2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference
March 13 - 15, 2022
6/06/2017 | 9:45 AM - 10:00 AM | LONG-TERM TRENDS IN ICHTHYOPLANKTON ASSEMBLAGE STRUCTURES IN A RECOVERING FRESHWATER TIDAL EMBAYMENT | 301A
LONG-TERM TRENDS IN ICHTHYOPLANKTON ASSEMBLAGE STRUCTURES IN A RECOVERING FRESHWATER TIDAL EMBAYMENT
Tidal freshwater systems are utilized for spawning and larval development by anadromous and freshwater fish species. Historically polluted by wastewater treatment effluent, Gunston Cove, is an embayment of the Potomac River that has shown improvement in water quality since nutrient loadings were significantly reduced in the 1980s. This improvement facilitated a transition from a phytoplankton dominated ecosystem, to a system whose primary production is driven by submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in the last decade. This study aims to determine effects of observed trends in environmental quality on ichthyoplankton assemblage structures. Using data from ichthyoplankton tows conducted since 1993, we employed multivariate statistical approaches to explore relationships between assemblages and environmental variables associated with nutrient loading. We found a significant difference between assemblage structures sampled within the cove during phytoplankton and SAV dominated periods. Increases in abundance of fish species that utilize SAV for spawning were found to be significant and correlated with decreases in total nitrogen, total phosphorus and total suspended solids. Outcomes from this analysis help broaden the understanding of point source nutrient reduction in ecosystems undergoing recovery.
- C02 Fish and Other Aquatic Vertebrates
- C24 Eutrophication
- C28 Land-Water Interfaces & C29 Life Histories
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Presenters/Authors
Amanda Sills
(), George Mason University, asills@ectinc.com;
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Kim de Mutsert
(), George Mason University, kdemutse@gmu.edu;
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