A new USGS study quantifies how the diversity of fish changes when stream flow is altered in the Tennessee River basin:
The USGS study highlights the importance of the timing, magnitude, and variability of low streamflows and the frequency and magnitude of high streamflows as key characteristics critical to assessing how fish communities change in response to streamflow alteration. This study was completed using fish community data collected by the Tennessee Valley Authority, and predictions of streamflow characteristics at more than 600 locations.
The Tennessee River basin is one of the richest areas of aquatic diversity in the country, if not the world. However, expanding urban development, more than 600 privately held small dams on medium to small streams, and withdrawal of more than 700 million gallons of water each day threaten this diversity. Understanding the effect of streamflow alteration on aquatic ecology is increasingly important as change in land use and human population are projected.
Read more in the USGS press release and at USGS Tennessee Project: Environmental Flow Research.
Insectivorous fishes, such as Percinidae darters, Cyprinidae minnows, and Noturus madtoms, are among the most jeopardized fish in the Tennessee River Valley. Insectivorous fish represent a middle ground in the trophic structure of a stream, feeding on invertebrates while being prey for predator species. For their eggs to hatch insectivorous fish must lay them in gravel beds that are relatively clear of sediment. Insectivorous fish are sight-feeding and need clear water for feeding.
See more:
Streamflow influences fish health and abundance in Tennessee
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