Current Research
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Data Collection for the Development and/or Revision of Water Quality Criteria for Wadeable Streams in the Arkansas River Valley
This research is being conducted in collaboration with Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (Joe Martin).
In 2001, the US EPA published recommended numeric water quality criteria for nutrients under section 304(a) of the Clean Water Act (66 FR 1671), with the intent that this document would serve as a starting point for states, tribes, interstate commissions, and others to develop refined nutrient criteria. The Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment (ADE&E), Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ) initiated studies to determine the most effective and efficient methods for accomplishing this task. The studies were designed to examine all water quality constituents for refinement of criteria. We are working with DEQ to collect invaluable information on water quality, stream habitat, and fish communities in the Arkansas River Valley.
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Status, Distribution, and Detectability of the Peppered Shiner (Notropis perpallidus) in Arkansas.
We are collaborating with Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (Justin Stroman), Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission (Dustin Lynch), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Tommy Inebnit), and Mitzi Cole (U.S.D.A. Forest Service) on this research.
In the state of Arkansas the status of many Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) is unknown or incomplete. One such species, the Peppered Shiner, is found in southern Arkansas in the Ouachita River drainage and is currently under review by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for listing. The last survey for the Peppered Shiner was completed in 1999-2001 by Robison (2006) and he reported a significant decline in the species distribution and abundance. More recent work from our lab that examined changes in community structure in the Ouachita River drainage also noted a decline in both the range and abundance of the Peppered Shiner, but these samples were not meant to target all historical locations of the species. Incorporation of targeted surveys at sites is allowing an estimate of how much effort would be required at a site to detect the species if it is in fact present. The objective of this proposed research is to determine the current status and distribution of the Peppered Shiner by targeted sampling of historical records while also providing an understanding of the effort needed to detect the species in future monitoring.
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Thermal physiology of fishes
This research is in collaboration with Matt Gifford (UCA).
Biotas in upland streams of Arkansas are particularly vulnerable to increased water temperatures, and upland streams within river networks are predicted to provide temperature refugia for aquatic organisms in mountainous regions of the southeastern U.S. as climates warm. The need for data in upland river networks of Arkansas is paramount. Measures of thermal tolerances are not known for most Arkansas fishes, and data we previously collected in the Ozarks indicate endemic fishes have significantly lower critical thermal maxima than more wide-ranging fishes. Thermal tolerance data can be used to help understand fishes most vulnerable to warming water temperatures in rivers.
We are currently examining the thermal tolerance of multiple Species of Greatest Conservation Need in the Ouachitas including Peppered Shiner, Caddo Madton, Paleback Darter, Ouachita Darter, and Rocky Shiner. We are using a field acclimitization protocol.
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A Case Study on the Fish Community Structure Before and After Removal of Low-Water Crossings in War Eagle Creek, Arkansas
In collaboration with Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Beaver Water District. We will apply BACI (Before-After-Control-Impact) experimental design to evaluate fish responses to barrier removals in War Eagle Creek. Replicate study sites have been established within the river segment where the three target barriers exist, spanning the river segment upstream of the barriers as well. Associated sampling on the same time schedule in nearby Kings River (~ 5 sites) will provide an additional spatiotemporal control outside of War Eagle Creek. Our base approach will be to sample fish communities with seine surveys and snorkel surveys and test for differences among sites over time using typical multivariate ordination approaches (e.g., NMDS) and associated tests of dissimilarity and dispersion. In addition, we have existing fish community data from similar sites along the mainstem Kings River and Buffalo River that can be used to provide perspective and context for the potential impact of barriers (and their removal) to the distribution of fishes in War Eagle Creek.
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Arkansas Game and Fish Commission designated multiple Conservation Opportunity Areas (COAs) through the State Wildlife Action Plan that comprise a significant portion of Species of Greatest Conservation Need, had important habitat available, and where opportunities for improvement were inherent. Several of the COAs are in need of road crossing inventories for future implementation of habitat restoration and we will be conducting these surveys in 2024 and 2025.. These include assessment of over 3,000 barriers in the Caddo River, Ouachita River, Spring River, Strawberry River, Eleven Point River, Kings River, War Eagle Creek, and Illinois River
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Monitoring of Restoration Efforts in the Kings River, Arkansas
The Kings River is in an aquatic hotspot in Arkansas and is considered a priority watershed for The Nature Conservancy (TNC). TNC created the Kings River Preserve (KRP) that includes ten miles of river. Excessive sedimentation is a primary threat to aquatic life in the Kings. The main causes of sedimentation in the Kings River have been identified as rural land uses, streambank erosion, and road and ditch runoff (FTN 2005). The Nature Conservancy is actively acquiring funds to address habitat degradation through restoration efforts.
We are partnering with The Nature Conservancy to provide baseline fish assemblage data for restoration. We plan to continue the monitoring long-term to examine the potential impacts of the restoration on the fish assemblage.
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Long-term monitoring of fishes in Piney Creek, AR
In collaboration with Dr. Bill Matthews and Dr. Edie Marsh- Matthews from the University of Oklahoma, we are examining the stability of fishes in Piney Creek, found in north-central Arkansas. This is a long-term project initiated by Dr. Matthews during his M.S. thesis at Arkansas State University. This project provided the inspiration for the statewide surveys.
