Jolyonwalkley Thesis Final 12
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SEASONAL ECOLOGY OF FISH AND MACROINVERTEBRATES INHABITING FOURMILE CREEK, UPPER KLAMATH LAKE, OREGON by Jolyon E. Walkley A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of Humboldt State University In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Masters of Science In Natural Resources: Fisheries December, 2010 ii ABSTRACT SEASONAL ECOLOGY OF FISH AND MACROINVERTEBRATES INHABITING FOURMILE CREEK, UPPER KLAMATH LAKE, OREGON Jolyon E. Walkley I investigated the species assemblage and abundances of fish and macroinvertebrates inhabiting the lower three km of Fourmile Creek, an altered and largely unstudied intermittent tributary to Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. Seasonal reproductive state, body condition and diet of the four most abundant fish (speckled dace, Rhinichthys osculus , fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas , slender sculpin, Cottus tenuis , and yellow perch, Perca flavescens ) were also examined. Nine native and seven non-native fish species from eight families were captured March – October, 2005 and 2006. Native species, including speckled dace and slender sculpin, tended to dominate the fish catch from March – August; non-native species, including fathead minnow and yellow perch, increased in abundance during fall. Both abundance and species richness were greatest at sites situated within the lower one km of Fourmile Creek where surface flow persisted longer and water quality (temperature, dissolved oxygen and pH) tended to be more stable than at more ephemeral upper creek sites. Gonadosomatic indices and the presence of larvae and juveniles show Fourmile Creek to be an important breeding habitat for speckled dace, slender sculpin and other native fish. Speckled dace and yellow perch spawn in spring, fathead minnow spawn in summer, and slender sculpin spawn during late summer/fall. Condition factors of sexually mature fish tended to decrease both during their reproductive season, and as surface waters disappeared. iii Especially poor body condition in slender sculpin likely resulted from the temporal overlap of reproduction with stream drying, followed by growth-limiting winter habitat conditions. Benthic insects and crustaceans were the most important foods for speckled dace and slender sculpin; detritus and crustaceans were the most important foods for fathead minnow; insects, crustaceans and fish were the most important foods for yellow perch. Dietary overlap between speckled dace and fathead minnow was not significant across seasons, even as the creek dried, suggesting minimal dietary competition between these two abundant cyprinid species. Crustaceans, insects and annelids were the dominant macroinvertebrates inhabiting Fourmile Creek. Cladocerans and copepods, the dominant crustacean taxa, peaked in abundance during spring/early summer and during the fall. Dipterans (principally chironimid larvae) dominated the insect community during most months, while hemipteran and coleopteran taxa increased in abundance as the creek dried. Other insects, including simuliid larvae, were only abundant until early summer, when water flow decreased. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis is dedicated to my family, whose generosity and support made it possible. To my wife, Shannon and our two sons, Alden and Dylan, I thank you for your unwavering love, support and patience over the last six years. I also must thank my parents, Barrie and Annabelle, and my sister, Brett, for a lifetime of support and encouragement. Thanks for taking me fishing Dad! Special thanks also go to my advisor, Tim Mulligan, and my committee members, Helen Mulligan and Terry Roelofs. Both Tim and Helen provided valuable guidance and encouragement across all stages of this long, and at times daunting, project. Their assistance during field data collection (especially during Alden’s birth), in sorting through massive amounts of data and their feedback on my many drafts was invaluable. Terry Roelofs also provided valuable guidance during the course of the study and feedback on this manuscript. I also want to thank Mark Lomeli for his assistance in the laboratory, and Rebecca Quinones and Susan Tharratt for their assistance in the field. A special thank you also goes to the staff at both the Humboldt State University Marine Lab and the HSU Children’s Center. This project was generously funded through a grant from the USFS Hatfield Restoration Program and the Marin Rod and Gun Club. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................v TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ vii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... xiv LIST OF APPENDICIES .............................................................................................. xxiv INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 STUDY SITE .......................................................................................................................6 MATERIALS AND METHODS .......................................................................................15 Field Collection ............................................................................................................. 15 Sample Processing and Analysis .................................................................................. 18 RESULTS ..........................................................................................................................26 Water Quality ................................................................................................................ 26 Potential Macroinvertebrate Prey ................................................................................. 39 Fish Abundance, Condition, Reproduction and Diet .................................................... 80 DISCUSSION ..................................................................................................................161 LITERATURE CITED ....................................................................................................189 PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS ...............................................................................194 APPENDICIES ................................................................................................................195 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Coordinates for the Fourmile and Westside transect boundaries and sampling sites within the lower 2.4 kilometers of Fourmile Creek, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon. Fish and invertebrates were collected March – October 2005 and March – October 2006. Coordinates are projected in World Geodetic System (WGS 84). ..................................................................................................................... 8 2. Mean morning, afternoon and overall mean water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH and specific conductivity values recorded at the lower and upper sites of the Fourmile transect, Fourmile Creek, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, March – October 2005 and March – October 2006. Channel values represent readings taken 0.3m above the bottom in the middle of the channel. Margin values represent readings taken 0.3m below the water surface, immediately adjacent to the trap net mouth. .................................................................................... 27 3. Mean morning, afternoon and overall mean water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH and specific conductivity values recorded at the lower, upper, and pasture sites of the Westside transect, Fourmile Creek, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, April – August 2005 and March – July 2006. Channel values represent readings taken 0.3m above the bottom in the middle of the channel. Margin values represent readings taken 0.3m below the water surface, immediately adjacent to the trap net mouth. The pasture site was only sampled in May 2006. ............................................................................................................... 28 4. Invertebrate taxa collected in light traps, plankton tows and benthic cores at the Fourmile and Westside transects in lower Fourmile Creek, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, March – October 2005 and March – October 2006. ........................... 40 5. Number of organisms and frequency of occurrence (number of samples) of major invertebrate taxa caught in light traps at two sampling transects, Fourmile (FM), and Westside (WS), Fourmile Creek, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, March – October 2005 and March – September 2006. The % of total = % of total number of invertebrates collected in light traps. The % of samples = % of total number of light trap samples in which the taxon was collected. ............ 44 vii Table Page 6. Number of organisms and frequency of occurrence (number of samples) of major invertebrate taxa caught in plankton tows at two sampling transects, Fourmile (FM), and Westside (WS), Fourmile Creek, Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, March – October 2005 and March – September 2006. The % of total = % of total number of invertebrates collected in plankton tows. The % of samples = % of total number of plankton tows in which the taxon was