Effects of mountaintop mining on fish distributions in central Appalachia |
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| Authors: | Robert L Hopkins II Jordan C Roush |
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| Institution: | 1. Biology Department, University of Rio Grande, , Rio Grande, OH, USA;2. United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, , Point Pleasant, WV, USA |
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| Abstract: | Mountaintop mining with valley fills (MTM/VF) is the main source of landscape change in central Appalachia. While our knowledge of the local‐scale effects of MTM/VF on stream chemistry and biotic assemblages has recently improved, the effects at the landscape scale are less well known. In this study, we explore the effects of MTM/VF on the distributions of six fish species with contrasting ecologies in the upper Kentucky River basin, an area heavily affected by MTM/VF. Using a museum‐based data set of 239 occurrence records, land use/land cover data and boosted regression tree modelling, we were able to create robust predictive models for the focal species (AUCs = 0.82–0.93). Models explained from 41.2 to 71.9% of the variation in species distributions. We detected a marked negative influence of MTM/VF in four of the six species distribution models – with relative influences ranging from 5.9–12.7%. Species typically inhabiting faster‐flowing riffle and run mesohabitats appeared to respond more strongly to MTM/VF. Interestingly, the mean patch size of MTM/VF was more influential than the overall proportion of the watershed affected by MTM/VF in our models. Thus, our data suggest the spatial pattern of mining disturbance is very important in determining the cumulative impact of MTM/VF. Considering the central Appalachian region is a continental hot spot for freshwater biodiversity, establishing a firm understanding of the effects of MTM/VF at the landscape scale is essential if we wish to protect these natural resources. |
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| Keywords: | mining impact Appalachian streams landscape spatial pattern predictive modelling |
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