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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » Forage Seed and Cereal Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #144618

Title: FISH AND 'PHIBS AFIELD: WET-SEASON USE OF INTERMITTENT STREAMS IN THE CALAPOOIA BASIN LOWLANDS, WILLAMETTE VALLEY, OR

Author
item GERTH, WILLIAM - OSU - FISH & WILDLIFE
item LI, JUDY - OSU - FISH & WILDLIFE
item GIANNICO, GUILLERMO - OSU - FISH & WILDLIFE
item BOYER, KATHRYN - USDA NRCS WILDLIFE MGT
item Steiner, Jeffrey
item Griffith, Stephen

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/31/2003
Publication Date: 6/30/2003
Citation: GERTH, W., LI, J., GIANNICO, G., BOYER, K., STEINER, J.J., GRIFFITH, S.M. FISH AND 'PHIBS AFIELD: WET-SEASON USE OF INTERMITTENT STREAMS IN THE CALAPOOIA BASIN LOWLANDS, WILLAMETTE VALLEY, OR. Annual Meeting Oregon Chapter American Fisheries Society. 2003. Abstract p. 54.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Intermittent streams in the Calapooia basin lowlands form an extensive system of channels that deliver water and allochthonous material from agricultural lands to the Calapooia River. We hypothesized that these channels could also provide habitat for fish and amphibians during the wet-season. Twelve sites in six intermittent drainages were sampled repeatedly from Nov 2001 through May 2002 to determine spatial and temporal use by aquatic vertebrates. Overall, 10 fish, three amphibian, and one turtle species were caught. All vertebrates caught were native species, though exotic species are common in the basin. Amphibians were caught at sites with ponded water or low-velocity habitats. Fish were rarely caught at sites in drainages with small watershed areas and steep confluences with the Calapooia River mainstem. As distances from perennial water increased in larger drainages, vertebrate catch per unit effort (CPUE) and average number of species caught per sampling visit decreased. Vertebrate abundances and species richness were not correlated with measures of water quality variables (nitrate- and ammonium-N, soluble reactive phosphorous, and suspended sediment). Future work will focus on factors associated with high vertebrate diversity and abundance to identify those practices that best enhance aquatic vertebrate habitat quality.