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River Regulation Decreases Genetic Health of a Sensitive Frog, Rana boylii


Ryan Peek

PhD Candidate, Ecology

2018/01/11 11:25am


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Acknowledgements

  • Mike Miller & Sean O'Rourke

  • Center for Watershed Sciences

  • Brad Shaffer

  • Amy Lind

  • Corey Luna, many field helpers, SYRCL, Sierra Streams Institute

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"The face of the water, in time, became a wonderful book--a book that was a dead language to the uneducated passenger, but which told its mind to me without reserve… And it was not a book to be read once and thrown aside, for it had a new story to tell every day” (Mark Twain, Two Views of the Mississippi, 1883)

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The abridged history of Sierra Nevada Rivers

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The abridged history of Sierra Nevada Rivers

  • Rivers flow largely uninterrupted for 20,000+ years

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The abridged history of Sierra Nevada Rivers

  • Rivers flow largely uninterrupted for 20,000+ years

  • Hydraulic Mining begins in 1853, banned in 1884.

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The abridged history of Sierra Nevada Rivers

  • Rivers flow largely uninterrupted for 20,000+ years

  • Hydraulic Mining begins in 1853, banned in 1884.

  • Regulation via dams/diversion/hydropower (1930's-today)

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CA Anthropogenic Legacy: Mining

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CA Dammed Rivers

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Hydroelectric power generation comprises over half of all renewable energy generation in California (California Energy Commission 2010

Majority (84%) of dams are for: 47% Irrigation (n=709) 23% Water supply (n=342) 14% Hydroelectric (n=207)

CA Dammed Rivers

  • Over 1,400 large dams (NID 2007)

  • Residential energy demands expected to increase by 24% by 2035 (US EIA 2010)

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Hydroelectric power generation comprises over half of all renewable energy generation in California (California Energy Commission 2010

Majority (84%) of dams are for: 47% Irrigation (n=709) 23% Water supply (n=342) 14% Hydroelectric (n=207)

Unreg. flow patterns, high seasonality & predictability

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Reg. flow patterns limit connectivity, disrupt predictability

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Small populations with limited connectivity may have reduced adaptive potential, or genetic health

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Foothill yellow-legged frogs (Rana boylii)

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Foothill yellow-legged frogs (Rana boylii)

  • Obligate river breeding frog, uses wide range of habitat, but has disappeared from over 50% of historical range

  • Being evaluated as candidate for state and federal listing under ESA

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Foothill yellow-legged frogs (Rana boylii)

  • Obligate river breeding frog, uses wide range of habitat, but has disappeared from over 50% of historical range

  • Being evaluated as candidate for state and federal listing under ESA

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FYLF make excellent hydrologic indicators

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FYLF make excellent hydrologic indicators

  • R. boylii strongly linked with local hydrology, and thus the hydrologic history

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FYLF make excellent hydrologic indicators

  • R. boylii strongly linked with local hydrology, and thus the hydrologic history

  • Spawning timing & habitat selection is tied to receding flow cues & increasing water temperatures

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  • 90% of eggs observed in Sierras were in shallow, sheltered waters (n=147) (Bondi et al. 2013)

    • < 0.67 m total depth
    • < 0.15 m/s velocity

Study

Has river (flow) regulation caused genetic fragmentation in R. boylii?

Can we quantify this genetic signature for specific hydrologic flow regimes?

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Study

Has river (flow) regulation caused genetic fragmentation in R. boylii?

Can we quantify this genetic signature for specific hydrologic flow regimes?

  • Use genome-wide methods RADSeq/RAPTURE (Ali et al. 2016)

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Study Area

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Study Area: American Watershed

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Hydrographs: Unimpaired

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Hydrographs: Unimpaired

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Hydrographs: Impaired (Hydropeaking)

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Hydrographs: Impaired (Hydropeaking)

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RESULTS: Anomolous genetic pattern in highly regulated MF American watershed

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PCA: Sierra Nevada


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Why does structure matter? Indicates loss of variation, potential limited connectivity, small population sizes, isolation, divergence, etc.

PCA: Unimpaired NF American


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PCA: Impaired (hydropeaking) MF American


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Assessing Population Connectivity using FST (Wright 1950):

a measure of population differentiation due to genetic structure

  • Scaled 0=(panmixis) to 1=(completely different)

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FST vs. River Distance

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Evidence of Bottlenecks/Limited Genetic Variation for Impaired Flow Types

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Loss of genetic diversity in regulated systems >> unregulated

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River regulation is the strongest predictor of population isolation, NOT distance!

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Boosted Regression Tree Models

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Summary:

Flow alteration is having a direct impact on a hydrologically sensitive species at a genomic level

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Summary:

Flow alteration is having a direct impact on a hydrologically sensitive species at a genomic level

The current population trajectory is highly concerning in Sierras

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Summary:

Flow alteration is having a direct impact on a hydrologically sensitive species at a genomic level

The current population trajectory is highly concerning in Sierras

Flow management and listing distinct population segments may afford some protection...

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Summary:

Flow alteration is having a direct impact on a hydrologically sensitive species at a genomic level

The current population trajectory is highly concerning in Sierras

Flow management and listing distinct population segments may afford some protection...

RAPTURE/RADSeq is a powerful & effective method

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Thank you!

Slides : ryanpeek.github.io/presentations

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Acknowledgements

  • Mike Miller & Sean O'Rourke

  • Center for Watershed Sciences

  • Brad Shaffer

  • Amy Lind

  • Corey Luna, many field helpers, SYRCL, Sierra Streams Institute

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