Date of Award
Winter 12-19-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Biology
First Advisor
Melissa Wuellner
Committee Members
Melissa Wuellner, Seth Fopma, Keith Koupal, and Jayne Jonas-Bratten
Keywords
river, restoration, river restoration, community ecology, centrarchid, overwinter habitat
Abstract
The quality and availability of valuable backwater habitats have declined in many rivers, including the Upper Mississippi River (UMR), due to river modifications and land use change. Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement Projects (HREPs) are implemented by the Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program and often aim to mitigate accelerated sedimentation and degradation of backwater habitats. One HREP in Pool 12 of the UMR targeted overwintering fish habitat by restoring four backwaters within 14 RKM. Fish community data was collected before (2006-2012) and after (2020-2024) restoration in Pool 12 and a downstream, control reach, Pool 13. The first objective of my study was to compare fish community diversity, composition, and indicator species between the restored and control pools over time. My second objective was to compare Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) and Largemouth Bass (Micropterus nigricans) relative abundance and size-structure between the same areas over time. Fish community composition was similar over time in Pool 12, and Pool 13’s fish community was dissimilar between pre- and post-restoration periods. Weed Shiner (Notropis texanus), a lentic-adapted species sensitive to poor water quality, was indicative of Pool 12 post-restoration, and several species were indicators of Pool 13 over time. Overall, this research found pool-wide impacts of spatially extensive backwater restoration and suggests that projects of similar scale may promote ecosystem resilience.
Recommended Citation
Lenning, Hannah, "Comparisons of Fish Communities Between a Restored and a Control Pool of the Mississippi River: a Before-and-After Examination" (2025). Biology Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity. 24.
https://openspaces.unk.edu/bio-etd/24