Do Alluvial Sand Dunes Create Energetic Refugia for Benthic Fishes? An Experimental Test with the Endangered Pallid Sturgeon

River modifications have altered critical habitats for fishes at a variety of spatial scales and caused global declines of many fluvial species. At small spatial scales (<1 m²), alluvial sand dunes, a ubiquitous habitat in highly modified rivers, are thought to provide energetic relief for benthic fishes in energetically costly riverine landscapes created by water flow. However, use of alluvial dune habitat is not well understood, and it is unclear whether dunes provide refuge that effectively reduces energetic costs. We designed a scale‐relevant experiment to examine the energetic responses associated with sand dune habitat in rivers. We tested whether the US federally endangered pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus ), a benthic fish commonly associated with sand dunes, experienced reduced energetic costs with different configurations of simulated sand dune habitat. We quantified mass specific oxygen consumption (M O₂; mg O₂ kg^?1 h^?1) using intermittent flow‐through respirometry for age‐0 sturgeon (140–170 mm) in front of a sand dune, behind a sand dune and in the absence of a sand dune at two velocities (25 and 50 cm s^?1) commonly observed in field studies of sturgeon habitat use. Sturgeon displayed distinct station holding behaviours for each habitat configuration. Dune location did not affect energy expenditure, but sturgeon M O₂ was on average 16–20% higher in the absence of a sand dune depending on dune configuration. M O₂ was on average 14% higher at 50 cm s^?1 compared with 25 cm s^?1. Our results provide a potential mechanism for over two decades of research on why sturgeon and other benthic fishes exhibit selection for sand dune habitat in large rivers. Fishes that select main channel habitats may depend on energetic relief provided by sand dunes, especially when other forms of structure are not available. For this reason, alluvial sand dune habitat may be important to the persistence of benthic fishes in high flow environments. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The influence of depth and velocity on age‐0 Scaphirhynchus sturgeon prey consumption: Implications for aquatic habitat restoration

After the pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) was listed as endangered in 1990, a variety of management actions focusing on early life history needs have been implemented to aid species recovery. Given the scarcity of age‐0 pallid sturgeon, managers and scientists have relied on sympatric congeners to evaluate the effectiveness of management actions in the short term; however, increased understanding of habitat requirements for age‐0 Scaphirhynchus sturgeon is still needed to appropriately focus management efforts. Recently, a lack of food‐producing and foraging habitats were proposed as potential limiting factors for pallid sturgeon, and the purpose of this study was to evaluate the current definition of these habitats at multiple spatial scales using data from age‐0 Scaphirhynchus sturgeon (shovelnose sturgeon [Scaphirhynchus platyrhynchus] or hybrid [shovelnose sturgeon x pallid sturgeon]). Results showed the water depths and velocities that currently define age‐0 pallid sturgeon foraging habitat had little effect on age‐0 Scaphirhynchus sturgeon prey consumption. Similar results occurred when evaluating the relationship between prey consumption and food‐producing habitat present 10, 20, and 30 days before capture. Assuming that individuals captured during this study were a valid surrogate, these results suggest that increasing foraging and food‐producing habitat as defined by the current depth and velocity criteria is unlikely to result in the desired benefits of increased growth and survival of age‐0 pallid sturgeon.     

Is Shallow Water a Suitable Surrogate for Assessing Efforts to Address Pallid Sturgeon Population Declines?

It is hypothesized that slow, shallow water habitats benefit larval pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus; however, testing this hypothesis is difficult, given the low number of larval pallid sturgeon present in large rivers. In contrast, relatively large numbers of age‐0 shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus have been sampled, providing a potentially useful baseline to assess the importance of slow, shallow water to age‐0 sturgeon of both species (hereafter age‐0 sturgeon) in the lower Missouri River. Thus, we investigated the potential relationships between the prevalence of shallow water <1.5 m and the age‐0 sturgeon catch rates at multiple scales. Age‐0 sturgeon were usually sampled in water >1.5 m, and catch rates were usually highest in the upper half [i.e. river kilometre (RKM) 400 to 800] of the lower Missouri River study area, whereas the availability of water <1.5 m was usually highest in the lower half (i.e. RKM 0 to 400). Similarly, there was no relationship between age‐0 sturgeon mean catch‐per‐unit effort and ha/km of water <1.5 m at any studied scale. Our results may suggest that shallow water, as currently defined, may not be a suitable surrogate for assessing efforts to address pallid sturgeon population declines. However, it is still unknown if lack of appropriate habitat is currently limiting pallid sturgeon. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. River Research and Applications published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Age‐0 Shovelnose Sturgeon Prey Consumption in the Lower Missouri River

A lack of nutritious food during the first year of life is a hypothesized factor that may limit survival of endangered pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus in the lower Missouri River (LMOR). Unfortunately, information for age‐0 pallid sturgeon diets remains limited, but diet analyses for age‐0 Scaphirhynchus spp. (sturgeon hereafter) have occurred. Little information, however, exists on age‐0 sturgeon diets in the LMOR; thus, our primary objective was to document age‐0 sturgeon diets in this system. We examined guts contents from 30 individuals, which were genetically identified as shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus, and three stomachs were empty. The remaining age‐0 shovelnose sturgeon consumed chironomid larvae almost exclusively (>98% of prey items consumed). Our results were similar to studies conducted in other systems, and it appears unlikely that a lack of nutritious food was a major factor affecting the individuals captured during this study. This effort provides important information to help guide ongoing adaptive management efforts in the LMOR. © 2016 The Authors. River Research and Applications published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Abiotic Attributes Surrounding Alluvial Islands Generate Critical Fish Habitat

Identifying the appropriate scale at which habitat is biologically relevant to riverine fishes in large, sand‐dominated rivers is a challenge. Alluvial islands are important to several of these fishes throughout the central USA, but there is a paucity of information on island habitat features that restoration efforts should try to replicate. We determined the physical characteristics of two island complexes in the middle Mississippi River that facilitate the settlement and survival of age‐0 shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus at relatively large (mean 39,000 m²) and small (mean 320 m²) scales. Depth (m), flow rate (m s^?1), substrate (sand, rock, silt) and vegetation were quantified at these two scales using hydroacoustic techniques (split‐beam sonar and acoustic Doppler current profiler). Abiotic attributes in the surrounding littoral zone of the island complexes were highly correlated but differed depending on location. At the coarse spatial scale, vegetation was positively related to shovelnose sturgeon abundance. At the fine spatial scale, age‐0 shovelnose sturgeon were restricted to flow rates < 0.89 m s^?1, with abundance peaking at about 0.40 m s^?1. However, heterogeneity in depth and flow was important, and sturgeon abundance peaked at intermediate variability in these two abiotic attributes. A computer‐generated model of the habitat surrounding islands suggests that these habitats are diverse and may provide flow refugia and foraging patches for shovelnose sturgeon. We submit the results presented here that can contribute to a hierarchical model for island restoration in large rivers. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lethal Thermal Maxima for Age‐0 Pallid and Shovelnose Sturgeon: Implications for Shallow Water Habitat Restoration

We evaluated temperature tolerance in age‐0 pallid and shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus and Scaphirhynchus platorynchus), two species that occur sympatrically in the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. Fish (0.04–18 g) were acclimated to water temperatures of 13, 18 or 24 °C to quantify temperatures associated with lethal thermal maxima (LTM). The results show that no difference in thermal tolerance existed between the two sturgeon species, but that LTM was significantly related to body mass and acclimation temperature. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to estimate LTM, and outputs from the model were compared with water temperatures measured in the shallow water habitat (SWH) of the Missouri River. Observed SWH temperatures were not found to yield LTM conditions. The model developed here is to serve as a general guideline in the development of future SWH. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Population Trends,Bend Use Relative to Available Habitat and Within‐River‐Bend Habitat Use of Eight Indicator Species of Missouri and Lower Kansas River Benthic Fishes: 15 Years After Baseline Assessment

A baseline assessment of the Missouri River fish community and species‐specific habitat use patterns conducted from 1996 to 1998 provided the first comprehensive analysis of Missouri River benthic fish population trends and habitat use in the Missouri and Lower Yellowstone rivers, exclusive of reservoirs, and provided the foundation for the present Pallid Sturgeon Population Assessment Program (PSPAP). Data used in such studies are frequently zero inflated. To address this issue, the zero‐inflated Poisson (ZIP) model was applied. This follow‐up study is based on PSPAP data collected up to 15 years later along with new understanding of how habitat characteristics among and within bends affect habitat use of fish species targeted by PSPAP, including pallid sturgeon. This work demonstrated that a large‐scale, large‐river, PSPAP‐type monitoring program can be an effective tool for assessing population trends and habitat usage of large‐river fish species. Using multiple gears, PSPAP was effective in monitoring shovelnose and pallid sturgeons, sicklefin, shoal and sturgeon chubs, sand shiner, blue sucker and sauger. For all species, the relationship between environmental variables and relative abundance differed, somewhat, among river segments suggesting the importance of the overall conditions of Upper and Middle Missouri River and Lower Missouri and Kansas rivers on the habitat usage patterns exhibited. Shoal and sicklefin chubs exhibited many similar habitat usage patterns; blue sucker and shovelnose sturgeon also shared similar responses. For pallid sturgeon, the primary focus of PSPAP, relative abundance tended to increase in Upper and Middle Missouri River paralleling stocking efforts, whereas no evidence of an increasing relative abundance was found in the Lower Missouri River despite stocking. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrologic Variability Influences Local Probability of Pallid Sturgeon Occurrence in a Missouri River Tributary

A river's flow regime creates and maintains spatial variability in habitat and dictates the distribution and abundance of riverine fishes. Changes to patterns of natural hydrologic variation and disturbance create novel flow conditions and may influence distribution of native fishes. We examined local and regional‐scale factors that influenced the presence of pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus in the Platte River, a large tributary to the Missouri River in Nebraska, USA. Daily river discharge, diel flow variability, season and location in the study area were the most supported variables in logistic regression models explaining pallid sturgeon distribution. The probability of pallid sturgeon occurrence was greatest during periods of high discharge (>90th percentile flows) in the spring and fall. Pallid sturgeon occurrence was always lower when variability in diel flow patterns was high (i.e. hydropeaking). Our results indicate that pallid sturgeon use of the lower Platte River was strongly tied to the flow regime. Therefore, the lower Platte River may provide an opportunity to preserve and restore sturgeon and possibly other large‐river fishes through appropriate water management strategies. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Importance of Shallow‐Low Velocity Habitats to Juvenile Fish in the Middle Mississippi River

Habitat management is a crucial aspect of fisheries management. Without knowledge of habitat associations, fisheries scientists are unable to effectively make habitat conservation or restoration recommendations. This becomes especially prominent when trying to manage commercially harvested populations and protect threatened or endangered species. To determine juvenile fishes habitat associations in the Middle Mississippi River, we analysed mini‐trawl catch data of six common juvenile fish species: blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus), channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), channel shiner (Notropis wickliffi), freshwater drum (Aplodinotus grunniens), paddlefish (Polyodon spathula), and shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus). Overall, we conducted 2251 mini‐trawl sampling efforts between 2002 and 2013, resulting in the capture of 23,742 target specimens. Catch per unit effort was evaluated by structural habitat (i.e. velocity, depth, and substrate). Overall, these data suggest that juvenile fish species are more prevalent in shallow water and slower velocities. Ultimately the information garnered during this evaluation should be incorporated when considering habitat modifications, especially those modifications that impact the availability of shallow‐low velocity habitats. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatial structure of large‐river fish populations across main‐stem and tributary habitats

The spatial variability in demographic parameters represents fundamental information for conservation and management of large‐river fish populations. We assessed demographic processes including survival and movement across macroscale habitats in a large‐river network using 2 candidate large‐river species with contrasting life history strategies. We used mark–recapture data and a multistate model framework to estimate survival and transition probabilities between main‐stem and tributary habitats for both channel catfish and shovelnose sturgeon. Annual survival for channel catfish was similar in main‐stem and tributary habitats (range in S = 0.47–0.58). Annual survival for shovelnose sturgeon was less in the tributary (S = 0.68) compared with the main stem (S = 0.83). The probability of movement among macroscale habitats differed between species. However, the greatest probability of movement occurred from the tributary to the main‐stem for both channel catfish (ψ = 0.42) and shovelnose sturgeon (ψ = 0.27). Movement between main‐stem and tributary rivers may be a prominent characteristic for both channel catfish and shovelnose sturgeon and could influence population demographic rates and abundance across systems. Riverine fish populations are likely structured across multiple salient scales—including tributary and main‐stem habitats. Consideration of connectivity across tributary and main‐stem habitats with respect to species' life history strategy and life stage may better integrate a systems' perspective for conservation and management of large‐river fish populations.