A freshwater conservation assessment of the Upper Mississippi River basin using a coarse- and fine-filter approach

Freshwater Biology

Volumn 56, Issue 1, 2011, Pages 162-179

  Khoury, Mary ^a   Higgins, Jonathan ^a   Weitzell, Roy ^b  

^a THE NATURE CONSERVANCY   (United States)

^b UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE   (United States)

Author keywords

Biodiversity; Coarse filter; Fine filter; Freshwater; Mississippi River

Indexed keywords

EID: 78650018094     PISSN: 00465070     EISSN: 13652427     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2427.2010.02468.x     Document Type: Article

References (97)

1. Abell R. (2002) Conservation biology for the biodiversity crisis: a freshwater follow-up. Conservation Biology, 16, 1435-1437.
2. Abell R.A., Olson D.M., Dinerstein E. et al. (2000) Freshwater Ecoregions of North America: A Conservation Assessment. World Wildlife Fund - US, Island Press, Washington, DC.
3. Abell R., Allan J.D. & Lehner B. (2007) Unlocking the potential of protected areas for freshwater. Biological Conservation, 134, 48-63.
4. Abell R., Thieme M.L., Revenga C. et al. (2008) Freshwater ecoregions of the world: a new map of biogeographic units for freshwater biodiversity conservation. BioScience, 58, 403-414.
5. Albert D.A. (1995) Regional Landscape Ecosystems of Michigan, Minnesota, And Wisconsin: A Working Map and Classification. U.S. Forest Service General Technical Report NC-178. North Central Forest Experiment Station, St. Paul.
6. Angermeier P.L. & Winston M.R. (1999) Characterizing fish community diversity across Virginia landscapes: prerequisite for conservation. Ecological Applications, 9, 335-349.
7. Bailey R.G. (1995) Description of the Ecoregions of the United States. U.S. Forest Service Miscellaneous Publication 1391 (Revised), With Separate Map at a Scale of 1:7, 500, 000, Washington, DC.
8. Beier P. & Brost B. (2010) Use of land facets in planning for climate change: conserving the arenas not the actors. Conservation Biology 24: DOI:
9. Bryan C.F. & Rutherford D.A. (Eds) (1993) Impacts on Warmwater Streams: Guidelines for Evaluation. Southern Division, American Fisheries Society, Little Rock.
10. Burr B.M. & Ladonski J.B. (2000) The Mississippi River Basin: its megafauna and hydrological modifications. In: Freshwater Ecoregions of North America: A Conservation Assessment (Eds R.A. Abell, D.M. Olson, E. Dinerstein, P.T. Hurley, J.R. Diggs, W. Eichbaum, S. Walters, W. Wettengel, T. Allnutt, C.J. Loucks & P. Hedao), pp. 33-34. World Wildlife Fund - US, Island Press, Washington, DC.
11. Burr B.M. & Page L.M. (1986) Zoogeography of fishes of the lower Ohio-upper Mississippi basin. In: The Zoogeography of North American Freshwater Fishes. (Eds. C.H. Hocutt & E.O. Wiley), pp. 287-324. John Wiley, New York.
12. Busch W.D.N. & Sly P.G. (Eds) (1992) The Development of an Aquatic Habitat Classification System for Lakes. CRC Press, Boca Raton.
13. Bussing W.A. (1985) Patterns of distribution of the Central American Ichthyofauna. In: The Great American Interchange (Eds G.G. Stehli & S.D. Webb), pp. 453-473. Plenum Press, New York.
14. Cross F.B., Mayden R.L. & Stewart J.D. (1986). Fishes of the western Mississippi Basin (Missouri, Arkansas, and Red Rivers). In: The Zoogeography of North American Freshwater Fishes (Eds C.H. Hocutt & E.O. Hocutt), pp. 363-412. John Wiley, New York.
15. Cupp C.E. (1989) Valley Segment Type Classification for Forested Lands of Washington. Report TFW-AM-89-001. Washington Forest Protection Association, Olympia.
16. Farrand W.R., Mickelson D.M., Cowan W.R. & Goebel J.E. (1984). Quaternary Geologic Map of the Lake Superior 4° x 6° Quadrangle, United States (1:1, 000, 000). Quaternary Geologic Atlas of the United States. U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey. Miscellaneous Investigations Series. MAP I-1420 (NL-16).
17. FitzHugh T.W. (2002) Tools for GIS Analysis. Produced for The Nature Conservancy - Freshwater Initiative. [accessed 15 June 2010].
18. Fremling C.R., Rasmussen J.L., Sparks R.E., Cobb S.P., Bryan C.F. & Claflin T.O.. (1989) Mississippi River fisheries: a case history. In: Proceedings of the International Large River Symposium (Ed. D.P. Dodge), pp. 309-351. Canada Special Publication of Fisheries and Aquatic Science, 106. Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Ottawa.
19. Frissell C.A., Liss W.J., Warren C.E. & Hurley M.D. (1986) A hierarchical framework for stream habitat classification: Viewing streams in a watershed context. Environmental Management, 10, 199-214.
20. Fullerton D.S., Bluemle J.P., Clayton L., Steece F.V., Tipton M.J., Bretz R. & Goebel J.E. (1995) Quaternary Geologic Map of the Dakotas 4° x 6° Quadrangle, United States (1:1, 000, 000). Quaternary Geologic Atlas of the United States. U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey. Miscellaneous Investigations Series. MAP I-1420 (NL-14).
21. Giglierano J.D. & Howes M.R. (1992) Landform Regions of Iowa. Iowa Department of Natural Resources. [accessed 15 June 2010].
22. Goebel J.E., Mickelson D.M., Farrand W.R., Clayton L., Know J.C., Cahow A., Hobbs H.C. & Walton M.S. Jr (1983) Quaternary Geologic Map of the Minneapolis 4° x 6° Quadrangle, United States (1:1, 000, 000). Quaternary Geologic Atlas of the United States. U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey. Miscellaneous Investigations Series. MAP I-1420 (NL-15).
23. Gray H.H., Bleuer N.K., Lineback J.A., Swadley W.C., Richmond G.M., Miller R.A., Goldthwait R.P. & Ward R.A. (1991) Quaternary Geologic Map of the Louisville 4° x 6° Quadrangle, United States (1:1, 000, 000). Quaternary Geologic Atlas of the United States. U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey. Miscellaneous Investigations Series. MAP I-1420 (NJ-16).
24. Groves C.R. (Ed) (2003) Drafting a Conservation Blueprint: A Practitioner's Guide to Regional Planning for Biodiversity. Island Press, Washington, DC.
25. Groves C.R., Jensen D.B., Valutis L.L., Redford K.H., Shafer M.L., Scott J.M., Baumgartner J.V., Higgins J.V., Beck M.W. & Anderson M.G. (2002) Planning for biodiversity conservation: putting conservation science into practice. BioScience, 52, 499-512.
26. Halberg G.R., Lineback J.A., Mickelson D.M. et al. (1991) Quaternary Geologic Map of the Des Moines 4° x 6° Quadrangle, United States (1:1, 000, 000). Quaternary Geologic Atlas of the United States. U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey. Miscellaneous Investigations Series. MAP I-1420 (NK-15).
27. Heiner M., Higgins J., Xinhai L. & Baker B. (2010) Identifying freshwater conservation priorities in the Upper Yangtze River Basin. Freshwater Biology, 56, 89-105.
28. Higgins J.V. (2003) Maintaining the ebbs and flows of the landscape - Conservation planning for freshwater ecosystems. In: Drafting a Conservation Blueprint: A Practitioner's Guide to Regional Planning for Biodiversity. (Ed. C.R. Groves), pp. 291-318. Island Press, Washington, DC. 457 pp.
29. Higgins J. & Esselman R. (2006) Ecoregional Assessment Toolbox. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA. [accessed 14 May 2010].
30. Higgins J., Bryer M., Khoury M. & Fitzhugh T. (2005) A freshwater classification approach for biodiversity conservation planning. Conservation Biology, 19, 432-445.
31. Hocutt C.H. & Wiley E.O. (Eds) (1986) The Zoogeography of North American Freshwater Fishes. John Wiley & Sons, New York.
32. Hunter M.L. Jr (1991) Coping with ignorance: the coarse filter strategy for maintaining biodiversity. In: Balancing on the Brink of Extinction: The Endangered Species Act and Lessons for the Future. (Ed. K.A. Kohm), pp. 266-281. Island Press, Washington, DC.
33. Iowa Department of Natural Resources (1997) MINES97 Coverage: registered non-coal mines. Iowa Department of Natural Resources
34. Jelks H.L., Walsh S.J., Burkhead N.M. & Contreras-Balderas S. (2008) Conservation status of imperiled North American freshwater and diadromous Fishes. Fisheries, 33, 372-407.
35. Jensen M.E., Goodman I.A., Bourgeron P.S., Poff N.L. & Brewer C.K. (2001) Effectiveness of biophysical criteria in the hierarchical classification of drainage basins. Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 37, 1155-1167.
36. Keys J. Jr, Carpenter C., Hooks S., Koenig F., McNab M.C., Russell W. & Smith M.L. (1995). Ecological Units of the Eastern United States - First Approximation. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Atlanta.
37. Kirkpatrick J.B. & Gilfedder L. (1995) Maintaining integrity compared with maintaining rare and threatened taxa in remnant bushland in subhumid Tasmania. Biological Conservation, 74, 1-8.
38. Knight A.T., Cowling R.M. & Campbell B.M. (2006) An operational model for implementing conservation action. Conservation Biology, 20, 408-419.
39. Lee D.S., Gilbert C.R., Hocutt C.H., Jenkins R.E., McAllister D.E. & Stauffer J.R. Jr (1980) Atlas of North American Freshwater Fishes. Publication 1980-12, North Carolina Biological Survey. North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, Raleigh.
40. Lewis D.B. & Magnuson J.J. (1999) Landscape spatial patterns in freshwater snail assemblages across northern highland catchments. Freshwater Biology, 41, 1-12.
41. Lineback J.A., Bleuer N.K., Mickelson D.M., Farrand W.R. & Goldthwait R.P. (1983) Quaternary Geologic Map of the Chicago 4° x 6° Quadrangle, United States (1:1, 000, 000). Quaternary Geologic Atlas of the United States. U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey. Miscellaneous Investigations Series. MAP I-1420 (NK-16).
42. Linke S., Turak E. & Nel J. (2010) Freshwater conservation planning: the case for systematic approaches. Freshwater Biology, 56, 6-20.
43. Lotspeich F.B. (1980) Watersheds as the basic ecosystem: this conceptual framework provides a basis for a natural classification system. Water Resouces Bulletin, 16, 581-586.
44. Margules C.R. & Pressey R.L. (2000) Systematic conservation planning. Nature, 405, 243-253.
45. Master L.L., Stein B.A., Kutner L.S. & Hammerson G.A. (2000) Vanishing assets: conservation status of U. S. species. In: Precious Heritage: The Status of Biodiversity in the United States (Eds B.A. Stein, L.S. Kutner & J.S. Adams), pp. 93-118. Oxford University Press, New York.
46. Matthews W.J. (1998) Patterns in Freshwater Fish Ecology. Chapman & Hall, New York.
47. Mattson K.M. & Angermeier P.L. (2007) Integrating human impacts and ecological integrity into a risk-based protocol for conservation planning. Environmental Management 39, 125-138.
48. Maxwell J.R., Edwards C.J., Jensen M.E., Paustain S.J., Parrot H. & Hill D.M.. (1995) A Hierarchical Framework of Aquatic Ecological Units in North America (Nearctic Zone). General Technical Report NC-176. USDA Forest Service, North Central Forest Experimental Station, St. Paul.
49. McCune B. & Mefford M.J. (2002) PCORD. Multivariate Analysis of Ecological Data, Version 4.17. MjM Software Design, Gleneden Beach, Oregon.
50. Miller R.R. (1965) Quaternary freshwater fishes of North America. In: The Quaternary of the United States (Eds H.E. Wright Jr & D.G. Frey), pp. 569-581. Princeton University Press, Princeton.
51. NatureServe. (2009) NatureServe Explorer: An Online Encyclopedia of Life [web application]. Version 7.1. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. (originally accessed 2001, last accessed on 25 March 2010).
52. Nel J.L., Roux D.J., Maree G., Kleynhans C.J., Moolman J., Reyers B., Rouget M. & Cowling R.M. (2007) Rivers in peril inside and outside protected areas: a systematic approach to conservation assessment of river ecosystems. Diversity and Distributions, 13, 341-352.
53. Nel J.L., Roux D.J., Abell R., Ashton P.J.L., Cowling R.M., Higgins J.V., Thieme M. & Viers J.H. (2009) Progress and challenges in freshwater conservation planning. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 19, 474-485.
54. Omernik J.M. (1987) Ecoregions of the conterminous United States. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 77, 118-125.
55. Omernik J.M. & Gallant A.L. (1988) Ecoregions of the Upper Midwest States. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA/600/3-88/037, Corvallis.
56. Osborne L.L. & Wiley M.J. (1992) Influence of tributary spatial position on the structure of warmwater fish communities. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science, 49, 671-681.
57. Page L.M. & Burr B.M. (1991) A Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes North of Mexico. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
58. Pfleiger W.L. (1989) Aquatic community classification system for Missouri. Missouri Department of Conservation, Aquatic Series No. 19. Jefferson City.
59. Poff N.L. (1997) Landscape filters and species traits: towards mechanistic understanding and prediction in stream ecology. Journal of the North American Benthological Society, 16, 391-409.
60. Poff N.L. & Allan J.D. (1995) Functional organization of stream fish assemblages in relation to hydrologic variability. Ecology, 76, 606-627.
61. Poiani K., Richter B., Anderson M. & Richter H. (2000) Biodiversity conservation at multiple scales. BioScience, 50, 133-146.
62. Postel S. & Richter B. (2005) Rivers For Life: Managing Water for People and Nature. Island Press, Washington, DC.
63. Rabeni C.F. & Doisy K.E. (2000) Correspondence of stream benthic invertebrate assemblages to regional classification schemes in Missouri. Journal of the North American Benthological Society, 19, 419-428.
64. Reuter M., Lubinski K., West P., Blodgett D. & Khoury M. (2005) The Nature Conservancy's approach to conserving and rehabilitating biological diversity in the Upper Mississippi River System. Archiv fu{double acute}r Hydrobiologie Supplementband, 15, 549-560.
65. Robison H.W. (1986) Zoogeographic implications of the Mississippi River Basin. In: The Zoogeography of North American Freshwater Fishes (Eds C.H. Hocutt & E.O. Wiley), pp. 267-285, John Wiley, New York.
66. Seaber P.R., Kapinos F.P. & Knapp G.L. (1987) Hydrologic Unit Maps, U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2294.
67. Seelbach P.W., Wiley M.J., Kotanchik J.C. & Baker M.E. (1997) A Landscape-based Ecological Classification for River Valley Segments in Lower Michigan. Research Report 2036. State of Michigan, Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Division, Lansing.
68. Smith R.K., Freeman P.L., Higgins J.V., Wheaton K.S., FitzHugh T.W., Ernstrom K.J. & Das A.A. (2002) Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation Assessment of the Southeastern United States. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington.
69. Soller D.R. & Packard P.H. (1998) Digital representation of a map showing the thickness and character of Quaternary sediments in the glaciated United States east of the Rocky Mountains: U.S. Geological Survey Digital Data Series DDS-38. (last accessed on 25 March 2010).
70. Sowa S.P., Diamond D.D., Abbitt R., Annis G., Gordon T., Morey M.E., Sorensen G.R. & True D. (2005). A Gap Analysis for Riverine Ecosystems of Missouri. Final Report, submitted to the USGS National Gap Analysis Program.
71. Sowa S.P., Annis G., Morey M.E. & Diamond D.D. (2007) A gap analysis and comprehensive conservation strategy for riverine ecosystems of Missouri. Ecological Monographs, 77, 301-334.
72. Svancara L.K., Brannon R., Scott J.M., Groves C.R., Noss R.F. & Pressey R.L. (2005) Policy-driven versus evidence-based conservation: a review of political targets and biological needs. BioScience, 55, 989-995.
73. Swanson F.J., Kratz T.F., Caine N. & Woodmansee R.J. (1988) Landform effects on ecosystem patterns and processes. BioScience, 38, 92-98.
74. Taylor C.A., Warren M.L. Jr, Fitzpatrick J.F. Jr, Hobbs H.H. III, Jezerinac R.F., Pflieger W.L. & Robison H.W. (1996) Conservation status of crayfishes of the United States and Canada. Fisheries, 21, 25-38.
75. Tear T.H., Karieva P., Angermeier P.L. et al. (2005) How much is enough? The recurrent problem of setting measureable objectives in conservsation science. BioScience, 55, 836-849.
76. Theiling C.H. (1996) An ecological overview of the Upper Mississippi River System: implications for postflood recovery and ecosystem management. In: Overview of River-floodplain Ecology in the Upper Mississippi River Basin (Eds D.L. Galat & A.G. Frazier), pp. 3-28, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC.
77. Theiling C.H., Korschgen C., De Haan H., Fox T., Rohweder J. & Robinson L. (2000) Habitat Needs Assessment for the Upper Mississippi River System: Technical Report. U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, La Crosse.
78. Thieme M., Lehner B., Abell R., Hamilton S.K., Kellndorfer J., Powell G. & Riveros J.C. (2007) Freshwater conservation planning in data-poor areas: an example from a remote Amazonian basin. Biological Conservation, 135, 484-501.
79. Tonn W.M. & Magnuson J.J. (1982) Patterns in the species composition and richness of fish assemblages in northern Wisconsin lakes. Ecology, 63, 1149-1166.
80. Tonn W.M., Magnuson J.J., Rask M. & Toivonen J. (1990) Intercontinental comparison of small-lake fish assemblages: the balance between local and regional processes. American Naturalist, 136, 345-375.
81. Turak E., Ferrier S., Barrett T., Mesley E., Drielsma M., Manion G., Doyle G., Stein J. & Gordon G. (2010) Planning for the persistence of river biodiversity: exploring alternative futures using process-based models. Freshwater Biology, 56, 39-56.
82. United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) (1999) National Inventory of Dams, Water Control Infrastructure. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in cooperation with FEMA's National Dam Safety Program.
83. United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) (2000) Upper Mississippi River System Habitat Needs Assessment: Summary Report 2000. U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District, St. Louis.
84. United States Department of Commerce (USDOC) (1999) Census TIGER Database. U. S. Census Bureau, Geography Division, Washington, DC.
85. United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) (1994) The U.S. EPA Reach File Version 3.0 Alpha Release (RF3-Alpha) Technical Reference. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, Washington, DC. [accessed 15 June 2010].
86. United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (2001) BASINS, v. 3.0. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, Office of Science and Technology, Washington, DC.
87. United States Geological Survey (USGS) (1992) National Land Cover Data 1992. National Land Cover Characterization Project.
88. United States Geological Survey (USGS) (1999) Ecological Status and Trends of the Upper Mississippi River System 1998: A Report of the Long Term Resource Monitoring Program. LTRMP 99-T001. U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, La Crosse.
89. United States Geological Survey (USGS) (2003) Non-indigenous Aquatic Species Database. USGS. Florida Integrated Science Center, Gainsville, Florida.
90. Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee (UMRCC)(2000) A River that Works and a Working River: A Strategy for the Natural Resources of the Upper Mississippi River System. Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee, Rock Island, Illinois.
91. Weitzell R.E., Khoury M.L., Gagnon P., Schreurs B., Grossman D. & Higgins J. (2003) Conservation Priorities for Freshwater Biodiversity in the Upper Mississippi Basin. NatureServe and The Nature Conservancy, Arlington.
92. WEST Consultants Inc. (2000). Upper Mississippi River and Illinois River Cumulative Effects Study, Volume 1 and Volume 2. Environmental Report #40 for the Upper Mississippi River - Illinois Waterway System Navigation Study. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, Rock Island, Illinois.
93. Wetzel R.G. (1983). Limnology, 2nd edn. W.B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia.
94. Whitfield J.W., Ward R.A., Denne J.E., Holbrook D.F., Bush W.V., Lineback J.A., Luza K.V., Jensen K.M. & Fishman W.D. (1993) Quaternary Geologic Map of the Ozark Plateau 4° x 6° Quadrangle, United States (1:1, 000, 000). Quaternary Geologic Atlas of the United States. U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey. Miscellaneous Investigations Series. MAP I-1420 (NJ-15).
95. Williams J.D., Johnson J.E., Hendrickson D.A., Contreras-Balderas S., Williams J.D., Navarro-Mendoza M., McAllister D.E. & Deacon J.E. (1989) Fishes of North America, endangered, threatened, or of special concern. Fisheries, 14, 2-20.
96. Williams J.D., Warren M.L. Jr, Cummings K.S., Harris J.L. & Neves R.J. (1992) Conservation status of freshwater mussels of the United States and Canada. Fisheries, 18, 6-22.
97. Wlosinski J., Olsen D.A., Lowenberg C., Owens T.W., Rogala J. & Laustrup M.. (1995) Our Living Resources: A Report to the Nation on theDistribution, Abundance, and Health of U. S. Plants, Animals, and Ecosystems. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Biological Service, Washington, DC.