Environmental Change and Tradeoffs in Freshwater Ecosystem Services
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ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE AND TRADEOFFS IN FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEM SERVICES: NILE TILAPIA (OREOCHROMIS NILOTICUS) INTRODUCTION TO THE KAFUE RIVER, ZAMBIA A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Notre Dame in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Andrew M. Deines David M. Lodge, Director Graduate Program in Biological Sciences Notre Dame, Indiana April 2013 ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE AND TRADEOFFS IN FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEM SERVICES: NILE TILAPIA (OREOCHROMIS NILOTICUS) INTRODUCTION TO THE KAFUE RIVER, ZAMBIA Abstract by Andrew M. Deines Global environmental change is putting increasing demands on freshwater resources. Three of the greatest threats to freshwater ecosystems are invasive species, over exploitation, and flow modification. These threats are manifestations of the human use of freshwater ecosystem services that illustrate the tradeoffs in services which will become more common. These drivers of environmental change all provide some set of ecosystem services while also reducing the provision of other services, making them excellent examples from which to draw guidance for future management. The introduction of the freshwater fish Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) to the Kafue River, Zambia provides the motivation for the four studies presented here; each explores a particular tradeoff in ecosystem services that results from species invasions, overexploitation, and flow modification. A review of global tilapia introductions demonstrates that the ecological effects of tilapia invasion are ubiquitous, but Andrew M. Deines perceptions of whether tilapia positively or negatively affect social well-being is dependent on socioeconomic background. I also show the introduction of Nile tilapia to the Kafue River has decreased genetic diversity and threatens the long-term production of both aquaculture and capture fisheries. I evaluate the value of the Kafue River fishery by modeling the tradeoff between fisheries production and hydropower generation, as imposed by dam-induced flow modification, and find that annual fishery production is $USD 7 million per year, but this production is not affected by flow modification. Finally, I consider how the harvest of invasive species may contribute to conservation goals, and demonstrate that market forces alone are unlikely to substantially reduced invasive populations because the value of harvest may supplant the value of other ecosystem services. Overall, I break new ground on the extent and impacts of global tilapia introductions, the relationship between flow modification and fisheries production in a novel context, and the ongoing social and economic adaptation to species invasions. This research provides managers, policy makers and stakeholders new analyses and tools with which to better inform future decisions about tradeoffs in ecosystem services that accompany major global environmental changes. For Jill, my family, and friends who have led me to water ii CONTENTS Figures ................................................................................................................................. vi Tables .................................................................................................................................. xi Chapter 1: Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Drivers of change in freshwater ecosystem services ........................................ 3 1.1.1 Fisheries harvest ................................................................................ 4 1.1.2 Flow modification .............................................................................. 7 1.1.3 Invasive species ................................................................................ 10 1.2 Dissertation outline ......................................................................................... 12 1.2.1 Tradeoffs among ecosystem services associated with global tilapia introductions ................................................................................. 13 1.2.2 Hybridization of native Oreochromis species (Cichlidae) and the introduced Nile tilapia (O. niloticus) in the Kafue River, Zambia. 14 1.2.3 The potential tradeoff between artisanal fisheries production and hydroelectricity generation on the Kafue River, Zambia .............. 16 1.2.4 Can Market-Driven Harvest of Invasive Species Contribute to Conservation Goals? ..................................................................... 17 1.2.5 Conclusion ........................................................................................ 18 1.3 References ...................................................................................................... 19 Chapter 2: Tradeoffs among ecosystem services associated with global tilapia introductions ........................................................................................................... 28 2.1 Abstract ........................................................................................................... 28 2.2 Introduction .................................................................................................... 29 2.3 Methods .......................................................................................................... 35 2.3.1 Literature review .............................................................................. 35 2.3.2 Analyses ........................................................................................... 40 2.4 Results ............................................................................................................. 44 2.4.1 Proportion of introductions associated with ecological impacts .... 48 2.4.2 Presence or absence of ecological effects as a function of effect type, species, region, and study design ........................................ 50 iii 2.4.3 Perceptions of tradeoffs among ecosystem services resulting from tilapia ............................................................................................ 51 2.5 Discussion ........................................................................................................ 59 2.6 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 63 2.7 Acknowledgments ........................................................................................... 65 2.8 References ...................................................................................................... 65 Chapter 3: Hybridization of native Oreochromis species (Cichlidae) and the introduced Nile tilapia (O. niloticus) in the Kafue River, Zambia............................................... 72 3.1 Abstract ........................................................................................................... 72 3.2 Introduction .................................................................................................... 73 3.3 Methods .......................................................................................................... 76 3.3.1 Site description ................................................................................ 76 3.3.2 Sampling ........................................................................................... 79 3.3.3 Analysis ............................................................................................ 81 3.4 Results ............................................................................................................. 86 3.4.1 Microsatellite data quality ............................................................... 87 3.4.2 Evidence for hybridization ............................................................... 89 3.5 Discussion ....................................................................................................... 98 3.6 Conclusion ..................................................................................................... 104 3.7 Acknowledgments ......................................................................................... 106 3.8 References .................................................................................................... 106 Chapter 4: The potential trade-off between artisanal fisheries production and hydroelectricity generation on the Kafue River, Zambia ...................................... 112 4.1 Abstract ......................................................................................................... 112 4.2 Introduction .................................................................................................. 113 4.3 Methods ........................................................................................................ 117 4.3.1 Site description .............................................................................. 117 4.3.2 Data compilation............................................................................ 119 4.3.3 Modeling the impact of flood regime on fishery production ........ 124 4.3.4 Sensitivity analysis ......................................................................... 127 4.3.5 Simulating flood regime and hydroelectric generating capacity ... 128 4.3.6 Harvest Revenue ............................................................................ 129 4.4 Results ........................................................................................................... 130 4.4.1 The Impact of Flood Regime on Fishery Production .....................