Introduction

This is a description of a monitoring plan that has been laid out for a commonly known species Campostoma anomalum or Central Stoneroller. This monitoring plan is going to encompass all known information about the species as well as different aspects of how this particular species should and should not be managed, due to the fact that not much is unknown about managing for Central Stoneroller. This particular species of Central Stoneroller is widespread in freshwater streams throughout a large portion of the eastern, central, and Midwestern United States. It is present in the Atlantic, Great Lakes, Mississippi River, and Hudson Bay basins in the U.S., from New York east to North Dakota and Wyoming and south to South Carolina and Texas. There are also isolated populations in Canada and Mexico. The geographic distribution is necessary for making a monitoring plan, so that explanations for extirpation can be solved as well as various reasons formoving from their native range. Another aspect of the management plan will be the Ecology of Central Stoneroller. The ecology of this species will include interactions involving diet, habitat, competition, whether it be abiotic or biotic factors. Life history is an important aspect to know in that it sheds light on times of breeding, average clutch size, maximum life span, and also covers how human induced changes are effecting the Central Stoneroller. One of the most crucial elements of describing the monitoring plan to help the Central Stoneroller would be to create current management practices for that species. These practices should solve issues such as reducing human impacts on the species, figuring out what practices are already being implemented, and an array of other things involving hybridization, over-fishing, and invasive species. A final concept to consider would be to list management recommendations for the future survival of the Central Stoneroller. Being able to estimate the abundance of the current species across their native range, providing insight on how the species should be monitored and managed, and what equipment would be suitable for those particular management recommendations. These are all crucial elements for the Central Stonerollers’ future survival in the wild.

Geographic Distribution of Species

C. anomalum is widespread in freshwater streams throughout a large portion of the eastern, central, and Midwestern United States. It is present in the Atlantic, Great Lakes, Mississippi River, and Hudson Bay basins in the U.S., from New York east to North Dakota and Wyoming and south to South Carolina and Texas. There are also isolated populations in Canada and Mexico. C. anomalum is benthopelagic, inhabiting either the midwaters or bottom of freshwater streams and rivers. It requires some current and is most commonly found in riffles and pools of moderate to high gradient streams with a gravel substrate bottom. However, it is a very tolerant species and can be found in almost any stream system with adequate food, leading to it widespread distribution.

Ecology

C. anomalum is generally herbivorous, feeding primarily on algae scraped from rocks and logs with the cartilaginous ridge on its lower jaw. Young fish feed on rotifers, filamentous algae, and microcrustacea. It also feeds on detritus, diatoms, other microorganisms, and the occasional aquatic insect. It is classified as a grazing minnow in its feeding behavior, and large schools of these fish often feed together. Central stonerollers are herbivorous and may consume up to 27% of their body weight in benthic algae per day. In addition to algae, a variety of food items often are consumed by central stonerollers. For instance, Evans-White et al. (2003) found that algae contributed most (47%) to the diet of central stonerollers in a Kansas stream, followed by detritus (30%), animal matter (21%), and terrestrial vegetation (2%).Some human induced problems that reduce the species abundance of the Central Stoneroller are altered flow regimes, habitat fragmentation, and impacts to aquatic and riparian habitat associated with agricultural practices. Other human induced changes that effect the species include increased siltation and aquatic vegetation.

Life History

Maturity is reached in 1-4 years. Breeding males begin building nests in late winter and continue throughout mid-summer, creating a large bowl-shaped depression in calmer waters by rolling stones along the bottom with their noses, giving them their most common name. The males aggressively defend their nests against rival males. Spawning occurs in early spring and summer, varying by region, with those fish in warmer climates generally spawning earlier than those in colder climates. Females remain in deeper water outside the nesting site, entering only briefly to produce anywhere between 200-4800 eggs in a nest.The male fertilizes the eggs, causing them to become adhesive and lodge in the gravel of the nest, preventing them from being carried away by the current. The eggs are then abandoned by both parents, hatching within a few days. The newly hatched fish school together to feed in the warmer and more protected backwaters and vegetated stream margins. This species is generally found in small, clear streams with gravel, rubble, or exposed bedrock often the most abundant species in small streams and schools may contain several hundred individuals. Central stonerollers also display some intolerance to heavy siltation or pollutants which may have an effect on quantity of available algae in pool and riffle habitats.

Current Management

The Central Stoneroller is widely distributed and this particular species is not being majorly threatened nor is it listed on any federal or state conservation lists however, given the importance of central stonerollers to stream ecosystem function, understanding their population dynamics should be a high priority in systems where they are abundant. For instance, coupling age-structured population models with food web models is becoming more common because they can provide insight on ecosystem impacts of nonnative species, climate change, or alterations to important system inputs. Consequently, the availability of data on age structure, mortality, and growth of fishes (particularly small-bodied, nongame fishes) will be increasingly important to aquatic ecologists and management biologists.The effects of sedimentation on fish communities needs to be examined to substantiate the qualitative opinions in the literature, and to understand the biological basis for the effects. Other than some human induced disturbances the Central Stoneroller is doing fine on it's own within the wild and seems to be at a good balance in terms of species population. The focus is being turned to the human induced disturbed sites because that seems to be the only places where the Central Stoneroller is having any problem at all. The Central Stoneroller might not be at risk now, but research needs to be done now to gain more info on these disturbed sites and what can be done about them in case one day this species does become at risk, especially the sites involving siltation.

Management Recommendations

Given the importance of central stonerollers to stream ecosystem function, understanding their population dynamics should be a high priority in systems where they are abundant. For instance, coupling age-structured population models with food web models is becoming more common because they can provide insight on ecosystem impacts of nonnative species, climate change, or alterations to important system inputs. Consequently, the availability of data on age structure, mortality, and growth of fishes (particularly small-bodied, nongame fishes) will be increasingly important to aquatic ecologists and management biologists. Other management implications that need to be applied or looked at include stream restoration and water quality improvement. Surveys are needed to provide baseline data and monitor distribution and population trends. This data may be used to identify specific threats and identify management needs and priorities. Monitoring protocols and sites should be identified and routinely sampled. The Central Stoneroller should be monitored frequently within the species current habitat that it occupies. Electroshocking with backpacks and nets will be needed to get estimated counts of the species within certain designated areas along a large scale sampling area. There should also be a separate sampling/monitoring plan for disturbed sites so that the two counts can be compared to one another to see how much of an effect disturbance has on the Central Stonerollers’ population. Educating the public and making people aware of the species is also a major implication that is crucial when trying to restore or maintain a species such as the Central Stoneroller. Certain landowners such as farmers have much more of an effect than one might think on things such as water quality of streams where cattle cross, so getting the information about a particular species to them is critical, so that they can implement better water quality practices if needed.

External links

• Photograph of Campostoma anomalum by Noel M. Burkhead