Wisconsin Streams Research Articles

Correspondence Between the Distribution of Fish Assemblages in Wisconsin Streams and Omernik's Ecoregions

-Recently, Omernik divided the conterminous United States into ecoregions, areas with similar land-surface form, soils, potential natural vegetation and land use, for management of aquatic resources. Most of Wisconsin is in four of these ecoregions. I used multivariate analyses of fish and habitat data from three size-classes of streams in western and southern Wisconsin to evaluate the correspondence between ecoregions and geographic patterns in the distribution of fish assemblages. Overall, correspondence was better than expected by chance, and improved with increasing stream size. For all three size-classes of streams, agreement between the ecoregion classification of sampling stations and a classification based on a nonhierarchical cluster analysis of fish species abundance data was statistically significant. Detrended correspondence analysis ordinations of fish data showed differences among sampling stations that were associated with ecoregion membership. Catches of several fish species differed significantly among ecoregions, even with conservative significance levels. However, the ecoregion classification was fairly imprecise, and some sampling stations were more similar to stations in other ecoregions than they were to stations in their own ecoregion. Thus, in Wisconsin, ecoregions will be most useful in setting management policies for broad geographic areas containing many streams, and less useful in dealing with limited geographic areas and individual streams. Several analyses suggested that data on four general habitat characteristics, water temperature, stream gradient, substrate composition and shoreline vegetation characteristics, could be used to develop a more precise classification of Wisconsin streams. However, unlike the ecoregion classification, this classification would probably be applicable only to Wisconsin and only to fish assemblages.

The seasonal biomass and productivity of the submerged macrophytes in a polluted Wisconsin stream

SUMMARY 1. We measured biomass and light/dark bottle productivity of macrophytes in a Wisconsin stream throughout one growing season. Except for a brief period in early spring when a Cladophora glomerata‐filamentous algal community was dominant, Potamogeton pectinatus was the dominant macrophyte species in Badfish Creek.2. Maximum community biomass was 710 g DW m−2, with a maximum above ground biomass of 620 g DW m−2 and a maximum below ground biomass of 120 g DW m−2. Annual productivity was estimated at 1435 g DW m−2 year−1, with a calculated P/B of 2.01.3. In situ net production averaged 2.83g C g AFDW−1 h−1 Net positive carbon gain by the P. pectinatus community occurred when water temperatures were above 15°C, and daylength at least 12h. This is correlated to the onset of tuber germination in spring, and the point of maximal biomass decline in autumn.

INTERPRETING PATTERNS OF LAKE ALKALINITY IN THE UPPER MIDWEST REGION USA

ABSTRACT Patterns in alkalinity data for lakes and streams in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan were analyzed and mapped as a first step toward determining the potential sensitivity of surface waters to acidic deposition. The mapping was accomplished by: (1) assembling available alkalinity data on as many surface waters as possible, (2) plotting these data on relatively large-scale maps; and (3) analyzing the patterns of the 14,000 plotted values for spatial associations with other characteristics such as land use, geology, physiography, and hydrology to aid in extrapolation of the data. The level to which each factor influences alkalinity varied within the region. In northeast Minnesota and parts of upper Michigan, bedrock geology can influence surface water alkalinity. In other areas of the region, glacial drift is often very deep, and alkalinity concentrations are influenced by the composition of the drift, the lake hydrologic type, and the amount of groundwater contact. The lakes of lowest alkalinity are found in north-central Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michgan and tend to be small in size, comprise a small percent of total surface water area, and often occur in clusters. The mapping project helps meet the urgent need to understand the relative potential sensitivity of surface waters in the Upper Midwest, provides a tool for selecting geographic areas for more detailed studies, and allows more accurate regional assessments of effects of acidic deposition on aquatic resources.

Feeding habits and dietary overlap of Naididae (Oligochaeta) from a bog stream

Feeding habits and dietary overlap of three species of naidid oligochaetes (Chaetogaster diastrophus, Dero digitata, Dero nivea) were studied during June 1982–December 1983 from a bog stream in Wisconsin, USA. Chaetogaster diastrophus primarily ingested diatoms, while D. digitata and D. nivea primarily ingested detritus. Dietary overlap was substantial (97–98%) between D. digitata and D. nivea using the dietary overlap coefficient. Dietary overlap between C. diastrophus and D. digitata was 58–62% and that between C. diastrophus and D. nivea was 51–55%. Dietary differences existed between the three species in the percentage of each major food type and diatom genera ingested, selective ingestion or avoidance of diatom genera and in the size classes (length and/or volume) of diatoms consumed. These data suggest temporal coexistence of these species may possibly be due to complex food resource partitioning, although in this habitat, C. diastrophus, D. digitata, and D. nivea did not exhibit concurrent peak abundances; thus, interspecific competition for food was minimized.

Temporal and spatial patterns of spawning site use by two cavity-spawning darters in a Wisconsin stream

There was partial spatial and complete temporal overlap of spawning by Etheostoma flabellare and E. nigrum in Marsh Creek, Wisconsin. E. flabellare tended to spawn at shallower depths than E. nigrum. Both species spawned over a greater range of depths in an area with few spawning sites (cavities under rocks or logs) than in an area where spawning sites were abundant. In the laboratory E. flabellare were able to prevent E. nigrum from occupying cavities they would have otherwise occupied. E. nigrum appear to be competitively inferior to E. flabellare in terms of spawning-site acquisition and retention, but possess several attributes that may allow them to persist in the presence of the latter.

November streamflow

It was a wet November for much ot the United States, and 25 of the nation's key index stream‐gaging stations reported new record high flows for the month, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). USGS hydrologists said 96% of the key index stations reported streamflows that were in the normal or above‐normal range. Only 12 stations, most of them in the west, reported well below average streamflows for November. Of the 173 index stations reporting for the month, 107 stations (62%) reported well‐above average flows and 59 stations (34%) reported flows in the normal range. New record high flows were set for streams in West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Montana, the USGS said.

Statistical Procedures for Applying Hilsenhoff's Biotic Index

ABSTRACT Hilsenhoff's biotic index (HBI) is used for evaluating the water quality of Wisconsin streams. The variability of the HBI must be known or estimated in order to detect significant differences in water quality of various streams, at different locations in the same stream, or of the same location sampled at different times. Based on our study results, the best estimate of the HBI standard deviation(s) in fall samples is 0.197. From (s) and variance (s2 = 0.0388) estimate we present 2 statistical procedures that test for significant differences between paired HBI values—the detectable difference (DD) method for equal sample sizes (statistically preferred), and the t-test for unequal sample sizes.

Sedimentology of Muddy Fine-grained Channel Deposits in Meandering Streams of the American Middle West

ABSTRACT Many tributary valleys to major streams in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin were sites of mud deposition in late Wisconsinan periglacial lakes. Today the flat lacustrine plains of these valleys contain freely meandering streams. Surveys during low-flow conditions have enabled documentation of the geomorphic and sedimentary features of the sinuous channels of several of these streams. The subaqueous bed material is a complex, variable mixture of quartzose sand (main component), mud, mud blocks, equant mud clasts, rock fragments, and plant debris. Point-bar topography is restricted to bends of low or moderate curvature (rc/w2 > 3); bends of greater curvature show dominantly erosional inner banks. An organic-rich ooze lies beneath the stagnation zone that develops near the inner bank of highly curved sectors. Subaerial sediment on depositional surfaces is primarily a muddy sand with variable content of plant detritus. The lateral-accretion deposits near the downstream end of bends were divided into a fine member and a coarse member, the former two to four times as thick as the latter. The fine member consists of three lithofacies: 1) upper interval of centimeter-thick beds of sandy mud and thinner beds of rooted sand with mud and some plant debris; 2) underlying interval of subequal thicknesses and numbers of beds of clean sand (mostly fine, likely with small-scale cross-stratification) and sandy mud; and 3) basal interval very similar to 2 but with distinctive beds of black, finely divided plant debris. The coarse member is dominantly a fine-to-medium quartzose sand, contains mud clasts towards the base, and is inferred to be large-scale trough cross-stratified. Logjam debris appears near the thalweg in places. Lateral-accretion bedding in the form of intercalated sand and mud-sand is inferred to extend throughout the fine member. Substantial local variations in cross-sectional geometry and channel lithofacies, especially near logjams, reduce the precision of existing paleohydrologic relations and the comprehensiveness of a single lithofacies model. This class of meandering stream produces lateral-accretion deposits which are closer analogues in lithofacies to the classical upward-fining model than are deposits from the graveliferous sand-bed streams that have received primary emphasis from sedimentologists.

Do Stonefly Predators Influence Benthic Distributions in Streams?

Experimental manipulations were conducted within the substrate of a Wisconsin stream and a Colorado stream to measure the effect of stonefly predators on the distribution of benthic invertebrates. Screen cages containing free predators, predators restricted from foraging, or no predators, allowed prey migration but no predator migration over 3—d periods. The presence of Acroneuria lycorias (Perlidae) in the Wisconsin stream significantly depressed the establishment of prey populations within cage microhabitats. Mechanisms for reduction were consumption of prey by the stonefly, and predator—avoidance by prey using contact and non—contact cues. The presence of Mergarcys signata (Perlodidae) reduced prey colonization in the Colorado stream by the same mechanisms, but restricted predators produced less consistent effects. This results could be due to colonization of cages by prey that could not detect predators without contact. Pternarcella badia (Pteronarcidae), a large stonefly detritivore that takes occasional prey, did not affect colonization of Colorado stream cages by prey. This differential response by prey to two moprphologically similar, but functionally different, stonefly species suggests that predator avoidance was not purely tactile. Chemotactile and non—contact chemical cues are possible mechanisms by which prey differentiated these stoneflies. The presence of A. lycorias and M. signata in experimental cages significantly increased the attrition of mayfly prey, compared to that from cages with no stonefly or a restricted stonefly in each stream. This result suggests that predation and avoidance by prey of contact with foraging predators were responsible for the higher disappearance of mayflies from cages. Free P. badia had a similar effect, probably due to tactile avoidance of this large detritivorous stonefly by some prey in the Colorado stream.

An Experimental Analysis of Biological Factors Contributing to Stream Community Structure

Densities of invertebrates were manipulated within stony substrate filled cages in a Wisconsin and a Colorado stream to test the effects of prey densities on colonizaiton of the cages by invertebrate predators and potential competitors. There was no difference between the number of predators colonizing cages with high initial prey densities and that the colonizing cages with zero initial prey density, for any trial, during any season, in either stream. This observed lack of predator response to prey density has been termed a "null numerical response," characteristic of predator populations limited by factors other than prey availability. Food resource, then, was not responsible for the observed distributions of invertebrate predators in these two streams. Physical habitat cues or mutual interference among predators may explain the observed colonization pattern of these predators. Wisconsin stream prey preferentially colonized cages with zero initial densities compared to cages with potential competitors, but only when those cages excluded predators. The presence of spatial refuges from predators enhanced the effect of potential competitors upon prey colonization in this stream. The cage colonization by prey populations in the Colorado stream was reduced by the presence of potential competitors regardless of the availability of spatial refuges. Possible reasons for differences between the responses in the two streams are discussed.

The Occurrence of Northern Pike × Grass Pickerel Hybrids and an Exceptionally Large Grass Pickerel in a Northern Wisconsin Stream

The Occurrence of Northern Pike × Grass Pickerel Hybrids and an Exceptionally Large Grass Pickerel in a Northern Wisconsin Stream

Feeding Relationships among Species of Notropis (Pisces: Cyprinidae) in a Wisconsin Stream

The relationship between spatial preference and diet in four species of the genus Notropis (Pisces: Cyprinidae) was investigated in Roxbury Creek, a small stream in southern Wisconsin. Characteristic spatial distributions for each species were determined from frequency of catch in unbaited minnow traps set at varying heights and locations in the pools of the stream. Data for the year 1966—67 indicate that two species, Notropis atherinoides and N. spilopterus are common in midwater. Notropis dorsalis is most frequently found near the bottom and shows a strong preference for the upstream edge of pools Notropis stramineus is also found most often near the bottom but within the pools themselves. The spatial distributions of aquatic invertebrates, the major prey of Notropis in the pools of Roxbury Creek, were also investigated. Data gathered from drift and bottom samples taken in eight sampling periods during 1970—71 suggest a separation between the relatively sedentary bottom fauna, composed of oligochaetes, isopods, several genera of chironomids, tipulids, and trichopterans; and the drift fauna, composed of copepods, chironomids of the subfamily Orthocladiinae, ephemeropterans, and terrestrial anthropods. Certain genera, including the ubiquitous Gammarus were found commonly in both drift and benthic samples. Indices of similarity between pool benthos and drift ranged between 7% and 59%. Data on food habits of Notropis gathered from stomach content analysis of fishes collected over the same period indicate that 73% of the invertebrate genera present are utilized by Notropis species in Roxbury Creek. Considerable overlap exists in the invertebrate genera chosen by the four species (69%—84%), and strong overall correlations between species are found in the importance of various orders of aquatic invertebrates in the diet. Differences in food habits relate principally to differences in space utilization. Midwater species tend to feed on drifting chironomids, copepods, terrestrials, and other animals found in the water column. Bottom—dwelling fishes feed on benthic genera of chironomids, tipulids, oligochaetes, and other organisms found commonly in pool substrates. It is concluded that spatial rather than taxonomic considerations are the chief determinants of prey selection in these four species, and that this pattern of resource subdivision acts to reduce competition in sympatric, syntopic populations of these fishes. Data from other Wisconsin Streams, from aquarium observations, and from literature review suggest that multispecific assemblages of mutually responsive species like the ones in Roxbury Creek are common in Notropis.

The Unusual Larva and Habitat of Agabus confusus (Dytiscidae)1

Larvae of Agabus confusus (Blatchley 1910) = A. amplus Fall 1922 are described. They were identified by being reared to the adult, and differed markedly from known Nearctic Agabus larvae in the lack of temporal spines on the head and the presence of numerous secondary setae on the cerci. Larvae were collected from grassy bank vegetation in rapidly flowing water of a small, clean, cold stream in southern Wisconsin.

VALLEY ALLUVIATION IN SOUTHWESTERN WISCONSIN∗

ABSTRACT Meander erosional banks of fifth and sixth order southwestern Wisconsin streams having drainage areas of twenty square miles (30 km2) or less frequently reveal three distinct sedimentary sequences. The basal unit of coarse textured debris is thought to represent bed load sediment of a prior channel active near the terminus of a mid-Holocene drought about 6,000 years B. P. A silty clay series over the coarse layer is interpreted to have been derived by vertical accretion on a paleo floodplain during a climatic shift toward more humid conditions of the late Holocene. Distinctly laminated silt loam sediments produced by vertical accretion extend from the middle series to the current surface, and mainly result from increased flooding related to modern land use practices. The recent man-induced change in channel morphology is analogous to natural adjustments produced by Holocene climatic fluctuation, and suggests that temporal aspects of channel and floodplain evolution may be described by a step func...

Changes in the Downstream Insect and Amphipod Fauna Caused by an Impoundment with a Hypolimnion Drain1

Mill Creek, a small stream in southwestern Wisconsin, was impounded to create a 150-acre recreational lake. This action had a pronounced effect on the insect and amphipod fauna of a riffle 600 ft below the dam, and also affected the fauna of a riffle 2 miles downstream. Prior to impoundment both riffles were inhabited by a diverse insect fauna that included mostly Ephemeoptera, Trichoptera, Diptera, and Coleoptera. After impoundment the reduction of the number of species in the upstream riffle was highly significant, and previously dominant families such as Baetidae (Ephemeroptera), Hydropsychidae (Trichoptera), and Elmidae (Coleoptera) were replaced mostly by increased populations of Simulium vittatum Zetterstedt (Diptera), Gammarus pseudolimnaeus Bousfield (Amphipoda), and Chironomus and other genera of Chironomidae (Diptera). The impoundment affected the downstream riffle similarly, but to a lesser degree. Large increases in phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations and increased siltation as a result of impoundment were probably the most important factors in altering the insect and amphipod populations.

Chukchi Sea Continental Shelf Sedimentation: ABSTRACT

The topography of the Chukchi Sea continental shelf south of Herald Shoal is and has been dominated since at least Wisconsin time by Hope Valley (which trends northwest through the central part of the area) and by structural and sedimentary spit-like features trending offshore from Point Hope and Cape Prince of Wales. During the Wisconsin time of lowered sea level, Hope Valley was retrenched and most pre-Wisconsin Pleistocene sediments were stripped from the interfluves. The drainage system was considerably more complex than indicated by the present bathymetry. High-frequency (12 kHz) subbottom profiles and gravity and piston core sediments indicate 1-26 cm post-Wisconsin sediment deposited mostly in a large estuarine environment produced as Hope Valley was inundated. The main sources of sediment initially were the Kobuk-Noatak river system and the shores; smaller amounts were derived from lateral river discharge. Approximately 13,000-14,000 years ago, sea level had risen sufficiently to connect the Bering and Chukchi Seas. After the 2 seas were connected, a major source of sediment was introduced from the Yukon through Bering Strait into the central Hope Valley estuary. A period of rapid deposition followed. Deltaic deposits came from both the Noatak-Kobuk and Yukon sources. In addition, significant deposition north of Point Hope and Cape Prince of Wales resulted from the prevailing current established through Bering Strait. Transgressive sands, open-shelf facies, paralic sediments, and residual deposits can be recognized when related to the modern shelf sediment environment. The total post-Wisconsin deposition has buried numerous small Wisconsin stream valleys, displaced Hope Valley northward through the building of the Bering Strait delta, produced thick deposits of current-derived sediment on the downstream lee sides of Point Hope and Cape Prince of Wales, and subdued the more rugged Wisconsin subaerial topography. End_of_Article - Last_Page 2475------------

The Life History and Larval Development of Neoechinorhynchus saginatus Van Cleave and Bangham, 1949 (Acanthocephala: Neoechinorhynchidae)

The life cycle of Neoechinorhynchus saginatus, an intestinal parasite of creek chubs, Semotilus atromaculatus, in eastern North Dakota is reported, with a description of development in the ostracod intermediate host. Eggs ingested by Cypridopsis vidua hatch, liberating the acanthors. These penetrate the intestinal wall and in 3 to 4 days begin metamorphosis in the hemocoel as immobile, unattached acanthellae. Juveniles appear to be fully developed by the 14th day, and feeding experiments indicate that such larvae are infective to chubs on the 16th day. The family Neoechinorhynchidae, order Eoacanthocephala, includes some two dozen species from North American fishes for which the life cycles of five are known. These include Neoechinorhynchus cylindratus, N. emydis, N. rutili, Octospinifer macilentis, and Paulisentis fractus. Only the last species fails to use ostracods as an intermediate host. Neoechinorhynchus saginatus, an intestinal parasite of the creek chub, Semotilus atromaculatus (Mitchill), was described from Wisconsin lakes and streams by Van Cleave and Bangham (1949). Fischthal (1950, 1952) also reported this species in Wisconsin chubs, and Meyer (1954) found it in fallfish, S. corporalis (Mitchill), in Maine. More recently, Voth and Larson (1968) reported N. saginatus from creek chubs of the Goose River, a tributary of the Red River in eastern North Dakota. Although creek chubs range from Montana to eastern Canada and south to the Gulf of Mexico, N. saginatus has been found in only three widely separated localities. Apparently, there have been no previous reports concerning the life cycle of this parasite. MATERIALS AND METHODS Creek chubs collected from the Goose River, near Portland, North Dakota, provided gravid females of N. saginatus. A second tributary (the Forest River) some 60 miles to the north possessed uninfected chubs used in feeding experiments. Received for publication 9 May 1969. * From a thesis submitted by Mr. Uglem to the University of North Dakota in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, 1968. tPresent address: Department of Zoology, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho 83843. Ostracods were tested as potential intermediate hosts of N. saginatus since they serve in this capacity in four of the five known life cycles of neoechinorhynchids. Three species of ostracods identified as Cypridopsis vidua (O. F. Muller), Cypria maculata Hoff, and Potamocypris sp., collected from the Forest River, were successfully cultured for 2 years. They were exposed by allowing them to feed from 1 to 2 hr on aqueous suspensions of N. saginatus eggs in small finger bowls. The exposed hosts were then transferred for the duration of the experiment to large finger bowls of water held at 25 C under continuous illumination. These ostracods were examined periodically for developing parasites by making dissections using fine insect pins in a dilute solution of neutral red in 0.6% saline. One species of amphipod (Hyalella azteca), one species of copepod (Cyclops sp.), and four species of gastropods (Physa sp., Gyraulus sp., Lymnaea sp., and Ferrissia sp.) were also exposed to eggs and dissected periodically in an attempt to determine the specificity of the larval parasite. The chubs were inoculated by force-feeding infected ostracods with a polyethylene tube and syringe. Intermittent dissections were made to observe the growth and maturation of the parasites within the fish. Drawings were made from vital stained material with the aid of a camera lucida, by freehand, or from photomicrographs. All measurements are recorded in microns unless otherwise indicated. Permanent slide mounts of the ostracods, 16-day juveniles, and 46-day subadults have been deposited into the University of North Dakota Parasitology Collection with accession numbers 532535. Additional specimens are in the private collection of the senior author.

Correction [to “‘Plant nutrients in base plow of streams in southwestern Wisconsin’ by Neal Minshall, M. Starr Nichols, and S. A. Witzel”

Correction [to “‘Plant nutrients in base plow of streams in southwestern Wisconsin’ by Neal Minshall, M. Starr Nichols, and S. A. Witzel”

Plant Nutrients in Base Flow of Streams in Southwestern Wisconsin

The study covers a two year period in order to determine the plant nutrients in the base flow of southwestern Wisconsin streams. The average base flow from 36 drainage areas covering a total of 643 square miles was 0.360 cu ft/sec sq mi, representing 4.9 in/yr. The annual nutrient losses in base flow were nitrogen, 1.1 lbs/acre; phosphorus, 0.10 lb/acre; and potassium, 1.8 lbs/acre. These losses were only one fourth of those in the 1967 surface runoff from 0.01‐acre plots at the Lancaster Experimental Farm and three Agricultural Research Service watersheds near Fennimore, Wisconsin.

Aquatic hyphomycetes of Wisconsin: Distribution and ecology

1. Eighteen species in fourteen genera of aquatic hyphomycetes were found in a survey of Wisconsin streams and lakes. No clear pattern of geographic distribution was evident but several species were more frequently encountered in northern areas.