Michael James Moore

Planning frameworks allow managers to spatially prioritize actions to promote species conservation. Traditional aquatic conservation planning frameworks are often organized at the ecological community or ecosystem level, which often neglect imperiled taxa occupying species-poor assemblages. In this study, we develop a multi-metric conservation assessment for the 15 geographically distinct candidate conservation areas (CCAs) occupied by the imperiled Clinch Dace (Chrosomus sp. cf. saylori). Clinch Dace habitat is threatened by anthropogenic landscape alterations, especially for coal mining and timber harvest. Our framework used four metrics to assess the conservation value of each subpopulation of Clinch Dace namely: “habitat condition”, “viability”, conservation “opportunity” and conservation “feasibility”. Occupancy models were used to determine the most influential habitat variables to Clinch Dace presence and habitat data collected for each occupied stream were used to score habitat condition in each CCA. Clinch Dace survey data were used to assess demographic population viability to highlight areas where Clinch Dace are most likely to persist. Next, we used the metrics of opportunity and feasibility to identify opportunities for reclamation as well as landownership patterns that may be bridges or barriers to conservation action. Habitat condition and viability varied among our 15 CCAs and highlighted opportunities for specific management actions including habitat conservation in some watersheds and needs for restoration in others. The feasibility metric showed that variation exists in the average lot-parcel size along occupied stream reaches, which may affect the success of some conservation actions. We recommend that managers utilize the data summarized in this study, along with stakeholder input, in a structured-decision making approach to develop specific outreach and management plans targeted to stakeholders in individual watersheds and provide an example of such a framework.

Life-history knowledge is central to basic and applied ecology, but recent reviews show that knowledge of life histories of many freshwater invertebrates is incomplete because of difficulty in conducting such studies or a general decline of interest in natural-history research. We review and summarize published life histories for crayfishes native to the USA and Canada. We document the rate of accumulation of crayfish life-history knowledge and biases and gaps in life-history knowledge by taxonomic group, geography, habitat preference, and conservation status. A total of 78 published studies (59 papers; several included life-history information for multiple species) covering 42 (12%) of the 347 USA and Canadian crayfishes recognized as of 2007 met our criteria for crayfish life-history studies. Life-history studies were lacking for crayfishes of conservation concern and stygobitic or primary burrowing-habitat specialists. Life-history knowledge is relatively complete for low-diversity freshwater e...