Anita Marie Lahey
The Roanoke Logperch (Percina rex) is a federally endangered freshwater fish found in Virginia. Thanks to surveys funded by VDOT and USFWS, our project has discovered two new populations of logperch this year. These are the first new populations of Roanoke logperch to be discovered in 28 years, and increase known populations by 50%!
I am creating a general model of river reaches suitable for logperch based on known occurrences. I am also assessing habitat suitability for logperch at all sites surveyed.
Over two field seasons, I have surveyed 40 sites in 3rd to 5th order streams in Virginia's Roanoke and Chowan watersheds. Each site comprises five riffles with intervening runs and pools and averages 1000 m in length. For each riffle I have compiled fish assemblage, relative abundance, and habitat data.
With this dataset, I will look at two things: abundance-distribution relations in stream fishes and ecological correlates of patchiness in stream fish distribution.
Distribution-abundance:
Macroecologists have noticed that for most taxa, a species' range is positively correlated to its local density. I will test whether this is a statistical artefact of using incidence as a proxy for distribution.
Patchiness:
Fish may be homogeneously or patchily distributed depending on spatial extent and grain of study. I will look at patchiness of fish distribution at three grains: among riffles, sites, and watersheds. Do certain ecological traits such as feeding or reproductive guilds predispose a species to patchiness?
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IpsumPUBLICATIONS:
(Available on request)
Range-wide assessment of habitat suitability for Roanoke logperch (Percina rex): Screening Model (Report to VTRC, 8/06)
Habitat Suitability for Roanoke Logperch near Philpott Reservoir: US ACE Final Report (3/06)
A Survey for Roanoke Logperch in the Roanoke and Meherrin River Drainages, Virginia: US FWS Final Report (2/06)
A Survey for Roanoke Logperch in the Roanoke and Meherrin River Drainages, Virginia: US FWS Interim Report (2/05)
A Review of Roanoke Logperch (Percina rex) Distribution and Habitat Use: Report to VTRC (5/05)
The Angermeier Lab
Emmanuel Frimpong
Nick Lapointe
Anita Lahey
