Data files for "Impact of flow diversion by run-of-river dams on American Dipper diet and mercury exposure"

Abstract

Run‐of‐river dams produce lower greenhouse gas emissions than large hydropower projects, but there is a paucity of research on their potential ecotoxicological impacts through disruption of natural flow regimes. We used stable isotopes (δ13C, δ15N, δ34S) to reconstruct diet and trace methylmercury in a predatory river‐resident passerine, the American dipper (Cinclus mexicanus), at 7 regulated and 6 free‐flowing mountain streams in coastal British Columbia, Canada. Assimilated diets were comparable among regulated and unregulated streams, dominated by benthic macroinvertebrates and resident freshwater fish, with negligible contributions from anadromous Pacific salmon. Dataset for publication Impact of Flow Diversion by Run-of-River Dams on American Dipper Diet and Mercury Exposure Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (2017) 37(2): 411-426. Available at https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.3961