@article {6107, title = {Removing a perched culvert facilitates dispersal of fishes in an intermittent prairie stream but not recovery from drought}, journal = {Freshwater Science}, year = {In Press}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, author = {K. B. Gido and Hedden, S.C. and Bruckerhoff, Lindsey A and Pennock, C.A. and Hedden, Crosby K. and Hopper, Garrett W. and Renner, E.A. and Johnson, E.R. and Postlethwait, B.J.} } @article {5990, title = {Age-specific patterns of occurrence, density, and growth of two cyprinid fishes in headwater prairie streams}, journal = {Southwestern Naturalist}, volume = {65}, year = {2022}, pages = {205-215 }, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1894/0038-4909-65.3-4.205}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1894/0038-4909-65.3-4.205}, author = {Hedden, S.C. and K. B. Gido} } @article {6108, title = {Simple statistical models can be sufficient for testing hypotheses with population time-series data}, journal = {Ecology and Evolution}, volume = {12}, year = {2022}, pages = {e9339}, abstract = {

Time-series data offer wide-ranging opportunities to test hypotheses about the physical and biological factors that influence species abundances. Although sophisticated models have been developed and applied to analyze abundance time series, they require information about species detectability that is often unavailable. We propose that in many cases, simpler models are adequate for testing hypotheses. We consider three relatively simple regression models for time series, using simulated and empirical (fish and mammal) datasets. Model A is a conventional generalized linear model of abundance, model B adds a temporal autoregressive term, and model C uses an estimate of population growth rate as a response variable, with the option of including a term for density dependence. All models can be fit using Bayesian and non-Bayesian methods. Simulation results demonstrated that model C tended to have greater support for long-lived, lower-fecundity organisms (K life-history strategists), while model A, the simplest, tended to be supported for shorter-lived, high-fecundity organisms (r life-history strategists). Analysis of real-world fish and mammal datasets found that models A, B, and C each enjoyed support for at least some species, but sometimes yielded different insights. In particular, model C indicated effects of predictor variables that were not evident in analyses with models A and B. Bayesian and frequentist models yielded similar parameter estimates and performance. We conclude that relatively simple models are useful for testing hypotheses about the factors that influence abundance in time-series data, and can be appropriate choices for datasets that lack the information needed to fit more complicated models. When feasible, we advise fitting datasets with multiple models because they can provide complementary information.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1002/ece3.v12.910.1002/ece3.9339}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ece3.9339}, author = {Wenger, S.J. and Stowe, E.S. and K. B. Gido and Freeman. M.C. and Kanno, Y. and Franssen, N.R. and Olden, Julian D. and Poff, N.L. and Walters, A.W. and Bumpers, P.M. and Mims, M.C. and Hooten, M.B. and Lu, Xinyi} } @article {5987, title = {Assessing linkages between small impoundments and long-term trajectories of prairie stream fish assemblages}, journal = {The American Midland Naturalist}, volume = {185}, year = {2021}, pages = {187 - 200}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1674/0003-0031-185.2.187}, url = {https://bioone.org/journals/the-american-midland-naturalist/volume-185/issue-2/0003-0031-185.2.187/Assessing-Linkages-Between-Small-Impoundments-and-Long-term-Trajectories-of/10.1674/0003-0031-185.2.187.full}, author = {Hedden, Skyler C. and Lindsey A. Bruckerhoff and K. B. Gido} } @article {5988, title = {Disentangling effects of predators and landscape factors as drivers of stream fish community structure}, journal = {Freshwater Biology}, volume = {66}, year = {2021}, pages = {656 - 668}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1111/fwb.13668}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/fwb.13668}, author = {Lindsey A. Bruckerhoff and K. B. Gido and Estey, Michael and Moore, P.J.} } @article {5986, title = {Do fine-scale experiments underestimate predator consumption rates?}, journal = {Journal of Animal Ecology}, volume = {90}, year = {2021}, pages = {2391 - 2403}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1111/1365-2656.13549}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/13652656/90/10}, author = {Lindsey A. Bruckerhoff and Pennock, C.A. and K. B. Gido} } @article {5989, title = {RivFishTIME: A global database of fish time-series to study global change ecology in riverine systems}, journal = {Global Ecology and Biogeography}, volume = {30}, year = {2021}, pages = {38 - 50}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1111/geb.13210}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/geb.13210}, author = {Comte, Lise and Carvajal, Juan and Tedesco, Pablo A. and Giam, Xingli and Brose, Ulrich and Er{\H o}s, Tibor and Filipe, Ana F. and Fortin, Marie-Jos{\'e}e and Irving, Katie and Jacquet, Claire and Larsen, Stefano and Sharma, Sapna and Ruhi, Albert and Becker, Fernando G. and Casatti, Lilian and Castaldelli, Giuseppe and Dala-Corte, Renato B. and Davenport, Stephen R. and Franssen, Nathan R. and Garc{\'\i}a-Berthou, Emili and Gavioli, Anna and K. B. Gido and Jimenez-Segura, Luz and Leit{\~a}o, Rafael P. and McLarney, Bill and Meador, Jason and Milardi, Marco and Moffatt, David B. and Occhi, Thiago V. T. and Pompeu, Paulo S. and Propst, David L. and Pyron, Mark and Salvador, Gilberto N. and Stefferud, Jerome A. and Sutela, Tapio and Taylor, Christopher and Terui, Akira and Urabe, Hirokazu and Vehanen, Teppo and Vitule, Jean R. S. and Zeni, Jaquelini O. and Olden, Julian D.}, editor = {Bahn, Volker} } @article {KNZ001993, title = {Biomass loss and change in species dominance shift stream community excretion stoichiometry during severe drought}, journal = {Freshwater Biology}, volume = {65}, year = {2020}, pages = {403-416}, abstract = {

\ \ \  1. Animals contribute significantly to nutrient cycling through excretion, but most studies consider their effects under relatively benign abiotic conditions. Disturbances such as drought may alter animals\’ nutrient contributions through shifts in species composition and biomass. Headwater streams are particularly vulnerable to extreme climate events and thus might show rapid changes in stream biota and their ecosystem effects.
\ \ \  2. We tested how biomass and subsequent ecosystem effects (nutrient cycling) of an intermittent prairie stream community changed during a drought. We quantified the biomass and contributions to nutrient cycling for assemblages comprising fishes, crayfish, and tadpoles in 12 isolated pools over 3 months encompassing the harshest drought on record for Kings Creek, KS, U.S.A. We predicted that macroconsumer biomass would decline with pool surface area and that differences in macroconsumer biomass and taxonomic composition would lead to different contributions of pool assemblages to nutrient cycling.
\ \ \  3. The biomass of pool assemblages declined with decreasing pool size, a pattern apparently driven by mortality, emigration, or metamorphosis. We also observed a change in assemblage structure of drying pools during drought relative to pool size, shifting dominance toward species with more drought-resistant traits. Accordingly, assemblage nitrogen (N) excretion rates declined as pool biomass was reduced, leading to a 58\% reduction in N available to epilithic biofilms. Phosphorus (P) excretion rates declined from June to July, but increased in August, as species with high P excretion rates maintained similar proportional biomass and biomass of a non-native fish increased. Molar N:P of pool assemblage excretion declined significantly throughout the drought and coincided with loss of southern redbelly dace (Chrosomus erythrogaster: Cyprinidae).
\ \ \  4. Animal-mediated nutrient cycling was altered by the loss of biomass and stoichiometric traits of taxa that differed in their occurrences and ability to tolerate abiotic conditions during drought. Elevated availability of dissolved N in isolated pools may increase N uptake rates by biofilms during drought conditions, indicating the importance of N excreted by aggregated macroconsumers, especially those with unique stoichiometric traits. While the significance of shifts in the composition of freshwater communities to ecosystems is not entirely known, additional losses in ecosystem function and changes in community structure may follow episodes of severe drought.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1111/fwb.13433}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/fwb.13433}, author = {Hopper, Garrett W. and K. B. Gido and Pennock, Casey A. and Hedden, Skyler C. and Guinnip, James P. and Fisher, Molly A. and Tobler, Courtney M. and Hedden, Crosby K. and Lindsey A. Bruckerhoff} } @article {KNZ002012, title = {Dispersal drives temporal changes in fish community abundance in intermittent stream networks}, journal = {River Research and Applications}, volume = {36}, year = {2020}, pages = {797-806}, abstract = {

Increasing trends in fragmentation and dewatering of streams warrants research on how populations and communities respond to varying water levels and barriers to movement. Although these responses are complicated by many spatial and temporal processes, long-term datasets might help reveal complex patterns and processes driving variability in species abundances. The objective of this study was to develop a predictive framework for fish community and population responses to varying levels of water availability across six sites in two intermittent stream networks sampled \>10\ years. We predicted that fishes would emigrate into intermittent reaches during wet conditions; thus, overall abundances within perennial source locations will decline. Accordingly, when intermittent reaches dry, fishes will contract to wetted habitats resulting in high abundance. Observed fish community abundances were highly variable within and among study sites, but four of six sites matched our predictions. A tagging study confirmed these results and demonstrated a substantial proportion of individuals moved away from perennial reaches and into newly wetted intermittent reaches. However, site and species-specific relationships were variable and likely depended on the habitat, metacommunity dynamics, and life history strategies. Findings suggest that species dispersal dynamics, in addition to recruitment and mortality, should be carefully considered when interpreting species responses to varying water levels, particularly in intermittent stream networks where access to habitat can change drastically with water availability.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, author = {Hedden, Skyler C. and K. B. Gido} } @article {KNZ001946, title = {Harmony on the prairie? Grassland plant and animal community responses to variation in climate across land-use gradients}, journal = {Ecology}, volume = {101}, year = {2020}, pages = {e02986}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, issn = {0012-9658}, doi = {10.1002/ecy.2986}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ecy.2986}, author = {Lindsey A. Bruckerhoff and Connell, R. Kent and James P. Guinnip and Adhikari, Elina and Godar, Alixandra and K. B. Gido and W. A. Boyle and Hope, Andrew G and Anthony Joern and Welti, Ellen} } @article {KNZ002003, title = {Nowhere to swim: interspecific responses of prairie stream fishes in isolated pools during severe drought}, journal = {Aquatic Sciences}, volume = {82}, year = {2020}, abstract = {

Extreme drying can dramatically shift abiotic characteristics of streams and species respond differently as conditions change. We modified a conceptual model describing responses of aquatic invertebrate assemblages to stream drying to facilitate predictions of fish assemblage shifts in which thresholds of physiochemical gradients lead to punctuated losses of fish diversity as stream connectivity diminishes. We tested the applicability of this model during a record-breaking drought that reduced a perennial reach of a headwater prairie stream to a series of 12 isolated pools with variable levels of hyporheic connectivity that was associated with pool volume. We tracked fish assemblage structure in pools over seven weeks and measured abiotic conditions. Inter-specific differences in drought resistance traits were tested in the lab (i.e., thermal and hypoxia tolerance) for common species experiencing drought conditions. Species richness declined rapidly with pool volume associated with hyporheic connectivity. Abundance of the most common species prior to drought, Chrosomus erythrogaster (southern redbelly dace) declined 95\% and was extirpated from five pools during drought due to its low thermal tolerance. Despite being the least tolerant to hypoxia, Campostoma anomalum (central stoneroller) populations persisted in most pools. The remaining pools became dominated by a non-native extremophile fish, Gambusia affinis (western mosquitofish) and abundances of less resistant native species declined. Our study demonstrates that richness in drying pools is driven by factors associated with pool volume, and assemblage composition shifts from dominance by native species adapted to variable hydrological conditions to non-native species able to resist increasing temperatures and hypoxia. Sudden species loss associated with reduced stream connectivity can shift abundance patterns of prairie stream fish communities with potentially lagged effects on population and community dynamics.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, issn = {1015-1621}, doi = {10.1007/s00027-020-0716-2}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00027-020-0716-2}, author = {Hopper, Garrett W. and K. B. Gido and Pennock, Casey A. and Hedden, Skyler C. and Frenette, Bryan D. and Barts, Nick and Hedden, Crosby K. and Lindsey A. Bruckerhoff} } @article {KNZ002017, title = {Using path analysis to determine interacting effects of biotic and abiotic factors on patch-scale biogeochemical rates in a prairie stream}, journal = {Aquatic Sciences}, volume = {82}, year = {2020}, abstract = {

Biogeochemical rates within streams vary with ecosystem properties including the distribution of fishes. While many studies investigate the singular effect of fishes on ecosystem components, there is a limited understanding of how fish presence interacts with other ecosystem properties to affect ecosystem structure and function. Here, we used path analyses to elucidate direct and indirect effects of fish presence, and other ecosystem properties on ecosystem respiration (ER), gross primary production (GPP), and ammonium uptake. Experimental responses of fish removal on patch scale (300 cm2) benthic rates of ER, GPP, and ammonium uptake were measured at two sites in a prairie stream. The effect of fish was determined by comparing substrata from field exclosures with fish absent to substrata exposed to fish. Total path model-explained variance was greatest for ER (R2\ =\ 0.55) and least for ammonium uptake (R2\ =\ 0.36) and GPP (R2\ =\ 0.34). Fish decreased algal biomass and directly increased all biogeochemical rates. The relative importance of the different abiotic ecosystem properties varied by process; however, FBOM and substrata size were important for most rates. This study provides evidence for predominantly direct effects of fish on both stream structure and function in a prairie stream. Our results emphasize that interactions between biotic and abiotic factors should be considered when determining drivers of biogeochemical activity. We suggest that simple linear food webs that consist of top\–down or bottom\–up control are not always sufficient to describe animal effects on ecosystem rates.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1007/s00027-020-0702-8}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00027-020-0702-8}, author = {Trentman, M.T. and W. K. Dodds and K. B. Gido and R{\"u}egg, J. and Ruffing, C.M.} } @article {KNZ001987, title = {Temperature effects on performance and physiology of two prairie stream minnows}, journal = {Conservation Physiology}, volume = {7}, year = {2019}, pages = {coz063}, abstract = {

Earth\’s atmosphere has warmed by ~1\°C over the past century and continues to warm at an increasing rate. Effects of atmospheric warming are already visible in most major ecosystems and are evident across all levels of biological organization. Linking functional responses of individuals to temperature is critical for predicting responses of populations and communities to global climate change. The southern redbelly dace Chrosomus erythrogaster and the central stoneroller Campostoma anomalum are two minnows (Cyprinidae) that commonly occur in the Flint Hills region of the USA but show different patterns of occurrence, with dace largely occupying headwater reaches and stonerollers persisting in both headwater and intermediate-sized streams. We tested for differences between species in critical thermal maximum, energy metabolism, sustained swimming and activity over an ecologically relevant temperature gradient of acclimation temperatures. Typically, metrics increased with acclimation temperature for both species, although stoneroller activity decreased with temperature. We observed a significant interaction between species and temperature for critical thermal maxima, where stonerollers only had higher critical thermal maxima at the coldest temperature and at warm temperatures compared to the dace. We did not find evidence suggesting differences in the energy metabolism of dace and stonerollers. We detected interspecific differences in sustained swimming performance, with dace having higher swimming speed than stonerollers regardless of acclimation temperature. Finally, there was a significant interaction between temperature and species for activity; dace activity was higher at intermediate and warm temperatures compared to stonerollers. We observed subtle interspecific differences in how performance metrics responded to temperature that did not always align with observed patterns of distribution for these species. Thus, other ecological factors likely are important drivers of distributional patterns in these species.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Activity, fish, metabolism, swimming performance, Temperature, thermal limit}, doi = {10.1093/conphys/coz063}, url = {https://academic.oup.com/conphys/article-pdf/7/1/coz063/30337107/coz063.pdf}, author = {Frenette, Bryan D and Lindsey A. Bruckerhoff and Tobler, Michael and K. B. Gido}, editor = {Clark, Timothy} } @phdthesis {KNZ001988, title = {The thermal ecology of prairie stream fishes}, volume = {PhD Dissertation}, year = {2019}, school = {Kansas State University}, type = {Ph.D. Thesis}, address = {Manhattan, KS.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, url = {https://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/handle/2097/39839}, author = {Frenette, Bryan} } @article {KNZ001862, title = {Fine-scale movement and habitat use of a prairie stream fish assemblage}, journal = {Oecologia}, volume = {186}, year = {2018}, pages = {831{\textendash}842}, abstract = {

Measuring an organism\&$\#$39;s movement and habitat use is highly dependent on the spatial and temporal scale of the study, with most studies measuring distributions once a day or at less frequent intervals. Yet, to fully understand the rates of intra- and interspecific encounters among individuals, observations at finer spatial and temporal scales might be necessary. We used passive integrated transponder tags and antenna arrays to continuously monitor habitat use and vagility of three stream minnows; southern redbelly dace Chrosomus erythrogaster, central stoneroller Campostoma anomalum, and creek chub Semotilus atromaculatus, among and within pools of an intermittent stream. Most fish remained in the pool where they were caught and released, or returned after emigrating from the pool. Despite largely remaining within the release pool, distribution among four microhabitats differed significantly over six, 4-h time periods for all three species. Vagility, the summed distance moved among antennas, differed significantly among species. Individual vagility (m day-1) increased significantly with body length for stoneroller and chub, but not dace. Some individuals moved as much as 110 m day-1 within the pool, showcasing extensive movement at fine scales. Finally, we found no evidence that feeding activity changed as a result of differential habitat use over a 24-h period. Our findings indicate considerable variation in habitat use and movement occurs among species over a 24-h period. This suggests ecologists can broaden the interpretation of processes influencing community structure (e.g., resource partitioning, avoidance of predators) by quantifying species distributions across a range of spatial and temporal scales.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1007/s00442-018-4073-y}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007\%2Fs00442-018-4073-y}, author = {Pennock, C.A. and Nathan Cathcart, C. and Hedden, Skyler C. and Weber, Robert E. and K. B. Gido} } @article {KNZ001897, title = {Scaling biodiversity responses to hydrological regimes}, journal = {Biological Reviews}, volume = {93}, year = {2018}, pages = {971 - 995}, abstract = {

Of all ecosystems, freshwaters support the most dynamic and highly concentrated biodiversity on Earth. These attributes of freshwater biodiversity along with increasing demand for water mean that these systems serve as significant models to understand drivers of global biodiversity change. Freshwater biodiversity changes are often attributed to hydrological alteration by water-resource development and climate change owing to the role of the hydrological regime of rivers, wetlands and floodplains affecting patterns of biodiversity. However, a major gap remains in conceptualising how the hydrological regime determines patterns in biodiversity\&$\#$39;s multiple spatial components and facets (taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic). We synthesised primary evidence of freshwater biodiversity responses to natural hydrological regimes to determine how distinct ecohydrological mechanisms affect freshwater biodiversity at local, landscape and regional spatial scales. Hydrological connectivity influences local and landscape biodiversity, yet responses vary depending on spatial scale. Biodiversity at local scales is generally positively associated with increasing connectivity whereas landscape-scale biodiversity is greater with increasing fragmentation among locations. The effects of hydrological disturbance on freshwater biodiversity are variable at separate spatial scales and depend on disturbance frequency and history and organism characteristics. The role of hydrology in determining habitat for freshwater biodiversity also depends on spatial scaling. At local scales, persistence, stability and size of habitat each contribute to patterns of freshwater biodiversity yet the responses are variable across the organism groups that constitute overall freshwater biodiversity. We present a conceptual model to unite the effects of different ecohydrological mechanisms on freshwater biodiversity across spatial scales, and develop four principles for applying a multi-scaled understanding of freshwater biodiversity responses to hydrological regimes. The protection and restoration of freshwater biodiversity is both a fundamental justification and a central goal of environmental water allocation worldwide. Clearer integration of concepts of spatial scaling in the context of understanding impacts of hydrological regimes on biodiversity will increase uptake of evidence into environmental flow implementation, identify suitable biodiversity targets responsive to hydrological change or restoration, and identify and manage risks of environmental flows contributing to biodiversity decline.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1111/brv.12381}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12381}, author = {Rolls, Robert J. and Heino, Jani and Ryder, Darren S. and Chessman, Bruce C. and Growns, Ivor O. and Thompson, Ross M. and K. B. Gido} } @article {KNZ001725, title = {Density dependence of herbivorous central stoneroller Campostoma anomalum in stream mesocosms}, journal = {Ecology of Freshwater Fishes}, volume = {26}, year = {2017}, pages = {313-321}, abstract = {

Herbivorous fish can have strong effects on stream ecosystem function by consuming primary producers and excreting limiting nutrients, but it is unclear whether they are resource limited. Thus, understanding factors regulating abundance of these fish might help predict ecosystem function. We used stream mesocosms to test whether populations of central stoneroller Campostoma anomalum exhibit density dependence across a range of typical densities and resource abundance found in Great Plains streams. We predicted that incrementally increasing stocking biomass from 3\·7 to 24\·9\ g\·m\−2 would reduce standing stocks of resources resulting in lower growth of stocked fish. Fish growth (over 41\ days) was compared to initial stocking biomass and primary production as well as standing stocks of algae and invertebrates using regression analysis. Mean growth of individuals was negatively associated with stocking biomass (math formula\ =\ 0\·55; P\ =\ 0\·02), as predicted. Contrary to our prediction, increases in fish biomass led to increased primary productivity (math formula\ =\ 0\·31, P\ =\ 0\·07), but resulted in no relationship among algal filament lengths (math formula\ =\ 0\·00; P\ =\ 0\·34), algal biomass (math formula\ =\ 0\·12; P\ =\ 0\·19) or invertebrate biomass (math formula\ =\ 0\·03; P\ =\ 0\·30). Thus, density dependence occurred without an apparent reduction in food resources. We hypothesised that stoneroller growth was possibly limited by competition for high-quality algae or invertebrates, or behavioural interactions causing interference competition.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Herbivory, Primary production, Resource limitation, stream fish}, doi = {10.1111/eff.12277}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/eff.12277}, author = {Pennock, C.A. and K. B. Gido} } @article {KNZ001870, title = {Groundwater declines are linked to changes in Great Plains stream fish assemblages}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, volume = {114}, year = {2017}, pages = {7373 - 7378}, abstract = {

Groundwater pumping for agriculture is a major driver causing declines of global freshwater ecosystems, yet the ecological consequences for stream fish assemblages are rarely quantified. We combined retrospective (1950\–2010) and prospective (2011\–2060) modeling approaches within a multiscale framework to predict change in Great Plains stream fish assemblages associated with groundwater pumping from the United States High Plains Aquifer. We modeled the relationship between the length of stream receiving water from the High Plains Aquifer and the occurrence of fishes characteristic of small and large streams in the western Great Plains at a regional scale and for six subwatersheds nested within the region. Water development at the regional scale was associated with construction of 154 barriers that fragment stream habitats, increased depth to groundwater and loss of 558 km of stream, and transformation of fish assemblage structure from dominance by large-stream to small-stream fishes. Scaling down to subwatersheds revealed consistent transformations in fish assemblage structure among western subwatersheds with increasing depths to groundwater. Although transformations occurred in the absence of barriers, barriers along mainstem rivers isolate depauperate western fish assemblages from relatively intact eastern fish assemblages. Projections to 2060 indicate loss of an additional 286 km of stream across the region, as well as continued replacement of large-stream fishes by small-stream fishes where groundwater pumping has increased depth to groundwater. Our work illustrates the shrinking of streams and homogenization of Great Plains stream fish assemblages related to groundwater pumping, and we predict similar transformations worldwide where local and regional aquifer depletions occur.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.1618936114}, url = {https://www.pnas.org/content/114/28/7373}, author = {Perkin, Joshuah S. and K. B. Gido and Falke, Jeffrey A. and Fausch, Kurt D. and Crockett, Harry and Johnson, Eric R. and Sanderson, John} } @article {KNZ001896, title = {Testing metabolic cold adaptation as a driver of warm-water fish species replacement along the river continuum}, journal = {Environmental Biology of Fishes}, volume = {100}, year = {2017}, pages = {265-279}, abstract = {

Hydrologic and thermal regimes vary along the upstream-to-downstream river continuum and drive the assembly of fish communities. The metabolic cold adaptation (MCA) hypothesis predicts that faster development is adaptive for species exposed to shorter growing seasons. Whether gradients of hydrologic variability and seasonal thermal regime associated with the river continuum operate as environmental filters on species with differing developmental rates remains an untested mechanism of community assembly. We analyzed daily records of stream discharge and modeled stream temperatures to quantify these two gradients of abiotic harshness in Kansas, USA. We then used laboratory experiments to compare temperature-dependent larval development rates among three congeneric cyprinid species that are most abundant in small tributaries (Pimephales promelas), medium tributaries (P. notatus), or river mainstems (P. vigilax). Growing season duration increased with stream size, with temperature exceedance thresholds of 22 and 26\ \°C lasting 1.4 and 270 times longer, respectively, in eighth order river mainstems compared to second order tributaries. The frequency of small flood pulses within the growing season peaked in mid-order streams, whereas the frequency of large flood pulses within the growing season peaked in low-order streams. Larval development rates increased with incubation temperature, but did not differ predictably among species. These findings, when viewed alongside a companion study, suggest that thermal adaptation and not MCA explains the replacements of Pimephales species along the river continuum. The prominent upstream-to-downstream gradient in growing season duration highlights the need for studies on the evolutionary and ecological significance of this infrequently explored characteristic of the river continuum.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1007/s10641-017-0577-2}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10641-017-0577-2}, author = {Troia, Matthew J. and K. B. Gido} } @article {KNZ001726, title = {The first to arrive and the last to leave: colonisation and extinction dynamics of common and rare fishes in intermittent prairie streams}, journal = {Freshwater Biology}, volume = {61}, year = {2016}, pages = {1321{\textendash}1334}, abstract = {

1. The objectives of our research were to examine commonness\–rarity patterns in fish communities in networks of intermittent streams. We quantified species abundance distributions and the importance of nestedness and turnover to community dissimilarity and then related commonness to colonisation, extinction and physiological tolerance. Patterns and relationships were evaluated spatially among sites and temporally within sites during non-drought and drought periods in tallgrass prairie streams of eastern Kansas, U.S.A. 2. Supra-seasonal drought during 2011\–2013 resulted in complete or partial drying of some sites and provided an opportunity to evaluate whether commonness was predictive of rather than predicted by colonisation and extinction. Abundance was used to predict re-colonisation in desiccated reaches and persistence in drying pools. 3. Few species were common, while most were rare regardless of drought, and nestedness drove community dissimilarity across sites. Common species had higher colonisation and lower extinction than rarer species, but physiological tolerance was unrelated to commonness. 4. Abundant species were generally the first to re-colonise desiccated reaches, but pre-drought abun-dance did not predict persistence in partially desiccated reaches. 5. Although common species were the first to colonise and the last to go extinct, we were unable to determine whether commonness was predictive of rather than predicted by colonisation and extinc-tion. Regardless, our study demonstrates linkages among commonness, colonisation and extinction.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1111/fwb.12668}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/fwb.12668}, author = {Whitney, J.E. and K. B. Gido and Martin, E.C. and Hase, K.J.} } @article {KNZ001724, title = {Increasing fish taxonomic and functional richness affects ecosystem properties of small headwater prairie streams}, journal = {Freshwater Biology}, volume = {61}, year = {2016}, pages = {887{\textendash}898}, abstract = {

1. Stream fish can regulate their environment through direct and indirect pathways, and the relative influence of communities with different taxonomic and functional richness on ecosystem properties likely depends on habitat structure. Given this complexity, it is not surprising that observational studies of how stream fish communities influence ecosystems have shown mixed results. 2. In this study, we evaluated the effect of an observed gradient of taxonomic (zero, one, two or three species) and functional (zero, one or two groups) richness of fishes on several key ecosystem properties in experimental stream mesocosms. Our study simulated small (less than two metres wide) headwater prairie streams with a succession of three pool-riffle structures (upstream, middle and downstream) per mesocosm. Ecosystem responses included chlorophyll a from floating algal mats and benthic algae, benthic organic matter, macroinvertebrates (all as mass per unit area), algal filament length and stream metabolism (photosynthesis and respiration rate). Ecosystem responses were analysed individually using general linear mixed models. 3. Significant treatment (taxonomic and functional richness) by habitat (pools and riffles) interactions were found for all but one ecosystem response variable. After accounting for location (upstream, middle and downstream) effects, the presence of one or two grazers resulted in shorter mean algal filament lengths in pools compared to no-fish controls. These observations suggest grazers can maintain short algal filaments in pools, which may inhibit long filaments from reaching the surface. Accordingly, floating algal mats decreased in mid- and downstream locations in grazer treatment relative to no-fish controls. 4. At the scale of the entire reach, gross primary productivity and respiration were greater in treatments with two grazer species compared to mixed grazer/insectivore or control treatments. 5. The distribution of stream resources across habitat types and locations within a reach can therefore be influenced by the taxonomic and functional composition of fishes in small prairie streams. Thus, disturbances that alter diversity of these systems might have unexpected ecosystem-level consequences.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1111/fwb.12752}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/fwb.12752}, author = {Martin, E.D. and K. B. Gido and Bello, N. and W. K. Dodds and Veach, A.M.} } @article {KNZ001686, title = {The Stream Biome Gradient Concept: factors controlling lotic systems across broad biogeographic scales}, journal = {Freshwater Science.}, volume = {34}, year = {2015}, pages = {1 -19}, abstract = {

We propose the Stream Biome Gradient Concept as a way to predict macroscale biological patterns in streams. This concept is based on the hypothesis that many abiotic and biotic features of streams change predictably along climate (temperature and precipitation) gradients because of direct influences of climate on hydrology, geomorphology, and interactions mediated by terrestrial vegetation. The Stream Biome Gradient Concept generates testable hypotheses related to continental variation among streams worldwide and allows aquatic scientists to understand how results from one biome might apply to a less-studied biome. Some predicted factors change monotonically across the biome/climate gradients, whereas others have maxima or minima in the central portion of the gradient. For example, predictions across the gradient from drier deserts through grasslands to wetter forests include more permanent flow, less bare ground, lower erosion and sediment transport rates, decreased importance of autochthonous C inputs to food webs, and greater stream animal species richness. In contrast, effects of large ungulate grazers on streams are expected to be greater in grasslands than in forests or deserts, and fire is expected to have weaker effects in grassland streams than in desert and forest streams along biome gradients with changing precipitation and constant latitude or elevation. Understanding historic patterns among biomes can help describe the evolutionary template at relevant biogeographic scales, can be used to broaden other conceptual models of stream ecology, and could lead to better management and conservation across the broadest scales.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, biogeography, biome, lotic, macro-scale, macrosystems, stream}, doi = {10.1086/679756}, url = {https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/679756}, author = {W. K. Dodds and K. B. Gido and M.R. Whiles and Daniels, M.D. and Grudzinski, B.P.} } @article {KNZ001675, title = {Thermal performance of larval longfin dace (Agosia chrysogaster), with implications for climate change}, journal = {Environmental Biology of Fishes}, volume = {98}, year = {2015}, pages = {395 -404}, abstract = {

Temperature is an important factor affecting the distribution of freshwater fishes. The longfin dace (Agosia chrysogaster) is endemic to the Gila River basin of the southwestern USA and northern Mexico and occupies a range of thermal environments from cool mountain tributaries to warm desert rivers but information about its thermal biology is limited, particularly for larvae. We quantified the effect of rearing temperature on survival, growth capacity, and critical thermal maximum (CTM) of larval longfin dace. Broodstocks of longfin dace were collected from two sites in the upper Gila River in New Mexico from which larvae were hatched and reared for 22 days in indoor aquaria at constant temperatures ranging from 18.0 to 31.0 \°C. Growth capacity peaked at 27.0 \°C and was 21 \% greater for larvae hatched from the upstream compared to the downstream broodstock, indicating intraspecific variability in growth capacity. CTM increased with rearing temperature and ranged from 33.9 to 39.9 \°C, indicating that thermal acclimation influences maximum thermal tolerance. CTM and acclimation response ratio of larvae are lower than those of adult longfin dace measured in a previous study, suggesting that larvae are more sensitive and less responsive to thermal stress than adults. Water temperatures in 2012 from six sites in the upper Gila River basin did not exceed 27.0 \°C and larval growth capacities in May of 2012 ranged from 5 to 28 \% of the maximum growth capacity. We assert that rising temperatures may increase larval growth rates, although this will depend on resource limitation and shifts in community interactions.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Critical thermal maximum, GilaRiver, Growth capacity, Larval fish, Thermal acclimation}, doi = {10.1007/s10641-014-0270-7}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007\%2Fs10641-014-0270-7}, author = {Troia, M.J. and Whitney, J.E. and K. B. Gido} } @article {KNZ001674, title = {Alternative spawning strategy and temperature for larval emergence of longfin dace (Agosia chrysogaster) in stream mesocosms}, journal = {The Southwestern Naturalist}, volume = {59}, year = {2014}, pages = {277-280}, abstract = {

To determine if the strategy of spawning in saucer-like depressions is obligate or facultative for longfin dace (Agosia chrysogaster), we collected adults from four sites in the upper Gila River (southwestern New Mexico), stocked them in separate outdoor stream-mesocosms lined with cobble substrate, and made daily observations for the presence of saucer-nests and hatched larvae. Larvae were observed from three of the four mesocosms and emerged at temperatures ranging from 19.2\–24.0\°C. The absence of saucer-nests in all mesocosms throughout the study indicates that longfin dace can spawn over cobble substrate and have larvae hatch successfully, suggesting that longfin dace can use an alternate spawning strategy when sand substrate is not available for construction of saucer-nests.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1894/N03-MP-09.1}, url = {http://www.bioone.org/doi/10.1894/N03-MP-09.1}, author = {Troia, M.J. and Whitney, J.E. and K. B. Gido} } @phdthesis {KNZ001654, title = {A mechanistic framework for understanding prairie stream fish distributions}, volume = {PhD. Dissertation}, year = {2014}, school = {Kansas State University}, type = {Ph.D. Thesis}, address = {Manhattan, KS}, abstract = {

A fundamental goal of ecology is to understand environmental associations of species. These associations can provide a basis for predicting spatial distributions in contemporary habitats as well as how those distributions might change in response to anthropogenic environmental change. Developing species distribution models is limited by an incomplete understanding of functional traits, spatial scaling, and the mechanisms and generalities of correlations among abundance and environmental gradients. I address these four issues using observational and experimental approaches. First, I tested opposing mechanisms of community assembly by measuring the dispersion (i.e., diversity) of three types of functional strategies at three spatial scales and along environmental gradients. I found that communities are assembled via abiotic environmental filtering, but the strength of this filtering depends on the spatial scale of investigation, longitudinal network position, and type of functional strategy. Second, I quantified community-environment relationships across thirteen sub-basins, nested within the three major basins within Kansas to evaluate the consistency (i.e., generality) in predictive capability of environmental variables among sub-basins and across spatial extents. I found that longitudinal network position is consistently the strongest predictor of community composition among sub-basins, but in-stream and catchment predictors become stronger correlates of community composition with increasing spatial extent. Third, I used environmental niche models to quantify distributions of four pairs of congeneric cyprinids and found that species within each pair exhibited contrasting stream-size preferences. I then used field experiments to test for differences in individual-level performance between one pair of species (Pimephales notatus and P. vigilax) along a gradient of stream size. I found that adult spawn success and juvenile growth and condition increased with stream size for both species, indicating that these congeners respond similarly to abiotic gradients associated with the river continuum. I concluded that complementary distributions are a consequence of biotic interactions, differential environmental filtering evident in an unmeasured performance metric, or differential environmental filtering by an environmental factor operating at longer timescales. These studies demonstrate the context dependencies of characterizing habitat associations of stream fishes, but also reveal the general importance of stream size and associated environmental gradients in structuring stream fish communities.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Community ecology, Environmental niche modeling, Fish ecology}, url = {http://hdl.handle.net/2097/17285}, author = {Troia, M.J.} } @phdthesis {KNZ001676, title = {Ontogenetic shifts, habitat USE and community structure: how fishes use and influence protected tallgrass prairie streams}, volume = {PhD. Dissertation}, year = {2014}, school = {Kansas State University}, type = {Ph.D. Thesis}, address = {Manhattan, KS}, abstract = {

This dissertation consists of three research-based chapters which focus on habitat association of prairie stream fishes and how these fish communities influence stream ecosystem properties. Chapter one introduces important concepts used throughout the chapters, and describes my study streams. In chapter two, I identify local habitat factors associated with the diversity and density of fishes in two protected prairie watersheds. Specifically, the relative importance of habitat factors associated with fish communities were evaluated along a stream-size gradient and across multiple seasons and years. I found that species richness was positively associated with pool area and discharge. Redundancy analyses showed common prairie fish species exhibit ontogenetic habitat associations, with adults in deep and juveniles in shallow pools. Chapter 3 addresses how fish species richness in small prairie streams affects whole-stream metabolism and biomass distribution of benthic organic matter, algal and macroinvertebrates. This study was conducted by stocking experimental stream mesocosms that included pool-riffle habitats with three different communities that represent a gradient of species richness of headwater prairie streams from one to three common prairie stream fish species. I illustrated how species influence ecosystems across multiple spatial scales and found that different communities altered the distribution of algal biomass from benthic surfaces to floating mats and from pools to riffles. The objective of the fourth chapter was to quantify how two size classes of herbivorous prairie stream fish species, central stoneroller Campostoma anamolum and southern redbelly dace Chrosomus erythrogaster differentially affect stream ecosystem properties. This study was also conducted in experimental stream mesocosms, where each unit consisted of one riffle and one pool. Using ANOVAs, I found large dace were associated with longer filaments (F = 7.5, P = 0.002, df = 4) and small fishes with less benthic organic matter (F = 4.2, P = 0.02, df = 4). There was no evidence for ontogenetic shifts in diet and likely differences in energetic requirements and behavior drove the differences among treatments. My research finds that small-bodied prairie stream fishes have predictable habitat preferences and effects on stream properties are dependent on species identity, richness and size structure.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, stream ecology; Fish ecology; Ontogenetic shift; Habitat associations}, url = {http://hdl.handle.net/2097/18736}, author = {Martin, E.C.} } @article {KNZ001644, title = {Towards a mechanistic understanding of fish species niche divergence along a river continuum}, journal = {Ecosphere}, volume = {5:art41}, year = {2014}, abstract = {

Environmental niche modeling is a valuable tool but it often fails to identify causal links between environmental gradients and individual- or population-level performance that drive species\&$\#$39; distributions. Correlation between the abundances of stream fish species and longitudinal position in stream networks is well documented and is hypothesized to occur through differential environmental filtering of trophic traits. Still, trophically similar congeners often exhibit complementary distributions along stream size gradients, suggesting that other mechanisms are important. We present niche models to test the hypothesis that four congeneric pairs (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) exhibit complementary distributions along a gradient of stream size in the central Great Plains of Kansas, USA. Stream size was the strongest predictor of abundance compared to five other environmental variables tested and three of the four species pairs exhibited complementary distributions along a stream size gradient. We carried out field experiments to quantify potentially causal environmental gradients (food resources, temperature, and turbidity) and four measures of individual performance (adult spawning success and juvenile survival, condition, and growth) along a stream size gradient for one congeneric pair: Pimephales notatus, a tributary species and P. vigilax, a river mainstem species. These experiments revealed an increase in temperature and food resources with stream size, along with a corresponding increase in adult spawning success, juvenile condition, and juvenile growth for both species. We conclude that these congeners respond similarly to abiotic gradients associated with the river continuum and that complementary distributions are a consequence of biotic interactions, differential environmental filtering evident in an unmeasured performance metric, or differential environmental filtering by a direct environmental gradient operating at longer timescales.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1890/ES13-00399.1}, url = {https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1890/ES13-00399.1}, author = {Troia, M.J. and K. B. Gido} } @article {KNZ001545, title = {Habitat associations of stream fishes in a rare and declining ecosystem}, journal = {American Midland Naturalist}, volume = {170}, year = {2013}, pages = {39 -51}, abstract = {

Describing fish habitat associations and their relevance to conservation remains a central challenge in stream fish ecology. Unfortunately, there are limited opportunities to investigate these associations in unaltered systems and identify critical habitats used by native fishes. Investigation of fish habitat associations in tallgrass prairie is especially vital, owing to their widespread destruction. Our study aim was to identify habitat factors associated with the distribution and density of fishes in two protected tallgrass prairie stream watersheds in eastern Kansas: Kings Creek on the Konza Prairie Biological Station (KPBS) and Fox Creek on the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve (TPNP). We sampled fishes and measured eight habitat variables at three sites on KPBS (2006\–2011) and four sites on TPNP (2008\–2011). Multiple regression suggested that species richness was positively associated with pool area (partial r  =  0.70) and discharge (partial r  =  0.50) in Fox Creek (df  =  15, Adj. R2  =  0.60, P \< 0.001). In Kings Creek, species richness was only associated with pool area (df  =  17, R2  =  0.44, P \< 0.001). Redundancy analyses showed common prairie fish species exhibit ontogenetic habitat associations, partitioning adults in deep and juveniles in shallow pools. Strong species area relationships in these minimally altered systems indicates large volume habitats have greater species richness, suggesting water diversions or extractions that reduce habitat are likely to cause declines in native biodiversity.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1674/0003-0031-170.1.39}, url = {https://bioone.org/journals/the-american-midland-naturalist/volume-170/issue-1/0003-0031-170.1.39/Habitat-Associations-of-Stream-Fishes-in-Protected-Tallgrass-Prairie-Streams/10.1674/0003-0031-170.1.39.short}, author = {Martin, E. and Whitney, J.E. and K. B. Gido} } @article {KNZ001544, title = {Influence of macroconsumers, stream position, and nutrient gradients on invertebrate assemblage development following flooding in intermittent prairie streams}, journal = {Hydrobiologia}, volume = {714}, year = {2013}, pages = {169 -182}, abstract = {

Climate change in the US Great Plains is expected to result in less frequent but more severe floods. This will affect hydrologic cycles, stream organisms, and ultimately ecosystem structure and function. We examined factors influencing invertebrate assemblages following flooding in 3 reaches (20 pools) of Kings Creek, an intermittent prairie stream on the Konza Prairie Biological Station, using replicated macroconsumer enclosures (fishless, dace, shiners, ambient). Invertebrate densities and biomass increased rapidly following scouring, including rapid colonizing taxa and relatively long-lived taxa, but macroconsumers had no significant effects. Rather, distance, which was negatively correlated with the concentration of dissolved inorganic nitrogen, from the downstream confluence with a larger stream significantly influenced assemblage structure, with higher richness and greater nutrient concentrations closer to the confluence. Results support previous findings that recovery patterns following flooding in this grassland stream are strongly influenced by proximity to refuges. Furthermore, physical rather than biological factors appear more influential in structuring invertebrate assemblages in these frequently disturbed systems. Predicted increases in the intensity and duration of hydrologic disturbances will increase direct impacts on stream communities, relative to indirect effects through potential changes in macroconsumer communities. Human activities that alter refuges may further impede recovery following hydrologic disturbances.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, disturbance, Flood, Invertebrate, Macroconsumer Gradients, Prairie stream}, doi = {10.1007/s10750-013-1534-5}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007\%2Fs10750-013-1534-5}, author = {Bertrand, K.N. and M.R. Whiles and K. B. Gido and Murdock, J.N.} } @article {KNZ001434, title = {Direct and indirect effects of central stoneroller (Campostoma anomalum) on mesocosm recovery following a flood: can macroconsumers affect denitrification?}, journal = {Journal of the North American Benthological Society}, volume = {30}, year = {2011}, pages = {840 -852}, abstract = {

Anthropogenic N loadings and perturbations of macroconsumer communities impair ecological and economic services provided by streams. Organisms are adapted to natural disturbances, such as flooding and desiccation, but how anthropogenic and natural disturbances interact is poorly understood. We used large outdoor mesocosms to study the effect of Campostoma anomalum, a common prairie headwater-stream minnow, and NH4+ additions (to simulate fish excretion) on the recovery of ecosystem structure and function following a flood, highlighting the potential for Campostoma (and other macroconsumers) to affect denitrification. Campostoma and NH4+ treatments differentially affected particulate organic matter size and filamentous algal structure. Ecosystem structure responded differently to mesocosm treatment over time, a result suggesting that grazers or NH4+-N availability may be especially important during early recovery periods. The presence of Campostoma did not influence denitrification, but NH4+ additions altered the response of denitrifiers to nutrient and energy amendments, and denitrification rates decreased following the recovery of mesocosms. Temporal changes in denitrification probably were caused by increasing hyporheic dissolved O2 concentrations, which led to potentially fewer anoxic microsites for production of denitrification enzymes. Our study shows that grazers affect the recovery of ecosystem structure, but denitrification in the context of these prairie-stream mesocosms appears to be unaffected by Campostoma.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Campostoma, denitrification, Ecosystem function, Flood, grazer, mesocosm, prairie streams, recovery}, doi = {10.1899/10-169.1}, url = {https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1899/10-169.1}, author = {Reisinger, A.J. and Presuma, D.L. and K. B. Gido and W. K. Dodds} } @article {KNZ001433, title = {Dynamic influences of nutrients and grazing fish on periphyton during recovery from flood}, journal = {Journal of the North American Benthological Society}, volume = {30}, year = {2011}, pages = {331 -345}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1899/10-039.1}, url = {https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1899/10-039.1}, author = {Murdock, J.N. and W. K. Dodds and K. B. Gido and M.R. Whiles} } @article {KNZ001386, title = {Nutrient loading and grazing by the minnow Phoxinus erythrogaster shift periphyton abundance and stoichiometry in mesocosms}, journal = {Freshwater Biology}, volume = {56}, year = {2011}, pages = {1133 -1146}, abstract = {

1.\ Anthropogenic activities in prairie streams are increasing nutrient inputs and altering stream communities. Understanding the role of large consumers such as fish in regulating periphyton structure and nutritional content is necessary to predict how changing diversity will interact with nutrient enrichment to regulate stream nutrient processing and retention. 2.\ We characterised the importance of grazing fish on stream nutrient storage and cycling following a simulated flood under different nutrient regimes by crossing six nutrient concentrations with six densities of a grazing minnow (southern redbelly dace, Phoxinus erythrogaster) in large outdoor mesocosms. We measured the biomass and stoichiometry of overstory and understory periphyton layers, the stoichiometry of fish tissue and excretion, and compared fish diet composition with available algal assemblages in pools and riffles to evaluate whether fish were selectively foraging within or among habitats. 3.\ Model selection indicated nutrient loading and fish density were important to algal composition and periphyton carbon (C): nitrogen (N). Nutrient loading increased algal biomass, favoured diatom growth over green algae and decreased periphyton C : N. Increasing grazer density did not affect biomass and reduced the C : N of overstory, but not understory periphyton. Algal composition of dace diet was correlated with available algae, but there were proportionately more diatoms present in dace guts. We found no correlation between fish egestion/excretion nutrient ratios and nutrient loading or fish density despite varying N content of periphyton. 4.\ Large grazers and nutrient availability can have a spatially distinct influence at a microhabitat scale on the nutrient status of primary producers in streams.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1111/j.1365-2427.2010.02557.x}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2427.2010.02557.x}, author = {Kohler, T.J. and Murdock, J.N. and K. B. Gido and W. K. Dodds} } @article {KNZ001260, title = {Consumer return chronology alters recovery trajectory of stream ecosystem structure and function following drought}, journal = {Ecology}, volume = {91}, year = {2010}, pages = {1048 -1062}, abstract = {

Consumers are increasingly being recognized as important drivers of ecological succession, yet it is still hard to predict the nature and direction of consumer effects in nonequilibrium environments. We used stream consumer exclosures and large outdoor mesocosms to study the impact of macroconsumers (i.e., fish and crayfish) on recovery of intermittent prairie streams after drying. In the stream, macroconsumers altered system recovery trajectory by decreasing algal and macroinvertebrate biomass, primary productivity, and benthic nutrient uptake rates. However, macroconsumer influence was transient, and differences between exclosures and controls disappeared after 35 days. Introducing and removing macroconsumers after 28 days resulted mainly in changes to macroinvertebrates. In mesocosms, a dominant consumer (the grazing minnow Phoxinus erythrogaster) reduced macroinvertebrate biomass but had little effect on algal assemblage structure and ecosystem rates during recovery. The weak effect of P. erythrogaster in mesocosms, in contrast to the strong consumer effect in the natural stream, suggests that both timing and diversity of returning consumers are important to their overall influence on stream recovery patterns. Although we found that consumers significantly altered ecosystem structure and function in a system experiencing rapid changes in abiotic and biotic factors following disturbance, consumer effects diminished over time and trajectories converged to similar states with respect to primary producers, in spite of differences in consumer colonization history. Thus, consumer impacts can be substantial in recovering ecosystems and are likely to be dependent on the disturbance regime and diversity of the consumer community.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1890/08-2168.1}, url = {https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1890/08-2168.1}, author = {Murdock, J.M. and K. B. Gido and W. K. Dodds and Bertrand, K.N. and M.R. Whiles} } @proceedings {KNZ001432, title = {Disturbance mediated effects of stream fishes on ecosystem processes: concepts and results from highly variable prairie streams}, journal = {Advances in Stream Fish Community Ecology: Concepts, Approaches and Techniques}, year = {2010}, pages = {593 -617}, abstract = {

Stream fishes can have strong top-down and bottom-up effects on ecosystem processes. However, the dynamic nature of streams constrains our ability to generalize these effects across systems with different disturbance regimes and species composition. To evaluate the role of fishes following disturbance, we used a series of field and mesocosm experiments that quantified the influence of grazers and water column minnows on primary productivity, periphyton structure, organic matter pools, and invertebrate communities following either scouring floods or drying of prairie streams. Results from individual experiments revealed highly significant effects of fishes, but the direction or magnitude of effects varied among experiments. Meta-analyses across experiments indicated that grazers consistently reduced the relative amount of fine benthic organic matter (FBOM) and chironomid abundance within 2 weeks after disturbances. However, effect sizes (log response ratios) were heterogeneous across experiments for algal biomass and algal filament lengths measured more than 4 weeks after a disturbance and potentially associated with system productivity and grazer densities. A similar analysis of 3\–4 experiments using water column minnows only found a consistent trend of decreasing FBOM in fish treatments relative to controls when measured less than 2 weeks after disturbances and increase in gross primary productivity measured more than 4 weeks after disturbance. These results, along with those of others, were used to develop a conceptual framework for predicting the potential role of fishes in streams following disturbances (flood and drying). Both theoretical and empirical research shows that recovery of stream ecosystem processes will depend on the resilience of autotrophic and heterotrophic communities following disturbance. Fish effects may vary among functional groups but are generally predicted to be greatest during early stages of succession when algal and invertebrate communities are less complex and their biomass is low relative to fish biomass. Our analysis underscores the context dependency of consumer effects on ecosystem structure and function in nonequilibrium conditions and suggests that factors regulating fish densities and colonization of algal and invertebrate taxa need to be evaluated to predict the consequences of biodiversity loss in streams with variable or human-modified disturbance regimes.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, url = {https://www.k-state.edu/fishecology/msreprints/Gido\%20et\%20al.2010\%20AFSbook\%20chapter.pdf}, author = {K. B. Gido and Bertrand, K.N. and Murdock, J.N. and W. K. Dodds and M.R. Whiles} } @article {KNZ001327, title = {Retrospective analysis of fish community change during a half-century of landuse and streamflow changes}, journal = {Journal of the North American Benthological Society}, volume = {29}, year = {2010}, pages = {970 -987}, abstract = {

Ecological thresholds that lead to alternative community states can be exceeded through gradual perturbation or as a result of sudden disturbance. Many Great Plains streams have experienced dramatic changes in their hydrologic regime resulting from water and landuse changes that began as early as 1880. These changes, combined with the presence of many invasive species, have substantially altered the fish communities in this area. We quantified temporal changes in fish communities in 3 large river basins in relation to putative anthropogenic stressors, including increased sediment supply derived from row-crop agriculture (beginning in 1880), habitat fragmentation caused by reservoir construction (beginning in the 1950s), and reduced discharge caused by groundwater withdrawal (beginning in the 1960s). We hypothesized that these abiotic regime shifts, coupled with species invasions, would shift the system from a fish community dominated by lotic (flowing water) species to one dominated by lentic (still water) species. Further, we predicted that the timing and intensity of community change would vary across basins that experienced different types and levels of stressors. Restructuring of fish communities across the 3 river basins was driven primarily by similar increases in lentic species, with only a few declines in several large-river species. Current fish communities in these basins share \<50\% of the species recorded in historic collections, and these differences were driven by species extirpations and invasions. The greatest levels of community divergence over time occurred in western Kansas basins that experienced the most intense groundwater withdrawals and fragmentation by reservoirs. An alarming result from this analysis was the recent (after 1991) expansion of several invasive species in the Arkansas and lower Kansas River basins and the decline or extirpation of several native species where flow regimes are less heavily altered. Accelerating changes in the biota and habitat identified by our retrospective analysis highlight potential complications for restoring the habitat and native fish communities to a previous state.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, biotic homogenization, Hydrology, Invasive species, presence{\textendash}absence data, retrospective analysis, streamflow modification}, doi = {10.1899/09-116.1}, url = {https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1899/09-116.1}, author = {K. B. Gido and W. K. Dodds and Eberle, M.E.} } @article {KNZ001326, title = {Thresholds, breakpoints, and nonlinearity in freshwaters as related to management}, journal = {Journal of the North American Benthological Society}, volume = {29}, year = {2010}, pages = {988 -997}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1899/09-148.1}, url = {https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1899/09-148.1}, author = {W. K. Dodds and Clements, W.H. and K. B. Gido and Hilderbrand, R.H. and King, R.S.} } @article {KNZ001237, title = {Disturbance frequency and functional identity mediate ecosystem processes in prairie streams}, journal = {Oikos}, volume = {118}, year = {2009}, pages = {917 -933}, abstract = {

A major consequence of climate change will be the alteration of precipitation patterns and concomitant changes in the flood frequencies in streams. Species losses or introductions will accompany these changes, which necessitates understanding the interactions between altered disturbance regimes and consumer functional identity to predict dynamics of streams. We used experimental mesocosms and field enclosures to test the interactive effects of flood frequency and two fishes from distinct consumer groups (benthic grazers and water-column minnows) on recovery of stream ecosystem properties (algal form and biomass, invertebrate densities, metabolism and nutrient uptake rates). Our results generally suggest that periphyton communities under nutrient limitation are likely to recover more quickly when grazing and water-column minnows are present and these effects can diminish or reverse with time since the disturbance. We hypothesized that increased periphyton production and biomass was the result of increased nutrient turnover, but decreased light limitation and indirect effects on other trophic levels are alternative explanations. Recovery of stream ecosystem properties after a natural flood differed from mesocosms (e.g. lower algal biomass and no long algal filaments present) and species manipulations did not explain recovery of ecosystem properties; rather, ecosystem processes varied along a downstream gradient of increasing temperature and nutrient concentrations. Different results between field enclosures and experimental mesocosms are attributable to a number of factors including differences in algal and invertebrate communities in the natural stream and relatively short enclosure lengths (mean area=35.8 m2) compared with recirculating water in the experimental mesocosms. These differences may provide insight into conditions necessary to elicit a strong interaction between consumers and ecosystem properties.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1111/j.1600-0706.2008.16849.x}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1600-0706.2008.16849.x}, author = {Bertrand, K.N. and K. B. Gido and W. K. Dodds and Murdock, J.N. and M.R. Whiles} } @article {KNZ001236, title = {Effects of grazing minnows (Phoxinus erythrogaster) and crayfish (Orconectes nais and O. neglectus) on stream ecosystem structure and function}, journal = {Journal of the North American Benthological Society}, volume = {27}, year = {2008}, pages = {772 -782}, abstract = {

We compared the effects of 2 common grazers, southern redbelly dace (Phoxinus erythrogaster) and crayfish (Orconectes spp.), on ecosystem structure and function in experimental streams with pool and riffle habitats. Our goal was to identify potentially overlapping roles of these grazers in these systems. Measures of ecosystem structure included algal filament length, particulate organic matter (POM), densities of invertebrate taxa, and algal biomass. Ecosystem function was measured as gross primary productivity (GPP). Biomass-dependent effects of crayfish and dace on ecosystem properties were compared in autumn 2005 when mean water temperature was 12.9\°C (range 7.6\–27.9\°C). Increasing crayfish biomass did not influence ecosystem properties, but increasing dace biomass negatively affected algal filament length and chironomid abundance and positively affected chydorid abundance. Effects of moderately high biomasses of dace and crayfish were compared in spring 2006 when mean water temperature was 21.4\°C (range 17.5\–29.9\°C). Algal filament lengths were generally low relative to values obtained in autumn 2005 in both dace and crayfish treatments. In addition, algal filament length was shorter and chironomid density was lower in crayfish than in dace streams. The contrasting effects of dace and crayfish across sampling days, seasons, and habitats led us to hypothesize that physiological and behavioral traits of these species might limit the redundancy of their effects on ecosystems across broad spatial and temporal scales.

}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, context-dependent effects, experimental streams, foraging behavior, periphyton, physiology, Prairie stream, Primary production, Temperature}, doi = {10.1899/07-136.1}, url = {https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1899/07-136.1}, author = {Bengtson, J.R. and Evans-White, M.A. and K. B. Gido} } @article {KNZ001108, title = {Effects of the herbivorous minnow, southern redbelly dace (Phoxinus erythrogaster) on stream ecosystem structure and function}, journal = {Oecologia}, volume = {151}, year = {2007}, pages = {69 -81}, abstract = {We used field and mesocosm experiments to measure effects of southern redbelly dace (Phoxinus erythrogaster), a grazing minnow, on stream ecosystem structure and function. Ecosystem structure was quantified as algal filament length, algal biomass, size distribution of particulate organic matter (POM), algal assemblage structure, and invertebrate assemblage structure, whereas ecosystem function was based on gross and net primary productivity. Our experiments showed that moderate densities of Phoxinus temporarily reduced mean algal filament length and mean size of POM relative to fishless controls. However, there was no detectable effect on algal biomass or ecosystem primary productivity. Several factors could explain the lack of effect of Phoxinus on primary productivity including increased algal production efficiency in grazed treatments or increased grazing by other organisms in fishless treatments. The inability of Phoxinus to reduce algal biomass and system productivity contrasts with experimental results based on other grazing minnows, such as the central stoneroller (Campostoma anomalum), and questions the generality of grazer effects in stream ecosystems. However, environmental venue and the spatial and temporal scale of ecosystem measurements can greatly influence the outcome of these experiments.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, grazers, prairie streams, Stream metabolism}, doi = {10.1007/s00442-006-0569-y}, author = {Bertrand, K.N. and K. B. Gido} } @article {KNZ001109, title = {Effects of floods on fish assemblages in an intermittent prairie stream}, journal = {Freshwater Biology}, volume = {51}, year = {2006}, pages = {2072 -2086}, abstract = {1. Floods are major disturbances to stream ecosystems that can kill or displace organisms and modify habitats. Many studies have reported changes in fish assemblages after a single flood, but few studies have evaluated the importance of timing and intensity of floods on long-term fish assemblage dynamics. 2. We used a 10-year dataset to evaluate the effects of floods on fishes in Kings Creek, an intermittent prairie stream in north-eastern, Kansas, U.S.A. Samples were collected seasonally at two perennial headwater sites (1995{\textendash}2005) and one perennial downstream flowing site (1997{\textendash}2005) allowing us to evaluate the effects of floods at different locations within a watershed. In addition, four surveys during 2003 and 2004 sampled 3{\textendash}5 km of stream between the long-term study sites to evaluate the use of intermittent reaches of this stream. 3. Because of higher discharge and bed scouring at the downstream site, we predicted that the fish assemblage would have lowered species richness and abundance following floods. In contrast, we expected increased species richness and abundance at headwater sites because floods increase stream connectivity and create the potential for colonisation from downstream reaches. 4. Akaike Information Criteria (AIC) was used to select among candidate regression models that predicted species richness and abundance based on Julian date, time since floods, season and physical habitat at each site. At the downstream site, AIC weightings suggested Julian date was the best predictor of fish assemblage structure, but no model explained >16\% of the variation in species richness or community structure. Variation explained by Julian date was primarily attributed to a long-term pattern of declining abundance of common species. At the headwater sites, there was not a single candidate model selected to predict total species abundance and assemblage structure. AIC weightings suggested variation in assemblage structure was associated with either Julian date or local habitat characteristics. 5. Fishes rapidly colonised isolated or dry habitats following floods. This was evidenced by the occurrence of fishes in intermittent reaches and the positive association between maximum daily discharge and colonisation events at both headwater sites. 6. Our study suggests floods allow dispersal into intermittent habitats with little or no downstream displacement of fishes. Movement of fishes among habitats during flooding highlights the importance of maintaining connectivity of stream networks of low to medium order prairie streams.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1111/j.1365-2427.2006.01640.x}, author = {Franssen, N.R. and K. B. Gido and Strakosh, T.R. and Bertrand, K.N. and Franssen, C.M. and Paukert, C.P. and Pitts, K.L. and Guy, C.S. and Tripe, J.A. and Shrank, S.J.} } @article {KNZ001057, title = {An evaluation of single-pass versus three-pass backpack electrofishing to estimate trends in species abundance and richness in prairie streams}, journal = {Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science}, volume = {109}, year = {2006}, pages = {131 -138}, abstract = {Backpack electrofishing is a common method used to compare total species richness and relative abundance of stream fishes across space and time. However, as with any sampling method, it is important to evaluate the sampling effort necessary to capture patterns of variation in fish assemblage structure across samples. Thus, we evaluated the efficacy of single-pass versus multiple-pass backpack electrofishing for minnows and darters in intermittent prairie streams. We found that in 14 of 19 three-pass electrofishing samples, we detected all species during the first pass. The samples where we missed species on the first pass were in pools with six to nine species, suggesting a single-pass sample worked best for pools with lower species richness. We also found that both the raw abundance (i.e., catch rates) and rank abundance of four common species based on the first pass is highly concordant with the second and third passes. Nevertheless, differences in capture efficiency varied by species and density. In particular, our ability to deplete a species from a stream pool was highly variable when fish densities were low, and for Phoxinus erythrogaster, it was variable across all densities. Overall, our data suggest single-pass electrofishing can be used to detect spatial and temporal trends in abundance and species richness given standardized effort, but may not be representative of absolute population densities.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, backpack electrofishing, darters, intermittent prairie streams, minnows, sampling efficiency}, doi = {10.1660/0022-8443(2006)109[131:AEOSVM]2.0.CO;2}, author = {Bertrand, K.N. and K. B. Gido and Guy, C.S.} } @article {KNZ001110, title = {Modular experimental riffle-pool stream system}, journal = {Transactions of the American Fisheries Society}, volume = {135}, year = {2006}, pages = {1559 -1566}, abstract = {We describe a modular method for building a large, outdoor experimental stream system that has great flexibility for research projects in fish ecology, behavior, conservation, or management. The system has been in use for more than a decade at the University of Oklahoma Biological Station (Kingston, Oklahoma) and has been used with modification at four other research facilities in the Midwest. Here, we document the system in detail, including specifications for construction of the original system and modifications or improvements at other sites. The system uses commercially available, customized fiberglass round tank and trough units that can be configured in many different ways to create flowing pool and riffle habitats. The system appears to be a good mimic of small natural streams based on system flow rates, establishment of natural substrates and cover, stream chemistry relative to that of a natural creek, and fish behaviors. At least 39 fish species have been used successfully in 1{\textendash}14-month experiments in these systems and approximately half have reproduced. The system offers great flexibility of design to experimenters, is cost effective, and may be of interest at other facilities that research basic biology, conservation, or management of stream fishes.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1577/T05-202.1}, author = {Matthews, W.J. and K. B. Gido and Garrett, G.P. and Gelwick, F.P. and Stewart, J. and Schaefer, J.} } @article {KNZ00962, title = {Habitat use and susceptibility to predation of four prairie stream fishes: implications for conservation of the endangered Topeka shiner}, journal = {Copeia}, year = {2005}, pages = {38 -45}, abstract = {Local extirpations of the federally endangered Topeka Shiner (Notropis topeka) have been linked to the introduction of Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides). However, because other native minnow species have persisted at these locations, our objective was to test whether Topeka Shiners were more susceptible to predation by Largemouth Bass than other native minnows. We conducted behavioral observations of Topeka Shiners, Red Shiners (Cyprinella lutrensis), Bluntnose Minnows (Pimephales notatus), and Common Shiners (Luxilus cornutus) in an indoor experimental stream, in which we examined the interactive effects of cover and the presence of a predator on longitudinal and lateral position, height in water column, cover use, and activity of these minnows. Significant differences in habitat use and response to bass were observed among species, but there was no evidence to suggest that Topeka Shiners would be more susceptible to predation than other native species. Subsequent experiments in outdoor experimental streams that allowed Largemouth Bass to forage on an assemblage of these four minnows indicated that consumption rates across species were similar, further suggesting that Topeka Shiners were not more susceptible to predation than the other minnows. Although our experiments suggest that Largemouth Bass randomly prey on this guild of minnows, the added mortality and potential indirect effects of this introduced predator likely have negative effects by further reducing the abundance of already rare Topeka Shiners.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1643/CE-04-226R1}, author = {Knight, G.L. and K. B. Gido} } @article {KNZ00965, title = {A test for community change using a null model approach}, journal = {Ecological Applications}, volume = {15}, year = {2005}, pages = {1761 -1771}, abstract = {Quantifying patterns of temporal or spatial change in community structure is critical for assessing the impact of disturbances on biological systems and the stability of ecosystems. Detecting change in communities can be problematic, however, because of the inherent variability of systems and limitations of commonly used methods, such as similarity indices and ordination that do not explicitly test a hypothesis. Here we present empirical data to show a strong relationship between species mean abundance and variability across three broad taxonomic groups (plants, zooplankton, and fish). These statistical relationships were then used to construct null models of expected community variability that were used to test against the observed temporal change of these communities. We evaluated the ability of this approach to detect significant temporal change above that associated with random variation with nine communities (three Midwestern stream fish, three north temperate zooplankton, and three tallgrass prairie plant), each having long-term data sets and different expected levels of change. Nonrandom change was detected in 21.3\% of samples from the expected low-change communities, 52.6\% in moderately changed communities, and 60.4\% in high-change communities. Thus, this approach was effective in detecting change over time in those communities expected to change most. By using empirical relationships between species abundance and variability, this null model approach provides ecologists and resource managers an objective tool, which can be used along with existing community indices and statistical techniques to assess the type and magnitude of community change with limited data sets.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1890/04-1490}, author = {Schaefer, J. and K. B. Gido and M.D. Smith} } @article {KNZ00890, title = {Life on the edge: the ecology of Great Plains prairie streams}, journal = {BioScience}, volume = {54}, year = {2004}, pages = {207 -281}, abstract = {Great Plains streams are highly endangered and can serve as model systems for studying disturbance ecology and related issues of resistance and resilience in temperate freshwaters. These streams exist in a precarious balance between flood and drying. In general, microbial activity recovers in days to weeks after drying or flooding, and invertebrate and fish species are quick to follow. In lower forested reaches, floods may be more intense but drying less common. Upstream reaches of prairie streams are characterized by frequent drying, little canopy cover, and limited leaf input. Life history and adaptations alter the ways in which stream organisms respond to these linear patterns. Human modification has altered these patterns, leading to large-scale loss of native grassland streams. The future for Great Plains streams is bleak, given the land-use changes and water-use patterns in the region and the large areas required to preserve intact, ecologically functional watersheds.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ}, doi = {10.1641/0006-3568(2004)054[0205:LOTETE]2.0.CO;2}, author = {W. K. Dodds and K. B. Gido and M.R. Whiles and Fritz, K.M. and Matthews, W.J.} } @article {KNZ00896, title = {Quality and quantity of suspended particles in rivers: Continent-scale patterns in the United States}, journal = {Environmental Management}, volume = {33}, year = {2004}, pages = {355 -367}, abstract = {Suspended solids or sediments can be pollutants in rivers, but they are also an important component of lotic food webs. Suspended sediment data for rivers were obtained from a United States{\textendash}wide water quality database for 622 stations. Data for particulate nitrogen, suspended carbon, discharge, watershed area, land use, and population were also used. Stations were classified by United States Environmental Protection Agency ecoregions to assess relationships between terrestrial habitats and the quality and quantity of total suspended solids (TSS). Results indicate that nephelometric determinations of mean turbidity can be used to estimate mean suspended sediment values to within an order of magnitude (r2 = 0.89). Water quality is often considered impaired above 80 mg TSS L-1, and 35\% of the stations examined during this study had mean values exceeding this level. Forested systems had substantially lower TSS and somewhat higher carbon-to-nitrogen ratios of suspended materials. The correlation between TSS and discharge was moderately well described by an exponential relationship, with the power of the exponent indicating potential acute sediment events in rivers. Mean sediment values and power of the exponent varied significantly with ecoregion, but TSS values were also influenced by land use practices and geomorphological characteristics. Results confirm that, based on current water quality standards, excessive suspended solids impair numerous rivers in the United States.}, keywords = {LTER-KNZ, Ecoregions, Land use, pollution, Seston, Suspended sediment, Turbidity, water quality}, doi = {10.1007/s00267-003-0089-z}, author = {W. K. Dodds and K. B. Gido and M.R. Whiles and Fritz, K.M. and Matthews, W.J.} }