Food Web Data, Colorado River Corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona, 2006
Data for journal manuscript: Pulsed flows, tributary inputs, and food-web structure in a highly regulated river
Dates
Publication Date
2018-02-08
Start Date
2006-06-20
End Date
2006-10-11
Citation
Dibble, K.L., Sabo, J.L., Ruhi, A., and Kennedy, T.A., 2017, Food Web Data, Colorado River Corridor, Grand Canyon, Arizona, 2006: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/F7FX78CV.
Summary
These data were compiled for a manuscript that examines the riverine food-web structure of the Colorado River below Glen Canyon dam to its confluence with Lake Mead. Tissue from primary producers (vascular plants and algae) and consumers (aquatic invertebrates and fish) were collected before and after monsoon floods in 2006 along the 388 kilometer segment of the Colorado River in the Southwest US. Tissue samples were dried, ground, and analyzed for δ13C, δ15N, and δ2H stable isotope signatures and percent carbon and nitrogen. Analysis of these data focused on determining the proportion of terrestrial (allochthonous) vs. aquatic (autochthonous) organic matter sources at the base of the food web, trophic diversity of primary and secondary [...]
Summary
These data were compiled for a manuscript that examines the riverine food-web structure of the Colorado River below Glen Canyon dam to its confluence with Lake Mead. Tissue from primary producers (vascular plants and algae) and consumers (aquatic invertebrates and fish) were collected before and after monsoon floods in 2006 along the 388 kilometer segment of the Colorado River in the Southwest US. Tissue samples were dried, ground, and analyzed for δ13C, δ15N, and δ2H stable isotope signatures and percent carbon and nitrogen. Analysis of these data focused on determining the proportion of terrestrial (allochthonous) vs. aquatic (autochthonous) organic matter sources at the base of the food web, trophic diversity of primary and secondary consumers, and food-chain in response to pulsed flows resulting from monsoon floods that rapidly increase streamflow and flush terrestrial detritus into the river.
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Related External Resources
Type: Related Primary Publication
Sabo, J.L., Caron, M., Doucett, R., Dibble, K.L., Ruhi, A., Marks, J.C., Hungate, B.A. and Kennedy, T.A., 2018, Pulsed flows, tributary inputs, and food web structure in a highly regulated river: Journal of Applied Ecology (online), doi:10.1111/1365-2664.13109.
Data were obtained to inform management of native and non-native species in the Colorado River downstream from Glen Canyon dam. Plant and animal tissue samples were collected in the field in 2006 along 8 sampling reaches in the Colorado River and its tributaries. The samples were processed and analyzed for stable isotope composition in the laboratory—the resulting data were used to determine how pulsed floods from Southwest US monsoon rains influence organic matter inputs to the base of the food web and the diversity of consumer communities in Grand Canyon. We found that tributary inputs during the monsoon season increased trophic diversity and food chain length; therefore, the data can be used to support management efforts to protect unregulated tributaries as they mitigate the influence of flow regulation by large dams on biota.
Rights
The authors of these data request that data users contact them regarding intended use and to assist with understanding limitations and interpretation. Unless otherwise stated, all data, metadata and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. Although these data and associated metadata have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness and approved for release by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data for other purposes, nor on all computer systems, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty.
