This project will evaluate sublethal toxicity of current-use and new fire retardants on Chinook Salmon, a listed species, as well as Rainbow Trout. Non-weathered and weathered retardants will be tested, with the intention being to generate standard LC50s and EC50s from embryo to alevin, and for weathered retardants to more closely mimic exposure a first flush-like event. Behavioral alterations, yolk sac size and potential latent effects on growth will be recorded. These data will allow managers to design approaches for fire management and prevention that have the lowest possible impact on waterways.
Water primrose (Ludwigia spp.) is a highly invasive, non-native floating macrophyte in the Delta. In recent years, water primrose has extended its niche into marsh habitat, causing extensive mortality of marsh macrophytes including tules and cattails. The goal of this project is to determine whether the growth strategy of water primrose, its allelopathic properties, or factors related to plant community structure are the cause of marsh loss following water primrose invasion in the Delta. Part of this study will identify and map the marshes most vulnerable to loss and quantify the spatial trajectory of marsh loss during the past 15 years. The ultimate benefit will be an improved understanding of the water primrose invasion processes in the Delta, which can be used to prioritize herbicide treatment of this highly invasive plant in marshes most vulnerable to invasion and with the highest habitat value.
Objectives:
