Demographic and trophic dynamics of fishes in relation to hydrologic variation in channel and floodplain habitats of the Brazos River, Texas /

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Zeug, Steven Christopher
Other Authors: Winemiller, Kirk O. (Thesis advisor)
Format: Thesis eBook
Language:English
Published: [College Station, Tex.] : [Texas A&M University], [2010]
Subjects:
Online Access:Link to OAK Trust copy

MARC

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099 |a 2007  |a Dissertation  |a 1969.1/ETD-TAMU-1971 
100 1 |a Zeug, Steven Christopher. 
245 1 0 |a Demographic and trophic dynamics of fishes in relation to hydrologic variation in channel and floodplain habitats of the Brazos River, Texas /  |c by Steven Christopher Zeug. 
264 1 |a [College Station, Tex.] :  |b [Texas A&M University],  |c [2010] 
300 |a 1 online resource. 
336 |a text  |b txt  |2 rdacontent 
337 |a computer  |b c  |2 rdamedia 
338 |a online resource  |b cr  |2 rdacarrier 
500 |a "Major Subject: Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences" 
500 |a Title from author supplied metadata (automated record created 2010-03-12 12:08:51). 
502 |b Doctor of Philosophy  |c Texas A&M University  |d 2007  |o http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-1971 
504 |a Includes bibliographical references. 
516 |a Text (Dissertation) 
520 3 |a Large rivers in North America have been subjected to a variety of hydrologic alterations that have negatively impacted aquatic fauna. These impacts have triggered restoration efforts, including management of flows, to restore or maintain ecological integrity. Ecological data relevant to flow management and habitat restoration is scarce, and conceptual models of ecosystem function have been widely applied to large rivers despite a lack of quantitative evaluation of these models. Here, I examine demographic and trophic dynamics of fishes with divergent life histories and trophic guilds in relation to habitat heterogeneity and flow variability in a relatively unaltered floodplain system: the Brazos River, Texas. Reproductive activity of fishes with three divergent life history strategies was positively associated with long-term river hydrology, although species with alternate strategies exploited different portions of the hydrograph (peak flow versus increasing flow). Despite the positive association with hydrology, low-flow periods were favorable for recruitment, and food resources for larvae and juveniles were denser during these periods. Some species used both oxbow and channel habitats during some point in their life cycle, whereas other species appeared to be almost entirely restricted to one habitat type. Terrestrial C3 macrophytes accounted for a significant fraction of the biomass of most consumer species examined. Small-bodied species in oxbow lakes assimilated large fractions of biomass from benthic algae, whereas this pattern was not observed in the river channel. Frequent flow variations in the river channel may reduce algal standing stocks, and significant contributions from autochthonous algal sources may only occur during low-flow periods. Trophic positions of detritivores indicated that terrestrial carbon sources were assimilated, for the most part, via invertebrates rather than by direct consumption. My results indicate that current conceptual models are too vague to provide accurate predictions for restoration strategies in rivers with variable flow regimes. Flow and habitat management strategies that focus on reproducing key features of historical fluvial dynamics are likely to be more successful than strategies that focus on single indicator species or flow dynamics that differ from the historical hydrograph. 
500 |a Electronic resource. 
650 4 |a Major wildlife and fisheries sciences. 
653 |a recruitment 
653 |a food web 
653 |a reproduction 
653 |a isotopes 
700 1 |a Winemiller, Kirk O.,  |e thesis advisor. 
856 4 0 |u http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-1971  |z Link to OAK Trust copy  |t 0 
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952 f f |a Texas A&M University  |b College Station  |c Electronic Resources  |d Available Online  |t 0  |e 2007 Dissertation 1969.1/ETD-TAMU-1971  |h Other scheme 
998 f f |a 2007 Dissertation 1969.1/ETD-TAMU-1971  |t 0  |l Available Online