As Assessment of Stream Fish Vulnerability and an Evaluation Of
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AN ASSESSMENT OF STREAM FISH VULNERABILITY AND AN EVALUATION OF CONSERVATION NETWORKS IN MISSOURI ___________________________________________________________ A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School at the University of Missouri ___________________________________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science ___________________________________________________________ by NICHOLAS A. SIEVERT DR. CRAIG P. PAUKERT, THESIS SUPERVISOR DECEMBER 2014 The undersigned, appointed by the dean of the Graduate School, have examined the thesis entitled: AN ASSESSMENT OF STREAM FISH VULNERABILITY AND AN EVALUATION OF CONSERVATION NETWORKS IN MISSOURI Presented by Nicholas A. Sievert A candidate for the degree of Master of Science And hereby certify that, in their opinion, it is worthy of acceptance. ______________________________________ Dr. Craig Paukert ______________________________________ Dr. Joanna Whittier ______________________________________ Dr. Timothy Matisziw ______________________________________ Dr. Michelle Staudinger ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would first like to thank the United States Geological Service National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center for funding this project. I would also like to thank the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) for providing the fish community data which served as the foundation upon which this project was completed. Specifically, I would like to thank Matt Combes and Dr. Doug Novinger, who not only provided me with tremendous sources of data for Missouri’s stream fish communities, but also shared with me their expertise and knowledge by reviewing my work and offering invaluable insights. Dorothy Butler of MDC also generously provided fish records from the Missouri Natural Heritage Database. I would also like to thank Gust Annis and the Missouri Resource Assessment Partnership for providing me with GIS data without which this project would not have been possible. Dennis Figg of MDC also provided me with both insight and data related to Missouri’s conservation networks. Bob Hrabik and Amy Davis, both of MDC, provided valuable feedback and insight throughout the development of this thesis. I would also like to thank those who attended the Missouri Conservation Network Evaluation Meeting we organized at the MDC Central Regional Office in April of 2014. We were honored to have 29 participants from a variety of groups including MDC, US Fish and Wildlife Service, US National Parks Service, and the Nature Conservancy attend and provide valuable feedback. I would also like to thank Dr. Yin-Phan Tsang and Dr. Dana Infante from Michigan State University for providing information on species responses to climate change as well as feedback on my work. ii There have been many people throughout this process who have contributed greatly to both my personal and professional growth, while giving me great memories and lots of laughs. I’d like to thank my fellow graduate students and post docs in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, specifically Landon Pierce, Jason Harris, Jeff Fore, Pablo Oliero, Dr. Jacob Westhoff, Emily Pherigo, and Andy Dinges, for their mentorship, thoughtfulness, friendship, and for keeping me sane during long hours in the basement. I would like to thank my parents Randy and Sandy Sievert for always encouraging me to learn and to follow my passions, and my fiancé Veronica Conaway for her support, encouragement, and patience throughout this process. I would also like to thank Dr. Tim Matisziw and Dr. Michelle Staudinger for providing me with unique perspectives and helpful feedback throughout the development of my thesis. Dr. Jodi Whittier was instrumental to this project. She was always available to share her knowledge and experience with me, without which I would have a lot less hair on top of my head and this project would not have been as successful. Most of all I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Craig Paukert, for doing everything he could to give me an opportunity to be successful. Craig’s guidance helped me grow as a thinker, professional, researcher, writer, and person. I could not have asked for a more supportive, accessible, and good-natured advisor. I owe so much gratitude to so many people; this thesis is truly a product of the efforts and encouragement of all who have supported me. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ......................................................................................................ii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ vi LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... vii LIST OF APPENDICES .................................................................................................. viii ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................ ix DESCRIPTION OF CHAPTERS ................................................................................................ x GENERAL INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................... 5 CHAPTER 1........................................................................................................................... 7 ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ 7 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 9 MATERIALS AND METHODS .......................................................................................... 17 STUDY AREA ............................................................................................................... 17 FISH DATA .................................................................................................................. 18 SCORING SYSTEM AND VULNERABILITY CLASSIFICATIONS ....................................... 18 INDEX COMPARISONS ............................................................................................... 23 RESULTS ......................................................................................................................... 24 INDEX DEVELOPMENT ............................................................................................... 24 INDEX COMPARISONS ............................................................................................... 25 DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................... 27 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................. 37 TABLES ........................................................................................................................... 44 iv FIGURES ......................................................................................................................... 48 CHAPTER 2......................................................................................................................... 54 ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... 54 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 56 MATERIALS AND METHODS .......................................................................................... 59 STUDY AREA ............................................................................................................... 59 DATA .......................................................................................................................... 60 SPECIES DISTRIBUTION MODELS ............................................................................... 61 SPECIES REPRESENTATION ........................................................................................ 62 CONSERVATION VALUE ............................................................................................. 63 RESULTS ......................................................................................................................... 69 DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................... 74 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................. 83 TABLES ........................................................................................................................... 88 FIGURES ......................................................................................................................... 91 CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................... 96 APPENDICES .................................................................................................................... 100 v LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS LIST OF TABLES Chapter 1 Table 1: Vulnerability assessment components. .............................................................