Date of Award
8-25-2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Environmental Sciences, Ph.D.
First Advisor
Brook Fluker
Committee Members
Averi Fegadel; Jacob Egge; Lorin Neuman-Lee; Travis Marsico
Call Number
LD 251 .A566d 2023 M33
Abstract
Freshwater ecosystems are among the most modified and threatened environments, with increased anthropogenic activities causing habitat degradation, alteration to environmental function and structure, overexploitation of resources, and widespread distribution of non-native species leading to loss of biodiversity. A common conservation management strategy is to create protective areas that encompass the distribution of at-risk species. The objective of protected areas is to address issues that have been cited as the three primary threats to freshwater environments: land-use disturbances, altered hydrology, and introduction of non-native species. There are many methods to delineate protected areas including the use of surrogate species, a management umbrella for species used as a shortcut for managing an ecosystem, and the maintenance of viable populations of such species through safeguards is extrapolated to sustain other sympatric species' populations and their ability to maintain growth rates. The broad distribution of Noturus species, their overlap with other imperiled and threatened species, and the funding allotted to imperiled species creates an opportunity for Noturus species to be utilized as conservation tools for headwater communities. There are specific criteria that need to be met, however, for a group of species to be used as management umbrella species, and Noturus is an understudied genus with knowledge gaps that could hinder its utility. The aim of this dissertation, therefore, is to address the knowledge gaps and promote non-game, non-model aquatic species as surrogate species for alternative conservation management strategies for the rivers of the southeastern U.S.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
McCall, Brittany Latrice, "The Potential Use of Madtom Catfishes (Ictaluridae: Noturus) as Conservation Tools for Headwater Streams of the Southeastern United" (2023). Student Theses and Dissertations. 168.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/168
