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David A Haukos

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Intermittent Stream Risk Assessment: Mapping Patterns of Stream Drying and Identifying Vulnerabilities of Stream Fish and Crayfish Communities to Drying
Small creeks and streams often dry out during the summer but still support many insects, fish, crayfish, and plants. Though intermittent streams are the most common type of flowing water across the globe, not much is known about which, how, why, or when streams dry or about how patterns of drying affect species in these habitats. More information about patterns of stream drying can help inform the management of intermittent streams. This project will use sensors to track the presence and absence of water in streams across Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, and New Mexico. This will allow for an estimate of different drying patterns, and what (for example, stream size, land use, rainfall, or soil type) influences each pattern....
Altered hydrology of southwestern United States rivers has led to a decline in native cottonwood (Populus deltoides). Areas historically dominated by cottonwood have been replaced by invasive saltcedar (Tamarix chinensis). Restoration of historic hydrology through periodic flooding of riparian areas has been a means of restoring native species. However, due to similarity in germination requirements of cottonwoods and saltcedars, flooding may create an unwanted increase in the number of saltcedar seedlings. Therefore, we evaluated competitive aspects of these co-occurring species in an extant riparian habitat in the arid southwestern US. We measured effects of competition between cottonwood and saltcedar seedlings...
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The Impact of Future Climate Variability on Shorebirds and Their Wetland Habitats in the South Central U.S.
Healthy wetlands provide buffers against drought, flooding, pollution, and other threats to humans and nature. Climate change imperils wetland health, including impacting the connections among wetlands that facilitate movements and prevent extinctions of wetland-dependent wildlife. One wildlife group of considerable conservation concern and vulnerability to climate induced wetland changes is migratory shorebirds (a diverse group that includes sandpipers and plovers). Many shorebirds undertake long-distance migrations and have experienced sharp population declines, partly from loss of migratory stopover sites. During stopovers, shorebirds are thought to need a regional network of wetlands, with connections among...
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