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The relationship between forested riparian buffers and summer stream temperatures - Grant and Carline
Instream and Riparian Restoration Short-Term Effects on Macroinvertebrate and Fish Communities - Harper and Carline
Assessment of the Status of Rare Crayfish in Valley Creek - Lieb and Carline
Crayfish Effects on Other Invertebrates and Basal Resources in the Presence and Absence of Trout - Lieb and Carline
Robert F. Carline, Advisor
Objectives:
1. Develop relationship between view factor
and stream temperature change in reaches of Limestone Run with different
riparian covers.
2. Review
potential stream temperature simulation models, and select one that is best
suited for this watershed.
3. Compare measured temperature change over
individual reaches to temperatures predicted by chosen model.
Approach:
Reaches used to develop the relationship
between view factor and temperature change must be located away from springs or
tributaries, maintain stable flow and temperature inputs, and found in several
different land cover types. Unmanaged cattle access, managed CREP (Conservation Restoration Enhancement
Program) locations, and natural forested areas will be used for comparison and
development of the relation of land cover type to temperature change.
A well-suited model will be selected and tested, comparing actual
measured stream temperatures to predicted temperatures from the model output.
A variety of collected data will be used for the development of the
relationship and for the comparison of the model prediction to the actual
measured stream temperatures: stream temperature, air temperature, relative
humidity, stream cross-sectional and geometrical measurements, depth, flow,
incoming solar radiation, and stream orientation.
Project Status:
To date, comparison reaches with varying land
cover types have been selected and summer stream temperatures have been recorded
at both the upstream and downstream extent of each reach.
A temperature probe was used to find locations where springs or
tributaries will not influence water temperature.
Depth and cross sectional measurements have been made at locations
selected for comparison. Geometrical
measurements are still being made to calculate view factor for each management
type. Orientation of the comparison
reaches was determined using Arc View and DOQQ’s.
The SSTEMP model (Stream Segment Temperature Model, Theurer et al.) was
selected for comparison of predicted and measured temperature changes over the
individual reaches. Flows
measurements have been made using a Marsh McBirney Model 2000 Flow-Mate and two
water level loggers have been installed to help understand the watershed
hydrology and incorporate flow into the model.
Rating curves have also been established for these water level loggers.
Air temperature and relative humidity loggers have been collecting data
at key locations throughout the watershed for use as data input for the model.
Most field data have been collected, and development of the relationship
between view factor and temperature change for individual management types will
soon begin.
Dr. Robert F. Carline, Advisor
The deleterious effects of livestock grazing on aquatic ecosystems have been thoroughly detailed by ecologists and biologists in recent years. Livestock negatively impact aquatic ecosystems and their surrounding environments by destroying riparian buffer zones via consumption of in-stream and stream-bank herbaceous plant and vegetative cover, degrading soil composition, changing stream channel morphology and hydrology, and reducing seasonal water availability and quality, which all hinder aquatic and riparian wildlife. There is subsequently an increase in nutrient concentrations, bacterial, protozoan, and algae communities, fine sediment load and turbidity, water temperature, channel depth and width, overland flow, peak flow, flood water velocity, bare ground, erosion, and compaction.
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is attempting to correct many of these problems through grading of banks and the installation of bank stabilization structures and log vanes in an agriculturally degraded section of a headwater stream in Burnham Pennsylvania.
The installation of these structures will correct damage caused by cattle grazing in the stream, stabilize the banks, and provide improved habitat for macroinvertebrates and fish.
Objectives:
1. Quantify the effects of the restorations on substrate composition and stream morphology in the tributary to Meadow Run.
2. Assess benthic macroinvertebrate community structure prior to the restorations and 1-year post treatment.
3. Determine fish community structure, trout density, and trout biomass prior to and 1 year after the restoration.
Project Status:
Work began in the summer of 2004. Upstream and downstream reference sites with similar attributes to those in the degraded area were selected. Habitat assessments at each site were completed pre-restoration. Five transects representative of the streams general characteristics were measured at both the upstream and downstream reference sites, and ten were measured in the proposed restoration area. Twenty benthic macroinvertebrate samples were taken at each of the three sites for comparisons of biodiversity pre and post restoration. Three-pass removal electrofishing was conducted at each of the three sites and pre-restoration fish data were recorded. The proposed restorations are to be completed September 2004 by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and post restoration collections will be done in the summer of 2005. Analysis of the effects of the restorations on the stream will be completed the following fall.
David A. Lieb, Graduate Research Assistant
Robert F. Carline, Advisor
In early spring 2000, a consulting firm tentatively identified four crayfish specimens collected from Valley Creek inside Valley Forge National Historical Park (VFNHP) as Cambarus acuminatus, a species not reported previously from Pennsylvania. If the identifications are confirmed, they represent the northern-most population of the species ever found in the United States. The status of C. acuminatus and its habitat preferences in Valley Creek are completely unknown. In fact, almost nothing is known about any species of crayfish in Valley Creek.
Objectives:
1. Assess the abundance and distribution of C. acuminatus in Valley Creek inside VFNHP.
2. Conduct a comprehensive inventory of crayfish species in Valley Creek inside VFNHP.
Approach:
We will first reexamine the crayfish specimens collected by the consulting firm to determine if C. acuminatus actually occurs in Valley Creek. Our identifications will be confirmed by at least two crayfish experts (e.g. Dr. Raymond Bouchard, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia; Dr. Ted Nuttall, Lockhaven University). We will then use electrofishing gear, baited traps, and dip nets to collect crayfish from at least three stations along Valley Creek. Three habitat types (pools, riffles, shallow lateral areas) will be sampled within each station. Collections will be made in spring and fall of 2003. The data collected will be used to produce a list of the crayfish species found in Valley Creek within Valley Forge Park. Relative abundance estimates and basic habitat preferences will also be determined for each species.
Project Status:
To date, we have reexamined the specimens tentatively identified as C. acuminatus and although we are certain they are not C. acuminatus we are unable to put a species name on them at this time because the specimens collected previously were immature and mature males are usually needed for species level identifications. Dr. Ted Nuttall at Lock Haven University and Dr. Raymond Bouchard at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia also examined the specimens and agreed that they are not C. acuminatus. They were also hesitant to assign a species name to the Valley Creek specimens. Samples were collected in April 2003, but have not yet been analyzed. It is hoped that these samples, which included mature males, will help clarify the taxonomic status of the individuals incorrectly identified as C. acuminatus.
David A. Lieb, Graduate Research Assistant
Robert F. Carline, Advisor
Crayfish often account for a major portion of macroinvertebrate biomass and production in lotic systems. As omnivores, they consume items from multiple trophic levels and exert direct and indirect effects on basal resources (detritus, algae, macrophytes) and other macroinvertebrates. Crayfish are also an important food item for stream fishes including trout and bass. As such, crayfish behavior and habitat preferences often change in the presence of fish (presumably to reduce predation risk). Thus, fish may modify the effect of crayfish on basal resources and other macroinvertebrates. To date, few studies that address this possibility have been conducted. Additional studies conducted across a range of physical and biological conditions need to be completed before the role that crayfish/fish interactions play in the dynamics of freshwater food webs is fully understood.
Objectives:
1. Determine if crayfish affect basal resources (detritus and algae) and other invertebrates in riffle and pool areas of a limestone stream in central PA (Spruce Creek).
2. Determine if this effect is modified by the presence of wild brown trout (Salmo trutta).
Project Status:
A 54-day caging experiment with three treatments (cages with crayfish, cages without crayfish, and uncaged control areas) was conducted in Fall 2002 to determine if crayfish affect other invertebrates and basal resources in pool areas of Spruce Creek, a limestone stream located in central Pennsylvania. Samples were collected prior to adding crayfish to cages and 11, 33, and 54 days after crayfish addition. For all treatments/collection dates, invertebrate samples were collected from gravel, bricks, and leaf packs and algal samples were collected from bricks and gravel. Invertebrate brick samples collected on Day 33 have been processed and preliminary analyses have been completed. These analyses indicated that by Day 33 of the experiment there were 65% fewer invertebrates in the cages with crayfish than in the cages without crayfish resulting in highly significant (p=0.007) differences between treatments. Bricks from uncaged control areas generally supported the same invertebrate community (both in terms of density and community composition) as bricks from cages suggesting that caging artifacts were minor and probably did not affect the outcome of this experiment. Samples collected prior to adding crayfish to cages are currently being processed and will be analyzed to ensure that differences between treatments were due to differences in crayfish density and not some other unknown factor. Additional experiments will be conducted this fall to determine if trout presence modifies the effect of crayfish on other invertebrates and basal resources in pool areas of Spruce Creek.