FOOD BASE

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Aquatic Food Base monitoring below Glen Canyon Dam and into Grand Canyon

Aquatic insects live in the water as larvae most of their lives, then emerge onto land for a brief period as winged adults. Sampling these emerged adults on land is therefore a useful tool for understanding the condition of the aquatic insect population that is in the water, particularly in large rivers where sampling the larvae on the river bed is impractical. Aquatic insects have a terrestrial, winged adult life stage in which they leave the water and fly onto land in order to find a mate and reproduce. [1]

LTEMP Resource Goal for the Aquatic Food Base

No resource goal was identified for the aquatic food base. It was deemed more as "a means to an end" with regard to meeting goals for humpback chub, other native fish, and the rainbow trout fishery.

Desired Future Condition for the Aquatic Food Base

The aquatic food base will sustainably support viable populations of desired species at all trophic levels. Assure that an adequate, diverse, productive aquatic foodbase exists for fish and other aquatic and terrestrial species that depend on those food resources.

EPT.jpg
EPT as Biologic Indicators of Stream Condition
Chara.jpg
Algae and Aquatic Macrophytes
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Aquatic Macroinvertebrates

Updates


Links and Information

Foodbase Projects

Oviposition and Egg Desiccation Studies

Foodwebs and Bioenergetics Studies

Measuring Primary Production in the Lees Ferry Reach

The BugFlow Experiment

Citizen Science Insect Monitoring

Hyporheic Anoxia in the Lees Ferry Reach

Downstream Recovery of the Foodbase Community in Several Colorado River Tailwaters

Drift and Food Availability Studies

Foodbase PEP

Papers and Presentations

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Other Stuff

The interaction of fish, foodbase, and temperature

Fish occupying warmer water have higher metabolic demands than individuals in cooler water, and if these demands increase concurrently with a seasonal decline in prey availability, then growth rates may be reduced. [2]


  • Gammarus, blackflies, and midges fuel fish production below Glen Canyon Dam.
  • Blackflies and midges respond positively to spring HFE's. Gammarus show little response to fall or spring HFEs.
  • Mud Snails were introduced below Glen Canyon Dam around 1995.