Demographic analysis of trade-offs with deliberate fragmentation of streams: Control of invasive species versus protection of native species

Tools restricting the movements of invasive species (e.g. barriers) and reducing habitat fragmentation for native species (e.g. corridors, fishways) provide examples where actions taken to address one environmental concern can hinder efforts to address another environmental concern. We used perturbation analysis of stage-structured projection matrices to evaluate the efficacy of seasonally operated barriers and fishways for controlling non-native sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) in the Laurentian Great Lakes while minimizing effects on non-target fishes. For non-jumping fishes migrating in spring, seasonally operated barriers without a fishway will not balance the management objectives satisfactorily. Migration phenologies of the seven common non-target fishes considered in our analyses overlapped considerably with the migration phenology of sea lamprey, with peaks in migration typically being 7–43 days (median 12) from the peak in the sea lamprey migration. Consequently, across species, years, and tributaries, 44–100% of the migratory runs of non-target fishes would be blocked under the 75-day operation period required to block 99% of the sea lamprey spawning run, on average. Reductions in the production of non-target fishes due to blocking were also projected to be similar in magnitude to reductions projected in the production of sea lamprey, unless density-dependent compensation was strong or overlap in migration phenologies between a non-target species and sea lamprey was low. Even under density-dependent compensation, providing a fishway is advisable and passage of non-target fishes may have to be highly effective to avoid population declines in non-jumping species that migrate between a Great Lake and its tributaries.     

Ecological strategies for managing tamarisk on the C.M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, Montana, USA

Tamarisk (Tamarix ramosissima) is an introduced shrub or small tree associated with the loss of biological diversity in riparian habitat throughout much of western North America. Control measures are often expensive and ineffective, so land managers need site-specific information to guide cost-effective integrated management strategies. We sampled 12 randomly selected tamarisk-infested inlets on Fort Peck Reservoir on the C.M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge stratified by stream basin size. At each site we sampled 2-5 stands of riparian vegetation, recording plot elevation, canopy cover of vascular plants, density of woody species and age estimates for representative woody plants. Tamarisk plants 1-3 years old were abundant in the drawdown zone along the shore of Fort Peck Reservoir. The lack of plants older than three years indicates that tamarisk in the drawdown zone were destroyed during a recent two summers of inundation and suggests that three months of inundation will kill tamarisk plants. The oldest (17-22 years) and largest tamarisk plants in the study area were found in the full-pool zone and were recruited in periods of significant drawdown following high-water years. Tamarisk was uncommon in cottonwood and silver sagebrush stands on stream terraces above full pool. Only the largest streams in our study area appeared capable of supporting tamarisk and significant native riparian vegetation. Tamarisk plants at or above full pool level should be removed in these drainages to prevent upstream invasion and loss of native species. The level of the reservoir should be raised to the level of full pool for three consecutive months during the growing season every 3-5 years to prevent development of extensive stands of tamarisk in the drawdown zone capable of producing large quantities of seed.     

Where once the eel and the elephant were together: decline of the European eel because of changing hydrology in southwest Europe and northwest Africa?

The collapse in recruitment of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) since the early 1980s has been ascribed to possible overfishing, poisoning, parasitism, habitat loss and changes in ocean circulation. It is unclear which mechanism is most important, and firm data are lacking to make an assessment of the factors that apply over the full continental range. On the other hand, the recruitment of the American eel (A. rostrata) has declined along the western Atlantic at about the same time. This suggests a candidate mechanism that can affect both species together. A change in ocean climate may be a likely explanation, which is supported by a possible link between the North Atlantic Oscillation and one important recruitment index. However, it is unsafe to discard the other possible mechanisms because of lack of evidence. Habitat loss, in particular, may be important. We review over a century of evidence to suggest how the eel may have declined through progressive habitat loss that accelerated in the early 1980s as the result of economic development linked with hydrological changes. Although no single line of evidence can definitely prove one hypothesis for the eel decline, the total body of information may indicate a pronounced susceptibility in the southwest corner of the continental range closest to the Sargasso Sea that has been particularly affected by drought and dam construction. The sexual dimorphism of the species together with the energy requirements of the spawning migration may provide insight to explain the population collapse.