Road Impacts on the Baca National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado, with Emphasis on Effects to Surface- and Shallow Ground-Water Hydrology—A Literature Review

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Road Impacts on the Baca National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado, with Emphasis on Effects to Surface- and Shallow Ground-Water Hydrology—A Literature Review Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Road Impacts on the Baca National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado, with Emphasis on Effects to Surface- and Shallow Ground-Water Hydrology—A Literature Review By Douglas C. Andersen Open-File Report 2007-1052 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior DIRK KEMPTHORNE, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Mark D. Myers, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2007 For product and ordering information: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted material contained within this report. Suggested citation: Andersen, D.C., 2007, Road impacts on the Baca National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado, with an emphasis on effects to surface- and shallow ground-water hydrology—a literature review. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1052, 26 p. This report is available on the Web at: http://www.fort.usgs.gov/Products/Publications/pub_abstract.asp?PubID=21882 Cover: Examples of unimproved (left) and improved (right) roads on the Baca National Wildlife Refuge. All images in the document are of roads on the Baca National Wildlife Refuge taken by the author in January or June 2006 unless noted otherwise. ii Contents Abstract................................................................................................................................................................................1 Introduction.........................................................................................................................................................................1 Past Reviews and Annotated Bibliographies................................................................................................................ 4 Literature Review ............................................................................................................................................................... 5 1. In what ways can roads affect an ecosystem’s structure and functioning? .................................................. 5 Road Effects That May Be Unrelated to Hydrology ....................................................................................... 5 Road Effects on Natural Hydrologic Patterns and Processes ..................................................................... 6 2. Are there particular problems or concerns associated with unpaved roads?...............................................8 3. Are there special concerns associated with unpaved roads in semiarid and arid landscapes? ............. 10 4. In what ways can roads affect hydrology on the Baca National Wildlife Refuge? ..................................... 11 5. Are effects on hydrology localized near roads or can they be widely distributed in the landscape?...........................................................................................................................................................15 6. Can rare hydrologic events (intense storms, droughts, and so forth) lead to new or magnified road effects?........................................................................................................................................................ 16 7. How can road effects on natural hydrology be minimized? ............................................................................. 17 8. What are the costs and benefits of road removal?............................................................................................ 18 Conclusions.......................................................................................................................................................................19 References Cited.............................................................................................................................................................. 20 Glossary ............................................................................................................................................................................. 24 Tables 1. Bibliographies and reviews concerning ecological effects of roads that have been published on the World Wide Web. .......................................................................................................................................... 4 2. Characteristics of three types of unpaved roads.....................................................................................................9 Figures 1. Map showing the approved acquisition boundary of the Baca National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado, and the location of the Lexam Road and various other roads ................................................... 2 2. A depression, possibly a borrow-area for road fill, adjacent to an elevated (through-fill) road on the Baca National Wildlife Refuge .................................................................................................................... 6 3. A through-fill section of the Lexam Road on the Baca National Wildlife Refuge ........................................... 10 4. Conceptual model of linkages between road attributes and surface water hydrology evaluated at the outlet of a road-drainage structure ..................................................................................................... 13 5. Lexam Road near Willow Creek with wet meadow irrigation water ponded on the upslope (east) side............................................................................................................................................................. 14 iii 6. A dry watercourse crossing on a through-fill section of the Lexam Road in Baca National Wildlife Refuge.................................................................................................................................................... 16 iv Conversion Factors SI to Inch/Pound Multiply By To obtain Length centimeter (cm) 0.3937 inch (in.) millimeter (mm) 0.03937 inch (in.) meter (m) 3.281 foot (ft) kilometer (km) 0.6214 mile (mi) Area square meter (m2) 0.0002471 acre hectare (ha) 2.471 acre square kilometer (km2) 247.1 acre hectare (ha) 0.003861 square mile (mi2) square kilometer (km2) 0.3861 square mile (mi2) Horizontal coordinate information is referenced to the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83). v Road Impacts on the Baca National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado, with Emphasis on Effects to Surface- and Shallow Ground-Water Hydrology—A Literature Review By Douglas C. Andersen1 Abstract A review of published research on unpaved road effects on surface-water and shallow ground-water hydrology was undertaken to assist the Baca National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado, in understanding factors potentially influencing refuge ecology. Few studies were found that addressed hydrological effects of roads on a comparable area of shallow slope in a semiarid region. No study dealt with road effects on surface- and ground-water supplies to ephemeral wetlands, which on the refuge are sustained by seasonal snowmelt in neighboring mountains. Road surfaces increase runoff, reduce infiltration, and serve as a sediment source. Roadbeds can interfere with normal surface- and ground-water flows and thereby influence the quantity, timing, and duration of water movement both across landscapes and through the soil. Hydrologic effects can be localized near the road as well as widespread and distant. The number, arrangement, and effectiveness of road-drainage structures (culverts and other devices) largely determine the level of hydrologic alteration produced by a road. Undesirable changes to natural hydrologic patterns can be minimized by considering potential impacts during road design, construction, and maintenance. Road removal as a means to restore desirable hydrologic conditions to landscapes adversely affected by roads has yet to be rigorously evaluated. Introduction The 37,400 ha Baca National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in southern Colorado contains 14,200 ha of wetland, wet-meadow, and riparian habitat sustained primarily by surface flows in seven creeks draining the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. These creeks, which run more-or-less parallel to one another, enter the refuge on its eastern border and terminate within the refuge at or above a series of ephemeral playa lakes that line the margins of Saguache and San Luis creeks on the refuge’s western border (fig. 1). The remainder of the refuge is primarily desert shrubland and grassland, supported by an average annual precipitation of about 20 cm, most of which (approximately 45 percent) falls as rain during July, August, and September (based on averages of values for Monte Vista, Saguache, Crestone 1SE, and San Luis Lakes 3W meteorological stations; data available on the Web at http://www.wrcc.dri.edu). Historic water management on what are now refuge lands included diverting flows out of creeks during spring runoff in order to flood irrigate 6,500 ha of meadows managed for wild hay production. This water management practice is being maintained by refuge staff. Thus, three hydrologic factors are major 1Research Ecologist, U.S.
Recommended publications
  • Road Ecology Studies for Mexico: a Review
    Oecologia Australis 17(1): 175-190, Março 2013 http://dx.doi.org/10.4257/oeco.2013.1701.14 ROAD ECOLOGY STUDIES FOR MEXICO: A REVIEW Alberto González Gallina1,* & Griselda Benítez Badillo1 1Instituto de Ecología, AC, Carretera Antigua a Coatepec, No. 351, El Haya, Xalapa 91070, Veracruz, México. E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] ABSTRACT The main goal of this study is to perform review of road ecology issue in Mexico. More specifically we addressed: 1) a general overview of road construction from pre-Colonial times to the present; 2) a description of the historical background context for understanding modern Mexico´s highway system; 3) a review of the main results of the road ecology studies in Mexico and 4) the Mexican policy on mitigation actions. Finally, we discuss the key points of future research and road policies. There is already some research, mainly in road mortality, which gives us a glimpse of the impact of roads on Mexican wildlife. Mexico has wide diversity of habitats and ecosystems. So, to gain knowledge on the impact of roads on wildlife so that efficient corrective and preventive actions can be planned much more study is required. Unfortunately, most of the studies carried out in Latin America, and specifically in Mexico, were done only over Environmental Impact studies for large scale infrastructure projects. There is still a long way to go in Mexico for roadways to become environmentally friendly, but little by little the issue is gaining importance and hopefully more and more academics, policy makers and people in general will become interested and get involved, so that this goal can be achieved.
    [Show full text]
  • Elsevier First Proof
    CLGY 00558 a0005 Trophic Structure E Preisser, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA ª 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Introduction Further Reading Control of Trophic Structure Energy transfer from producers to higher Factors Affecting Control of Trophic Structure trophic levels s0005 Introduction emphasizes the role(s) played by nutrient limitation and energetic inputs to producers and the subsequent effi- p0005 Trophic structure is defined as the partitioning of biomass ciency of energy transfer between trophic levels in between trophic levels (subsets of an ecological commu- determining the biomass accumulation at each trophic nity that gather energy and nutrients in similar ways, that level. The second category, top-down control, empha- is, producers, carnivores). The forces controlling biomass sizes the importance of predation in producing patterns accumulation at each trophic level have been a central of biomass accumulation that are often at odds with those concern of ecology dating from the early twentieth-cen- predicted byPROOF energy inputs alone. While recognizing the tury work of Elton and Lindeman. While interspecific differences between these two factors, it is also important interactions such as omnivory and intraguild predation to emphasize that both bottom-up and top-down factors can make it difficult to assign many organisms to a single represent extremes along a continuum of importance for trophic level, several broadly defined trophic levels are regulatory control. While ecologists debate the extent nonetheless clearly distinguishable. Primary producers, to which bottom-up versus top-down control influence autotrophic organisms (primarily plants and algae) that trophic structure in particular ecosystems, there is a broad convert light or chemical energy into biomass, make up consensus that both need to be considered when consid- the basal trophic level.
    [Show full text]
  • Toward Understanding the Ecological Impact of Transportation Corridors
    United States Department of Agriculture Toward Understanding Forest Service the Ecological Impact of Pacific Northwest Research Station Transportation Corridors General Technical Report PNW-GTR-846 Victoria J. Bennett, Winston P. Smith, and July 2011 Matthew G. Betts D E E P R A U R T LT MENT OF AGRICU The Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is dedicated to the principle of multiple use management of the Nation’s forest resources for sustained yields of wood, water, forage, wildlife, and recreation. Through forestry research, cooperation with the States and private forest owners, and management of the National Forests and National Grasslands, it strives—as directed by Congress—to provide increasingly greater service to a growing Nation. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Authors Victoria J.
    [Show full text]
  • DEEP SEA LEBANON RESULTS of the 2016 EXPEDITION EXPLORING SUBMARINE CANYONS Towards Deep-Sea Conservation in Lebanon Project
    DEEP SEA LEBANON RESULTS OF THE 2016 EXPEDITION EXPLORING SUBMARINE CANYONS Towards Deep-Sea Conservation in Lebanon Project March 2018 DEEP SEA LEBANON RESULTS OF THE 2016 EXPEDITION EXPLORING SUBMARINE CANYONS Towards Deep-Sea Conservation in Lebanon Project Citation: Aguilar, R., García, S., Perry, A.L., Alvarez, H., Blanco, J., Bitar, G. 2018. 2016 Deep-sea Lebanon Expedition: Exploring Submarine Canyons. Oceana, Madrid. 94 p. DOI: 10.31230/osf.io/34cb9 Based on an official request from Lebanon’s Ministry of Environment back in 2013, Oceana has planned and carried out an expedition to survey Lebanese deep-sea canyons and escarpments. Cover: Cerianthus membranaceus © OCEANA All photos are © OCEANA Index 06 Introduction 11 Methods 16 Results 44 Areas 12 Rov surveys 16 Habitat types 44 Tarablus/Batroun 14 Infaunal surveys 16 Coralligenous habitat 44 Jounieh 14 Oceanographic and rhodolith/maërl 45 St. George beds measurements 46 Beirut 19 Sandy bottoms 15 Data analyses 46 Sayniq 15 Collaborations 20 Sandy-muddy bottoms 20 Rocky bottoms 22 Canyon heads 22 Bathyal muds 24 Species 27 Fishes 29 Crustaceans 30 Echinoderms 31 Cnidarians 36 Sponges 38 Molluscs 40 Bryozoans 40 Brachiopods 42 Tunicates 42 Annelids 42 Foraminifera 42 Algae | Deep sea Lebanon OCEANA 47 Human 50 Discussion and 68 Annex 1 85 Annex 2 impacts conclusions 68 Table A1. List of 85 Methodology for 47 Marine litter 51 Main expedition species identified assesing relative 49 Fisheries findings 84 Table A2. List conservation interest of 49 Other observations 52 Key community of threatened types and their species identified survey areas ecological importanc 84 Figure A1.
    [Show full text]
  • As an Approach to the Cretaceous–Palaeogene Mass Extinction Event F
    Geobiology (2009), 7, 533–543 DOI: 10.1111/j.1472-4669.2009.00213.x The environmental disaster of Aznalco´llar (southern Spain) as an approach to the Cretaceous–Palaeogene mass extinction event F. J. RODRI´ GUEZ-TOVAR1 ANDF.J.MARTI´ N-PEINADO2 1Departamento de Estratigrafı´a y Paleontologı´a, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain 2Departamento de Edafologı´a, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain ABSTRACT Biotic recovery after the Cretaceous–Palaeogene (K–Pg) impact is one unsolved question concerning this mass extinction event. To evaluate the incidence of the K–Pg event on biota, and the subsequent recovery, a recent environmental disaster has been analysed. Areas affected by the contamination disaster of Azna´ lcollar (province of Sevilla, southern Spain) in April 1998 were studied and compared with the K–Pg event. Several similarities (the sudden impact, the high levels of toxic components, especially in the upper thin lamina and the incidence on biota) and differences (the time of recovery and the geographical extension) are recognized. An in-depth geochemical analysis of the soils reveals their acidity (between 1.83 and 2.11) and the high concentration ) of pollutant elements, locally higher than in the K–Pg boundary layer: values up to 7.0 mg kg 1 for Hg, ) ) ) ) 2030.7 mg kg 1 for As, 8629.0 mg kg 1 for Pb, 86.8 mg kg 1 for Tl, 1040.7 mg kg 1 for Sb and 93.3– 492.7 p.p.b. for Ir. However, less than 10 years after the phenomenon, a rapid initial recovery in biota colonizing the contaminated, ‘unfavourable’, substrate is registered.
    [Show full text]
  • Regime Shifts Between Macrophytes and Phytoplankton – Concepts Beyond Shallow Lakes, Unravelling Stabilizing Mechanisms and Practical Consequences
    Limnetica, 29 (2): x-xx (2011) Limnetica, 34 (2): 467-480 (2015). DOI: 10.23818/limn.34.35 c Asociación Ibérica de Limnología, Madrid. Spain. ISSN: 0213-8409 Regime shifts between macrophytes and phytoplankton – concepts beyond shallow lakes, unravelling stabilizing mechanisms and practical consequences Sabine Hilt∗ Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 301, 12587 Berlin, Germany. ∗ Corresponding author: [email protected] 2 Received: 04/11/2014 Accepted: 11/06/2015 ABSTRACT Regime shifts between macrophytes and phytoplankton – concepts beyond shallow lakes, unravelling stabilizing mechanisms and practical consequences Feedback mechanisms between macrophytes and water clarity resulting in the occurrence of alternative stable states have been described in a theoretical concept for shallow lakes. Here, I review recent studies applying the concept to other freshwater systems, unravelling stabilizing mechanisms and discussing consequences of regime shifts. Recent modelling studies predict that abrupt changes between clear and turbid water states can also occur in lowland rivers, both in time and in space. These findings were supported by long-term data from rivers in Spain and Germany. A deep lake model revealed that submerged macrophytes may also significantly reduce phytoplankton biomass by 50-15 % in 100-11 m deep and oligotrophic lakes. Some of the mechanisms stabilizing clear-water conditions are still far from fully understood. Available data suggest that the macrophyte community composition affects number and type of mechanisms stabilizing clear-water conditions. Allelopathic effects of macrophytes on phytoplankton are no longer doubted, however, bacterial colonization of macrophytes and phytoplankton, phytoplankton interactions, local adaptations and strain-specific sensitivities have been found to modulate these interactions.
    [Show full text]
  • The Value of Kol River Salmon Refuge's Ecosystem Services
    REPORT The Value of Kol River Salmon Refuge’s Ecosystem Services Research conducted by University of Vermont’s Department of Community Development & Applied Economics and Gund Institute for Ecological Economics Authored by: Charles Kerchner, Roelof Boumans, and William Boykin-Morris Date Report: November 23, 2008 Prepared for and funded by: Wild Salmon Center List of Tables and Figures………………………………………………………………………………...……………….iii Executive Summary….......………………………………………………………………………………..………………….iv Chapter 1: Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………1 1.1 Research Objective.……………………………………………………………………………………2 1.2 Background…………………………………………………………………..………..2 Chapter 2: Ecosystem Goods, Ecosystem Services, and Market Failure………………...…………4 2.1 Why Is This Important?…………………………………………….……………………………….5 2.2 Valuation Typology……………………………………………………………………...…………….6 Chapter 3: Methods 3.1 Step 1: Ecosystem Service Quantification in KOL RAV Model……...…...…10 3.1.1 Metadata: GIS Data Used for Land Use Land Cover...…………………....11 3.2 Ecosystem Service Valuatin in KOL RAV Model……………………………...……13 3.2.1 Benefits Transfer………………………………..………………………………………......…13 3.2.2 Benefits Transfer – Meta-analysis………………………………………...…………14 3.2.3 Site Specific Valuation for Water Surface ……………………………….…….18 3.3 Step 3 & 4: Kol Refuge Ecosystem Service Evaluation Model (KRESEM)………………………..………………...23 3.3.1 Step 3: GIS Compnonent of KRESEM…………………………………..……….24 3.3.2 Step 4: Development of SIMILE Interface and Land Cover Change Scenarios………………………………….……...25 Chapter 4: Results………………………………………………………………………………………………………...…..26
    [Show full text]
  • Roadside Ecology
    Michael Brereton NRS 534 Final White Paper Roadside Ecology There are very few species in the recent history of our planet Earth that have made such a lasting impact on the surface of the world as us. Human activity has left the landscape of our planet forever changed as we continue to expand our territory to fit our exponentially growing population. One of the signs of a rapidly growing civilization is the road. Whether paved or dirt, roads are used by humans to transport ourselves great distances at the cost of our natural surroundings. Roads are a major driver of habitat fragmentation, a term used in ecology to describe the fracturing or dividing of a natural landscape type by an impassible barrier. The creation of roads clears large areas of land and reduces forest cover, furthering an ever-growing loss of habitat for arboreal species to human growth. The constant mowing of roadsides allow invasive exotic species to colonize. Roads can reduce the range for foraging and hunting animals, and those who dare to cross risk death by vehicle. Roads can also change the physical aspect of an environment, causing greater risk to pollution and flooding. In order to continue living in harmony with the flora and fauna of our natural surroundings, we must employ new ideas and technologies to our roads. The study of road ecology will provide the answers we need to have safer roads for both ourselves and our natural world. Road ecology sits at the crossroads between many different scientific fields, including invasion ecology, hydrology, stream ecology, soil science, and many more.
    [Show full text]
  • The Influence of Economics, Politics and Environment on Road Ecology in South America Alex Bager1, Carlos E
    Chapter 50 THE INFLUENCE OF ECONOMICS, POLITICS AND ENVIRONMENT ON ROAD ECOLOGY IN SOUTH AMERICA Alex Bager1, Carlos E. Borghi2 and Helio Secco1 1Brazilian Center for Road Ecology Research, Department of Biology, Federal University of Lavras, Lavras, Brazil 2CIGEOBIO (UNSJ‐CONICET), CUIM, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, San Juan, Argentina SUMMARY Rapid economic growth in several South American countries combined with high species diversity in tropical regions has raised great concern among ecologists on the future of wildlife in those areas. One of the con- sequences and drivers of economic growth is widespread infrastructure development. The economic and social development of most countries in South America is a higher priority than biodiversity conservation, especially when compared with transport infrastructure. Over the past decade, several research groups have focussed on the impacts of roads on wildlife in South America. 50.1 The economic development of some countries in South America has strongly influenced the expan- sion of road networks. 50.2 Although there are numerous organisations involved in planning, development and administration of highways, only few of them evaluate the impacts on biodiversity. 50.3 Numerous protected areas in South America are directly and indirectly affected by roads. 50.4 Road ecology is an emerging discipline in South America, and Brazil and Argentina are leading the field. There are enormous challenges to effectively incorporate ecological considerations into the planning, design, construction and operation of roads in South America. While much of the current practise has been adapted from international experience, the time has come to invest in local experts and improve the quality of the scientific knowledge generated from within South America.
    [Show full text]
  • Variation in Environmental Conditions in a Subtidal Prey Refuge: Effects of Salinity Stress, Food Availability and Predation on Mussels in a Fjord System
    Vol. 422: 201–210, 2011 MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES Published January 31 doi: 10.3354/meps08911 Mar Ecol Prog Ser Variation in environmental conditions in a subtidal prey refuge: effects of salinity stress, food availability and predation on mussels in a fjord system Stephen R. Wing1,*, James J. Leichter2 1Department of Marine Science, 310 Castle Street, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand 2Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, USA ABSTRACT: Prey refuges are fundamental structural features in communities. We investigated vari- ability in environmental conditions within a subtidal prey refuge for the blue mussel Mytilus edulis galloprovincialis formed by the persistent low-salinity layer (LSL) in Doubtful Sound, New Zealand. Multi-year observations and fine-scale oceanographic surveys along the axis of Doubtful Sound show strong spatial gradients in salinity, temperature, chlorophyll a (chl a) and nitrate concentrations. Mean surface salinity ranged from ~5 in the inner fjord zone to 15 in the mid-fjord, and 25 to 30 in the entrance zone. A marked subsurface maximum in chl a was observed below the LSL at 3 to 7 m depth. Adult blue mussels were confined to the LSL with a sharp decline in abundance from the entrance to the inner regions of the fjord. In contrast, mussel recruitment was observed both within and below the LSL to 10 m depth, with highest recruitment in the mid-fjord zone at 6 m depth. To test whether patterns in growth and survival in the absence of predation were coincident with food sup- ply and salinity stress, we transplanted mussels in predator exclusion cages at depths of 2, 4, 6, and 8 m within inner, mid-, and entrance fjord zones and measured growth over 213 d.
    [Show full text]
  • Zooplankton Diel Vertical Migration During Antarctic Summer
    Deep–Sea Research I 162 (2020) 103324 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Deep-Sea Research Part I journal homepage: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/dsri Zooplankton diel vertical migration during Antarctic summer John A. Conroy a,*, Deborah K. Steinberg a, Patricia S. Thibodeau a,1, Oscar Schofield b a Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary, Gloucester Point, VA, 23062, USA b Center for Ocean Observing Leadership, Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Keywords: Zooplankton diel vertical migration (DVM) during summer in the polar oceans is presumed to be dampened due Southern Ocean to near continuous daylight. We analyzed zooplankton diel vertical distribution patterns in a wide range of taxa Mesopelagic zone along the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) to assess if DVM occurs, and if so, what environmental controls Copepod modulate DVM in the austral summer. Zooplankton were collected during January and February in paired day- Krill night, depth-stratifiedtows through the mesopelagic zone along the WAP from 2009-2017, as well as in day and Salp Pteropod night epipelagic net tows from 1993-2017. The copepod Metridia gerlachei, salp Salpa thompsoni, pteropod Limacina helicina antarctica, and ostracods consistently conducted DVM between the mesopelagic and epipelagic zones. Migration distance for M. gerlachei and ostracods decreased as photoperiod increased from 17 to 22 h daylight. The copepods Calanoides acutus and Rhincalanus gigas, as well as euphausiids Thysanoessa macrura and Euphausia crystallorophias, conducted shallow (mostly within the epipelagic zone) DVMs into the upper 50 m at night.
    [Show full text]
  • Diel Horizontal Migration of Zooplankton: Costs and Benefits Of
    Freshwater Biology (2002) 47, 343–365 FRESHWATER BIOLOGY SPECIAL REVIEW Diel horizontal migration of zooplankton: costs and benefits of inhabiting the littoral R. L. BURKS,* D. M. LODGE,* E. JEPPESEN† and T. L. LAURIDSEN† *Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, U.S.A. †Department of Lake and Estuarine Ecology, National Environmental Research Institute, Vejlsøvej, Silkeborg, Denmark SUMMARY 1. In some shallow lakes, Daphnia and other important pelagic consumers of phyto- plankton undergo diel horizontal migration (DHM) into macrophytes or other structures in the littoral zone. Some authors have suggested that DHM reduces predation by fishes on Daphnia and other cladocerans, resulting in a lower phytoplankton biomass in shallow lakes than would occur without DHM. The costs and benefits of DHM, and its potential implications in biomanipulation, are relatively unknown, however. 2. In this review, we compare studies on diel vertical migration (DVM) to assess factors potentially influencing DHM (e.g. predators, food, light, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH). We first provide examples of DHM and examine avoidance by Daphnia of both planktivorous (PL) fishes and predacious invertebrates. 3. We argue that DHM should be favoured when the abundance of macrophytes is high (which reduces planktivory) and the abundance of piscivores in the littoral is sufficient to reduce planktivores. Food in the littoral zone may favour DHM by daphnids, but the quality of these resources relative to pelagic phytoplankton is largely unknown. 4. We suggest that abiotic conditions, such as light, temperature, dissolved oxygen and pH, are less likely to influence DHM than DVM because weaker gradients of these conditions occur horizontally in shallow lakes relative to vertical gradients in deep lakes.
    [Show full text]