Geology topics

Andrew D. Miller

Publications and source records attributed to Andrew D. Miller.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2022

Movement and habitat use by smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu velox in a dynamic Ozark Highlands riverscape

Stream fish movement in response to changing resource availability and habitat needs is important for fish growth, survival and reproduction. The authors used radio telemetry to evaluate individual movements, daily movement rates, home ranges and habitat-use characteristics of adult (278–464 mm L T ) Neosho smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu velox in three Ozark Highlands streams from June 2016 to February 2018. The authors quantified variation in movement and habitat use among seasons and streams and examined relations with select environmental cues ( i.e. , temperature and discharge), fish size and sex. Maximum movement distances were an order of magnitude greater in the larger Elk River (17.0 km) and Buffalo Creek (12.9 km) than in the smaller Sycamore Creek (1.71 km), were similar in both upstream and downstream directions and typically occurred during the spring. Most movement rates were ≤10 m day −1 in all streams and seasons, except for Elk River during spring. Ranking of linear mixed-effects models using AIC c supported that movement rates were much greater in spring and increased with stream size. Spring movement rate increased with discharge and water temperature; only weak relationships were apparent during other seasons. Increased variation in water temperature had a small negative effect on movement rate. Home range size was highly variable among individuals, ranging 45–15,061 m (median: 773 m), and was not related to fish size, sex, season or stream. Although some fish moved between rivers, this study's tagged fish did not use reservoir or associated interface habitat. Water temperatures used by this study's tagged fish followed seasonal patterns but indicated the use of thermal refugia during summer and winter. Deeper-water habitats were used in Buffalo Creek and in winter across all study streams, whereas greater velocities used in the Elk River likely reflect the increased use of run habitats. Use of pool habitats predominated among tagged fish, particularly in smaller streams. The results of this study indicate considerable heterogeneity in movement and habitat use within and among lotic populations of Neosho smallmouth bass. These findings suggest that population-specific management may be appropriate and highlight the importance of natural flow conditions ( i.e. , spring high flows) and connected habitats for this endemic sport fish, particularly in smaller streams.

Missouri, Oklahoma↗

USGS2021

Riverscape nesting dynamics of Neosho Smallmouth Bass: To cluster or not to cluster?

Aim Hierarchical stream habitat conditions influence patterns of fish abundance and population dynamics. The spawning period is important for stream fishes but coincides with unpredictable environmental conditions and stressors. Thus, identifying habitats that confer suitable spawning is crucial to managing vulnerable fish populations, including narrow-range endemics. Here, we evaluate reach- and catchment-scale habitat features related to Neosho Smallmouth Bass ( Micropterus dolomieu velox ) nest presence, abundance and aggregations (clusters) and quantify nest microhabitat. Location Ozark Highlands ecoregion, USA. Methods We conducted snorkel and habitat surveys from 2016 to 2018 to quantify nest abundance, describe nest cluster characteristics and quantify nest microhabitat. We used field-collected and geospatial variables and developed generalized mixed models to evaluate the influence of multi-scale habitat features on nest cluster presence and nest abundance. Results Nest clusters, scarcely known for other Smallmouth Bass populations, contained 25% of all documented nests. Presence of nests was more likely in warmer stream reaches with wide, shallow channels and more pool habitat. Nest cluster presence was more likely with greater nest densities and earlier in the spawning season. The abundance of Smallmouth Bass nests was related to several reach-scale habitat conditions, with greater nest counts in warmer reaches and reaches with deeper pool habitat. Regardless of cluster behaviour, nesting Smallmouth Bass used similar microhabitats, including a range of depths (0.26–1.85 m), low velocities (<0.1 m/s) and typically gravel substrates. Main conclusions Our results indicate plasticity in nesting ecology within Neosho Smallmouth Bass populations and highlight the need to consider multiple aspects of stream habitat when developing conservation and management plans. The importance of reach-scale habitat features suggests it may be important to limit landscape and channel alterations. Nest clustering behaviour suggests these populations may be vulnerable to human influence during the nesting season, but also provides management opportunities for protection during critical time periods.

Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma↗

USGS2020

Age-0 Smallmouth Bass abundance depends on physicochemical conditions and stream network position

Stream fish survival and recruitment are products of a physicochemical environment that affects growth and provides refuge; yet, the drivers of spatiotemporal variation in juvenile fish abundance remain unclear. Understanding how physicochemical conditions drive spatial and temporal patterns in fish abundances provides insight into how conditions across stream networks influence fish population success, thereby providing direction to managers about the types and locations of conservation actions that would be most beneficial. Using snorkel and habitat surveys of 120 sites sampled from 2015 to 2017, we evaluated the multiscale relationships among physicochemical features, hydrology, and age-0 Smallmouth Bass ( Micropterus dolomieu velox ) abundance in relation to network spatial position. Abundance of age-0 bass was spatiotemporally variable in relation to a July streamflow–network position interaction, a pool depth–stream size interaction, and a stream temperature–network position interaction. High flows at the end of the nesting season were related to lower age-0 abundance, but this effect was dampened in stream reaches in close proximity to larger mainstems. In small streams, reaches with deeper pool habitat supported higher age-0 bass abundances, but this trend was not apparent in larger tributaries and mainstem systems. Generally, colder streams had lower age-0 Smallmouth Bass abundance, though this relationship was not apparent in reaches adjacent to larger streams that generally supported higher age-0 bass abundances. Conservation actions that (1) facilitate habitat connectivity within and among streams, (2) limit future anthropogenic practices that alter natural geomorphology by creating shallower stream channels, and (3) maintain adequate flow magnitude and timing to support channel complexity (e.g., deeper pools within smaller catchments) would be most beneficial to supporting rearing habitat for age-0 riverine Smallmouth Bass.

Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma↗

USGS2020

The influence of groundwater on the population size and total length of warmwater stream fishes

Groundwater influences stream environments in numerous ways including structuring biotic assemblages. However, associations between groundwater influence and warmwater fish assemblages are under-studied. We examined relationships between groundwater contribution, population size, and total length (TL) for 5 warmwater fishes at 32 stream reaches in the Ozark Highlands ecoregion. When we controlled for distance from an impoundment, population size and TL were significantly related to groundwater influence for all 5 species. Sunfishes were significantly less abundant in reaches with high levels of groundwater contribution (HGC reaches), whereas Ambloplites rupestris (Rock Bass) and Nocomis asper (Redspot Chub) TLs were significantly greater at HGC reaches. Reach-scale groundwater contribution explained nearly 4 times more unexplained variation among fish densities than did TL. Our study provides insight into the structuring role of groundwater on warmwater fish populations.

Missouri, Oklahoma↗

USGS2018

Movement and diel habitat use of juvenile Neosho Smallmouth Bass in an Ozark stream

Documenting fish movement patterns and examining relationships with both fish and habitat characteristics are essential aspects of sound conservation and management. Stream fish movement and habitat use have been associated with a myriad of factors, and variability among individuals is common. Movement and habitat use patterns of juvenile Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu in streams are poorly understood, particularly for the Neosho subspecies M. dolomieu velox . Our study objective was to determine diel movement patterns and microhabitat use by juvenile Neosho Smallmouth Bass during late autumn. In 2016, we surgically implanted radio transmitters into 13 juvenile Smallmouth Bass in Honey Creek, Oklahoma. We tracked the fish by using radiotelemetry on 41 occasions over the 26‐d tag life and located fish throughout the diel cycle to characterize movement and habitat use. Movement patterns varied among individual fish, with cumulative movements ranging from 33 to 1,302 m. Incremental displacement (the distance moved between two consecutive relocations) increased slightly with warmer water temperatures and increasing fish size. Although there was also considerable individual variation in habitat use patterns, deeper habitats were associated with larger juvenile Smallmouth Bass and daytime. Fish also tended to use higher‐velocity habitats during the day, and this trend increased over the duration of the study. Our results suggest high individual variation in both movement and habitat use by juvenile Neosho Smallmouth Bass across the diel cycle. We show that juvenile Smallmouth Bass move among microhabitats and would benefit from management actions that maintain and promote instream habitat complexity. Future efforts focused on juvenile Smallmouth Bass movement over longer time periods would be beneficial for understanding movement and habitat use dynamics across a greater range of seasonal and environmental variability.

Oklahoma↗

USGS2016

Advancing environmental flow science: Developing frameworks for altered landscapes and integrating efforts across disciplines.

Environmental flows represent a legal mechanism to balance existing and future water uses and sustain non-use values. Here, we identify current challenges, provide examples where they are important, and suggest research advances that would benefit environmental flow science. Specifically, environmental flow science would benefit by (1) developing approaches to address streamflow needs in highly modified landscapes where historic flows do not provide reasonable comparisons, (2) integrating water quality needs where interactions are apparent with quantity but not necessarily the proximate factor of the ecological degradation, especially as frequency and magnitudes of inflows to bays and estuaries, (3) providing a better understanding of the ecological needs of native species to offset the often unintended consequences of benefiting non-native species or their impact on flows, (4) improving our understanding of the non-use economic value to balance consumptive economic values, and (5) increasing our understanding of the stakeholder socioeconomic spatial distribution of attitudes and perceptions across the landscape. Environmental flow science is still an emerging interdisciplinary field and by integrating socioeconomic disciplines and developing new frameworks to accommodate our altered landscapes, we should help advance environmental flow science and likely increase successful implementation of flow standards.

Environmental Management↗