FISH & WILDLIFE RESEARCH
Patrick Brown and David Philipp
Management of fish and wildlife resources has become increasingly complex with increasing pressures on thelandscape. Habitats for fish and wildlife populations generally have declined, making theneed for information to make sound management decisions increasingly important. Scientists at the Survey have a long history of research on fish and wildlife and that heritage continues. Survey scientists provide the kinds of information that contribute to the wise management of fish and wildlife resources in Illinois and the nation. The work ranges from conceptual to applied research and is diverse in nature and geographic location. Scientists commonly conduct research to solve problems in ecologically sound ways.
Hunting, fishing, and viewing wildlife are important recreational activities in Illinois and the nation. These activities produce immense economic returns by attracting tourists from other states and retaining recreational and tourist money in Illinois. Thus, the research of the Survey supporting fish and wildlife conservation enhances the lives of Illinois citizens by providing much-needed recreational and economic opportunities as well as data useful for protecting and diversifying the natural qualities of the landscape in aesthetically pleasing ways.
Wildlife research in the INHS is diverse, encompassing a wide variety of studies on game and nongame birds, mammals, turtles, snakes, invertebrates, and their habitats. At the Forbes Biological Station near Havana, scientists continue a long-standing tradition of waterfowl and wetland research on the Illinois River. Illinois has lost 90 percent of its presettlement wetlands through drainage and development. The quality of many of the remaining wetlands has been affected by sedimentation and other anthropomorphic factors. Because of these changes, many native wildlife populations have declined, some have completely disappeared, while some have adapted well to the changes. Many non-native species have become abundant and occupied the niches of native species or filled a new niche. As a result of the direct and indirect human influences on the Illinois River and the habitats it provides for wildlife, much research has focused upon the realtionship of wildlife populations to habitat quality and quantity. Populations of waterfowl and other birds migrating through the Illinois River are monitored each year (for the past 50 years) through aerial censuses by survey scientists. These data provide a useful index to waterfowl populations in the region and are a useful indicator of wetland habitat quality and quantity remaining in the Illinois River system. Recently completed research has greatly improved our knowledge of how Wood Ducks use natural cavities and what influences their nesting success. Investigators are also developing a census technique for breeding Wood Ducks through the use of helicopters. Another recently initiated project involves studying the nesting and brood survival of Mallards in Illinois using radio transmitters. This is the first investigation of Mallards in the past decade in Illinois, where their nesting has become more commonplace.
Survey research on the ecology of large mammals focuses on the influence of
humans on habitats and populations. The general question being pursued is, How
can we sustain populations of large mammals in a landscape that is heavily
exploited for human needs when these populations are subject to hunting,
control efforts, altered competitive relationships, or loss of natural
predators? The influence of human activity impacts every characteristic of
these species' life histories and these impacts can be either positive or
negative to humans and ecosystems. Discerning the net effect is important.
Fisheries research in the Survey is diverse, forming the basis for
monitoring,
management, and protection of aquatic habitat throughout the state, all of
which can be used to modify and improve fisheries management for the benefit of
all anglers in Illinois. Research in fisheries ecology is carried out in
Champaign and all seven of the major field stations run by the Natural History
Survey. Work at the Kaskaskia, Ridge Lake, and Sam Parr biological stations
deals with issues related to lake, reservoir, and pond fisheries management
using ecological theory as the foundation. In close cooperation with
researchers based in Champaign, examples of ongoing studies span the range from
basic to applied research. To understand the factors
controlling
Canada
Goose (Branta canadensis).
recruitment in
these fish populations, information is needed on the various life stages
(including larvae, juveniles, and adults), as well as several other trophic
levels, such as primary producers, zooplankton, and other invertebrates.
Studies are being conducted with several cool and warmwater species that are
important sportfishes, including muskellunge, walleye, largemouth bass,
crappie, and bluegill. As a result, ongoing projects are evaluating trophic
dynamics and predator-prey interactions in aquatic communities. A variety of
management options are being evaluated, including stocking strategies and
harvest regulations.
Fish research on the Illinois River conducted out of the River Research Laboratory and the Long Term Research and Monitoring Laboratory in Havana involves monitoring the river's conditions and learning more about the survival and reproduction of aquatic organisms. For example, one research project evaluates the use of navigation dams to benefit plant and animal communities by naturalizing water regimes. Changes in operation of the dams could reduce undesirable and unnatural fluctuations in water levels and aid in the recovery of native vegetation. Another study focuses upon native mussels in the Illinois River, which once supported a great diversity of mussel species and a commercial industry involved with their harvest. Unfortunately, 70% of the species are currently in jeopardy. A dynamic population model was developed and used to predict the future of mussel populations given current harvest restrictions. From this model, it was estimated that it will take over 100 years for populations to recover, even with no commercial exploitation. Thus, maintenance of the ban is extremely important. Many other studies are being conducted, including continued evaluation of the status of mussel populations in the Illinois River, the influence of commercial barge traffic on the Illinois River ecosystem, comparison of invertebrate communities on dredge spoil with those on natural substrates, and investigation of the use of moist-soil management units by fisheries.
Illinois River at flood stage.
Research conducted by scientists based in Champaign and at the Kaskaskia and Lake Michigan biological stations focuses upon the potential effects of increased commercial navigation on the mortality of fishes in the Mississippi and Illinois rivers. This research has shown that towboat and barge traffic has the potential to directly increase the mortality of fishes in the main channel of the Mississippi River. An important component of this research has been to monitor the abundance and distribution of fishes in Pool 26 of the Mississippi River and the lower Illinois River. Researchers have found that, contrary to widely held beliefs, a diverse assemblage of larval, juvenile, and adult fishes use the main channel and that the distribution of some large fishes may be influenced by navigation locks and dams. Other aspects of these studies explore indirect effects of commercial navigation on fishes, river food web interactions, and recruitment patterns of fish.
The Survey is also involved in studying fish and fishing at other locations throughout the state. For example, a survey of sportfishing in Lake Michigan was conducted to provide reliable estimates of sportfishing activity, sport fish harvest, expenditures for sportfishing, and the quality and distribution of sportfishing. Estimated expenditures for boats, motors, trailers, fishing gear, and automobile gas were $10 million. The value of the sport fishing harvest was approximately $1.35 million. Similarly, creel surveys have been conducted on Illinois impoundments. Since 1987, INHS scientists have conducted angler surveys on a total of 68 state-managed lakes to estimate the total fishing effort, the species, numbers, and weights of fish harvested and released, and the species targeted by anglers at these lakes. The data collected are directly applicable to the management of these lakes, especially in evaluating the effects of short-term management changes and supplemental stocking on yield and catch per angling effort and the impact of sport fishing intensity on the resource. Yellow perch and their requirements are another area of research. Yellow perch have had nine consecutive years of poor recruitment in Lake Michigan and research is under way to help biologists better understand the fundamental requirements of yellow perch and the influence of other factors on their survival and reproduction. These research findings will be useful in making management decisions.
Fish and wildlife research in the Survey crosses topical categories, and thus much of the research on wildlife is interdisciplinary. Nevertheless, these research efforts lead the nation in creating the foundation for management and protection of wild animals in grasslands, savannas, forests, and wetlands. For example, research projects in the Survey focus on reproduction and survival of songbirds in forests, savannas, and grasslands; the ecological requirements of the red-eared slider turtle and other turtles; reproductive success in salamanders; reproductive behavior of Red-winged Blackbirds; composition and ecological distribution of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities; conservation status of crayfish; ecological contaminants and wildlife; and testing of candidate shot for use in hunting. Research in fish and wildlife ecology at the Natural History Survey is extraordinary in its diversity and breadth and directly assists in the management of these important resources.
INHS FISH AND WILDLIFE RESEARCH PROJECTS
*Levels and effects of selected metals in small mammals
J. Levengood, E. Heske
*Levels and effects of selected metals in raccoons
J. Levengood, C. Lichtensteiger (UI), L. Skowron (ISWS), G. Hubert (IDNR)
*Contaminants in Illinois raccoons, 1983-1985
J. Levengood, G. Hubert (IDNR)
Self-administered mail surveys
*Waterfowl hunter survey
C. Miller, W. Anderson
*Woodcock hunter survey
C. Miller, W. Anderson
*Hunter harvest survey
C. Miller, W. Anderson
*Furbearer hunter survey
C. Miller, W. Anderson
*Carlyle Lake waterfowl hunter survey
C. Miller, W. Anderson
*Snow Goose hunter survey
C. Miller, W. Anderson
Telephone surveys
*East central Illinois archery deer hunter survey
C. Miller
Widlife Research
*Waterfowl of Illinois: Status and Management (book)
S. Havera, K. Roat, M. Horath, C. Hine, A. Yetter, E. Whetsell
*Abbreviated Field Guide to the Waterfowl of Illinois (book)
S. Havera, K. Roat, M. Horath, C. Hine, A. Yetter, E. Whetsell
*Aerial inventories of waterfowl populations
M. Horath, S. Havera
Canada geese.
*Eastern Bluebird population study
S. Havera
*Wood Duck nesting behavior at Nauvoo
C. Hine, A. Yetter, S. Havera
*Aerial surveys of breeding Wood Ducks in bottomland forests
A. Yetter, C. Hine, S. Havera, M. Horath
*Lead shot exposure to ducks utilizing the Mississippi Flyway
S. Havera, W. Anderson
*The nesting biology of Mallards in Illinois
A. Yetter, C. Hine, S. Havera, M. Horath, E. Whetsell
*Evaluation of moist-soil plant communities to water-level management on
Lake
Chautauqua Refuge
E. Whetsell, S. Havera, A. Yetter, M. Horath, C. Hine
*Automated radio tracking of animals in the field
R. Larkin
*Energetics of migrating birds
R. Larkin, M. Wikelski
*Songbird and waterfowl movements observed on Doppler radar
R. Larkin, R.H. Diehl
*Canada Goose orientation in central Illinois
R. Larkin, F. Bellrose
*Birds of the Milan Bottoms
S. Robinson
*Expansion of biological survey of the Kaskaskia River ecosystem
S. Robinson
*The influence of agricultural in-holdings on the nesting success of
forest
songbirds
S. Robinson
*Biological inventory of the Kaskaskia River bottomlands
S. Robinson
*Effect of deer browse on tree regeneration and undestory species
composition in
a central Illinois floodplain forest
T. Van Deelen, A. Plocher
*Fox and coyote ecology in central Illinois
T.E. Gosselink, T.R. Van Deelen, P. Mankin, R.E. Warner
*Population ecology of eastern Wild Turkey in Illinois
P. Hubert, T.R. Van Deelen, P.W. Brown, J.W. Seets, R.E. Warner
*Habitat modeling of eastern Wild Turkeys in Illinois
T.R. Van Deelen, M. Joselyn, P.W. Brown
*Ecology of urban deer
D.R. Etter, T.R. Van Deelen, R.E. Warner
*Deer herbivory in bottomland forest
T.R. Van Deelen, A. Plocher
Aquatic Research
*Largemouth and smallmouth bass reproductive success
D. Philipp, J. Claussen, T. Kassler
*Spawning dynamics of largemouth and smallmouth bass populations
D. Philipp, T. Kassler
*Catch-and-release angling in bass
D.P. Philipp
*Spawning dynamics of bluegill
J. Claussen, D. Philipp
*Local adaptation in largemouth bass
D. Philipp, J. Claussen
*Reproductive strategies in bluegill
D. Wahl, D. Philipp, J. Claussen, J. Hoxmeier
*Vulnerability of largemouth bass to angling
D. Philipp, J. Claussen
*Creel surveys on Illinois impoundments
P.J. Perea, B. Carroll, J. Machung, L. Miller-Ishmael, D. Philipp
*Genetic analysis of sport fish populations in the upper Midwest
R. Fields, T. Kassler, J. Ludden, M. Hudson, V. Tranquilli, M. Desjardins, D.
Philipp
*Developmental genetics of sunfish hybrids
D. Philipp, R. Fields, J. Claussen, M. Fields
*The role of larval growth, mortality, and transport in metapopulation
dynamics
and control of the zebra mussel in freshwater and estuarine systems
D.W. Schneider, C.R. Rehmann, J.A. Stoeckel, R.E. Sparks, D.K. Padilla
*Predicting transport of zebra mussels in rivers and estuaries
C.R. Rehmann, D.W. Schneider, D.K. Padilla
*Lower Kaskaskia River floodplain lake fish nurseries
D.H. Wahl, D.L. Thomas
*Evaluating the effects of reducing water levels in Pool 13 backwater
habitats
during midsummer: implications for larval fish production
D.H. Wahl, J.M. Dettmers
Amber wing dragonfly.
*Quality management of bluegill: factors affecting population size
structure
D.H. Wahl, D.P. Philipp
*Factors influencing largemouth bass recruitment: implications for the
Illinois management and stocking program
D.H. Wahl, D.P. Philipp
*Individual-based modelling of walleye and gizzard shad populations in
Illinois impoundments
T.L. Galarowicz (graduate student, Ethology, Ecology, and Evolution, UI), R.A.
Herendeen, D.H. Wahl
*Estimating fish abundance: simulating evasive behavior during netting
R.A. Herendeen, P.B. Bayley (Oregon State University)
*Trophic interactions in ecosystems
R.A. Herendeen
*Species composition of the Lake Michigan egg bank
C.E. Caceres
*Diapause termination in freshwater zooplankton
C.E. Caceres
*An experimental investigation of the dispersal ability of freshwater
invertebrates
C.E. Caceres, D.A. Soluk
*Linking life-history traits to community dynamics in freshwater
ecosystems
C.E. Caceres, A. Tessier (Michigan State University)
*Yellow perch population assessment in southwestern Lake Michigan,
including
evaluation of sampling techniques and identification of the factors that
determine yellow perch year-class strength
J.M. Dettmers, C.E. Caceres
*Sportfishing creel survey of the Illinois portion of Lake Michigan
J.M. Dettmers, D.P. Philipp
*Growth and survival of nearshore fishes in Lake Michigan
J.M. Dettmers
*Population status of the Illinois chorus frog
(Pseudacris streckeri illinoensis) in Madison County,
Illinois
J.K. Tucker
Green frog.
*Survey of Blanding's turtle
*J.K. Tucker
*Stream habitat assessment using sonar
R. Illyes, S. Kohler, P. Bayley
*Sedimentation impacts on streams
S. Kohler, D. Soluk
*Host-parasite relationships in streams
S. Kohler, M. Wiley (Univ. of Michigan)
*Structure of stream food webs
S. Kohler, M. Wiley (Univ. of Michigan)
*Bioassessment of stream integrity
R. Smogor, S. Kohler, D. Austen, B. Hite, A. Holtrop
*Stonefly diets and habitat use
K. Edly, S. Kohler
*Transmission mechanisms of microsporidia infecting aquatic insects
J. Heilveil, S. Kohler
*Incidence of microsporian infections in stream insects
J. Heilveil, S. Kohler
*Effects of algal quality on aquatic food webs
V. Braslau, S. Kohler
*Effects of bird predation on stream food webs
J. Steinmetz, S. Kohler
*Watershed-scale effects of best management practices on stream quality
S. Kohler, D. Wahl, G. McIsaac (Univ. of Illinois), D. Roseboom (Illinois
State Water Survey)