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Overview
Basics
Basics
To determine mechanisms that have contributed to the decline of these unique deepwater plant and invertebrate communities and develop appropriate restoration strategies. A monitoring plan will be developed to allow managers to track special status community response to restoration strategies, such as changes in light penetration and/or reductions
in non-native species. Monitoring of relatively long-lived organisms such as aquatic plants and invertebrates provides an important biological indicator of the overall health of the system, one that has received little attention in Lake Tahoe.
Completed
2011
2012
2014
$293,872
Kat McIntyre (KMcIntyre@trpa.gov)
10/27/2017
10/27/2017
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| Location Information | Location Notes |
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Organizations
EIP Details
EIP Basics
EIP Basics
04.01.01.0088 - P090: Understanding the Decline of Deepwater Sensitive Species in Lake Tahoe: Eutrophication vs. Species Invasion
Performance Measures
Expected Performance Measures
Expected Performance Measures
No expected performance measures set for this project.
Reported Performance Measures
Reported Performance Measures
No annual performance measure accomplishments entered for this project.
Funding
Expected Funding
Expected Funding
$293,872
$293,872
$0
| Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (Pacific Southwest Research Station) (USFS - PSW) | $293,872 | $293,872 | $0 |
| Grand Total | $293,872 | $293,872 | $0 |
Reported Expenditures
Reported Expenditures
| Total | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (Pacifi... | $293,872 | $73,468 | $73,468 | $73,468 | $73,468 |
| Grand Total | $293,872 | $73,468 | $73,468 | $73,468 | $73,468 |
Photos
Other Details
Watersheds
No watersheds set for this project.
Threshold Categories
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A comparison of historical and contemporary benthic surveys showed a large decline in bottom invertebrate and plant occurrence in the deepwater environment of Lake Tahoe. The decline in plants may be directly related to reductions in water clarity over the past 4 decades, while reductions in the invertebrate community may be related to plant declines and invasive species introductions.
Local and Regional Plans
No Local and Regional Plans set for this project.
Related Projects
Related Projects
No Related Projects set for this project.
External Links
No external links entered.
Notes
Notes
| 07/29/2017 10:21 AM | Kiara Cuerpo-Hadsall | Objectives: The goals of this proposal were to: 1) increase our understanding of the biology and ecology of deepwater special status plant and invertebrate communities, 2) determine mechanisms (e.g. decreased water clarity and the introduction of non-native species) that have contributed to declines in these communities over the past 40+ years, and 3) to create a restoration and monitoring plan based on determined mechanisms. Specific objectives and related hypotheses include: • Increase our understanding of special status aquatic plant (stoneworts, liverworts, and mosses) and invertebrate (Tahoe stonefly and blind amphipod) communities in deepwater “hotspot” areas of Lake Tahoe, and relate the distribution of these communities to depth, subsurface irradiance, substrate type, and availability of organic matter in sediments. • Increase our understanding of the biology and ecology of special status deepwater plants and invertebrates through seasonal tracking of populations, developmental state, and diet using stable isotopes. • Develop a P-I curve for commonly encountered deepwater plants in Lake Tahoe and link the curve to historical light data to determine how plant communities have responded to changes in clarity and how they may respond to future changes in water clarity. • Determine if non-native invertebrate species are affecting special status communities. • Identify a strategy to conserve and restore habitat for deepwater special status plant and invertebrate communities and develop a monitoring plan to evaluate community response to conservation and restoration strategies. |
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| 07/29/2017 10:21 AM | Kiara Cuerpo-Hadsall | Findings: • There is a tight association between Chara and C. lacustra in Lake Tahoe and it is likely that C. lacustra would not be able to maintain populations in the lake without Chara. There also is an association between the moss bed at the South Shore Mound and what is perhaps the only remaining extensive population of Stygobromus spp. in the lake. • The Camp Richardson Chara bed and the South Shore Mound moss bed are currently the only known areas that harbor healthy populations of endemic invertebrates. • Although the biology of many of the endemic invertebrate taxa in Lake Tahoe remains unknown, we have made some interesting discoveries about the life history of C. lacustra. Few stoneflies develop two reproductive cohorts simultaneously, as does C. lacustra, and it is the only stonefly that is known to give live birth. *** See www.fs.fed.us/PSW/partnerships/tahoescience for additional findings. |
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| 07/29/2017 10:20 AM | Kiara Cuerpo-Hadsall | Management Implications: • Because of the decline in deepwater plant beds in Lake Tahoe, C. lacustra has had its habitat severely restricted. Although the stonefly was placed on a list of endangered invertebrates by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature in 1983, was listed as a Species of Concern by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and was described as “critically imperiled” by the Nevada National Heritage Program in 1998, it has remained difficult to get recognition for this small species that lives at depth in Lake Tahoe. Although we have made headway in understanding the life history of C. lacustra, it has now become clear that we must also understand the ecology and biology of the plants that these endemic invertebrates depend on. • The unique nature of endemic invertebrate and plant populations in Lake Tahoe certainly warrants further attention and study. We suggest the delineation of conservation zones in the area of the South Shore Mound and Camp Richardson plant beds. Further study is needed to investigate the potential for plant growth in deeper areas of the lake and to monitor plant bed growth during periods of increasing water clarity. Finally, a diver’s survey of the lake in areas potentially colonized by Chara and moss (e.g., the 30-50 m depth zone) is suggested in order to search for other hotspots of biodiversity on the lake bottom. |