Fresh Water Studies Commons^™

Continuing Studies Of Water Quality In Farmington Bay And The Great Salt Lake, Utah, Amy M. Marcarelli, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

For the past three years, an Aquatic Ecology Practicum class at Utah State University has conducted research examining the limnology of Farmington Bay. In 2000, our class discovered that Farmington Bay could be classified as hypereutrophic, and had significantly higher levels of chlorophyll and phytoplankton than the Great Salt Lake proper (Marcarelli et al. 2001). In 2001, individual student projects identified high phosphorus loading into Farmington Bay from surrounding sewage treatment plants, brine shrimp biomass five times lower than in the Great Salt Lake, and that the water in the bay lost all oxygen on a windy night in October …

Comparative Analysis Of Pollution In Farmington Bay And The Great Salt Lake, Utah, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, Amy M. Marcarelli, Cameron Christison, Joel Moore, Donovan Gross, Sophia Bates, Sara Kircher

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Farmington Bay covers 94 mi2 (260 km2) in the SW comer of the Great Salt Lake, and is essentially a separate lake because it is enclosed by Antelope Island and a causeway leading to the island from the mainland. The bay has received wastes from the adjoining Salt Lake City metropolitan area for decades. Because of water quality concerns for Farmington 8ay, the Aquatic Ecology Laboratory class at Utah State University studied the bay and a nearby control site (Bridger Bay) in the Great Salt Lake during the fall of 2001. Field sampling and laboratory experiments, as well as other …

Topo-Morphometric Analysis Of Lake-Stream Interactions In Alpine Watersheds, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, Michelle A. Baker

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Role Of An Invasive Exotic Plant On The Structure Of Aquatic Invertebrate Assemblages: Tamarix In The Southwest United States, Bert Lewis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Over the past 100 years, riparian vegetation communities throughout the Southwest United States have been extensively invaded by Tamarix spp. (saltcedar). Saltcedar derives its common name from its physiological adaptation to excrete salts. The production of Tamarix detritus with associated secondary chemicals may affect the quality of aquatic invertebrate food and habitat resources. An alteration in food and habitat quality may affect the composition and structure of aquatic invertebrate assemblages.

A series of experiments was conducted contrasting aquatic invertebrate assemblage densities, colonization rates, and growth rates associated with Tamarix versus native vegetation, Populus fremontii (cottonwood) and Salix exigua (willow), to …

Comparison Of The Aquatic Ecology Of Side-Canyons And The Main Channel Of Lake Powell 1997, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, Kirsten L. Gallo

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Physical characteristics of lakes are highly interrelated with biological characteristics. We measured and analyzed the physical characteristics of two side canyons in order to better understand differences in productivity between side canyons and the main channel and to provide general information on the characteristics of the lake.

Comparison Of The Aquatic Ecology Of Side-Canyons And The Main Channel Of Lake Powell, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, Kirsten L. Gallo

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

From 18-21 April 1996, students in a Utah State University class (Aquatic Ecology Laboratory; FW 560) measured limnological and fisheries characteristics in two side canyons (Halls Creek Bay and Moki Canyon) and the main channel of Lake Powell. Inclement weather precluded sampling of two other side canyons. Most of the sub-projects, directed by indiVIdual students, addressed the following two hypotheses: (1) productivity gradients existed from the inflows of the side canyons toward the main channel and; (2) productivity was higher in the side canyons than in the main channel of the lake. In most cases, parameters were measured at 3-5 …

Brine Shrimp Ecology In The Great Salt Lake, Utah, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Hypersaline lakes are noted for their simple communities which facilitate understanding ecological interactions (Williams et al. 1990; Wurtsbaugh 1992; Jellison and Melack 1988). Nevertheless, we still cannot easily predict how environmental changes will effect the population dynamics in these lakes, at least in part because even these simple ecosystems may be more complex than we .realize. Many hypersaline lakes are dominated by the brine shrimp Artemia spp. The production of brine shrimp is often very high because the terminal, saline lakes accumulate nutrients that make them rich, and because the short food chains in them (nutrients-->phytoplankton-->brine shrimp) minim …

The Trophic Gradient In Lake Powell, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, G. Steinhart

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

From April 21 st to April 25th, 1995 students from Utah State University's FW 462 class sampled the trophic gradient in Lake Powell between Bullfrog (Mile 99) and Hite Marinas (Mile 144). We sampled at 3-12 stations along the gradient, depending on the parameter measured. The purpose of the trip was three-fold. First, the primary objective of the class was to provide field and laboratory experiences in aquatic ecology for the students. Secondly, we wished to provide data on the trophic environment that the endangered razorback sucker larvae from the Colorado River would encounter when the entered the reservoir. Thirdly, …

Snake River Sockeye Salmon Habitat And Limnological Research, David Teuscher, Doug Taki, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Historically, thousands of Snake River Sockeye salmon returned to the Sawtooth Valley to spawn. Evermann (1896) reported that the Sawtooth Valley Lakes were teeming with red fish. Bjornn (1968) estimated that 4,360 sockeye returned to Redfish Lake in 1955. These numbers no longer exist. In the 1980's, less than 50 . Snake River sockeye salmon survived to spawn (Bowler 1990). Since 1990, only 14 sockeye have returned. Because of recent declines, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes (SBT) petitioned the National - Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to list · Snake River sockeye as endangered. As a result, Snake River sockeye were listed and …

Acidic Deposition, Ecosystem Processes, And Nitrogen Saturation In A High Elevation Southern Appalachian Watershed, C. S. Nodvin, H. Van Miegroet, S. E. Lindberg, N. S. Nicholas, D. W. Johnson

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

High-elevation red spruce-Fraser fir forests in the Southern Appalachian mountains: 1) receive among the highest rates of atmospheric deposition measured in North America, 2) contain old-growth forests, 3) have shown declines in forest health, 4) have sustained high insect-caused fir mortality, and 5) contain poorly buffered soils and stream systems. High rates of nitrogen and sulphur deposition (sim1900 and sim2200 Eq·ha–1·yr–1, respectively) are dominated by dry and cloud deposition processes. Large leaching fluxes of nitrate-nitrogen (100–1400 Eq·ha–1·yr–1) occur within the soil profile. We have expanded the study to the watershed scale with monitoring of: precipitation, throughfall, stream hydrology, and stream …

A Trophic Gradient Analysis Of Lake Powell: The 1994 Utah State University Aquatic Ecology Laboratory Analyses, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, Megan Barker, Ron Brunson, David Fogle, Scott Hawxhurst, Chad Mellison, Lis Phillips, Felipe Queiroz, Daniel Zamecnik

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

From 9-11 April, 1994, the Aquatic Ecology Laboratory Class (FW462) of Utah State University sampled the upper reaches of Lake Powell to assess if a trophic gradient existed. We °ampled physical and chemical parameters (temperature, oxygen, conductivity, and total phosphorus), phytoplankton chlorophyll a, littoral and pelagic zooplankton biomass and composition, littoral and profundal benthic invertebrates, and fish abundance measured in the littoral zone (gill nets) and the pelagic zone (hydroacoustics). Data was collected along the upper 50 miles of the reservoir between Bullfrog and the Hite marina near the Colorado River inflow.

Our field trip was done just prior to …

Habitat Selection By Lacustrine Rainbow Trout Within Gradients Of Temperature, Oxygen, And Food Availability, Chris Luecke, D. Teuscher

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss [Walbaum]) in Castle Lake, California were concentrated at certain depths during day and evening hours. A fish bioenergetics simulation model based on vertical gradients of temperature, oxygen concentration, and food availability indicated that rainbow trout selected habitats that maximized growth rate. In 1 of the 2 years of study, a strong pattern of diel vertical migration of rainbow trout was evident and was associated with vertical migrations of daphnids in the lake. The simulation model correctly predicted the occurrence and magnitude of fish migration. During the day some trout resided at depths with little potential for …

Snake River Sockeye Salmon Habitat And Limnological Research, David Teuscher, Doug Taki, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Historically, thousands of Snake River Sockeye salmon returned to the Sawtooth Valley to spawn. Evermann (1896) reported that the Sawtooth Valley Lakes were teeming with red fish. Bjornn (196~) estimated that 4,360 sockeye returned to Redfish Lake in 1955. These numbers no longer exist. In the 1980's, less than 50 Snake River sockeye salmon survived to spawn (Bowler 1990). Since 19-90, only 13 sockeye have returned. Because of recent declines, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes (SBT) petitioned the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS-) to list Snake River sockeye as endangered. As a result, Snake River sockeye were listed and the Bonneville Power …

A Trophic Gradient Analysis Of Lake Powell During Spring Runnoff 1992, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, Clyde Lay, Darren Carlise, Corey Huxol, Craig Schaugaard, Beau Clements, David Beauchamp

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Between 26 April and 2 May 1992, students in a utah state university aquatic ecology class visited Lake Powell to do a study of trophic gradients of the reservoir. The main axis of the reservoir was surveyed, as well as less detailed analyses of Moki and Escalante Canyons. The work was conducted in collaboration with personnel from the u.s. Bureau of Reclamation headed by Bill Vernieu, and from the u.s. Geological Survey (Dick Marzolf). Some of their data appear in the physical-chemical section of this report.

Each student was responsible for compiling a report on one of the following specific …

Snake River Sockeye Salmon (Oncorhynchus Nerka) Habitat/Limnologic Research, Scott Spaulding, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, Shoshone-Bannock Tribe

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

This report outlines long-term planning and monitoring activities that occurred in 1991 and 1992 in the Stanley Basin Lakes of the upper Salmon River, Idaho for the purpose of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) recovery. Limnological monitoring and experimental sampling protocol, designed to establish a limnological baseline and to evaluate sockeye salmon production capability of the lakes, are present:ed. Also presented are recommended passage improvements for current fish passage barriers/impediments on migratory routes to the lakes. We initiated O. Nerka population evaluations for Redfish and Alturas lakes; this included population estimates of emerging kokanee fry entering each lake in the spring …

Survival Of Trout Strains As Affected By Limnological Parameters, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, Timothy Modde, Chris Luecke, Cheryl Courtney

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Juvenile rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. (ca. 80 mm S.L.) stocked into mid-elevation reservoirs in Utah are vulnerable to predation from piscivorous fish and birds. I determined how effectively juvenile trout used cover to avoid these predators by using direct observations (snorkel transects) on habitat selection in two reservoirs. Observations of juvenile trout were conducted within five weeks of stocking in 1988 and 1989. During the day juvenile trout were abundant in complex inshore habitats. Juvenile trout actively fed during the day but the time of peak feeding was variable. Large Daphnia made of > 95% of the diet of juvenile trout. …

Trophic Interactions Between Fish And Invertebrates In Bear Lake, Utah-Idaho, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, Charles P. Hawkins

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

An intensive study of the limnology, invertebrates and fishes of Bear Lake was conducted in 1987 in order to define the productivity and food web of the community. Limno10gica1 parameters and invertebrates were measured at approximately monthly intervals while fish distribution and feeding was analyzed in February, June, August, and October. Samples were collected at three to eight stations along a transect running from the shallow littoral area on the west side of the lake, to the deep profundal zone.

Survival Of Trout Strains As Affected By Limnological Parameters, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Prior work at East Canyon Reservoir, Utah indicated that adult trout are important predators of stocked juvenile rainbow trout. Brown trout, in particular, were exclusively piscivorous when th~y exceeded 185 mm standard length. Fish became increasingly important in the diet of cutthroat trout greater than 330 mm. The purpose of this study was to further document the effect of adult trout on survival of juvenile rainbow trout in mid-elevation reservoirs. Causey Reservoir was chosen because it was thought to contain large brown and cutthroat trout and had not been intensively studied during the last eight years.

Importance Of Predation By Adult Trout On Mortality Rates Of Fingerling Rainbow Trout Stocked In East Canyon Reservoir, Utah, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Personnel from Utah State University, working in cooperation with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and the Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, are attempting to determine various sources of mortality of fingerling rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) stocked into mid-elevation reservoirs in the State. Returns of planted fish are often much below desired levels. Angler surveys indicate that in East Canyon Reservoir, fishermen harvest only about 30% of the fingerling trout stocked, and this is a much higher return than in many other waters.

Microhabitat Selection And Diel Movements Of Juvenile Rainbow Trout (Salmo Gairdneri) Introduced Into Mid-Elevation Reservoirs In Utah, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, Roger Tabor

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

The distribution and movement patterns of fingerling rainbow trout stocked into reservoirs in Utah were investigated with · SCUBA observations and by vertical gill netting. For several weeks after stocking, fingerling trout (ca. 80 mm standard length) were strongly oriented to the shore, and selected habitats providing cover. During the underwater observations, no fish were seen below depths of 2 meters. Two weeks after stocking, the fingerlings were most abundant under docks near where they were planted, indicating that dispersal was relatively slow. Jacob's electivity indices for natural substrates in water 0-1.5 meter deep were in sand, gravel, cobble, boulders …

The Vertical Distribution And Feeding Chronology Of Larval Bear Lake Sculpin (Cottus Extensus) In Bear Lake, Utah-Idaho, D. Neverman Devroy, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, S. Ohlhorst

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Preliminary sampling in Bear Lake, Utah/Idaho, with bottom trawls and larval fish nets indicate