Community ecology of stream fishes: Patterns and processes in Pacific Northwest species richness

1
Community ecology of stream fishes Patterns
and processes in Pacific Northwest species
richness
Introduction to the taxa

• North America
• Washington Columbia River, Chehalis River,
  Puget Sound
• Puget Sound

• Basin
• Stream Order
• Stream Habitat

2
Fundamental questions

• What determines the number of species in a given
  area or body of water?
• Is diversity a function of current or past
  conditions?

3
Fish Diversity in the Pacific Northwest
Acipenseridae
Petromyzontidae
White sturgeon
Pacific Lamprey
Lamprey are typically semelparous and some are
anadromous. Sturgeons are very long-lived,
large, iteroparous, and often anadromous
4
Osmeridae
Catostomidae
common sucker
longfin smelt
Small, short-lived, often anadromous or lacustrine
Intermediate in size, freshwater,
rainbow smelt
longnose sucker
5
Cyprinidae (minnows)
Peamouth chub (Mylocheilus caurinus)
Northern pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus oregonensis)
Longnose dace (Rhinichthys cataractae)
Speckled dace (Rhinichthys osculus)
6
Cottidae
sculpins
7
Patterns
5
40
19
Primary freshwater fish species in North America
(i.e., those of a freshwater evolutionary lineage)
112
260
110
55
8
Wisconsin glacial period, about 50,000 to 10,000
years ago
McPhail and Lindsey 1970
9
Patterns
North
South
Source Hocutt and Wiley 1996
10
Patterns and Processes

• Stikine River 27 spp.
• Nass River 27 spp.
• Skeena River 32 spp.
• Fraser River 39 spp.

Colonization Up from the south (Columbia
Refuge) Down from the north (Bering Refuge)
Columbia River 45 spp.
11
Patterns and Processes
Pleistocene glaciation 50-10,000 ybp, Lake
Missoula, and area it flooded
12
Patterns and Processes
Washington Natives 15 families 47
spp. Exotics 9 families 29 spp.
Distribution of primary freshwater species in
Washington
13
Puget Sound and Historic Lake Russell
Ice Dam
Outflow
14
Patterns and Processes

• Stream Order Traits
• Gradient
• Habitat volume
• Complexity (predator refuge?)
• Temperature regime
• Disturbance frequency
• Prey diversity
• Biotic interaction
• Sedimentation
• Structure

15
Within a given river system, what determines the

• number of species

?
Biotic responses
Stream order
16
(No Transcript)
17
Within a given river system, what determines the

• number of species
• biomass

?
Biotic responses
Stream order
18
(No Transcript)
19
Within a given river system, what determines the

• number of species
• biomass
• production

?
Biotic responses
Stream order
20
(No Transcript)
21
Stream order and life history and community
attributes

• High Order Rivers
• Life History Patterns
• Long lifespan
• Dispersal less critical
• High reproductive rate
• Large adult size
• Community Characteristics
• Complex trophic links
• Stable population size
• Diverse reproductive stratagies

• Low Order Streams
• Life History Patterns
• short lifespan
• rapid dispersal
• high reproductive rate
• small adult size
• Community Characteristics
• Simple trophic links
• Variable population size

• Controlled by
• harsh winter conditions
• limited summer growth

• Controlled by
• Predation and competition

22
Percent frequencies of 482 fish species by
trophic preference and stream size category
Goldstein and Meador 2004, Trans. Am. Fish. Soc.
133971-983
23
Percent frequencies of 363 classification of
species by reproductive strategy and stream size
category
Goldstein and Meador 2004, Trans. Am. Fish. Soc.
133971-983
24
What determines biomass and diversity within a
given stream? Habitat features?
Habitat Unit Traits Depth, volume, temperature,
complexity, disturbance, prey, predators,
sedimentation, structure
Riffles n 6
Glides n 7
Pools n 11
lamprey
trout (YOY)
2
5
trout (YOY)
trout (YOY)
7
cutthroat
3
10
lamprey
Cottus sp.
14
coho
35
11
coho
6
lamprey
15
Cottus sp.
73
Cottus sp.
steelhead
95
24
Data David Lonzarich
Big Beef Creek
25
Stream fishes use available habitat
selectively. Coho salmon tend to occupy slow,
deep water (pools).
Healy and Lonzarich 2000
26
Habitat use patterns vary among salmonids and
other fishes, reflecting choice and competition
Roni 2002
27
World-wide, the distribution of stream production
for salmonids is very skewed.
High production results more from growth than
density, and more from chemistry and temperature
than habitat and substrate. Coastal NW streams
are not highly productive.
Bisson and Bilby 1998
Bisson and Bilby 1998
28
Estimates of biomass and density of trout and
char in western Oregon, Washington, and
California are generally low.
Platts and McHenry 1988
29
(No Transcript)
30
Percent frequencies of substrate by stream
category for 426 North American streams
Goldstein and Meador 2004, Trans. Am. Fish. Soc.
133971-983