Habitat mosaics and path analysis can improve biological conservation of aquatic biodiversity in ecosystems with low-head dams

Authors

Sean M. Hitchman, Kansas State UniversityFollow
Martha E. Mather, Kansas State UniversityFollow
Joseph M. Smith, ICFFollow
Jane S. Fencl, University of Washington - Seattle CampusFollow

Date of this Version

2017

Citation

Science of the Total Environment 619–620 (2018) 221–231

Comments

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

This document is a U.S. government work and is not subject to copyright in the United States

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.272

Abstract

Conserving native biodiversity depends on restoring functional habitats in the face of human-induced disturbances. Low-head dams are a ubiquitous human impact that degrades aquatic ecosystems worldwide. To improve our understanding of how low-head dams impact habitat and associated biodiversity, our research examined complex interactions among three spheres of the total environment. i.e., how low-head dams (anthroposphere) affect aquatic habitat (hydrosphere), and native biodiversity (biosphere) in streams and rivers. Creation of lake-like habitats upstream of low-head dams is a well-documented major impact of dams. Alterations downstream of low head dams also have important consequences, but these downstream dam effects are more challenging to detect. In a multidisciplinary field study at five dammed and five undammed siteswithin the Neosho River basin, KS,we tested hypotheses about two types of habitat sampling (transect and mosaic) and two types of statistical analyses (analysis of covariance and path analysis). We used fish as our example of biodiversity alteration. Our research provided three insights that can aid environmental professionals who seek to conserve and restore fish biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems threatened by human modifications. First, a mosaic approach identified habitat alterations below low-head dams (e.g. increased proportion of riffles) that were not detected using themore commonly-used transect sampling approach. Second, the habitat mosaic approach illustrated howlow-head dams reduced natural variation in streamhabitat. Third, path analysis, a statistical approach that tests indirect effects, showed how dams, habitat, and fish biodiversity interact. Specifically, path analysis revealed that low-head dams increased the proportion of riffle habitat belowdams, and, as a result, indirectly increased fish species richness. Furthermore, the pool habitat that was created above low-head dams dramatically decreased fish species richness. As we show here, mosaic habitat sampling and path analysis can help conservation practitioners improve science-based management plans for disturbed aquatic systems worldwide.