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Forest landscape restoration: linkages with stream fishes of the southern United States

Informally Refereed

Abstract

With well over 600 native species, the southern United States supports one of the richest temperate freshwater fish faunas on Earth (Fig. 10.1 ). Unfortunately, an expert review revealed that 27% (188 taxa) of southern fishes are endangered, threatened, or vulnerable (Warren et al. 2000 ) and that 16–18% of native fishes are imperiled in 45 of 51 major southern river basins. Other groups of aquatic organisms in the region also show high levels of imperilment (e.g., freshwater mussels and gastropods, Neves et al. 1997; Haag 2009; cray fishes, Taylor et al. 1996, 2007; aquatic reptiles, Buhlmann and Gibbons 1997 ) . Based on national extinction rate projections for fishes (Ricciardi and Rasmussen 1999 ) , about 10% of the region’s fishes could be extinct by 2050 unless effective conservation actions aimed at maintaining and improving the physical and biological integrity of the region’s streams and rivers are implemented.

Citation

Warren, Melvin L., Jr. 2012. Forest landscape restoration: linkages with stream fishes of the southern United States. In: Stanturf, J.; Madsen, P.; Lamb, D., eds. A Goal-Oriented Approach to Forest Landscape Restoration. World Forests 16, Springer Science+Business Media, Dordrecht, Netherlands. 221-264.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/44013