Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

An Assessment Of Environmental Dna As A Tool To Detect Fish Species In Headwater Streams, Stephen F. Jane

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in the use of freely available DNA present in aquatic systems, otherwise known as environmental DNA (eDNA), as a tool for monitoring aquatic organisms. However, much remains unknown about the behavior of eDNA over a range of environmental conditions. This is particularly true in high gradient headwater streams, which have received less attention than other types of water bodies. In the summer of 2011, a headwater stream system with well established species distributions was sampled using eDNA techniques. Though species were detected where known to be present, detections also occurred where traditional …

Movement Patterns And Catch-And-Release Impacts Of Striped Bass In A Tidal Coastal Embayment In Massachusetts, Heather M. Tyrrell

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

An investigation into the spatial ecology and effects of catch-and-release angling on the physiology and behavior of striped bass was conducted. Fine-scale behavior was assessed by tagging fish with acoustic transmitters equipped with pressure and tri-axial accelerometer sensors and tracking them within a fixed array (n=34 receivers) in a Massachusetts estuary. Activity space changed significantly over the course of the season and increased with water temperature. Striped bass most frequently exhibited low levels of locomotory activity representing 67% of total activity measurements, with occasional high activity and burst swimming, often within the upper 3 m of the water column. Depth …

Holyoke Dam, Connecticut River, 2013, Brett Towler

Fish Passage Data Archive

Holyoke River

Connecticut Dam

Massachusetts

Year data collected: 2013

Habitat Heterogeneity Concentrates Predators In The Seascape: Linking Intermediate-Scale Estuarine Habitat To Striped Bass Distribution, Cristina Kennedy

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Predators are key components of aquatic ecosystems and innovative approaches to understanding their spatial distribution are imperative for research, effective management, and conservation. Discontinuities, created by abrupt changes between two unlike entities, are irregularly-distributed, intermediate-scale features that can have a disproportionate effect on organismal distribution within the seascape. Here I use the discontinuity concept to relate the distribution of a predator, striped bass (Morone saxatilis), to physical features within Plum Island Estuary (PIE), MA. I mapped the distribution of 50 acoustically-tagged striped bass during four monthly surveys at 40 sites to evaluate if heterogeneity in physical features concentrated …

Holyoke Dam, Connecticut River, 2012, Brett Towler

Fish Passage Data Archive

Holyoke Dam

Connecticut River

Massachusetts

Year data collected: 2012

Temperature Effects On Growth And Stress Physiology Of Brook Trout: Implications For Climate Change Impacts On An Iconic Cold-Water Fish, Joseph G. Chadwick Jr

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Despite the threat of climate change, the physiological mechanisms by which temperature drives the distribution of species are unclear. Here we used chronic temperature exposures to determine that the upper limit for positive growth in the eastern brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) is 23.4 °C. Additionally, brook trout exposed to daily temperature oscillations of 8 °C, around a mean of 21 °C, exhibited growth rates that were 43 and 35% lower by length and weight respectively, than in constant 21 °C controls. Limitations in growth were associated with increases in indicators of the physiological stress response. Individuals exposed to …

A Numerical Study On Hydraulic Characteristics In The Ice Harbor-Type Fishway, Seojun Kim, Kwonkyu Yu, Byungman Yoon, Yoonsung Lim

Journal Articles

Recently various types of fishways have been developed and constructed in order to preserve diversity of fish species and restore the riverine ecological system. Some of the fishways in Korea, however, seem to be designed and installed without careful study on their functions and swimming characteristics of target fishes. The present study aims to elucidate proper hydraulic characteristics of the Ice Harbor-type fishway. In the present study, we analyzed the hydraulic characteristics depending on changes in the spans of walls in the Ice Harbor-type fishways, by using Flow-3D, a three dimensional numerical simulation program. Two physical experiments were performed to …

Holyoke Dam, Connecticut River, 2011, Brett Towler

Fish Passage Data Archive

Holyoke Dam

Connecticut River

Massachusetts

Year data collected: 2011

Holyoke Dam, Connecticut River, 2010, Brett Towler

Fish Passage Data Archive

Holyoke Dam

Connecticut River

Massachusetts

Year data collected: 2010

Holyoke Dam, Connecticut River, 2009, Brett Towler

Fish Passage Data Archive

Holyoke Dam

Connecticut River

Massachusetts

Year data collected: 2009

Evaluation Of Pre-Spawning Movements Of Anadromous Alewives In The Ipswich River Using Radiotelemetry, Holly J. Frank

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Conserving and restoring anadromous fish populations is an important research and management priority. For conservation to be effective, researchers must understand the behavior of the fish they seek to restore. Telemetry has allowed researchers to understand the upstream migrations of these fish in freshwater, how migration patterns vary, and if there is a relationship between behavior and environmental variables. In the northeastern United States, alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), one of two species collectively referred to as river herring, has historically been an important component of coastal rivers. However, populations of these fish have experienced recent declines, and a commonly used method …

Holyoke Dam, Connecticut River, 2008, Brett Towler

Fish Passage Data Archive

Holyoke Dam

Connecticut River

Massachusetts

Year data collected: 2008

Holyoke Dam, Connecticut River, 2006, Brett Towler

Fish Passage Data Archive

Holyoke Dam

Connecticut River

Massachusetts

Year data collected: 2006