Geology topics

Carl R. Ruetz

Publications and source records attributed to Carl R. Ruetz.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2006

Efficacy of a vacuum benthos sampler for collecting demersal fish eggs from gravel substratum

We used two densities of eggs (low=900 eggs/m 2 ; high=5100 eggs/m 2 ) in laboratory experiments to estimate the recovery efficiency of the Brown benthos sampler for collecting fish eggs from gravel substrate and to determine if differences (e. g., 5-fold) in egg density in the substratum could be detected with the sampler. The mean egg recovery efficiency of the sampler in the low and high density treatments was 30% (SE=8.7) and 35% (SE=3.8), respectively. The difference between the treatment means was not significant. Therefore, data from the two treatments were pooled and used to estimate the recovery efficiency of the sampler (32.7%, SE=4.4). However, we were able to detect a 5× difference in the number of eggs collected with the sampler between the two treatments. Our estimate of the recovery efficiency of the sampler for collecting fish eggs was less than those reported for the sampler's efficiency for collecting benthic macroinvertebrates. The low recovery efficiency of the sampler for collecting fish eggs does not lessen the utility of the device. Rather, ecologists planning to use the sampler must estimate the recovery efficiency of target fauna, especially if density estimates are to be calculated, because recovery efficiency probably is less than 100%.

Ecology of Freshwater Fish↗

USGS2005

Population dynamics of wetland fishes: Spatio-temporal patterns synchronized by hydrological disturbance?

1. Drought is a natural disturbance that can cause widespread mortality of aquatic organisms in wetlands. We hypothesized that seasonal drying of marsh surfaces (i.e. hydrological disturbance) shapes spatio-temporal patterns of fish populations. 2. We tested whether population dynamics of fishes were synchronized by hydrological disturbance (Moran effect) or distance separating study sites (dispersal). Spatio-temporal patterns were examined in local populations of five abundant species at 17 sites (sampled five times per year from 1996 to 2001) in a large oligotrophic wetland. 3. Fish densities differed significantly across spatio-temporal scales for all species. For all species except eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki), a significant portion of spatio-temporal variation in density was attributed to drying events (used as a covariate). 4. We observed three patterns of response to hydrological disturbance. Densities of bluefin killifish (Lucania goodei), least killifish (Heterandria formosa), and golden top-minnow (Fundulus chrysotus) were usually lowest after a dry down and recovered slowly. Eastern mosquitofish showed no distinct response to marsh drying (i.e. they recovered quickly). Flagfish (Jordanella floridae) density was often highest after a dry down and then declined. Population growth after a dry down was often asymptotic for bluefin killifish and golden topminnow, with greatest asymptotic density and longest time to recovery at sites that dried infrequently. 5. Fish population dynamics were synchronized by hydrological disturbance (independent of distance) and distance separating study sites (independent of hydrological disturbance). Our ability to separate the relative importance of the Moran effect from dispersal was strengthened by a weak association between hydrological synchrony and distance among study sites. Dispersal was the primary mechanism for synchronous population dynamics of flagfish, whereas hydrological disturbance was the primary mechanism for synchronous population dynamics of the other species examined. 6. Species varied in the relative role of the Moran effect and dispersal in homogenizing their population dynamics, probably as a function of life history and ability to exploit dry-season refugia. ?? 2005 British Ecological Society.

Journal of Animal Ecology↗

USGS2004

Weak top-down control of grazers and periphyton by slimy sculpins in a coldwater stream

We conducted an enclosure/exclosure experiment during summer 1998 and 1999 to test the strength of top-down control by slimy sculpins (Cottus cognatus) on benthic macroinvertebrates and periphyton. We used 1-m2 cages to manipulate slimy sculpin density within 6 riffles in Valley Creek, Minnesota. Each riffle contained an enclosure stocked with 3 slimy sculpins, a fishless exclosure, and an open control cage. In 1998, densities of total invertebrates and grazers on clay tiles were significantly higher in exclosures than enclosures and control cages; however, densities of individual grazer taxa (Glossosoma and Baetis) on tiles did not differ significantly among treatments. Fish had no significant effect on invertebrates inhabiting gravel substrate. In 1999, densities of total invertebrates and grazers on tiles and inhabiting gravel substrate did not differ significantly among treatments. Slimy sculpins did not have a detectable effect on the drift propensity of invertebrates during either year. Regardless of the effect of fish on grazers in either year, periphyton biomass did not differ significantly among the fish treatments even though there was a strong, negative correlation between Glossosoma density and periphyton biomass. Periphyton biomass was significantly higher on tiles with a barrier that excluded Glossosoma larvae from the surface, indicating that Glossosoma limited periphyton biomass. We conclude that the strength of top-down control by slimy sculpins on invertebrates was weak. We did not detect an algae-based trophic cascade during either year because Glossosoma larvae were relatively invulnerable to fish predation and did not alter their behavior in the presence of fish.

Journal of the North American Benthological Societ↗

USGS2003

Interspecific interactions between brown trout and slimy sculpin in stream enclosures

We conducted a 30-d manipulative experiment in Valley Creek, Minnesota, to examine interspecific interactions between juvenile brown trout Salmo trutta and adult slimy sculpin Cottus cognatus. We measured the instantaneous growth of each species in the presence and absence of the other in 1-m2 enclosures. We tested single-species (three slimy sculpins/m2 or three brown trout/m2) and combined-species (three sculpins/m2 and three trout/m2) combinations in each of six riffles. We placed a clay tile in each enclosure to evaluate the effects of fish combinations on benthic macroinvertebrates. Growth of brown trout was unaffected by the presence of slimy sculpins (P = 0.647, power [to detect 50% increase in growth] = 0.92), whereas slimy sculpin growth was less in the presence of brown trout (P = 0.038). Densities of total benthic macroinvertebrates, Chironomidae, Trichoptera, and Physa did not differ among fish combinations (P > 0.3). However, densities of Gammarus pseudolimnaeus were significantly less in the presence of brown trout irrespective of the presence of slimy sculpins (P = 0.024), which could be a causal factor underlying the interaction between brown trout and slimy sculpins. We found asymmetrical competition between brown trout and slimy sculpins in stream enclosures, with brown trout being the superior competitor. Nevertheless, the size of enclosures may have biased our results, making it more likely to detect an effect of brown trout on slimy sculpins than vice versa.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗

USGS2000

Swimming performance of larval robust redhorse Moxostoma robustum and low-velocity habitat modeling in the Oconee River, Georgia

The robust redhorse Moxostoma robustum occurs in an 85-km stretch of the Oconee River, Georgia, downstream of a hydropower dam. The population consists primarily of older individuals and recruitment in recent years has been minimal. Operation of the hydropower dam may have affected recruitment negatively by displacing newly hatched larvae downstream and away from nursery habitats. Our null hypothesis was that larval robust redhorse can tolerate water velocities that occur in the Oconee River during peak river discharge related to hydropower generation. We measured swimming speeds for three size-classes of larvae (means: 13.1, 16.2, and 20.4 mm total length) and modeled low-velocity habitat (i.e., as defined by larval swimming speeds) in the Oconee River. We used logistic regression to calculate prolonged swimming speeds (i.e., water velocity at which 50% of fish failed to swim for 1 h) for each size-class and to predict the proportion of larvae in the water column that could maintain their position in the river. Prolonged swimming speeds were 6.9, 10.6, and 11.7 cm/s for 13.1-, 16.2-, and 20.4-mm fish, respectively. Habitat modeling suggested that low-velocity areas were present in the river and that there was not a strong relationship between low-velocity habitat and discharge. However, low-velocity habitats were dynamic during fluctuating discharge, and the ability of larval robust redhorse to access these dynamic areas is unknown. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2000.

Georgia↗