Abstract
Riverscape correlates for distribution of threatened spotfin chub Erimonax monachus in the Tennessee River Basin, USA
Highlights
Biodiversity diminished over the last century in both terrestrial and aquatic realms as human domination of ecosystems increased (Vitousek et al 1997)
Geospatial data included 52 parameters describing natural stream gradients, stream network connectivity, catchment land use and land cover, terrestrial and aquatic landscape alterations, and habitat disturbance indices for the entire Tennessee River Basin (Table 1). These data were obtained from the US Geological Survey National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) Version 2 Plus described by McKay et al (2012) and extension attributes developed for habitat disturbances (Esselman et al 2011) and stream network connectivity (Cooper & Infante 2017)
We included additional locations where the species is permitted for introductions based on Federal Register regulations (Federal Register 2002, 2005, 2007). Within this geographic area (Fig. 2A), we developed a presence−absence dataset for E. monachus using survey collections conducted by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
Summary
Biodiversity diminished over the last century in both terrestrial and aquatic realms as human domination of ecosystems increased (Vitousek et al 1997). Because of the high level of diversity and relatively intact nature of the Tennessee Basin fauna, a portion of the Tennessee River was recently designated as a native fish conservation area (NFCA) (Williams et al 2011) This designation points to the potential for the existence of other unidentified high-quality habitats in the basin that could be used to promote conservation of declining or imperiled fishes. The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) recognizes E. monachus as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (Federal Register 1977), and extirpations are attributed primarily to fragmentation, habitat degradation, and hydrologic alteration (Jenkins & Burkhead 1984)
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