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Species Status Assessment Report for 14 Springsnails in Nevada and Utah

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Species Status Assessment Report for 14 Springsnails in Nevada and Utah Species Status Assessment Report for 14 Springsnails in Nevada and Utah June 2017 – Version 1.0 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 8 Contributing Authors (alphabetical): Michael Burroughs, Susan Cooper, Corey Kallstrom, Jeri Sjoberg, Jennifer Wilkening, Carla Wise ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank all of those who contributed to this Species Status Assessment. We would like to recognize and thank the following individuals who provided substantive review and insights for our Species Status Assessment as peer and partner agency reviewers: Megan Poff (USGS); David Rogowski (Arizona Game and Fish Department); Chris Crookshanks and Jon Sjoberg (Nevada Department of Wildlife); Kevin Wheeler and Krissy Wilson (Utah Division of Wildlife Resources); Mark Slaughter (Bureau of Land Management Southern Nevada District Office); Cassie Mellon (Bureau of Land Management West Desert District); Kristie Boatner (Forest Service Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest); James Whalen and Jens Swensen (Forest Service Fishlake National Forest). We also thank all Fish and Wildlife Service personnel from Regions 1, 6, and 8 who contributed to the Species Status Assessment; in particular, we acknowledge the contributions of the other members of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service core team: Heidi Crowell, Dan Russell, Lee Ann Carranza, and George Weekley. In addition, we would like to thank the following individuals whose efforts provided substantive data used in this report: Don Sada (Desert Research Institute); Daniel Villanueva (SCA); Kevin Guadalupe and others with the Nevada Department of Wildlife; George Oliver, Kevin Wheeler, Krissy Wilson, and others with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources; and Mike Golden and others with BIO-WEST and Southern Nevada Water Authority. Lastly, special thank you to those landowners who permitted surveyors to access their property to survey and collect information on springs and springsnails. Cover photograph by Daniel Villanueva (Student Conservation Association for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). SUGGESTED LITERATURE CITATION OF THIS DOCUMENT U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2017. Species Status Assessment Report for 14 Springsnails in Nevada and Utah (June 22, 2017 version). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Southwest Region, Sacramento, California. 309 pp. 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The species status assessment reports the results of the comprehensive biological status review by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) for 14 aquatic springsnail species (listed below) and provides a thorough account of each species’ overall viability and, therefore, extinction risk. Spring Mountains pyrg (Pyrgulopsis deaconi) Corn Creek pyrg (Pyrgulopsis fausta) Moapa pebblesnail (Pyrgulopsis avernalis) Moapa Valley pyrg (Pyrgulopsis carinifera) Grated tryonia (Tryonia clathrata) Blue Point pyrg (Pyrgulopsis coloradensis) Hubbs pyrg (Pyrgulopsis hubbsi) Pahranagat pebblesnail (Pyrgulopsis merriami) White River Valley pyrg (Pyrgulopsis sathos) Flag pyrg (Pyrgulopsis breviloba) Lake Valley pyrg (Pyrgulopsis sublata) Butterfield pyrg (Pyrgulopsis lata) Hardy pyrg (Pyrgulopsis marcida) Bifid duct pyrg (Pyrgulopsis peculiaris) Thirteen of the 14 species are wholly endemic to a small number of spring systems in Nevada. One species, the bifid duct pyrg (Pyrgulopsis peculiaris), occurs in eastern Nevada and Utah. To evaluate the biological status of these species, both currently and into the future, we assessed a range of conditions to allow us to consider the species’ resiliency, redundancy, and representation (together, the 3Rs). Resiliency is having sufficiently large populations for the species to withstand stochastic events. Redundancy is having sufficient number of populations for the species to withstand catastrophic events. And representation is having the breadth of genetic makeup of the species to adapt to changing environmental conditions. These springsnail species need resilient population(s) distributed throughout their ranges to maintain persistence into the future and to avoid extinction. A number of factors influence whether springsnail populations will grow to maximize habitat occupancy, which increases the resiliency of a population to stochastic events. These factors include (1) adequate water quality, (2) sufficient suitable vegetation and substrate, (3) free-flowing water, and (4) adequate spring discharge to maintain necessary conditions for the species. If a sufficient number of spring ecosystems provide adequate discharge and flowing water, coupled with appropriate water quality, vegetation and substrates, and suitable water quality, then we anticipate springsnails will survive and potentially thrive in abundance. Historically and through the present, springs and the biological needs of each springsnail species have been impacted to varying degrees by multiple stressors, including predation and competition, vegetation and soil disturbance, water pollution, spring modification, and groundwater pumping. Sources of these stressors include invasive, nonnative, and native species; 3 roads; wildfire; grazing and browsing by ungulates; recreation; and herbicides. In many of cases, the impacts affected individuals or resulted in short-term declines to a species’ population(s). In some instances, the habitat or the biological needs of a species may have been affected to the point where a population’s distribution was restricted, or a population of the species was lost. While these stressors may continue to impact populations to some extent in the future, we determined the most important stressors likely to impact future conditions will be from groundwater pumping and withdrawals, and altered precipitation and temperature. Based on our understanding of historical, current, and expected future conditions, we developed three future scenarios that may occur and affect the resiliency, redundancy, and representation over the next 50 years. The main stressors driving these scenarios are groundwater pumping and withdrawals, and altered precipitation and temperature. While we expect free-flowing water and adequate spring discharge to be the main biological and physical needs to be affected, such reductions may also impact the amount of suitable vegetation and substrate available. Following are the three scenarios we considered that may occur in the future: 1) Springs maintain spring flow or discharge similar to current condition 2) Springs experience reduction in spring flow or discharge 3) Springs experience extreme reduction in spring flow or discharge or it is completely eliminated; flow and discharge are inadequate To evaluate these scenarios, we considered how each would affect the resiliency, redundancy, and representation of each springsnail species. Resiliency is the ability of populations to withstand stochastic events. It is measured based on metrics of population health, such as the size and growth rate of populations and how quickly they are able to rebound in numbers after an event results in loss of individuals or populations. Because springsnail information on these metrics is limited, we assessed springsnail resiliency by taking into consideration their apparently high fecundity rates; apparent persistence to past disturbances; current conditions of springs and spring provinces; and length of occupied habitat occupancy. Redundancy is having a sufficient number of populations for a species to withstand catastrophic events. To assess springsnail redundancy, we factored in the number of populations for each species; the distance between populations; and whether each species has populations sufficiently distributed across its range or in other words, populations that occur in different hydrographic basins or with landscape features that provide physical separation between populations (valleys, mountains, forests, etc.). Representation is the ability of a species to adapt to changing environmental conditions. It can be measured through ecological diversity (environmental variation) and genetic diversity within and among populations. Because information is lacking or limited for these springsnail species, we assume a species with greater diversity of environmental conditions has higher representation. In particular, we considered differences in elevation, habitat variability, and variability of water parameters (e.g., water temperatures, flow rates, DO, etc.) between and within populations. In scenario 1, adequate spring flow and discharge would be similar to current conditions, so resiliency, redundancy, and representation are not expected to be significantly affected by this future scenario. We anticipate springsnails would maintain their current levels of resiliency. 4 Impacts to springsnail habitat from stochastic events, particularly on Federal and State lands, are expected to be repaired through habitat restoration and reintroduction efforts, if needed. Even with adequate spring discharge, populations may be extirpated if stochastic events are severe enough, and restoration activities do not or cannot occur. Redundancy and representation would remain similar to current conditions. Based on future projections of changes in precipitation and temperature, and expected increases in groundwater pumping and withdrawal, we anticipate scenario 2 to be the most likely to occur. In scenario 2, springs would experience reductions in spring flow and spring discharge. The level of impact to resiliency, redundancy, and representation would vary between species, largely based on current conditions
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