Movement and Flow-Ecology Relationships of Great Plains Pelagophil Fishes

MOVEMENT AND FLOW-ECOLOGY RELATIONSHIPS OF GREAT PLAINS PELAGOPHIL FISHES By DESIREE MOORE Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Ecology and Management Oklahoma State University Stillwater, Oklahoma 2017 Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate College of the Oklahoma State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE July, 2020 MOVEMENT AND FLOW-ECOLOGY RELATIONSHIPS OF GREAT PLAINS PELAGOPHIL FISHES Thesis Approved: Dr. Shannon Brewer Thesis Adviser Dr. Anthony Echelle Dr. Joshuah Perkin ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the U.S. Geological Survey Science Support Partnership and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Initiatives for funding my project. I would not have been able to do this work without their funding. I appreciate all of the people in my life that supported and guided me throughout the process of graduate school. I could not have become the scientist I am today without these amazing people. My advisor, Dr. Shannon Brewer, encouraged my love of science and learning and taught me how to think like a scientist. I am so grateful for all of the time and frustrations she spent on me throughout these years. There were many times I thought for sure I would not make it through, but Shannon was always patient and helpful. Shannon showed me that I am a capable scientist and will always be one of my greatest role models. Many other members of the Brewer lab were invaluable to me on my journey through graduate school. Dr. Robert Mollenhauer taught me much about statistics, but also helped teach me how to teach myself. I will always be grateful for all of my fellow students that encouraged me when I felt like everything was impossible and reminded me to have fun when stress was high. I never could have finished my fieldwork without the help from all of the technicians that worked on my project or the landowners that allowed me to sample on their properties. I am happy to say that many of these people will be lifelong friends to me. Several others have been helpful during my project. I thank my committee members, Dr. Joshuah Perkin and Dr. Anthony Echelle, for their time spent and helpful input on my project. The amazing members of the Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit were extremely helpful and encouraging to me from the beginning. Thank you, ladies! There are so many professors, students, and other people that have been there, I simply cannot name them all. Please know that if you were there for me, I appreciate you. I would like to thank my family and friends that have been there for me, even when I have been too busy to always be there for them. My husband, Nathan Moore, was my rock and my peace. He listened to me cry, rubbed my sore feet, and did most of the housework on top of his work so I could focus on my project. I never dreamed I could have a better partner for this journey. My mother, Monique Campbell, listened to every complaint I had and supported me without hesitation. She learned all about fisheries ecology so she could understand my project. Brittney French, my best friend, did everything she could do to support me. She listened to me practice talks over and over, peeled me away from my computer to make me eat lunch, told me how amazing I am until I believed it, and drank wine with me whenever I needed. I had the best support system and never could have achieved my goals without them. iii Acknowledgements reflect the views of the author and are not endorsed by committee members or Oklahoma State University. Name: DESIREE MOORE Date of Degree: JULY, 2020 Title of Study: MOVEMENT AND FLOW-ECOLOGY RELATIONSHIPS OF GREAT PLAINS PELAGOPHIL FISHES Major Field: NATURAL RESOURCE ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT Abstract: Alterations to freshwater systems are a leading cause of reduction in diversity and abundance of freshwater fishes. Pelagophils have been negatively affected by anthropogenic decreases in the frequency and magnitude of high-flow events and changes in baseflow conditions, but prescriptive flows based on pelagophil ecology are not available. Therefore, the goal of my thesis was to determine the flow components important for pelagophil persistence in the southern Great Plains. My first objective addressed how flow regime shapes pelagophil distributions over long periods of time by relating Arkansas River Shiner Notropis girardi and Plains Minnow Hybognathus placitus occupancy to flow regime components over cool and warm climatic periods. I found that pelagophils benefit from consistency in the number of high flow events and unpredictability in seasonal timing of high flow events. The relationships of Plains Minnow occupancy and predictability of seasonal flooding was dependent of the climatic regime, and may show that Plains Minnow is better able to adjust to warmer climate conditions. Disturbance and river fragmentation were negatively related to the occupancy of Arkansas River Shiner and Plains Minnow, respectively. To examine drivers of finer spatio-temporal dynamics and reveal the underlying factors affecting distributions, my second objective quantified movement of Arkansas River Shiner and Emerald Shiner Notropis atherinoides in the non-breeding season. Arkansas River Shiner and Emerald Shiner had a downstream movement bias in the winter and early spring. Long-distance upstream movements appear to be initiated in the spring by both species. I found evidence that a proportion of the Arkansas River Shiner population were residents by recapturing individuals in their tagging site after up to a year. If the goal is to conserve these species, water management strategies maintaining average annual (1983-2017) high-flow frequencies while promoting high-flow unpredictability may benefit these species. Land-use mitigation such as construction or recovery of wetland and riparian buffers may beneficial. Additionally, water management strategies improving river connectivity in late winter through the spawning season may benefit migratory individuals. However, improving lateral river connectivity in reaches with resident individuals (near river km 250) may increase recruitment from that proportion of the population. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................1 II. FLOW AND LANDSCAPE METRIC RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE OCCUPANCY OF TWO PELAGOPHIL FISHES ACROSS COOL AND WARM CLIMATIC PERIODS.............................................................................................6 Abstract ....................................................................................................................6 Introduction ..............................................................................................................7 Methods..................................................................................................................11 Results ....................................................................................................................19 Discussion ..............................................................................................................22 Tables .....................................................................................................................30 Figures....................................................................................................................38 III. WINTER MOVEMENT OF TWO PELAGOPHIL FISHES WITH NOTES ON SPRING MIGRATION .........................................................................................43 Abstract ..................................................................................................................43 Introduction ............................................................................................................44 Methods..................................................................................................................48 Results ....................................................................................................................57 Discussion ..............................................................................................................60 Tables .....................................................................................................................66 Figures....................................................................................................................76 v Chapter Page REFERENCES ............................................................................................................86 REFERENCES FOR CHAPTER I ........................................................................86 REFERENCES FOR CHAPTER II .......................................................................98 REFERENCES FOR CHAPTER III ...................................................................123 APPENDICES ...........................................................................................................141 APPENDIX A ......................................................................................................142 APPENDIX B ......................................................................................................202 APPENDIX C ......................................................................................................209 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 2.1: Fish assemblage data sources with descriptions ................................................30 2.2: Land-use categories and their coefficients for

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