Description
Flow alteration and riparian vegetation encroachment are causing habitat simplification with severe consequences for native fishes. To assess the effectiveness of enhancing simplified habitat in a large dryland river, we experimentally added invasive wood at 19 paired treatment and reference (no wood added) subreaches (50 - 100m) within the main channel of the San Juan River. Using a before-after-control-impact design, we sampled fishes and macroinvertebrates, and quantified habitat complexity. After wood addition, total native fish densities were 2.2x higher in treatments compared to references, whereas total nonnative fish densities exhibited no response. Macroinvertebrate densities were 6.8x higher, and habitat complexity increased in treatments. Counts of geomorphic features in treatments increased from 1 to a maximum of 11 following wood addition, while the number of features in references remained unchanged. Wood addition has potential to instigate natural riverine processes, ultimately enhancing native fish habitat by increasing macroinvertebrate densities and habitat complexity in dryland rivers. Water overallocation and increasing aridity will continue to challenge efforts to improve habitat conditions with environmental flows alone, and managers might consider integrating non-flow alternatives like addition of abundant, invasive wood to reduce habitat simplification.
Author ORCID Identifier
Benjamin Miller https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8097-0763
Document Type
Dataset
DCMI Type
Dataset
File Format
.xlsx
Viewing Instructions
We used R. Code available upon request.
Publication Date
3-25-2024
Publisher
Utah State University
Methodology
Data set includes two separate study iterations. 12 total sites in year 1 and 7 total sites in year 2. In Sept. 2021 and 2022, Russian olives were cut and piled in the San Juan river at a total 19 sites between Shiprock NM and Montezume Cr UT. Sites included treatment and reference subreaches. To investigate responses induced by added wood, sites were resampled on a monthly basis for fishes, macroinvertebrates, and habitat.
Start Date
9-2021
End Date
4-2023
Language
eng
Code Lists
See README.
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Pennock, Casey; Miller, Benjamin; and Budy, Phaedra, "Using Nonnative Vegetation to Enhance In-Stream Habitat for Native Fishes" (2024). Browse all Datasets. Paper 224.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/all_datasets/224