1. The Huron River Fish Community

2. The Pleistocene Epoch Most recent ice age to date
Forced native species south in refugia
Completely reshaped the topography of Michigan
Opened up new niches for colonizers to occupy

3. The Huron River Watershed
Comprises an area of approximately 1000 mi.2
Main branch: 136 miles
Main branch + tributaries: 367 miles
Headwaters at Big Lake near Huron Swamp in Oakland county
Flows out into northwest corner of Lake Eerie

5. Early Human Colonization
European settlers arrived in the 1600’s.
Utilized for trade and transportation
Development of the surrounding area increased over time
Draining swamps
Channelization
Lake-level control structures
Hydroelectric Dams

6. BARTON PLANT

7. Physiology of temperate, freshwater, lotic fishes
Thermoregulation
Osmoregulation
Morphology

8. Thermoregulation Ectothermal (“ecto” = external; “thermal” = heat)
Refers to the source of heat
not variability in body temperature (i.e. homeotherm/poikilotherm), which are outdated terms
Most fishes are ectotherms
Exceptions: Tunas (large bodied fishes)
Trade-offs abound in nature
While endotherms experience certain adaptive advantages (such as, the ability to perform sustained vigorous activity, ability to withstand extremes in environmental temperature, and a buffering system against external temperature fluxuatiosn), it results in a dramatic reallocation of resources to maintenance.
Increased costs of endotherms:
A human (endotherm) of the same size as an alligator (ectoterm) needs 22 times as many calories at resting state than their ectothermal companion
As a result endotherms require m
Source:

9. Thermoregulation Fish Responses to Temperature : Behavioral
Dormancy
Swimming rates
Feeding behaviors
Physiological
Metabolism
Enzymatic structure/activity
Gene expression
Morphological
Size changes
Fishes respond to changes in temperature at multiple levels.  
they may respond behaviorally by undergoing a period of dormancy or by physically evading the undesirable temperature
they also can change their swimming or feeding rates to conserve energy (Johnson and Dunn, 1987).  
Researchers suggested early in the 20th century that polar fish should experience a metabolic adaptation to cold (Clarke 1991).  However, Clarke and Johnson conducted a metastudy relating metabolic rates to temperature in teleost fish and found no evidence supporting the hypothesis that polar teleosts have significantly different resting metabolic rates to compensate for their cold environment.  However, they did find a curvilinear relationship between oxygen consumption and temperature, suggesting that temperature does indeed affect metabolism in fishes.  
Pörter et al. suggest that there are metabolic costs to eurythermal ectotherms in comparison to their stenothermal counterparts.  Eurythermal organisms experience higher energy costs at extreme temperatures compared to thermally specialized marine fishes.  This pattern is likely in freshwater systems, as well.  
Johnson and Dunn reported increases in mitochondria density and capillaries in the skeletal muscles as temperature decreased.  These changes occurred in temperate fish in times spans as short as one second and as long as more than a month. Mechanisms such as changes in enzyme structure and activity and alterations in gene expression were proposed to explain observed physiological changes.  
Furthermore, it is important to note that these changes are not mutually exclusive.  A fish that undergoes dormancy may concurrently undergo homeostatic responses to compensate for deleterious effects of reduced temperatures.

10. Osmoregualtion Freshwater is more dilute than body fluids
FW fishes maintain water balance by excreting dilute urine.
Organisms living in water must overcome issues arising from concentration gradients of water
Osmosis, the movement of water through a semipermeable membrane from high to low concentration of water. Movement from more dilute to less dilute water.
In order to overcome the dilute concentration of water externally compared with their body fluids organisms must osmoregulate
FW fishes excrete dilute urine in order to shed some

11. Morphology Increased swimming velocity to overcome strong currents
Streamline body, symmetrical caudal fin, derived locomotion
Most adaptations to lotic environments are behavioral
Source: Long Term Ecological Research Network,

12. Life History
Freshwater is most diverse group of fishes due to diversity of habitats
High seasonality means that fish must cope with differing environments throughout the year
Different environments will favor different suites of traits

13. Types of Strategies
Opportunistic: small body size, early maturation, low juvenile survivorship
Habitat: areas with high disturbance rates

14. Types of Strategies
Equilibrium: small to medium body size, moderate age at maturation, low fecundity per reproductive cycle, high juvenile survivorship (usually due to parental care)
Habitat: low environmental disturbance rates

15. Types of Strategies
Periodic: large body size, late maturation, high fecundity, low juvenile survivorship
Habitat: highly seasonal but otherwise stable
Example:

16. Community Structure Northern brook lamprey Ichthyomyzon fossor (rare)
Mimic shiner Notropis volucellus
Brown trout Salmo trutta
Pugnose minnow Opsopoeodus emiliae (rare)
Trout-perch Percopsis omiscomaycus
Silver lamprey Ichthyomyzon unicuspis (rare)
Northern redbelly dace Phoxinus eos (rare)
Banded killifish Fundulus diaphanus
American brook lamprey Lampetra appendix
Southern redbelly dace Phoxinus erythrogaster (threatened)
Blackstripe topminnow Fundulus notatus
Sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus
Brook silversides Labidesthes sicculus
Spotted gar Lepisosteus oculatus (rare)
Bluntnose minnow Phimephales notatus
Brook stickleback Culaea inconstans
Longnose gar Lepisosteus osseus
Fathead minnow Pimephales promelas
Mottled sculpin Cottus bairdi
Bowfin Amia calva
Blacknose dace Rhinichthys atratulus
White perch Morone americana
Mooneye Hiodon tergisus (endangered)
Creek chub Semotilus atromaculatus
White bass Morone chrysops
Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus
White sucker Catostomus commersoni
Rock bass Ambloplites rupestris
Gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum
Lake chubsucker Erimyzon sucetta
Green sunfish Lepomis cyanellus
Central stoneroller Campostoma anomalum
Northern hogsucker Hypentelium nigricans
Pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus
Goldfish Carassius auratus
Spotted sucker Minytrema melanops
Warmouth Lepomis gulosus
Redside dace Clinostomus elongatus (threatened)
Black redhorse Moxostoma duquesnei (declining)
Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus
Spotfin shiner Cyprinella spilotera
Golden redhorse Moxostoma erythrurum
Longear sunfish Lepomis megalotis
Common carp Cyprinus carpio
Shorthead redhorse Moxostoma macrolepidotum
Redear sunfish Lepomis microlophus
Striped shiner Luxilus chrysocephalus
Greater redhorse Moxostoma valenciennesi (rare)
Smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieui
Common shiner Luxilus cornatus
Black bullhead Ameiurus melas
Largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides
Redfin shiner Lythrurus umbratilis (rare)
Yellow bullhead Ameiurus natalis
White crappie Pomoxis annularis
Silver chub Macrhybopsis storeriana (rare)
Brown bullhead Ameiurus nebulosus
Black crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus
Hornyhead chub Nocomis bigutatus
Channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus
Eastern sand darter Ammocrypta pellucida (threatened)
River chub Nocomis micropogon
Stonecat Noturus flavus
Golden shiner Notemigonus crysoleucas
Tadpole madtom Noturus gyrinus
Greenside darter Etheostoma blennioides
Pugnose shiner Notropis anogenus (rare)
Brindled madtom Noturus miurus (declining)
Rainbow darter Etheostoma caeruleum
Emerald shiner Notropis atherinoides
Northern madtom Noturus stigmosus (endangered)
Iowa darter Etheostoma exile
Silverjaw minnow Notropis buccatus (rare)
Fantail darter Etheostoma flabellare
Bigmouth shiner Notropis dorsalis (rare)
Grass pickerel Esox americanus vermiculatus
Least darter Etheostoma microperca
Blacknose shiner Notropis heterolepis
Northern pike Esox lucius
Johnny darter Etheostoma nigrum
Blackchin shiner Notropis heterodon
Central mudminnow Umbra limi
Yellow perch Perca flavescens
Spottail shiner Notropis hudsonius
Cisco (lake herring) Coregonus artedi
Northern logperch Percina caprodes
Silver shiner Notropis photogenis (threatened)
Coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch
Blackside darter Percina maculata
Rosyface shiner Notropis rubellus
Rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss
Sand shiner Notropis stramineus
Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
(Hay-Chiemewlski et al. 1995)

17. Community Structure 99 different species of fish 5 threatened
Silver shiner
Redside dace
Southern redbelly dace
Eastern sand darter
Sauger
1 endangered
Northern madtom H

18. Introduced Exotics Sea lamprey Alewife Goldfish Common carp
Bigmouth shiner
Rainbow trout
Coho salmon
Chinook salmon
Brown trout
White perch
Redear sunfish

19. Riffles and Gravel Substrate
Common shiner
Hornyhead and creek chub
Northern hogsucker
Brindled madtom
Rock bass
Mottled sculpin
Rainbow and greenside darter
Blacknose dace

20. Pools and Abundant Vegetation
Central mudminnow
Grass pickerel
Pugnose minnow
Lake chubsucker
Yellow bullhead
Brook stickleback
Least darter
Blackstripe topminnow

21. Impoundments Northern pike Small- and largemouth bass
Black and white crappies
Walleye
Channel catfish
Muskellunge
Bluegill

22. Potamodromous Below Flat Rock Dam from Lake Erie Walleye
Chinook salmon
Coho salmon
Steelhead/rainbow trout
White bass
Sauger

23. Anthropogenic Effects of the Huron River
Dams
Invasive Species
Implications

24. Photo retrieved from: Huron River Watershed Council
Dams
98 dams in the Huron watershed, most for water level regulation
Dam removal: improved fisheries, increased aquatic species, improved water quality (Riggs 2003)
Photo retrieved from: Huron River Watershed Council

25. Invasive Species Zebra & Quagga Mussels Asian Carp Rainbow Smelt
Harmful species to ecosystem (Mackie 1991)
Stable conditions, little threat (Birkett 2011)
Asian Carp
Rainbow Smelt
Decline of walleye populations (Mercado-Silva 2005)
Alewife

26. Implications
Huron stocked with channel catfish, smallmouth bass, and walleye (Riggs 2003)
Conservation efforts in Huron watershed: dam removal, prevention and control of invasives, maintenance of surrounding ecosystems

27. Literature Cited
Birkett K.M An Analysis of Spatial and Temporal Changes in Fish and Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities Associated with Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) Abundance in the Huron River, Southeastern Michigan. University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources & Environment.
Hay-Chmielewski, E. M., Paul W. Seelbach, Gary E. Whelan, and Douglas B. Jester Jr Huron River Assessment. Michigan Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division, Fisheries Special Report No. 16.
Mackie Biology of the exotic zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, to native bivalves and its potential impact in Lake St. Clair. Hydrobiologia 219:
Mercado-Silva, Norman. Invasive species in aquatic systems: Population, community, food web and landscape perspectives. Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 2005.
Riggs, Elizabeth H.W Ann Arbor, MI. Huron River Watershed Council. Case studies in river restoration through dam removal.