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a Relationship between body depth (standardized by total length) and cumulative movement (r² = 0.133, P = 0.012, n = 47). b Relationship between aspect ratio of the caudal peduncle and cumulative movement (r² = 0.146, P = 0.0080, n = 47). Cumulative movement was calculated as the cumulative sum of the absolute values of change in river kilometers between each tracking period. The top model predicting movement included both body depth and aspect ratio (Table 2)
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Studying the dynamics of species' borders can provide insight into the mechanisms limiting or promoting range expansion in response to environmental change. In the John Day River, Oregon (USA), rising stream temperatures are facilitating the upstream expansion of invasive smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu. Here, where smallmouth bass occupy the...
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... The spatial overlap, ranging from 3 to 62%, with critical spawning and rearing habitats for native fish, is of concern due to predator and competitive impacts of M. dolomieu on juvenile salmonids. The same authors [66] analyzed in both space and time the population structure and seasonal movements patterns of M. dolomieu at the upstream extent of its range boundary in the John Day River, Oregon (USA), under climate changes conditions; their results highlighted an overall trend of upstream expansion, driven by favorable thermal conditions and by individual traits (i.e., body morphology of farther mobile individuals) that predispose fish to the exploration of new spawning habitats, with both front-edge (persistent populations) and leading-edge (not yet established populations) invasion extent. The methodological approach of the research assumes relevance from a management point of view, since understanding the movement patterns of invasive species is essential for the prediction of future range shifts and forecasting the speed of invasion. ...
The interaction between climate warming and alien fish invasions could have severe consequences in inland waters, which represent isolated environments with high biodiversity richness. Due to the current climatic trend, increasing water temperatures and salinization, shorter ice cover period, and altered flow regimes are predicted for these environments. The aim of this review is to offer a comprehensive analysis at a global scale of the recent studies available in the literature, focused on the responses of invasive freshwater fish to the effects of climate change in both lotic and lentic environments. To achieve this purpose, we selected 34 relevant papers, using the Scopus and Google Scholar database. New alien species establishment, distribution range expansion of species already introduced, and exacerbating impacts on freshwater ecosystems and the native fish communities they host were included in the topics covered by the analyzed papers. Despite the uncertainties related to the unpredictability with which the effects of global warming will occur, the findings of the selected studies served as a support to evaluate conservation and management implications, with particular reference to possible mitigation strategies. Key Contribution: The interactions between climate warming and alien fish invasions in inland waters is a topic of major concern for the biodiversity loss in different ecoregions of the planet. The analysis of the current knowledge on this issue, besides offering a comprehensive picture at a global scale, also allowed us to identify some gaps and future research directions and to discuss possible mitigation strategies.
... Cold-water refuges also are increasingly important for sustaining native coldwater species in the context of invading non-native species. For example, warmwater fish and nonnative salmonid species often expand their ranges in a warming climate (Rahel & Olden, 2008;Rubenson & Olden, 2017) and this contracts native coldwater species' ranges as warmer conditions decrease their ability to compete for more suitable thermal habitat. (Hitt et al., 2017;Ramberg-Pihl, 2020). ...
Human activities and climate change threaten coldwater organisms in freshwater ecosystems by causing rivers and streams to warm, increasing the intensity and frequency of warm temperature events, and reducing thermal heterogeneity. Cold-water refuges are discrete patches of relatively cool water that are used by coldwater organisms for thermal relief and short-term survival. Globally, cohesive management approaches are needed that consider interlinked physical, biological, and social factors of cold-water refuges. We review current understanding of cold-water refuges, identify gaps between science and management, and evaluate policies aimed at protecting thermally sensitive species. Existing policies include designating cold-water habitats, restricting fishing during warm periods, and implementing threshold temperature standards or guidelines. However, these policies are rare and uncoordinated across spatial scales and often do not consider input from Indigenous peoples. We propose that cold-water refuges be managed as distinct operational landscape units, which provide a social and ecological context that is relevant at the watershed scale. These operational landscape units provide the foundation for an integrated framework that links science and management by (1) mapping and characterizing cold-water refuges to prioritize management and conservation actions, (2) leveraging existing and new policies, (3) improving coordination across jurisdictions, and (4) implementing adaptive management practices across scales. Our findings show that while there are many opportunities for scientific advancement, the current state of the sciences is sufficient to inform policy and management. Our proposed framework provides a path forward for managing and protecting cold-water refuges using existing and new policies to protect coldwater organisms in the face of global change.
... Using a more conser- vative censored period of the first-year post-release, smallmouth bass moved 145.2 ± 55.3 km (mean ± SE, n = 6) in the second year of this study. The tagged fish in this study were also relatively large (446 mm mean TL); larger smallmouth bass are likely to make longer distance movements than their smaller congeners (Cole and Moring, 1997;Tabor et al., 2012), although the evidence is not universal (Latta, 1957;Rubenson and Olden, 2017). Previous studies in the Great Lakes have tagged similarly sized smallmouth bass (446 mm mean TL, Kaemingk et al., 2011;427 mm mean FL, Rupnik 2018). ...
Smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu are generally considered to be a sedentary species. Previous tagging studies in lentic systems have found low annual movements based on fishery-dependent tag returns or limited detections from electronic transmitters, though occasional long-distance movements have been observed (i.e., >30 km). In this study, we implanted 23 smallmouth bass sampled from a recreational tournament in Lake Erie with acoustic transmitters and monitored their movements for two years (September 2018–September 2020) using a large-scale array of passive acoustic receivers. We documented 42 percent (8/19) of the at-large fish making long-distance movements throughout Lake Erie; these fish moved an average distance of 109.9 ± 26.6 km (mean ± SE; ranging 3.5–355.1 km) per year. Importantly, six of eight fish crossed jurisdictional boundaries (five into Ontario waters and one into Michigan waters). One individual moved a total of 505.3 km over the two years, the furthest distance an individual smallmouth bass has been documented moving across the literature. While observed move- ments may have been initially biased due to tournament displacement and capture method, tagged fish continued to make long-distance movements in the second-year post-release. Previous movement studies may have underestimated smallmouth bass movement scope in large, lentic systems due to low spatial and temporal coverage of recapture effort (including receiver coverage) relative to system size. Our results suggest that some smallmouth bass can make consistent long-distance movements in large systems like the Laurentian Great Lakes, indicating this species’ spatial ecology remains understudied in large lentic systems.
... Smallmouth bass are typically associated with rocky substrates, larger stream segments, coarse substrates, reduced current, and higher water temperatures (Brewer et al., 2007). Smallmouth bass can move large distances (≥30 km) into and out of the Umpqua Basin when water temperature increases in the summer and then decreases in the fall (Lawrence et al., 2012;Rubenson and Olden, 2017). Smallmouth bass can be affected by urban and agricultural practices and soils with high runoff potential (Brewer et al., 2007). ...
... The negative relationship we found between day of year and smallmouth bass detection could also be due to life history of this species like variability in movement patterns and/ or reproductive timing. Smallmouth bass can move long distances (≥30 km) as water temperatures warm or cool, even between different watersheds into and out of the Umpqua Basin (Lawrence et al., 2012;Rubenson and Olden, 2017). Adult bass could have been actively moving to suitable spawning areas earlier in the season making them more detectable. ...
A major challenge in ecology is disentangling interactions of non-native, potentially invasive species on native species. Conditional two-species occupancy models examine the effects of dominant species (e.g., non-native) on subordinate species (e.g., native) while considering the possibility that occupancy of one species may affect occupancy and/ or detection of the other. Although conditional two-species models are useful for evaluating the influence of one species on presence of another, it is possible that species interactions are density dependent. Therefore, we developed a novel two-species occupancy model that incorporates multiple abundance states (i.e., absent, present, abundant) of the native species. We showcase the utility of this model with a case study that incorporates random effects and covariates on both occupancy and detection to help disentangle species interactions given varying occupancy and detection in different abundance states. We use snorkel survey data from the Umpqua basin, Oregon, where it is hypothesized that smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu, a non-native piscivore, exclude Umpqua chub Oregonichthys kalawatseti, a small endemic minnow. From our two-species multi-state (2SMS) model, we concluded that average occupancy was low for both fishes, and that when non-native bass were present, overall native chub occupancy in the present (0.18 ± 0.05 SD) and abundant (0.19 ± 0.03) states was higher than when non-natives were absent (0.14 ± 0.02/ 0.08 ± 0.02), indicating the non-native was not excluding the native species. By incorporating a species interaction factor, we found a positive association (6.75 ± 5.54 SD) between native chub and non-native bass. The covariates strongly related to occupancy were elevation, algae, and land cover type (urban and shrub). Detection probability for both species (0.21–0.82) was most strongly related to the covariates day of year, water temperature, gravel substrate, and stream order/ magnitude. Incorporation of detection probability and covariates enabled interpretation of interactions between the two species that may have been missed without their inclusion in the modeling process. Our new 2SMS occupancy model can be used by scientists and managers with a broad range of survey and covariate data to disentangle species interactions problems to help them inform management decisions.
... Furthermore, it should be considered that most of the non-native species (65%) in the upper Paraná basin are those expanding their native ranges after the elimination of a biogeographic barrier. Since shifts in species ranges happen mainly in the leading edges of the range (Rubenson and Olden 2017) and many of these non-native species have coexisted with the fish fauna of the upper Paraná in the lower portions of the basin (Paraguay River), it is likely that the environmental similarity, both biotic and abiotic, between near environments contributed to the spread and establishment of non-native species Hock et al. 2020). The relatively short distance for most of the non-native species to their native habitats and the increased connectivity may have promoted an uninterrupted flow of individuals into the Upper Paraná (Marchetti et al. 2004;Rahel 2007), maintaining a colonization pressure over time which results in an increasing number of non-native species in the region (Lockwood et al. 2009). ...
In this study, we assessed the invasion process of non-native fish species in the upper Paraná River floodplain using survey data from 1986 to 2018. We aimed to answer three questions: (1) whether the abundance of non-native species differed among lakes and rivers; (2) whether the probability of occurrence of non-native species differed among lakes and rivers over time, and (3) whether the probabilities of occurrence of non-native species are explained by their functional traits, phylogenetic relationships, or the area of native range. An analysis of covariance was performed to determine the differences in species abundance between habitats. The probability of occurrence for each non-native species was determined through logistic regression. To identify the factors that explain the probability of occurrence, the probability of occurrence at the first and last year of the sampled period was modelled as a function of the native range of the species and the axes from the ordinations of functional traits and phylogenetic relationships. Species abundance was highest in lakes, while the probability of occurrence of species was highest in rivers. Range size, functional traits of life history, and habitat use dimensions, positively affected the probability of occurrence of non-native species. The most important functional traits were offspring investment, egg size and fertilization type, defense, and shape factor.
... Our results also suggest there was support for the hypothesis that inhibiting access to primary spawning areas (using a weir) contributed to straying (Thorstad et al. 2008). Movement and dispersal are key processes that affect species' survival, recruitment, and population dynamics, including newly invaded habitats (Radinger and Wolter 2014;Rubenson and Olden 2017;Cooke et al. 2022). Straying, which is important to maintain genetically diverse and resilient salmonid populations, may increase in frequency when individuals are faced with barriers to spawning habitat access (Thorstad et al. 2008). ...
River ecosystems have been altered by flow regulation and species introductions. Regulated flow regimes often include releases designed to benefit certain species or restore ecosystem processes, and invasive species suppression programs may include efforts to restrict access to spawning habitat. The impacts of these management interventions are often uncertain. Here, we assess hypotheses regarding introduced brown trout (Salmo trutta) movement in a regulated river. We model mark-recapture data in a multistate framework to assess whether movement was affected by the operation of a tributary weir (restricting access to spawning habitat), experimental releases of fall-timed High Flow Experiments (Fall HFEs), or simply increased during the fall, spawning season. Our results suggest that the presence of the weir led to reduced tributary homing and the release of Fall HFEs stimulated upstream movement and straying. Both effects are of a similar magnitude, however the fall HFE effect is more certain. Our results suggest the expansion of an invasive species was stimulated by management interventions and demonstrate the potential for unanticipated outcomes of restoration in highly altered river ecosystems.
... While the Wels catfish is abundant and invasive in the Po River, it has not yet been regularly found in the colder tributary, Dora Baltea [23,24]. This presents the confluence between the two rivers as an invasion front, offering the opportunity to study the dynamics limiting and promoting range expansion [46]. All tagged fish were present close to the tributary mouth almost continuously during the main study period, covering the warmest summer months of the year. ...
The establishment and proliferation of non-native fish species can have a range of effects within the local ecosystem, including alteration of food webs, nutrient cycling, pathogen dynamics and predation, sometimes also resulting in changed behavior and distribution of native fish species. Knowledge about movements and activity patterns is important to understand the dynamics of non-native animals in their new environment. The Wels catfish (Silurus glanis Linnaeus, 1758) is considered an invasive species in many places in Western Europe, and regional control programs are in place. Here, using radiotelemetry, we study the movements and activity patterns of invasive Wels catfish at an invasion front within the Po River (Italy); namely, at the confluence between the main river, where the species is abundant, and a colder tributary, the Dora Baltea River, where it is absent. In addition, we also investigate potential spatiotemporal overlap between Wels catfish and native and endangered marble trout (Salmo marmoratus Cuvier, 1829) in the area. A total of nine Wels catfish and eight marble trout were tagged. The Wels catfish showed a very high degree of residency within the study area in the Po River, close to the mouth the colder tributary. Despite this, only one catfish entered the lower reaches of the tributary and did so only occasionally during August. No catfish moved further upstream in the tributary. It is likely that lower temperatures in combination with more challenging hydrodynamic conditions made the tributary unattractive to the catfish. The catfish were active during all times of the day but substantially more so during evenings and at nights. Some, but not all, tagged catfish moved to areas in the main stem upstream of the confluence with the tributary. A large proportion of the tagged marble trout made occasional or longer visits to the Po River, with several individuals becoming resident, but without apparent mortality, in the tagged catfish home range. The high residency of the Wels catfish suggests that removal efforts may do well to initially focus on areas close to the habitats of species under conservation concern.
... In our study, these areas included large tracts of land in all ecoregions including the southern two thirds of the Temperate Plains (Iowa, Northern Missouri, Illinois, Central Indiana, and Central Ohio), the eastern edge of the Appalachian Mountains in New England, glacial lakes areas of northern New York, Central Minnesota, much of Wisconsin, and northern portions of Michigan, as well as unglaciated regions of southeastern Pennsylvania, northern Maryland, and northern Virginia. Both in our study, as well as other studies examining where stream fish might be most at risk due to climate impacts, high-risk locations tend to be along the trailing edge of the range of a species or community, while the areas along the leading edge (in our case northern or upstream locations) of a class tends to be classified as lower risk (Comte et al., 2013, Rubenson andOlden, 2017;Santiago et al., 2017;Whitney et al., 2016). This association is likely due to the fact that future conditions are more likely to remain within the bounds of recent-day climate. ...
Climate change is expected to alter stream fish habitat potentially leading to changes in the composition and distribution of fish communities. In the Northeastern and Midwestern United States we identified the distribution and characteristics of those fish communities most and least at risk of experiencing changes in climate which deviate from the climate they are associated with. We classified stream fish communities based on a suite of climate and environmental variables with multivariate regression trees under both recent and future conditions based on eight climate models. Our findings showed that some areas, such as the majority of the Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa), have high levels of risk of change in stream class, while much of Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio, Southern Michigan, and the Atlantic Coast are at relatively low risk. Stream class shifts ranged from over 75% of segments lost (associated with cooler temperatures) to gains of over 40% (associated with warmer temperatures). Common warmwater species such as green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus), bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) are expected to have the largest net gains in associated stream classes, while species associated with cooler streams such as Southern redbelly dace (Chrosomus erythrogaster), slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus), and Eastern blacknose dace (Rhinichthys atratulus) were expected to experience the largest proportional losses. By pairing our climate risk predictions with other stressors such anthropogenic land use, habitat fragmentation, and water quality impairment, we identified opportunities for preservation (low risk due to all threats), restoration (low risk due to climate, high risk due to other stressors), and adaptation (high climate risk with low risk from other stressors). Understanding which communities are at risk due to climate change will aid in developing adaptation strategies to help sustain them in the future.
... Growing concern about the impacts of non-native fishes has led to research on these species within their introduced ranges under the particular environmental conditions of those areas, where they may confront new ecological stressors, such as floods, droughts, fluctuating food supply, or native predators Latorre et al., 2020). Nevertheless, there is still an urgent need to improve our knowledge on the invasion process of non-native fishes, particularly the key biological traits that increase colonisation capacity throughout novel habitats (Brandner et al., 2013;Rubenson & Olden, 2017). This information would enable us to characterise the specific features of successful invaders in the Iberian Peninsula (García-Berthou, 2007;Ribeiro et al., 2008). ...
Invasive fishes are a major environmental issue at the global scale, particularly for their impacts on freshwater ecosystems via the mechanisms of hybridisation, competition, predation, and disease transmission. This is of special conservation concern on the Iberian Peninsula due to the high level of endemism. With the aim to improve our knowledge on the invasion process of non‐native fishes, the present study consists of analysing key biological traits potentially related to their colonisation capacity: morphology, parasite communities, and genetic diversity.
A non‐native population of Languedoc minnow Phoxinus septimaniae (leuciscid species native to south‐east France) was assessed in Tordera Stream (north‐eastern Iberian Peninsula). Fish were sampled in mid‐May (reproductive period) 2018 and 2019. Biological traits were compared between colonising and resident individuals from stream reaches of intermittent and perennial flow, respectively.
After adjusting for fish size/body mass with analysis of covariance, body condition and health status (external and internal examination) tended to be better in the intermittent reach. Parasite load (number) and diversity (Shannon index) were significantly higher in the perennial reach. Fish development was also more stable in colonising minnow, as detected by low levels of fluctuating asymmetry for the eye diameter and the length of pectoral fins (adjusted for bilateral character size). Genetic diversity (microsatellite markers) was lower in resident minnow. Minnow genetic homozygosity (index of internal relatedness) was positively associated with parasite load and developmental instability (high fluctuating asymmetry levels).
Our results show that colonising minnows display particular profiles of morphological, parasitological, and genetic traits that apparently allow these individuals to increase their dispersal capacity to survive and reproduce in harsher environmental conditions. The potential mechanisms may be related to a wider physiological tolerance, better immune response, parasite resistance/tolerance, and genetic diversity in colonising specimens.
Such information reveals the specific traits of successful fish invaders under a seasonal colonisation dynamic. These data are relevant for environmental managers, to predict and identify areas vulnerable to invasion, in order to establish monitoring programmes for early detection, which will help to reduce the spread of non‐native fish populations.
... Short-term restoration of lotic conditions (i.e., reservoir draining) improved out-migration of Chinook Salmon O. tshawytscha and reduced resident invasive fish density (Murphy et al. 2019). Similarly, promoting cooler water temperatures via habitat restoration (channel shading) or thermograph alterations (e.g., hypolimnetic releases) may exclude warmwater stenotherms (e.g., Smallmouth Bass; Rubenson and Olden 2017;Dunham et al. 2020). Capitalizing on natural perturbations may also facilitate control of invasive fish. ...
Reservoirs are ubiquitous features on the landscape of the western United States. Although reservoirs provide numerous benefits (e.g., irrigation, flood control, hydropower, recreational use), these systems are often a concern from an ecological perspective. Reservoirs support fisheries primarily composed of nonindigenous sport fishes that may become invasive and negatively influence recipient ecosystems. Furthermore, reservoirs alter adjacent riverine habitats, further increasing the threat of invasive fishes to aquatic systems. As such, most western natural resource management agencies focus considerable effort on managing the threat of invasive fish species. Unfortunately, controlling invasive fish is expensive and rarely effective because of a lack of clear objectives, appropriate fishing mortality, and long‐term commitment. In an effort to improve management of invasive fish in the western United States, we reviewed existing literature to identify the steps necessary to effectively suppress these species. Specifically, we provide guidance on defining achievable objectives, assessing feasibility, evaluating success, and improving the efficiency of invasive fish suppression. This iterative approach provides managers with a framework to effectively address the challenge of suppressing invasive fish in the western United States.
