Characterizing coal and mineral mines as a regional source of stress to stream fish assemblages |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Biology, SUNY Buffalo State, 1300 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222, USA;2. Great Lakes Center, SUNY Buffalo State, 1300 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222, USA;3. New York Sea Grant Extension, SUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY 13126, USA;1. Biology Department, University of Minnesota Duluth, 1035 Kirby Drive, Duluth, MN 55812, United States;2. United States Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, 2630 Fanta Reed Road, La Crosse, WI 54603, United States;1. CILER, SNRE, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 48108, United States;2. Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, United States;3. Lake Erie Center, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Toledo, Oregon, OH, United States;4. The Nature Conservancy, South Bend, IN 46617, United States;5. Environmental Change Initiative, and Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46656, United States;6. The Nature Conservancy, Lansing, MI 48906, United States;1. Quantitative Fisheries Center, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA;2. Center for Limnology, College of Letters and Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA;3. Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA |
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| Abstract: | Mining impacts on stream systems have historically been studied over small spatial scales, yet investigations over large areas may be useful for characterizing mining as a regional source of stress to stream fishes. The associations between co-occurring stream fish assemblages and densities of various “classes” of mining occurring in the same catchments were tested using threshold analysis. Threshold analysis identifies the point at which fish assemblages change substantially from best available habitat conditions with increasing disturbance. As this occurred over large regions, species comprising fish assemblages were represented by various functional traits as well as other measures of interest to management (characterizing reproductive ecology and life history, habitat preferences, trophic ecology, assemblage diversity and evenness, tolerance to anthropogenic disturbance and state-recognized game species). We used two threshold detection methods: change-point analysis with indicator analysis and piecewise linear regression. We accepted only those thresholds that were highly statistically significant (p ≤ 0.01) for both techniques and overlapped within ≤5% error. We found consistent, wedge-shaped declines in multiple fish metrics with increasing levels of mining in catchments, suggesting mines are a regional source of disturbance. Threshold responses were consistent across the three ecoregions occurring at low mine densities. For 47.2% of the significant thresholds, a density of only ≤0.01 mines/km2 caused a threshold response. In fact, at least 25% of streams in each of our three study ecoregions have mine densities in their catchments with the potential to affect fish assemblages. Compared to other anthropogenic impacts assessed over large areas (agriculture, impervious surface or urban land use), mining had a more pronounced and consistent impact on fish assemblages. |
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| Keywords: | Threshold analysis Fish functional traits Landscape influences Game fishes Mining Rivers |
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