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(NMGS) Basic Conceptual Ecological Model for the Lower Colorado River

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(NMGS) Basic Conceptual Ecological Model for the Lower Colorado River Northern Mexican Gartersnake (Thamnophis eques megalops) (NMGS) Basic Conceptual Ecological Model for the Lower Colorado River LCR MSCP website photo gallery (Jeneal Smith, Bureau of Reclamation) April 2021 Work conducted under LCR MSCP Work Task G6 Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program Steering Committee Members Federal Participant Group California Participant Group Bureau of Reclamation California Department of Fish and Wildlife U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service City of Needles National Park Service Coachella Valley Water District Bureau of Land Management Colorado River Board of California Bureau of Indian Affairs Bard Water District Western Area Power Administration Imperial Irrigation District Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Palo Verde Irrigation District Arizona Participant Group San Diego County Water Authority Southern California Edison Company Arizona Department of Water Resources Southern California Public Power Authority Arizona Electric Power Cooperative, Inc. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern Arizona Game and Fish Department California Arizona Power Authority Central Arizona Water Conservation District Cibola Valley Irrigation and Drainage District Nevada Participant Group City of Bullhead City City of Lake Havasu City Colorado River Commission of Nevada City of Mesa Nevada Department of Wildlife City of Somerton Southern Nevada Water Authority City of Yuma Colorado River Commission Power Users Electrical District No. 3, Pinal County, Arizona Basic Water Company Golden Shores Water Conservation District Mohave County Water Authority Mohave Valley Irrigation and Drainage District Native American Participant Group Mohave Water Conservation District North Gila Valley Irrigation and Drainage District Hualapai Tribe Town of Fredonia Colorado River Indian Tribes Town of Thatcher Chemehuevi Indian Tribe Town of Wickenburg Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District Unit “B” Irrigation and Drainage District Conservation Participant Group Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District Yuma County Water Users’ Association Ducks Unlimited Yuma Irrigation District Lower Colorado River RC&D Area, Inc. Yuma Mesa Irrigation and Drainage District The Nature Conservancy Other Interested Parties Participant Group QuadState Local Governments Authority Desert Wildlife Unlimited Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program Northern Mexican Gartersnake (Thamnophis eques megalops) (NMGS) Basic Conceptual Ecological Model for the Lower Colorado River Prepared by: Elizabeth A. Johnson and Robert Unnasch, Ph.D. Sound Science, LLC Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program Bureau of Reclamation Lower Colorado Basin Boulder City, Nevada http://www.lcrmscp.gov April 2021 Johnson, E.A. and R. Unnasch. 2021. Northern Mexican Gartersnake (Thamnophis eques megalops) (NMGS) Basic Conceptual Ecological Model for the Lower Colorado River. Submitted to the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program, Boulder City, Nevada, by Sound Science, LLC, Boise, Idaho, under contract No. R16PC00028. ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS AZGFD Arizona Game and Fish Department CEM conceptual ecological model cm centimeter(s) ft foot/feet Havasu NWR Havasu National Wildlife Refuge in inch(es) LCR lower Colorado River LCR MSCP Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program LLFR lowland leopard frog (Rana = Lithobates yavapaiensis) m meter(s) mm millimeter(s) NAU Northern Arizona University NH3 ammonia NMGS northern Mexican gartersnake pH potential of hydrogen – scale used to specify the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution Reclamation Bureau of Reclamation San Bernardino NWR San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge SFD snake fungal disease (Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola) USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Symbols ≈ approximately > greater than ≥ greater than or equal to < less than % percent (aka parts per hundred) ± plus or minus °C temperature in degrees Celsius °F temperature in degrees Fahrenheit Definitions For the purposes of this document, vegetation layers are defined as follows: Canopy – The canopy is the uppermost strata within a plant community. The canopy is exposed to the sun and captures the majority of its radiant energy. Understory – The understory comprises plant life growing beneath the canopy without penetrating it to any extent. The understory exists in the shade of the canopy and usually has lower light and higher humidity levels. The understory includes subcanopy trees and the shrub and herbaceous layers. Shrub layer – The shrub layer is comprised of woody plants between 0.5 and 2.0 meters in height. Herbaceous layer – The herbaceous layer is most commonly defined as the forest stratum composed of all vascular species that are 0.5 meter or less in height. CONTENTS Page Foreword ................................................................................................................ v Executive Summary ........................................................................................ ES-1 Conceptual Ecological Models ......................................................................... ES-1 Conceptual Ecological Model Structure ........................................................... ES-3 Results ............................................................................................................. ES-5 Chapter 1 – Introduction .................................................................................. 1-1 Northern Mexican Gartersnake Reproductive Ecology ....................................... 1-2 Conceptual Ecological Model Purposes .............................................................. 1-3 Conceptual Ecological Model Structure .............................................................. 1-4 Chapter 2 – NMGS Life-Stage Model .............................................................. 2-1 Introduction to the NMGS Life Cycle ................................................................. 2-2 NMGS Life Stage 1 – Neonates/Juveniles ........................................................... 2-2 NMGS Life Stage 2 – Adults ............................................................................... 2-2 Chapter 3 – Critical Biological Activities and Processes ................................ 3-1 Basking ................................................................................................................ 3-2 Brumation ............................................................................................................ 3-3 Chemical Stress .................................................................................................... 3-4 Competition.......................................................................................................... 3-5 Disease ................................................................................................................ 3-6 Dispersal .............................................................................................................. 3-6 Ecdysis ................................................................................................................ 3-7 Foraging ............................................................................................................... 3-8 Predation .............................................................................................................. 3-9 Chapter 4 – Habitat Elements .......................................................................... 4-1 Anthropogenic Disturbance ................................................................................. 4-3 Competitors .......................................................................................................... 4-4 Environmental Contaminants............................................................................... 4-4 Food Availability ................................................................................................. 4-6 Genetic Diversity ................................................................................................. 4-7 Hydrologic Regime .............................................................................................. 4-8 Infectious Agents ................................................................................................. 4-8 Predators .............................................................................................................. 4-9 Substrate ............................................................................................................. 4-10 Surface Water Connectivity ............................................................................... 4-11 Temperature ....................................................................................................... 4-12 Turbidity ............................................................................................................ 4-13 Vegetation Structure .......................................................................................... 4-13 i Page Chapter 5 – Controlling Factors ....................................................................... 5-1 Fire Management ................................................................................................. 5-3 Fisheries Introduction & Fisheries Management ................................................. 5-4 Grazing ................................................................................................................ 5-5 Nuisance Species Introduction & Management
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