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Farm Dams As Refuges for Freshwater Plants and Animals in a Drying Climate

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Farm Dams As Refuges for Freshwater Plants and Animals in a Drying Climate Farm dams as refuges for freshwater plants and animals in a drying climate A research collaboration between EMRC, Perth NRM & Murdoch University Presentation by Professor Belinda Robson and Dr Ed Chester Contributions from Dr Scott Strachan, Ms Nichole Carey Farm dams as refuges – perennial water in a landscape that dries Research questions: 1. Can farm dams act as a refuge from drying for freshwater species? • Do native species live in farm dams? • Which native species live in farm dams? • What proportion of the total number of species present in the landscape can/do use farm dams? Research question 2: does whether a farm dam is isolated or connected to other waterbodies affect what species live there? Connected Connected along streamline Species that can cross land or fly to locate refuges not connected by surface water Species that use aquatic movement and rely on refuge pools Aims: 1. Determine which native species of freshwater plants, invertebrates, tadpoles, frogs & waterbirds use farm dams in comparison with natural waterbodies 2. Identify the characteristics of farm dams that support high freshwater biodiversity We sampled 107 sites in total in spring 2018: • 51 non FD sites (streams, springs, fire dams, lakes) • 56 farm dams • For tadpoles, invertebrates, plants • Citizen scientists recorded waterbirds, frog calls Fire Dam in spring We sampled 68 sites in total in autumn 2019: • 12 non farm dam (control) sites - most were dry) • 56 farm dams • For tadpoles, invertebrates, plants • Citizen scientists recorded waterbirds, frog calls Fire Dam in autumn Sampling dams and other water bodies Farm dams: on-channels or isolated, some have seeps or springs. “Control” sites: mostly streams, including some that dry to pools. Also fire dams. Record habitat/environmental characteristics. Take water quality samples Record frogs and birds Capture sample of invertebrate community to get a list of species present Darling Scarp stream Fire Dam Dredge net to capture invertebrates Collecting invertebrates and recording data on the bank Invertebrates were picked out of trays on the bank Cladocera (crustaceans about 2mm long) and other invertebrates We captured tadpoles and identified them, then put them back. Spring ‘18 Autumn‘19 Autumn‘19 Farm dams: spring ‘18 Green= Isolated Blue = on-streams Farm dams: autumn ‘19 Pools on Canning spring ‘18 Diamonds = control sites, R. tributaries mostly on streams Wungong R. streams autumn ’18: farm dams and remaining control sites Dams vary tremendously in their appearance…… Results show we can’t predict the invertebrate community based on how things look from the bank. Under the water is much more important, particularly the presence of plants – good habitat. Similarities in water quality spring ‘18 This plot shows variation in water quality among sites, all variables considered together – there’s not a lot, so most sites form a tight cluster, together with the control sites. 6 Control site Farm Dam 4 colour chl-a 2 Nitrite Ammonia Phosphate salinity Transform: Log(X+1) 0 Normalise D1 Euclidean distance -2 PCO1 (27%% of total variation) total of (27%% PCO1 -4 -6 -5 0 5 PCO1 (43.3% of total variation) All pretty good water quality – no indications of potential eutrophication. Only real differences are in salinity and colour (tannin), which vary with location. Ammonia levels were generally relatively high at this time, but that is normal, and results from the breakdown of leaves etc., as in natural sites as well. Change in water quality between spring ‘18 and autumn ’19 (numbers on each point are my ID code and are not individually meaningful) algae cells in small, 8 nearly empty dam Control site 37 Farm Dam 6 Δ Chlorophyll Δ Phosphate 4 Δ Nitrite 17 46 Transform: Log(X+1) 2 5 Normalise 63 D1 Euclidean distance 2 76 74 30 0 65 92 754211 95 24 -2 sampled after nutrients PCO2 (36.1% of total variation) total of (36.1% PCO2 Δ Ammonia taken up by plants -4 -4 -2 0 2 4 6 8 PCO1 (42.6% of total variation) Consistent changes across most sites due to evaporation and take up of dissolved nitrogen. Invertebrates living in the water bodies • 257 taxa (species) of invertebrate found across farm dams and control sites • most in one dam: 44 taxa • most dams had a dense (underwater) bed of native plants: Chara spp., Potamogeton ochreatus = habitat Each point on this plot represents the invertebrate community in each FARM DAM – points for both spring and autumn for each dam. As for the previous plots, points closer together are more similar; in this case have more species in common. 2D Stress: 0.2 11 3 19 Presence/absence 63 9 37 61 3 S11 Russel & Rao similarity 4495 77 67 91 4190 7828 96 Spring‘18 95 894136 7 24 8 2876 725 Autumn‘19 92 44 89 26 93 59 60 72653727637536 76 45 45 90251659759126 77 12 46 53016559665585792 71 78 6424557260 93 21 68 686 67 73 6 66 3017 1219 73 10 20 20 64 222117118 42 5 46 61 42 18 71 66 22 9 The invertebrate species in each dam changes between sampling times (PERMANOVA P=0.001). And generally fewer species in each dam in autumn. BUT… the species in the landscape (across all sites) remain pretty much the same, regardless of season. Isolated dams Comparing Farm Dam/Control Dams on springs or seeps Dams on streams sites: spring‘18 Streams Presence/absence S11 Russel & Rao 80 2D Stress: 0.23 77 3 96 73 95 28 61 7 101 70 76 41 98 66 9367 45 8991 44 102 60 40 29 78 6836 2690752783 62 33 37255963 74 72659216575 14 8 46 64 58 99 82 100 32 39553048 84 81 242 6 51 8756 1 106 201219 11 54 9 22 17 9434 86 10 21 103 97 38 85 15 104 47 31 71 42 88 18 50 105 23 4 79 43 49 13 Streams are different to dams (ANOSIM P<0.03)…but not because specialized species live in them. Rather, more “dam” species reside in dams. Isolated (off-channel) dams are more similar to each other. The previous plot compares all sites’ (including control streams and pools) invertebrate communities; sites closer together have more species in common, sites far apart on the plot may have no species in common at all. The “Stress” value in the previous plot is a measure of how well the algorithm that produces that plot can represent them as a map – 0.23 is too high. This is because most sites have relatively few (or no!) species in common, making it difficult to relate them. This indicates a not unexpected pattern for the distribution of species. It suggests a…. METACOMMUNITY Our interpretation is that only a small subset of the 257 (or more) species occur in each water body at any time; so that all of the water bodies are needed to support a full invertebrate community. This could happen because movement around the landscape is challenging, or because of other kinds of pressures that mean that particular species could disappear from any particular place. Gambusia (mosquitofish) in Farm Dams are a definite pressure on invertebrates Spring ’18: on average, Gambusia present make a significant difference to the occurrence of invertebrate species (ANOSIM P=0.005). Autumn ’19: significant impact (ANOSIM P=0.001), no difference between off-channel dams and those that had been connected to streams. Gambusia = fewer predator species, like beetles and dragonflies, (and probably fewer tadpoles). Plants beds should shelter invertebrates. But not always the case! Invertebrate species in common with reference sets: Wungong River tributaries and Lake Leschenaultia. Arrows indicate more species shared with reference sets. farm dams and other sites – all Off-channel dam together 257 taxa Spring-fed dam 8 On-channel dam stream 61 in common) in 61 – 6 Based on S11 similarity scale 4 2 streams (187 taxa (187 streams 0 Wungong 0 2 4 6 8 Lake Leschenaultia (37 taxa – 36 in common) Many of the 126 taxa found in the Wungong but not in the study area are “flow obligates”. Possibly also salt intolerant. These species may have already been lost from the study region. 257 invertebrate species detected, BUT maximum 44 per dam, per sampling time. So, small subset in each dam at any time, but together add up to a METACOMMUNITY. Do the same species occur in the same places; OR will each dam/stream have a different set of species each time we sample? Have the more “freshwater” species that occur in the Wungong disappeared from rural water bodies? How are waterbirds using farm dams? (photos by Prof Jenny Davis, JJ Harrrington, CR Macey, Valorix) Herbivorous waterfowl Pacific Black Duck Black swan (Cygnus atratus) – needs a (Anas superciliosa) longer “runway” than most farm dams Wood Duck provide Chenonetta jubata Photo: Jenny Davis Freckled duck (Stictonetta naevosa) SUBMERGED AQUATIC PLANTS – food for herbivorous waterfowl Sacred ibis Threskiornis molucca Spoonbills (Platalea flavipes) feed on fish and invertebrates Wading Eastern great egret Predators Ardea alba modesta Straw-necked ibis Threskiornis spinicollis White-faced heron Egretta novaehollandiae – MOST COMMON Research questions: 1. Can farm dams act as a refuge from drying for freshwater species? Answer: yes, for herbivorous waterfowl, and wading predatory waterbirds, farm dams are providing a refuge from drying. • Most dams contained submerged plants. • Ducks bring ducklings to FD to eat these plants and grow to fledging age. • Many natural sites may not hold water for long enough for ducklings to reach fledging age. • Predatory waders eat yabbies, shrimp, fish, tadpoles. • In autumn, most natural sites are dry = no food. • FD provide food in shallow water that is rare elsewhere in autumn.
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