Thesis Defense: Project Description
Title: Fish Assemblage Structure in Natural, Channelized, and Restored sections of Nippersink Creek, McHenry County, IL
A thesis submitted to the faculty of the Graduate School in candidacy for the degree of Master of Science.
by Sarah A. Zack
Department of Biology
Chicago, Illinois
Friday, December 4, 2009, 11:30 AM, Quinlan Life Sciences Building, Room 312
Abstract
Degradation of aquatic habitats and loss of biodiversity are growing concerns of natural resource managers and the general public. Channelization, the common historical practice of straightening streams and rivers for agricultural interests, has had profound detrimental effects on the biodiversity of lotic fish assemblages. Nippersink Creek, McHenry County, IL is a 39 km stream that flows through an area valued for its fish, wildlife, and invertebrate biodiversity. A 5000 meter reach of the stream was channelized in the 1950’s to support agriculture in the area, however, recent restoration efforts by the McHenry County Conservation District have restored historical meanders to the stream in an attempt to reverse the effects of channelization. Although these efforts are intended to return the stream to its natural, pre-agricultural condition, oftentimes stream restoration efforts may have unknown detrimental effects or unintended consequences because the process of restoration is a disturbance to lotic fish assemblages.
This project assessed and compared fish assemblage structure, habitat, and biotic integrity of historically channelized, restored, and natural sections of Nippersink Creek. Data gathered by McHenry County Conservation District before restoration efforts began were used for historical context. Index of Biotic Integrity analyses of extant conditions indicate that species richness is low in comparison to historical data, but is as high or higher in the restored section of Nippersink Creek compared to upstream and downstream natural areas. This suggests that the restoration effort was successful. An analysis of habitat variables found that percent silt, gravel, and algal substrate cover were most important in influencing fish assemblage structure, although a more complete suite of habitat variables should be sampled in future studies to more definitively determine the most important factors. Results from this study contribute to a greater understanding of the effects of stream restoration on fish assemblages in Midwestern agricultural streams, and are valuable in future stream restoration efforts within the Chicago area and throughout the United States.
VITA
Sarah A. Zack graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2001 with Bachelor of Science degrees in both Zoology and Biological Aspects of Conservation. Following a position at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, where she first started working in streams and rivers, Sarah decided to pursue a Master of Science degree in Biology at Loyola University Chicago, focusing on aquatic ecology. She is currently working as an Instructor in both the Natural Science and Biology departments at Loyola University Chicago and as a Lab Manager and Scientist at EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, an environmental consulting firm in the Chicagoland area.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
There are a lot of people who deserve thanks for helping me see this project through to the end. First and foremost, I’d like to thank my family, without whom I would be lost! The field work never would have been completed without my dad and brother, Kent and Mike Olson, who helped me sample the river no matter how cold it was, or my mother, Sue Olson, who always packed the most fantastic picnic lunches so we wouldn’t starve during those long days in the field. This thesis never would have been written without the support of not only my parents, but also my wonderful husband, Conrad Zack, who has always supported and encouraged me. Your help and support is the best gift you have ever given me, and I could not have finished this without all of you poking and prodding at me this past year! Thank you, I love you all. Knowing you all believed I could finish this thesis was all the encouragement I needed to keep plodding along.
I would have been lost without the constant companionship and deviousness of Amanda Burdi, my partner in crime in the Grande Lab at Loyola University. Amanda, you made this whole process so much more fun, and I’m so glad we went through this experience together. In addition, former graduate student Jen Koshorek and undergraduate student Brian Schuetz were both incredibly helpful in the field during the early stages of my fieldwork. I probably never could have gotten the initial sampling effort underway without their help. I’d also like to thank the Biology Department at Loyola University for purchasing equipment to allow me to get underway. A special thank-you goes to James Schnulle and his guard dogs, of Woodstock, IL, who allowed us to trespass on his land to sample every month. Also, this study never could have been done without the support and guidance from Brad Woodson and his colleagues at McHenry County Conservation District. Thank you for your help throughout this process and for allowing me access to Nippersink Creek in the beautiful Glacial Park.
To my thesis directors, Drs. Martin Berg and Terry Grande, thank you for your guidance and support over these long years. You never gave up on me, even when I felt like giving up on myself, and I will forever be grateful for that. Thank you for not only the knowledge you shared with me, but for helping me see this through to the end. Terry, thanks for letting me be a part of your lab for so long, even though I’m only half your student. I’ll miss being a member of the Grande lab!! Marty, your prolific comments on the multiple drafts of my thesis were particularly helpful. To my committee members, Drs. John Dettmers and Jan Savitz, thank you for your helpful comments on my research throughout this process, and in particular during the beginning stages.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Dr. Martin Berg
Dr. Terry Grande
Dr. John Dettmers
Dr. Jan Savitz
