Subject: Re: NANFA-L-- Creek Chubs?
From: Todd D. Crail (tcrail-in-UTNet.UToledo.Edu)
Date: Mon Nov 29 2004 - 13:13:20 CST
----- Original Message -----
From: "Irate Mormon" <archimedes-in-bayspringstel.net>
>
> That describes it pretty well - not exactly what I would call HIGH
> gradient, but
> definitely moreso than in, say, south Georgia. I don't have any
> experience with
> prairies, but the coastal plain is pretty flat, so I have an idea what you
> mean.
> Where I live is definitely woodlands habitat. Martin's creek is mostly
> under
> canopy,-in-times has good fluviokinetics,-in-times none, and-in-times the
> term
> is irrelevant (it's dry). While I prefer to see it flowing, with lots of
> darters in it, it is also interesting to see what happens as conditions
> change.
>
And prairies aren't necessarily flat... They're normally just dryer (for
some abiotic reason) or disturbed (for some biotic or abiotic reason) than
large woody plants would prefer, with all that water they spend getting
nutrients up from their roots, and investment they place in energy and
carbon above the surface.
I was very suprised this weekend to see little bluestem and panicum
("prairie" grasses) as the dominant successors on all these _hills_ and such
developers have denuded. There aren't enough organics to keep water and
trees in place... grass that drill 200% of it's biomass below ground comes
right in and begins the successional process. Needless to say, my family
was far less impressed :)
So... The prairie plants have similar design and function in the ecosystem,
but on a much smaller scale above ground, with their massive root systems,
so they can fill the bill where trees started getting stressed out and
pushing the margins of their habitat.
Wet priaires are a whole different ball game, in that they seasonally have
too much water for trees... again, for some abiotic reason.
What might be really interesting for you to try is to get some of the
substrates from Martin's creek when it's bone dry, hydrate it in a tank and
see what life blooms out of it... And how fast it blossoms :) Might even
do different samples of surface, 6 inches down, 12 inches down and compare.
Todd
/-----------------------------------------------------------------------
/ This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes
/ Association (NANFA). Comments made on this list do not necessarily
/ reflect the beliefs or goals of NANFA. For more information about NANFA,
/ visit http://www.nanfa.org . Please make sure all posts to nanfa-l are
/ consistent with the guidelines as per
/ http://www.nanfa.org/archive/nanfa/guidelines.html. To subscribe,
/ unsubscribe, or get help, visit the NANFA email list home page and
/ archive-in-http://www.nanfa.org/archive/nanfa/.
: Fri Dec 31 2004 - 12:42:55 CST