Successful establishment of endangered springsnails following habitat enhancement and translocations

• Published in: Aquatic conservation Vol. 32; no. 8; pp. 1249 - 1262
• Main Authors: Johnson, William P., Beauchamp, Jeffrey S., Butler, Matthew J., Sanchez, Jeffrey I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.08.2022
• Subjects: Abundance; Aquatic crustaceans; Aquatic invertebrates; Aquatic organisms; Aquifers; Associated species; Climate change; Conservation; conservation translocations; Endangered & extinct species; Endangered species; Environmental protection; Extinct species; Gammarus desperatus; Habitat loss; habitat restoration; Habitats; Invertebrates; Juturnia kosteri; Lakes; Populations; Pyrgulopsis roswellensis; Rare species; Refuges; Risk assessment; Species extinction; springs; Threatened species; Translocation; Water quality; Water quality measurements; Water springs; Wildlife; Wildlife conservation; Wildlife habitats; Wildlife refuges; Wildlife sanctuaries
• ISSN: 1052-7613; 1099-0755
• DOI: 10.1002/aqc.3830

Spring‐associated aquatic invertebrates tend to be narrow‐range endemics. Globally, they are threatened with extinction as a result of habitat loss caused by declining aquifers and by climate change. Extinction risks to narrow‐range endemics may be reduced by having multiple, separate populations, yet there have been few attempts to use conservation translocations to create new populations. Pyrgulopsis roswellensis (Roswell springsnail), Juturnia kosteri (Koster's springsnail) and Gammarus desperatus (Noel's amphipod) are range‐restricted, spring‐associated endangered species. Each species has lost one or more populations owing to habitat loss, and their distributions are now largely restricted to Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico. In 2014, Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge enhanced a series of springs by re‐routing a channelized section of river away from them. The goal was to create habitat suitable for establishing new populations of P. roswellensis and J. kosteri, and for expansion of G. desperatus. After assessing risks and benefits of translocations, approximately 6,177 P. roswellensis and 8,707 J. kosteri were introduced into the project area from 2015 to 2018. Efficacy was evaluated by comparing the abundance of invertebrates in the translocation site through time, and by comparing springsnail abundance with three reference spring systems. From 2014 to 2021, invertebrates were monitored twice annually in the translocation area. In reference spring systems, P. roswellensis and J. kosteri were monitored twice annually in 2020 and 2021. Counts of springsnails in the translocation area were comparable to one or more reference areas, which suggests that translocations were successful. In addition, the proportion of P. roswellensis, the less common springsnail, to J. kosteri was similar to references areas. G. desperatus did not increase, which may be because some measures of water quality have not stabilized. Globally, climate change and aquifer declines necessitate immediate consideration be given to conservation translocations as a means of keeping spring‐associated species from becoming extinct.