Abstract
Streams are complex systems that rely on connectivity to maintain natural ecological function. Low-water crossings are common in small-intermediate sized streams and can restrict longitudinal movement of fishes. The Current River in Missouri (USA) contains a single anthropogenic barrier to longitudinal connectivity: the Cedar Grove low-water crossing, which spans the main channel (10 culverts) and a side channel (4 culverts). In July 2017, we radio-tagged Northern Hog Sucker Hypentelium nigricans upstream (henceforth ‘above’; N = 24) and downstream (henceforth ‘below’; N = 26) of the crossing and followed their movements monthly for a year to assess fish passage and maximum displacement. Passage was limited to four below-tagged fish passing upstream of the crossing with one fish making an additional downstream and then upstream passage. Passage was more likely to occur during high flow. On average, below-tagged fish exhibited more than seven times greater maximum displacement (Mean (M) = 6.55 km, Standard Error (SE) = 2.91 km) than above-tagged fish (M = 0.92 km, SE = 0.33 km). The majority (71%) of fish exhibited stationary behavior (<1 km) compared to mobile behavior (>1 km). Among mobile individuals, maximum displacement was greatest away from the crossing, with above-tagged fish favoring upstream movements (100%) and below-tagged fish favoring downstream movements (67%). Our results suggest the crossing is a semi-permeable barrier in which fish passage primarily occurs during high flows. Alternatives to the low-water crossings at Cedar Grove should be considered to promote natural longitudinal movement of fishes. The side channel provides a potentially impactful and economically feasible management opportunity to act as a fish bypass channel on the Current River.
Department(s)
Biology
Document Type
Article
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/02705060.2020.1754302
Rights Information
© 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Keywords
barrier, Hypentelium nigricans, low-water crossing, movement, Ozark, passage, radio telemetry
Publication Date
1-1-2020
Recommended Citation
Williams, Jeffrey M., Hope R. Dodd, and Debra S. Finn. "A low-water crossing impacts Northern Hog Sucker Hypentelium nigricans movement in an Ozark stream." Journal of Freshwater Ecology 35, no. 1 (2020): 157-171.
Journal Title
Journal of Freshwater Ecology
