Missouri River Recovery Program: Integrated Science Program General Science Questions & Key Findings

Authors

Date of this Version

2010

Comments

Published by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (2010) 1-37

Abstract

I.

What is the population of pallid sturgeon in the Missouri River and its tributaries? .....5
1. What are the population trends over time? ...........................5

II.

Is propagation a viable short-term solution to augment pallid sturgeon populations?
2. Can pallid sturgeon be propagated?......................................6
3. Will stocked fish survive in the river? .....................................6
4. Will stocked fish spawn in the river?........................................7
5. What is the appropriate level of stocking?................................7

III.

Do pallid sturgeon spawn in the Missouri River? ..........................7
6. Where are the locations of spawning sites? .............................7
7. What is the timing of the spawn?...........................................8
8. What are the cues that induce spawning? ..............................8

IV.

What are potential limiting factors to the reproduction, survival, and growth of the pallid sturgeon?................................ 9
9. What are the specific requirements for pallid sturgeon to successfully transition between life-stages?..................................................9
10. What are the details of larval drift?......................................10
11. Is the abundance or diversity of forage a limiting factor for young and / or adult sturgeon?........................................10
12. How is disease affecting recruitment? ...................................10
13. What substrate types are important for pallid sturgeon life history?........10
14. How does water quality (e.g. temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, endocrine disrupters) affect recruitment of pallid sturgeon? .....................11
15. Is predation impacting recruitment? .......................................11
16. What habitat types are necessary during pallid sturgeon migration, how much is available and are there missing habitat components? ...............11
17. How is hybridization affecting sturgeon populations? ........................11
18. What role does flow regime play in the survival and growth of young pallid sturgeon?....................................12
19. Is lack of sediment a limiting factor?.................................12

V.

How are management actions (flow modifications, habitat creations) affecting pallid sturgeon spawning, recruitment and population trends? ................13
20. Do habitat creation activities affect pallid sturgeon reproduction, survival, and growth?...........................................13
21. Could a fall pulse achieve ecological outcomes? .........................13
22. Do pulse flows from Gavins Point have the ability to condition spawning habitat?.....................................13
23. How important is floodplain connectivity/ seasonal inundation to pallid sturgeon reproduction, survival, and growth? ..................................13
24. What other ecological processes are potentially influenced by management actions (e.g., larval drift distances)?...........................14

VI.

What are the trends in availability of shallow water habitat (both constructed and natural)? ............14
25. What trends are shown through monitoring/documentation of the physical habitat? ............14

VII.

Can data on other biological factors and fish species (shovelnose sturgeon, chubs, etc.) provide meaningful information about pallid sturgeon? .........15
26. Does primary and secondary production provide meaningful information for the MRRP? ....................................15
27. Do other native fish species provide meaningful information for the MRRP? ....15

VIII.

How do different populations interact? ............................15
28. What is the relationship between the Mississippi and Missouri River habitats for the pallid sturgeon population?...............................15

IX.

What are the effects of management actions on non-target resources? ......16
29. How do management actions affect water quality? ...........................16
30. How do management actions affect interior drainage/ groundwater? ......16
31. How do management actions affect cultural resources?.....................................16
General Least Tern and Piping Plover Science Questions: ..........................16

X.

What are the population trends of interior population of least tern and Northern Great Plains population of the piping plover? ..............................16
32. What are the Range wide population trends? ...............................16
33. What are the population trends of least terns and piping plovers on the Missouri River?...........................17

XI.

How are management actions affecting tern and plover productivity and population numbers? ...................................18
34. How are releases from dams affecting productivity and populations? .....18
35. How is habitat restoration affecting productivity and populations? .......19
36. How are fluctuations in reservoir levels affecting productivity and populations?......................................20
37. How are predator controls and nest caging affecting productivity and populations?...........................................20

XII.

What other opportunities exist to positively affect tern and plover productivity and population numbers? .....................................21
38. Can vegetation modification positively affect terns and plovers? ..........21
39. Can created reservoir habitat positively affect terns and plovers? ..........21
40. Can flow modification positively affect terns and plovers? ....................21
41. Can captive rearing positively affect terns and plovers? ......................22
42. How does human disturbance affect tern and plovers? ........................23
43. Can placement of restriction signs and public education positively affect terns and plovers? ..............................23

XIII.

What are the trends in habitat availability on the system? .......................24
44. What are the trends in flow events that create habitat (frequency/probability)? .....................................24
45. What are the trends in erosion rates? ...............................24
46. What are the trends in vegetation/ re-vegetation rates? .................24
47. How does availability of ESH change due to water levels and dam releases?...........................24

XIV.

What factors influence nest site selection, productivity and populations trends? ...25
48. How does breeding ground location and site selection affect tern and plover populations and productivity? .......................26
49. How does food availability affect piping plovers and least terns? ......26
50. How does density-dependence affect piping plovers?........................................26
51. How does predation affect terns and plovers? ................................27
52. How do weather events affect terns and plovers?..............................................27

XV.

How are factors outside of the Missouri River affecting populations? ......28
53. How does immigration/ emigration (use of other nesting habitats) affect Missouri River piping plover populations? ..........................28
54. How does survival during migration affect Missouri River populations?...........................28
55. How does survival on the wintering grounds affect Missouri River populations?..........................29

XVI.

What are the effects of management actions on non-target resources? ....29
56. How do management actions for terns and plovers affect sturgeon? .....29
57. How do management actions for terns and plovers affect mussels? .......29
58. How do management actions terns and plovers affect riverbank erosion?.........30
59. How do management actions for terns and plovers affect water quality? ....30
60. How do management actions for terns and plovers affect turtles? ........30
General Bald Eagle / Cottonwood Science Questions: ...............................30

XVII.

What are the trends in land cover and cottonwood forests along the Missouri River? ..............30
61. What is the current status of cottonwood populations on the Missouri River?............30
62. What are the trends in Bald Eagle Populations?............31
General Mitigation Questions: ..............31

XVIII.

What are the trends in land cover at Mitigation sites? ............................31

XIX.

What are the effects of mitigation sites on floodplain ecosystems? ...........31
63. How much habitat has been restored? ............................31
64. What is the quality of restored habitat? ..........................31
65. What are indicators of mitigation success? (Reptiles, amphibians, birds)?........32
Literature Cited: .......................................33