H11E-1401
Physical Thresholds as Ecological Proxies in Aquatic Ecosystems
Monday, 14 December 2015
Poster Hall (Moscone South)
Mark B Hausner, Desert Research Institute, Las Vegas, NV, United States, D. Bailey Gaines, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Clifton, TX, United States, Ryan R Morrison, U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins, CO, United States, Donald W. Sada, Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV, United States, G. Gary Scoppettone, U.S. Geological Survey, Reno, NV, United States, Mark C Stone, University of New Mexico Main Campus, Albuquerque, NM, United States, Francisco I Suarez, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile, Scott W Tyler, University of Nevada, Geological Sciences and Engineering, Reno, NV, United States and Kevin P. Wilson, Death Valley National Park, Pahrump, NV, United States
Abstract:
It is often difficult to directly quantify ecological thresholds and predict ecological responses to changing environmental conditions. Here, we present two case studies from Death Valley National Park – Devils Hole and Travertine Springs – in which physical parameters are used as proxies for ecological processes to assess the consequences of environmental change on aquatic ecosystems. In Devils Hole, seasonal thresholds for water temperature and food availability are defined to quantify the optimal recruitment window for the Devils Hole pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis). At Travertine Springs, physical thresholds of water depth, velocity, and temperature are used to define the spatial extent of the preferred habitat of several threatened macroinvertebrate species. In both systems, mechanistic models are developed to predict the response of those physical thresholds to changing environmental conditions informed by climate change scenarios and potential changes in water availability. By examining the temporal and spatial response of targeted physical parameters to alternative scenarios, we can assess potential ecosystem impacts without direct measurement of ecological processes.
