Semester of Graduation
Summer 2025
Degree
Master of Science (MS)
Department
School of Renewable Natural Resources
Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
Stream fishes in the southeastern United States are adapted to hydrological disturbances such as droughts. However, this region is projected to experience increasingly frequent and severe disturbances that will elevate water demands given increasing agricultural and urban development. Further, road-stream crossings (RSCs) are abundant features in these streams that can exacerbate drought-mediated stream fragmentation and impede movements by many aquatic organisms, including fishes, when poorly constructed. These compounding effects may adversely affect the diversity and abundances of resident stream fishes, but their interactions remain poorly understood, warranting rigorous testing of how droughts and RSCs influence stream fish dynamics. I assessed responses by a stream fish assemblage to drought-mediated hydrologic variation in the context of fish life history theory and the potential for RSCs to reduce aquatic connectivity in the Ichawaynochaway Creek watershed (ICW), located in southwestern Georgia, USA. The watershed is a drought-prone, biodiverse system with limited information on the quantity, location, and condition of RSCs. Results indicated local fish assemblages at several locations within the watershed varied considerably but not linearly over time and space, suggesting drought-tolerant fishes adapted to changing hydrologic conditions comprised these assemblages. Additionally, I used a standardized barrier assessment protocol to identify RSCs that severely modified stream habitats and likely obstructed aquatic organism passage in the watershed. This research highlights the importance of ecological frameworks to inform management of stream fish diversity in drought-prone areas and serves as a baseline for understanding impacts of road-related barriers on aquatic connectivity in this southeastern Gulf Coastal Plain watershed.
Date
7-2-2025
Recommended Citation
Duhé, Jake R., "Stream Fish Assemblage Dynamics and Barriers to Aquatic Connectivity in the Ichawaynochaway Creek Watershed, Georgia, USA" (2025). LSU Master's Theses. 6178.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/6178
Committee Chair
Hopper, Garrett W.
Included in
Aquaculture and Fisheries Commons, Population Biology Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons