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Mesohabitat and macroecological correlates for blue sucker ( Cycleptus elongatus ) occurrence in regulated rivers
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  • Josh Perkin,
  • Hannah A. Evans,
  • Meghan I. Booknis,
  • Noah S. Santee,
  • Rebecca D. Mangold,
  • Hayden C. Roberts,
  • Jacob P. Wolff,
  • Johnathan K. Ellard,
  • David Smith
Josh Perkin
Texas A&M University Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology

Corresponding Author:jperkin@tamu.edu

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Hannah A. Evans
Texas A&M University Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology
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Meghan I. Booknis
Texas A&M University Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology
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Noah S. Santee
Texas A&M University Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology
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Rebecca D. Mangold
Texas A&M University Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology
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Hayden C. Roberts
Texas A&M University Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology
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Jacob P. Wolff
Texas A&M University Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology
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Johnathan K. Ellard
Texas A&M University Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology
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David Smith
US Army Engineer Research and Development Center
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Abstract

Blue sucker ( Cycleptus elongatus) occurs in the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico drainages of North America and is negatively affected by habitat fragmentation and flow regime alteration caused by dams. During fish assemblage surveys in August of 2022, we collected five specimens of juvenile blue sucker (312-428 mm total length) in the Angelina River upstream of Sam Rayburn Reservoir in east Texas (46,335-hectare surface area) where the occurrence of the species was previously unconfirmed. Given this unexpected finding, we (1) analyzed blue sucker mesohabitat associations to compare habitats we sampled with reports in the literature, and (2) reviewed blue sucker occurrence in state, national, and global databases across historical (1950-1980) and contemporary (1981-2022) periods to assess occurrence across gradients of habitat fragmentation and streamflow regulation. The blue sucker population in the Angelina River upstream of Sam Rayburn Reservoir was previously unconfirmed but is within the native range of the species. Mesohabitats occupied by blue sucker were consistent with literature reports, including fast velocity, shallow depth, and coarse substrates. The low degree of regulation (19% of natural runoff stored by upstream reservoirs) and a high degree of habitat connectivity (287 rkm of mainstem habitat) for the Angelina River upstream of Sam Rayburn Reservoir matched range-wide patterns of persistence within relatively intact (unfragmented and unregulated) or remnant (fragmented but unregulated) riverscapes. Our review reveals that blue sucker populations might persist (1) in remnant river fragments where local habitat templates are appropriate and (2) where effects of habitat fragmentation and flow regulation are not coupled.
31 May 2023Submitted to River Research and Applications
31 May 2023Submission Checks Completed
31 May 2023Assigned to Editor
02 Jun 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
02 Jun 2023Reviewer(s) Assigned
03 Jul 2023Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
31 Jul 20231st Revision Received
09 Aug 2023Submission Checks Completed
09 Aug 2023Assigned to Editor
09 Aug 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
09 Aug 2023Editorial Decision: Accept