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Texas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

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We applied habitat suitability indices and network analysis to identify the lakes most critical to the establishment and spread of zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha). We included 225 lakes in the study area Habitat suitability indices were based on known tolerances of water chemical and physical parameters in relationship to zebra mussel growth, survival, and reproduction. We created multiple boater movement networks consisting of lake nodes and connecting roadway edges. Each network represented the potential connectivity of lakes for recreational users depending on the maximum roadway distance boaters were likely to travel. We evaluated three different maximum roadway distances based on boater movement surveys:...
Assessing risk for westward expansion of zebra mussels to guide EDRR strategies project
Zebra mussels are representative of nonindigenous aquatic species (NAS) with devastating economic, recreational, and environmental impacts that are already under watch as a problematic species across the U.S. and in Texas. Targeting dispersal pathways is likely the most efficient means of controlling their spread further west. The movement of recreational watercraft is one of the main vectors for the spread of zebra mussels and other NAS among lakes. Thus, we created a risk assessment to guide monitoring efforts to detect and report new sightings of zebra mussels and other NAS. Lake risk scores were based on the potential establishment and spread of zebra mussels. Lake establishment risk was determined by applying...
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Water physicochemical parameters at 20 reservoirs in western Texas and eastern New Mexico to supplement publicly available datasets. Dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, specific conductance and temperature and turbidity were measured with an Eureka Manta 2 or YSI Pro 2030 immersed to a depth of 0.3 meters. Water samples were also collected from the same depth and analyzed using a Hach DR 3900 Spectrophotometer for the parameters of calcium, magnesium, total hardness, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus.
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An Adaptive Management Approach to Assessing Water as a Critical Habitat Need for Lesser Prairie-Chicken Reproduction
Man-made water sources have been used as a management tool for wildlife, especially in arid regions, but the value of these water sources for wildlife populations is not well understood. In particular, the value of water as a conservation tool for Lesser Prairie-Chickens (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) is unknown. However, this is a relevant issue due to a heightened conservation concern for the species and its occupancy of an arid landscape anticipated to experience warmer, drier springs and winters. We assessed if Lesser Prairie-Chickens would use commercially available wildlife water guzzlers and if there was any apparent selection between two design types. We confirmed that Lesser Prairie-Chickens would use bird...
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