VA. 37˚20’20”N 79˚08’54”W. Eye alt. 2,060 m. <https://earth.google.com/web/@37.33903445,-79.14842581,279.92409306a,1780.47703849d,35y,359.99959474h,0t,0r> (Accessed February 21, 2022).Google Earth Pro. (October 4, 2017). Albemarle Lake, White Hall, VA. 38˚05’22” N 78 ˚37’38”W. Eye alt 1,958 m.<https://earth.google.com/web/@38.08960983,78.62726593,162.5323064a,1795.61998396d,35y,56.61726515h,0t,0r> (Accessed February 21, 2022).Google Earth Pro. (October 4, 2017). Stonehouse Lake, Amherst Co., VA. 37˚40’35”N 79˚07’04”W. Eye alt. 2,719m. <https://earth.google.com/web/search/Stonehouse+Lake,+Virginia/@37.67652772,-79.11680243,222.20797136a,2497.2524572d,35y,301.3734736h,0t,0r/data> (Accessed February 21, 2022)Kornis, M. S., Weidel, B. C., Powers, S. M., Diebel, M. W., Cline, T. J., Fox, J. M., & Kitchell, J. F. (2014). Fish Community Dynamics following dam removal in a fragmented agricultural stream. Aquatic Sciences, 77(3), 465–480. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-014-0391-2.Paszkowski C.A. and Tonn W.M. (2001). Community concordance between the fish and aquaticbirds of lakes in northern Alberta, Canada: the relative importance of environmental andbiotic factors. Freshwater Biology, 43(3); 421-437.Sibley, D. (n.d.). Belted Kingfisher. Guide to North American Birds. Audubon. Retrieved from https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/belted-kingfisher.Conservation of wetlands has been a topic of environmental debate for decades. Our study will offer greater insight into how construction and development around and on existing wetlands influences species diversity, especially of vulnerable or rare species. Predicting how the species diversity of waterbirds and fish will change due to lake expansion can be useful for mitigating any potential effects as construction progresses, and in guiding future similar projects.Figure 7. Demonstration of Morisita’s Index completed with theoretical dataFigure 8. Demonstration of Shannon Diversity Index using theoretical dataIntroduction

Comparing the Historic and Current Biodiversity of Three Piedmont Lakes and the Implications of Lake Expansion Via Dam Replacement on Avian and Aquatic Organisms

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Comparing the Historic and Current Biodiversity of Three Piedmont Lakes and the Implications of Lake Expansion Via Dam Replacement on Avian and Aquatic Organisms

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