Oxbow lakes are highly productive waterbodies that host multiple life stages of many freshwater aquatic species. Oxbow lakes also provide habitat to Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), which has enabled populations to grow and expand within the United States. Silver Carp are undesirable because they can compete for resources with native fishes. My goal was to identify patterns of distribution and dispersion of Silver Carp in Moon Lake, Mississippi, to assist and inform precise harvesting of fish. I implanted thirty-five adult Silver Carp with acoustic tags that I released into Moon Lake. I observed that Silver Carp were disproportionately found in locations where water depths ranged from 2.0-5.9 m during all seasons, despite the availability of locations with shallower and deeper water. Silver Carp did aggregate in the wintertime (December-February) in comparison to all other seasons. This information about depth distributions and seasonal aggregations can inform removal programs.

Fish community data were used to develop an index of biotic integrity (IBI) to quantify habitat degradation in oxbow lakes of the Delta region of the Yazoo River Basin. Daytime boat electrofishing was used to sample the fish assemblage of 30 oxbow lakes during 2006-2007. We evaluated 70 candidate metrics based on their responses to measures of anthropogenic disturbance. Six metrics were retained for inclusion in the IBI: species richness, Shannon’s diversity (H’), average tolerance, and catch rates of buffalo, orangespotted sunfish, and litho-psammophilic spawners. The six IBI metrics showed strong multivariate relationships with measures of habitat degradation in a canonical correlation analysis. Spearman’s rank correlation and scatterplot analysis showed that IBI scores changed in a predictable pattern along gradients of habitat degradation. Three additional lakes were sampled in 2008 and were used to successfully validate the IBI. Biotic integrity was found to be impaired in most oxbow lakes of the Mississippi Delta.

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Submitted by Ligia Roma Stephan null (ligia.roma@terra.com.br) on 2017-12-03T17:29:12Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Doutorado Ligia R. Stephan.pdf: 1678102 bytes, checksum: 963311d73c5a4e54a01169c577b6df61 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Elza Mitiko Sato null (elzasato@ibilce.unesp.br) on 2017-12-04T14:10:00Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 stephan_lr_dr_sjrp.pdf: 1678102 bytes, checksum: 963311d73c5a4e54a01169c577b6df61 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-12-04T14:10:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 stephan_lr_dr_sjrp.pdf: 1678102 bytes, checksum: 963311d73c5a4e54a01169c577b6df61 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-10-20 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / Neste estudo foi avaliada a importância das características limnológicas locais e da predação por peixes na estrutura das comunidades zooplanctônicas, sendo os objetivos e resultados apresentados em dois capítulos distintos: Capítulo 1. Tem por objetivo avaliar a influência dos pulsos de inundação na estrutura funcional e taxonômica das comunidades de microcrustáceos em lagoas marginais. Para atingir o objetivo proposto, foram determinadas a estrutura funcional e taxonômica das assembleias de microcrustáceos coletadas em lagoas marginais ao Rio Turvo em três estações distintas: seca, intermediária e chuvosa. Os resultados encontrados foram comparados entre lagoas e entre estações; também foram comparadas a estrutura das asssembléias das lagoas marginais com amostras de microcrustáceos provenientes de ambientes lênticos com diferentes regimes hidrológicos. Neste estudo também foi avaliado se um período longo de estiagem pode influenciar as dinâmicas sazonais dos microcrustáceos. A estrutura das assembleias dos microcrustáceos com base na classificação funcional e taxonômica apresentaram variações entre lagoas e estações, assim como ambientes aquáticos que não sofrem influência dos pulsos de inundação apresentam uma maior uniformidade funcional. A dinâmica sazonal das assembleias foi afetada pelo período prolongado de estiagem, onde as variações na estrutura das comunidades que existem entre estações foram menos intensas no período de estiagem quando comparado ao ano chuvoso. Os resultados mostram que as características limnológicas das lagoas são influenciadas pelos pulsos de inundação e pelo regime hidrológico, bem como um período prolongado de estiagem é capaz de influenciar a dinâmica sazonal das assembléias de microcrustáceos em lagoas marginais. O estudo também mostra que há uma grande heterogeneidade funcional entre as lagoas, sugerindo que o padrão encontrado para a comunidade zooplanctônica revela mais a importância das características locais associadas ao pulso de inundação do que os efeitos deste sobre a comunidade de toda a planície. Capítulo 2. O segundo capítulo tem por objetivo avaliar se a predação por 6 peixes pode influenciar a estrutura funcional das assembleias de microcrustáceos. A influência da predação sobre a comunidade de microcrustáceos foi avaliada por meio de um experimento de mesocosmo e pela avaliação do conteúdo estomacal dos peixes provenientes das lagoas marginais ao Rio Turvo. A abundância e a estrutura funcional dos microcrustáceos foram influenciadas pela presença dos peixes e das macrófitas aquáticas no experimento, entretanto, para as análises realizadas nas lagoas marginais os resultados mostram que a predação não possui um efeito capaz de influenciar a estrutura das assembleias. Como conclusão, podemos inferir que a presença dos peixes pode ser um fator estruturador das comunidades, mas que em ambientes dinâmicos tais como as lagoas marginais, a influência exercida por alterações nas características locais pode ser um fator mais intenso na estruturação das assembleias de microcrustáceos do que a predação por peixes. / In this study, the importance of local characteristics and predation by fish in the zooplankton community structure was evaluated. The objectives and results were separated in two distinct chapters: Chapter 1. Its objective is to evaluate the influence of flood pulses on the functional and taxonomic structure of microcrustacean communities in oxbow lakes. For the proposed objective, the functional and taxonomic structure of the microcrustacean assemblages from oxbow lakes to the Rio Turvo was determined in three seasons: dry, intermediate and rainy. The results were compared between oxbow lakes and between seasons, as well as between samples from environments with different hydrological regimes. In this study, it was also evaluated if a long period of drought can influence the seasonal dynamics of microcrustaceans. The structure of the microcrustacean assemblages based on the functional and taxonomic classification showed variations between oxbow lakes and seasons; a greater functional uniformity was found on the aquatic environments not influenced by the flood pulses. The seasonal dynamics of the assemblages was affected by the prolonged period of drought, where the variations in the structure of communities between seasons were less intense in the drought year when compared to the rainy year. Our results show the influence of flood pulses on limnological characteristics and on the functional and taxonomic assemblages of microcrustaceans in the oxbow lakes; we also observed that a prolonged period of drought is able to influence the seasonal dynamics of microcrustacean assemblages in oxbow lakes. Chapter 2. The second chapter aims to assess the influence of fish predation on the functional structure of microcrustacean assemblages. The influence of fish predation was evaluated through an mesocosm experiment, and through an evaluation of fish stomach contents sampled in the marginal lakes from Turvo River. In the experiment, the abundance and functional structure of the microcrustaceans were influenced by the presence of fish and aquatic macrophytes, however, results from the oxbow lakes show that predation does not have an effect capable to incluence the structure of the microcrustaceans assemblages. As conclusion, fish predation should have a role in the 8 structure of the communities, although in dynamic environments such as oxbow lakes, the influence of the local characteristics may be a more important factor in the structuring of the microcrustacean assemblages then the fish predation.

The aim with this review was to investigate whether a reconnection of an oxbow lake can contribute to higher biodiversity. However, oxbow lakes can be divided in three categories: Lentic- (connected with both ends to the river bed), semi-lentic- (connected with one end) and lotic oxbow lakes (Isolated from the riverbed). Aquatic organisms such as fish, aquatic invertebrates, amphibians and macrophytes has been studied. The result showed that hydrological connectivity determines both biodiversity and water quality in oxbow lakes. Lotic oxbow lakes consisted low biodiversity and it’s dominated by amphibians. Semi-lentic oxbow lakes contributes with highest biodiversity of macrophytes, fish and aquatic invertebrates. Lentic oxbow lakes consisted less biodiversity and was dominated by fish. In conclusion, reconnection of an oxbow lake can be used as a restoration project to improve biodiversity.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The frequency and magnitude of floods in the midcontinental United States have increased in recent decades due to changing precipitation patterns as global temperatures rise. These trends pose major social and economic risks to the region, which is home to tens of millions of Americans and a global agricultural center. It is therefore critical to understand if current fluvial dynamics are within the scope of past fluvial-climate relationships, or if they represent a novel response to recent climate and land-use changes. Presented is a 1600-year-long flood frequency record for the moderately sized (~29,400 km2 watershed) White River, Indiana. Flood frequencies were determined using 14C-based sediment accumulation rates at Half Moon Pond, an oxbow lake on the lower White River’s floodplain. Comparison with regional paleoclimate data shows that White River flooding was frequent when atmospheric circulation resembled the negative mode of the Pacific-North American (PNA) teleconnection, particularly during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (950-1250 CE) and the Current Warm Period (last ~150 years). During these times, the regional climate was dominated by warm-season precipitation originating from the Gulf of Mexico. Conversely, White River flooding was less frequent during the Little Ice Age (1250-1800 CE) when cold-season precipitation from the North Pacific/Arctic dominated (+PNA-like conditions). The pre-1790 CE White River flood history was antiphased with reconstructed Ohio River flood frequencies from southern Illinois. This dynamic is consistent with discharge in small to moderate sized watersheds being sensitive to rainstorm runoff and large watersheds being sensitive to snowmelt runoff. After 1790 CE, flooding frequencies of both river systems increased to their highest levels, despite a shift to -PNA-like conditions. This change was likely due to extensive Euro-American land-clearance, which increased runoff/erosion by reducing evapotranspiration, interception, and infiltration. While the White River responded strongly to climatic conditions in the past that were similar to present conditions (-PNA-like conditions), recent land-use practices have amplified the effects of the current hydroclimate. Since a warming climate is expected to increase regional average precipitation and extreme rainfall events, and that landscape modifications have lowered surface resilience to hydroclimate events, flooding will likely become more frequent in the coming decades.

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