Browsing by Subject "Habitat"
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Item Assessment of Habitat and Biota in the West Branch of the Knife River, MN(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2014-03) Dumke, Josh; Brady, Valerie; Hell, Robert VThe Lake Superior Steelhead Association (LSSA) received funding from the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council in 2012 to fund multiple project phases on the West Branch of the Knife River. The West Knife has received attention by LSSA due to historic reports of this tributary being important for anadromous rainbow trout (steelhead) reproduction, and because most of this watershed lies within public property. In past decades, this watershed has experienced logging, beaver activity, and barriers to migratory fish passage. In 2013 LSSA worked with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to improve fish passage conditions over the second falls of the Knife River. Mixed tree species were also planted in one beaver impacted meadow, and there are plans to expand the tree planting activities to other areas within the watershed in 2014. Pre-restoration surveys are important for demonstrating the effect of restoration activities. Good documentation of stream condition, and the organisms that live there, allow post-restoration comparisons, assessment of the most cost-effective restoration activities, and the ability to track trends over time. Natural Resources Research Institute staff were hired by LSSA to complete pre-restoration surveys of seven reaches on the West Branch Knife River; five on the main stem and two on tributaries. Fish and stream habitat were surveyed in all reaches, and aquatic macroinvertebrates were sampled in two reaches (reaches 2 and 3), with a cursory survey on a third reach (reach 1). The pre-restoration survey revealed that rainbow trout (steelhead) were present in all sampled reaches except the farthest upstream reach, which was apparently inaccessible to migratory fish due to beaver activity downstream. Brook trout were the dominant salmonid in all sampled reaches, and were at the greatest densities in the two small tributaries. One of these tributaries (reach 7) had indications of strong groundwater inputs based on water temperature and specific conductivity. This tributary appears to be an important area for brook trout reproduction and as a nursery for juveniles, but had few pools to hold larger fish. Stream bottom substrates in this tributary had large proportions of sand and silt, which are suboptimal habitat conditions for the aquatic macroinvertebrates that provide food for trout and other fish. Most pool habitats were found in downstream sections of the West Knife main stem that were influenced by beaver (reaches 1 and 2). However, these beaver meadow areas contained more nontrout species, which indicates these reaches may periodically have summer water temperatures above the thermal optimum for trout. The stream bottom in reaches 1 and 2 contained rocks that were surrounded and buried in sands, silts, and clays, reducing the amount of living space (habitat) for fish fry and aquatic macroinvertebrates. Thus, aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages in these two reaches were in poorer condition (rated moderate-low) when compared to other North Shore streams NRRI researchers have sampled. Biotic habitat was best in reach 3, followed by reach 5 (both on the main stem, upstream of reaches 1 and 2). Reach 3 had the most young rainbow trout, as well as a nice population of brook trout, but the macroinvertebrate community was not in as good a condition as expected based on the very good habitat conditions. We speculate that the gravels in this reach are easily moved during high flow (flood) events; this lack of stream bottom stability leaves macroinvertebrates (and often fish fry) with few refugia from high flows, causing many of them to be dislodged and washed downstream. We speculate that this issue may be the reason why macroinvertebrate assemblages do not compare as favorably with those of other north shore streams as we expected. Reach 5 was located within a beaver meadow, but our stream measures indicate that the only measureable negative impact was a loss of riparian tree canopy to shade the stream.Item The effect of urbanization on the stopover ecology of neotropical migrant songbirds(2015-04) Condon, Elisabeth LeeI conducted spring migration point counts and vegetation surveys at 29 forest patches in the Chicago, IL metropolitan area in 2012 and 2013. The forest patch selection was designed to test the effects of patch size, distance from the Lake Michigan shoreline and degree of urbanization. I conducted exploratory analysis to search for potential relationships. Vegetation structure variables, especially understory and subcanopy composition, were important factors for many models. Bird species determined to be area sensitive in previous studies were associated with large patches during migration. While path size, distance from the shoreline and urbanization were not frequently selected for models of the entire avian community, they were important in most models of individual species. No single combination benefitted all species, indicating that maintaining a variety of conditions in the region will support a diverse avifauna.Item Evaluation of Buffer Width on Hydrologic Function, Water Quality, and Ecological Integrity of Wetlands(Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2011-02) Nieber, John L.; Arika, Caleb; Lenhart, Christian; Titov, Mikhail; Brooks, Kenneth N.Human activities including agricultural cultivation, forest harvesting, land development for residential housing, and development for manufacturing and industrial activities can impair the quality of water entering the wetland, thereby detrimentally affecting the natural ecological functions of the wetlands. This can lead to degradation of biota health and biodiversity within the wetland, reduced water quality in the wetland, and increased release of water quality degrading chemicals to receiving waters. Under natural conditions wetlands develop buffer areas that provide some protection from the natural processes occurring on adjacent areas of the landscape. Buffers serve the function of enhancing infiltration of surface runoff generated on adjacent areas, thereby promoting the retention of nutrients in the soil, and retention of sediment suspended in the runoff water, while still allowing runoff water to reach the wetland through subsurface flow routes. To protect wetlands and receiving waters downstream from the wetlands it is important that wetlands in areas disturbed by human activities be provided with sufficient buffer to prevent degradation of wetland biotic integrity as well as degradation of wetland water quality. The question arises, “How much buffer is sufficient?” The objective of this study was to investigate the sufficiency of buffers to protect wetland biotic integrity and water quality, and to evaluate the benefits extended to wildlife by the habit available in wetland buffers. The study was conducted by using a wetland data base available for 64 wetlands in the Twin Cities metro area.Item Grazed Riparian Management and Stream Channel Response in Southeastern Minnesota (USA) Streams(2007-05-04) Magner, Joseph, A.; Vondracek, Bruce; Brooks, Kenneth, N.The U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service has recommended domestic cattle grazing exclusion from riparian corridors for decades. This recommendation was based on a belief that domestic cattle grazing would typically destroy stream bank vegetation and in-channel habitat. Continuous grazing (CG) has caused adverse environmental damage, but along cohesive- sediment stream banks of disturbed catchments in southeastern Minnesota, short-duration grazing (SDG), a rotational grazing system, may offer a better riparian management practice than CG. Over 30 physical and biological metrics were gathered at 26 sites to evaluate differences between SDG, CG, and nongrazed sites (NG). Ordinations produced with nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMS) indicated a gradient with a benthic macroinvertebrate index of biotic integrity (IBI) and riparian site management; low IBI scores associated with CG sites and higher IBI scores associated with NG sites. Nongrazed sites were associated with reduced soil compaction and higher bank stability, as measured by the Pfankuch stability index; whereas CG sites were associated with increased soil compaction and lower bank stability, SDG sites were intermediate. Bedrock geology influenced NMS results: sites with carbonate derived cobble were associated with more stable channels and higher IBI scores. Though current riparian grazing practices in southeastern Minnesota present pollution problems, short duration grazing could reduce sediment pollution if managed in an environmentally sustainable fashion that considers stream channel response.Item The habitat of winter ticks (Dermacentor albipictus) in the moose (Alces alces) range of Northeast Minnesota(2015-03) Terry, JuliannWinter ticks occur throughout moose range south of 60º N, but little is known about how habitat influences tick density in Minnesota. Adult female winter ticks drop off moose in the spring to lay eggs and larvae attach to moose in the fall. The habitat that a tick drops off into could increase or decrease either survival or reproduction. Moose select different cover types for foraging and for bedding. We used locations of moose wearing GPS collars to identify tick sampling locations. Moose GPS locations could be identified as either movement or bedding. Targeted sampling at moose GPS locations allowed us to evaluate flag and walking surveys for winter tick collection. Bed sites and movement paths were identified from the 2013 and 2014 spring tracks to assess the effect of moose behavior and habitat characteristics on tick density. Moose GPS locations had more ticks than random sites (p = 0.001). Tick densities at moose sites were higher in 2013 (10.8 ± 2.9 ticks/m2) than in 2014 (2.8 ± 1.2 ticks/m2; p=0.0003). Ticks were found at 52% of 2013 sites and at 27% of 2014 sites. More movement paths than bed sites had ticks in 2013 (p = 0.01), but tick densities were similar in bed sites (11.2 ± 6.3 ticks/m2) and movement paths (10.7 ± 7.5 ticks/m2). In both years, tick density was higher in areas with litter depths < 3 cm (p < 0.06) and with canopy closures < 50% (p < 0.008). A high percentage of sites in lowland conifer, mixedwood, and regenerating forests had ticks present, but no upland conifer sites had ticks present (p = 0.0001). Spring locations from GPS collared moose were converted to paths. These paths were areas where ticks would have dropped off of moose. We created paths of moose in the fall by connecting GPS locations. Fall paths were overlaid with spring movement paths to identify areas where moose could acquire ticks. Overlaps of the 2011-2012 spring and fall path accounted for 6 and 13% (3.1 ± 0.4 ha and 2.2 ± 0.5 ha) of the paths. All moose overlapped with their own path in the fall for about 4% of their spring paths (1.1 ha). The greatest areas of overlap occurred in mixedwood and wet cover types (p = 0.0002). Mixedwood and wet cover types, especially with open canopies and shallow litter depths, have the highest potential to produce high larval tick densities. Mixedwood and wet cover types also have the greatest area of overlap between spring and fall paths and could be the areas with the highest tick transfer.Tick densities estimated from walking surveys and tick densities estimated from flag surveys were similar (p=0.9). Walking surveys with chaps allowed us to identify the height of winter ticks on the vegetation. The largest clumps of ticks were found at 38.2 ± 3.4 cm, but ticks were found from 0-100 cm. When more ticks were collected with walking surveys, ticks were generally found below 66 cm. When more ticks were collected with flag surveys, ticks were found above 66 cm and were likely higher than chap height.Item Measuring habitat use by bats in northeastern Minnesota using acoustic methods.(2011-02) Abel, Rebecca LauraBaseline data on bat distribution and habitat use is essential for bat conservation. Little information exists on bats in the southern boreal forests of the Midwest. We measured summer bat habitat use and foraging activity at aquatic, linear corridor, and interior forest sites with bat detectors in deciduous, mixed-wood, and coniferous forests in northeastern Minnesota. We used three common acoustic bat activity indices to quantify acoustic bat data and we compared the results of each index. We further examined the indices to determine how differences among bat activity indices influence statistical inferences of bat activity. We measured the effects of relative insect abundance and degree of vegetation density on bat activity. We recorded all seven resident bat species across the study area. We recorded 7,666 identifiable bat calls during 1,440 detector hours in 2009. In 2010 we recorded 8,554 bat calls during 930 detector hours. Bat activity, dominated by Myotis species (Myotis lucifugus and M. septentrionalis), Lasiurus borealis, and Lasionycteris noctivagans, was concentrated at aquatic and linear corridor microsites, regardless of forest cover type. However, bats foraged at similar rates in each microsite type. Bat activity and foraging activity occurred earlier at interior forest sites relative to aquatic and linear corridor sites, suggesting that interior forest is also important habitat for bats as they leave day roosts to forage. Bat activity indices had clear biases, but resulted in similar statistical inferences of habitat use of northeastern Minnesota bat species.Item Monitoring and Habitat Assessment of Declining Bumble Bees in Roadsides in the Twin Cities Metro Area of Minnesota(University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies, 2019-06) Evans, Elaine; Boone, Michelle; Cariveau, DanSeveral bumble bee species have declined dramatically, including the endangered rusty-patched bumble bee, Bombus affinis. Roadsides offer a unique opportunity to increase habitat for these declining species. The objectives of this study are to: (1) characterize the bumble bee community and floral availability within roadsides in the Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, metro area, (2) estimate detection probabilities and occupancy for bumble bees using occupancy modeling, (3) determine the effort needed to detect rusty-patched bumble bees, and (4) examine the relationship of the bumble bee community to the surrounding landscape. We use rapid and broad-scale sampling at randomly selected locations. Despite overall low floral abundance, many bumble bee species, including rare and declining species, use roadsides. Occupancy models predict rusty-patched bumble bees occupy 4% of sites, with a 30% chance of detection if it is at the site. We recommend performing nine surveys in a single season to be 95% sure that B. affinis is detected if it is there. Bumble bee abundances and species numbers increase with more wooded area and floral cover. Crops are negatively associated with bee abundance, species numbers, and the presence of rare bumble bees. Our management recommendations for roadsides to support rare and declining bumble bees are: (1) incorporate additional bumble bee forage, (2) when weed control requires elimination of flowering plants, replace with bumble bee forage, (3) use our estimates for occupancy and abundance as a baseline to assess conservation efforts for bumble bees within roadsides in the metropolitan area of Minneapolis and Saint Paul.Item Pre-Treatment Assessment of Habitat and Biota in the Knife River Mainstem, MN(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2017-03) Dumke, Josh; Kelly, Holly WPre-restoration surveys are important for demonstrating the effectiveness of restoration activities. Good documentation of stream condition, and the organisms that live there, allow post-restoration comparisons, assessment of the most cost-effective restoration activities, and the ability to track trends over time. During 2016 the Lake Superior Steelhead Association (LSSA) requested University of Minnesota Duluth, Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) staff to complete surveys of 3 Knife River mainstem reaches (two pre-treatment, and one reference) for fish, macroinvertebrates, and stream habitat. The 2016 Knife River surveys followed our standard methods used in past LSSA contracts. Reaches were named “Reach 12”, “Reach 9”, and “Reference” (listed in upstream progression). Reach 12 and Reach 9 were considered “pre-treatment” assessments, as habitat improvement projects to reduce stream bank erosion and improve pool and cover habitat for larger salmonids in these reaches occurred following our surveys. Data from the Reference reach will be important for distinguishing whether changes detected over time are natural or from the applied stream work. Our surveys revealed that all three reaches were quite similar in habitat, as well as macroinvertebrate and fish communities. Reach 9 had the most fish species due to one very large pool, but otherwise, was not very different from Reach 12. Reaches 12 and 9 had areas with unstable channel conditions and eroding banks, which were not present in the Reference reach. Therefore, the Reference reach ranked highest in the MPCA Stream Habitat Assessment (MSHA) protocol scoring system and percent canopy cover over the stream channel. The Reference reach also had more pools with slower-flowing water and woody debris, which Brook Trout favor. Thus, we found greater Brook Trout abundance and fitness in the Reference reach. In summary, our survey indicates all reaches were relatively similar. This assessment is important because it demonstrates the section of the river we selected for the Reference reach will adequately capture natural changes over time, while still being a comparable river segment to Reach 12 and 9.Item Sandbars managed for least terns within the Missouri River: evaluating the influence of fish, spatial scale and environment on habitat use(2012-09) Stucker, Jennifer HathawayInterior Least Terns (Sternula antillarum) nest on barren sandy habitats, typically sandbars and shorelines within large river systems of the central United States. Loss of natural ecosystem processes which create and maintain these habitats is considered the primary reason for population decline and Federal listing of this population. Throughout their range, management for Least Terns focuses on maintenance of breeding habitats, including placement of dredged material specifically as nesting substrate. Wide expanses of barren land are known to attract Least Terns, yet specific small scale habitat features are thought to trigger nest habitat selection. Yet as a plunge-diving piscivore, Least Terns also rely on ready access to appropriately sized slender-bodied fish: <52 mm total length for adults and <34 mm total length for young chicks. It remains unknown whether sandbar construction is a benefit or a detriment to forage abundance for Least Terns. Lastly, the relationship between availability of nesting habitats and required foraging habitats remains ambiguous. This information is needed to refine understanding of Least Tern habitat needs from a foraging ecology perspective, and contribute to knowledge and potential value of habitat restoration efforts. This study evaluates 1) the shallow water (<1.5 m) fish community near river and mechanically created emergent sandbars during three nesting seasons (2006-2008), 2) nest-scale habitat selection to determine if nest habitats differ between constructed and natural sandbars, and it evaluates the consequences of this selection on nest success, and 3) the potential associations between specific habitat features, at differing spatial scales, associated with airborne and foraging Least Terns. The research effort focused on the 95 kilometers of Gavins Point Reach of the Missouri River, between Yankton, SD and Ponca, NE during the Least Tern nesting season in 2006-2008. We sampled fish within 15-16 areas every two weeks from late May - July to document the relative abundance, species richness, and size classes of fish. Using systematic surveys on sandbars every 2-3 days, we detected and tracked 869 Least Tern nests until eggs hatched or failed, on constructed and natural sandbars in the Missouri River examining them for evidence of microhabitat selection at the nest and 3 m from nest. Least Terns successful foraging sites (N=416) were compared to a paired nearby random location to evaluate evidence of habitat selection during successful foraging in 2007-2008. We used systematic surveys every two weeks from late May - July in each year to identify Least Tern airborne (foraging or flying) locations within the river corridor (2006:966 sites, 2007:2940 sites, 2008:2003 sites), recording them using spot mapping. We modeled the probability that an observation (random and bird) as an airborne tern using logistic regression and habitat variables derived from remote sensing. Lastly, to refine our understanding of behavior in specifying habitat use, we modeled the probability of a location as a foraging site. Fish relative abundance was negatively related to depth. Catches were dominated by schooling species, including emerald shiner, sand shiner, spotfin shiner, and bigmouth buffalo. Significant inter-annual differences in relative abundance were observed, with generally increasing trends in intra-seasonal relative abundance of shiners and the smallest size classes of fish (<34 mm). Significant differences in the fish communities between the sandbar types were not detected in this study. These results suggest that mechanical sandbar habitats host comparable fish communities at similar levels of relative abundance. Among nests, significant differences were observed in substrates, amount of debris, and measures of vegetation between natural and created habitats, and between microhabitat at nests and the surrounding area. In general, Least Tern nest sites had coarser and larger substrate materials at the nest, more debris, and shorter and less vegetation compared to areas within the 3 m surrounding area. Nests in constructed habitats had a greater proportion of coarse substrates and less vegetation or debris than naturally created habitats. Observed nest success among constructed sandbars was 1.8x greater than that recorded among nests on natural sandbars, but a greater proportion of nests on natural bars were in or adjoining moist habitats where they were frequently destroyed. The best supported model predicting nest success on constructed and natural sandbars each included positive associations with percentage of pebble substrate, but inclusion of additional habitat predictors differed by sandbar type. Selection of microhabitat characteristics at the nest and vicinity constrains this species to barren water and wind scoured habitats. Historically, scoured habitats and the comparative abundance of debris within sites may have been a cue indicating safe habitats as river stage decreased. Water management regimes during this study favored survival of nests on higher elevation sandbars which included limited areas of wet substrates, typical of mechanically constructed sandbars. Among the micro-site habitat assessments for foraging birds, differences were not observed in water depth availability between natural or mechanically created habitats. Based on AIC relative importance scores, the variables water depth and microhabitat characteristics were most critical among micro-site characteristics of successful foraging locations; turbidity and larger scale aquatic features were comparatively of less importance. Within the greater landscape, Least Tern airborne locations within the river corridor were best explained by multi-scale logistic regressions; birds concentrated in areas with higher proportions of sandbar and wet sand habitats (200 m radius), while avoiding trees (50 m radius). When applied to a reserved sample of random locations, results suggest that in any given year, 40-97% of river corridor habitats were likely unsuitable for airborne terns. Furthermore, habitat use differed by behavior; foraging birds approached nearer to wet sand patches and in areas with less emergent sandbar habitat than flying birds, with some habitat relationships differing by year. Despite the surficial visual uniformity of many aquatic habitats on the Missouri River, successful foraging by Least Terns was associated with shallow, slack-water microhabitats adjacent to emergent sandbars and within areas with a greater proportion of sandbar habitat. This study demonstrates the importance of incorporating both spatial scale and behavior into ecological assessments of Least Tern foraging habitats.Item St. Louis River Watershed Streams & Lakes: Water Quality/Biological Monitoring(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2011-06-29) Axler, Richard P; Breneman, Dan; Brady, Valerie; Johnson, Lucinda B; Ruzycki, Elaine; Henneck, Jerald; Olker, Jennifer; Host, George E; Brown, Terry; Bartsch, WillThis provisional report is an addendum to the Surface Water Assessment Final Report entitled Surface Water Assessment St. Louis River Watershed: Streams and Lakes: Water quality/biological monitoring submitted to the MPCA electronically on June 29, 2011. That final report summarizes the water quality, habitat, macroinvertebrate, and fish data previously submitted to MPCA as the major part of this SWA project. This provisional report represents a detailed summary of the statistical analyses that the Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) at the University of Minnesota-Duluth is conducting using the data collected from this project together with previous and ongoing landscape stressor analyses conducted by NRRI via other funding sources over the past several years.