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Conservation implications of fish–habitat relationships in channelized agricultural headwater streams
Author(s) -
Sanders Kathryn E.,
Smiley Peter C.,
Gillespie Robert B.,
King Kevin W.,
Smith Douglas R.,
Pappas Elizabeth A.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.1002/jeq2.20137
Subject(s) - channelized , riparian zone , streams , habitat , watershed , environmental science , stream restoration , ecology , hydrology (agriculture) , restoration ecology , geology , biology , telecommunications , computer network , geotechnical engineering , machine learning , computer science
Channelized agricultural headwater streams are common throughout agricultural watersheds in the midwestern United States. Understanding fish–habitat relationships within these streams will provide information that can assist with developing conservation and restoration strategies for these degraded streams. From spring 2006 to fall 2010, we collected fishes and measured riparian habitat, instream habitat, and water chemistry variables from seven sites in Cedar Creek, Indiana, and 14 sites in Upper Big Walnut Creek, Ohio. We found that fish community structure was more strongly correlated with instream habitat than riparian habitat or water chemistry in both watersheds. We also observed interrelationships among instream habitat, watershed size, and fish communities within both watersheds that suggest that the hydrological changes that occur with increasing watershed size are the underlying factor for fish community changes that occur with increasing watershed size. Our results suggest that conservation and restoration efforts within channelized agricultural headwater streams in the midwestern United States, where nutrients and herbicide concentrations are low, need to address physical habitat degradation to positively influence fish community structure.