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Item Aquatic invertebrate colonization as a river restoration success criterion: a case study of the upper Blackfoot mining complex superfund site(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2023) Deyoe, Matthew Len; Co-chairs, Graduate Committee: Anthony Hartshorn and William KleindlIn 1975 the Mike Horse Dam partially collapsed, releasing 200,000 tons of cadmium, copper, iron, lead, manganese, and zinc into the streams and floodplains on the Upper Blackfoot Mining Complex (UBMC) in Montana, USA. The magnitude of the material that was toxic to humans from this event triggered the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), which currently governs 1,329 sites across the USA. Portions of the $39 million lawsuit in 2008 with the American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO), funded the remediation and restoration of 37 hectares of floodplains, wetlands, and stream channels. Although CERCLA's success criteria focus on reducing risk to human health from hazardous substances, the Montana Natural Resource Damage Program was interested in aquatic invertebrate colonization of the restored river ecosystems, since they are monitoring progress of restoration. To answer this, I explored whether observations of invertebrate colonization could gauge restoration success and identify aquatic invertebrate-based tools for future restoration projects. Over three years, I compared invertebrate communities at five impacted "restored" sites on the UBMC with ten unimpacted "reference" sites. I then quantified colonization using seven indices: four statistical taxonomic diversity and similarity indices, the River Invertebrate Prediction and Classification System (RIVPACS), the Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity (B-IBI), and a new Stable Isotopic Colonization Index (SICI) which estimated isotopic complexity using metrics derived from delta 15N and delta 13C stable isotopes. Statistical diversity and similarity indices showed the restored sites were diversifying quickly. For example, from 2020 to 2023, the average (+ or - 1SD) Shannon Diversity of restored sites increased from 1.1 + or - 0.5 to 1.8 + or - 0.43 while reference was 2.1 + or - 0.3. The average B-IBI of restored sites increased from 11.1 + or - 4.8 in 2020 to 31.7 + or - 7.7 in 2023 while reference B-IBI was 65.7 + or - 4.5, indicating ongoing ecosystem recovery, but this index required taxonomic identification to the genus level. The average SICI for restored sites was 23.3 + or - 6.1 and reference was 54 + or - 9.2, and SICI required identification to the family level. Restoration efforts on the UBMC have resulted in a promising trajectory, but continuous monitoring is imperative to ascertain if restored streams have reached reference conditions.Item Macroinvertebrate diversity, community structure, and dispersal are affected by tributary identity and confluence conditions in a regulated river(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2023) Maguire, Zachary John; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Lindsey Albertson; This is a manuscript style paper that includes co-authored chapters.Tributaries are essential components of freshwater ecosystems, playing a crucial role in maintaining connectivity and providing habitat for a diverse array of aquatic organisms. The role of tributaries in creating heterogeneity in physical conditions and food resources for fishes could be critical, yet little is known about how variable conditions in different tributaries in regulated river systems influence the mainstem. Using field observations in five tributaries on the Madison River, Montana, we found that tributaries in the same network and within relatively short distances of 60km varied greatly in their environmental conditions, macroinvertebrate densities, and macroinvertebrate community structure. Downstream of confluences macroinvertebrate richness increased overall, and per capita weight of drifting macroinvertebrates decreased overall. These findings suggest that confluences may act as hotspots for biodiversity in regulated rivers and introduce smaller bodied macroinvertebrates to the drift. The amount that a tributary influenced benthic richness and mean per capita weight in the drift downstream of its confluence was related to land use and abiotic factors within that tributary; both macroinvertebrate metrics significantly increased in magnitude downstream of confluences with higher percentage of US Forest Service land, cooler temperatures, decreased discharge, and increased elevation loss (i.e. steeper watershed slope). In contrast, tributaries that had a larger proportion of agricultural land, warmer temperatures, and higher discharge more strongly influenced benthic macroinvertebrate metrics. These tributaries supported higher benthic density and biomass downstream of confluences. Our results offer insight into the ways that tributaries can create heterogeneous habitats that in turn structure macroinvertebrate communities in mainstem rivers and suggest that conservation and restoration of these essential components of freshwater ecosystems is a well-spent endeavor in rivers with regulated mainstems. Future research will need to test the ubiquity of the patterns we observed in other river networks and under other global changes such as pollution, invasive species, and drought. Continued understanding of the importance of heterogeneity imparted by tributaries and their confluences on diversity, availability, and quality of food for threaten fishes is needed to guide restoration efforts aimed at improving river condition and resilience.Item Wetland biodiversity in Grand Teton National Park(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2022) Levandowski, Mary Lynn; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Andrea Litt; Andrea R. Litt was a co-author of the article, 'Spatial and temporal isolation and size of wetlands influence richness and functional composition of aquatic macroinvertebrates' which is contained within this thesis.; Andrea R. Litt, Megan F. McKenna, Shan Burson and Kristin L. Legg were co-authors of the article, 'Multi-method biodiversity assessments from wetlands in Grand Teton National Park' in the journal 'Ecological indicators' which is contained within this thesis.Freshwater wetlands support high biodiversity, yet many wetlands are subject to shifts in precipitation and temperature under projected climate patterns. These changes can alter wetland hydrological regimes, potentially leading to longer or more frequent dry periods, with effects that differ among taxa. In this thesis we aim to build on the understanding about biodiversity in wetlands and how these species may be affected by climate change, in hopes of providing information for land management. To accomplish these goals, we first focused on macroinvertebrates, a group that employs diverse strategies for surviving wetland drying. We explored the roles of wetland size, spatial isolation, and temporal isolation on macroinvertebrate richness and community composition. In summer 2018, we collected macroinvertebrates from 18 wetlands in Grand Teton National Park. We found macroinvertebrate family richness increased with wetland depth and slower rates of drying. We also found the interaction between spatial and temporal isolation explained the most variation in community composition for all the life history strategies we examined. Second, we explored the utility of different automated tools to monitor biodiversity in wetlands. In 2017, we placed wildlife cameras, as well as acoustic (audible and ultrasonic) recorders at 4 permanent wetlands in Grand Teton National Park for a week in June and August; we also completed a visual survey during each of these time intervals. We compared the number and type of species detected by each method over the summer to evaluate the effectiveness of each method for monitoring. Using wildlife cameras, in addition to visual surveys, increased the observation time at surveyed wetlands, captured complementary species, and recorded dynamics in the water level during the summer. These two chapters provide insights about how changes resulting from increased drying may affect one of the most biodiverse taxa and offer methods that allow monitoring of many taxa simultaneously.Item Spanish Creek water quality(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2019) Nealen, Carolyn Ruth; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg FrancisSpanish Creek's water quality was monitored over several months, through collection of data from nine parameters. Specific data from two sites were compared to determine the impact of recreational use upon overall stream health. Macroinvertebrates were also sampled. Data was graphed and analyzed for patterns. Results suggest that Spanish Creek's water quality is Good and that recreational use does not negatively impact stream health.Item Wetted stream channel, fish-food organisms and trout relative to the wetted perimeter inflection point instream flow method(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1993) Lohr, Samuel ClarkItem Aquatic vegetation, salinity, aquatic invertebrates, and duck brood use at Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge, Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1990) Johnson, Kevin MarkItem The fish and aquatic invertebrates in Sarpy Creek, Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1978) Clancey, Christopher GerardItem Effects of toxaphene upon plankton and aquatic invertebrates in North Dakota lakes(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1962) Needham, Robert G.Item The effects of supersaturation of dissolved gases on aquatic invertebrates of the Bighorn River downstream of Yellowtail Afterbay Dam(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1991) Brammer, James AllenItem Population dynamics of rotifers and some factors affecting their populations in Canyon Ferry Reservoir, Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1971) Kaiser, Gerald Lynn