Field Guide to Rivers & Streams: Discovering Running Waters and Aquatic Life

In Field Guide to Rivers & Streams, Dr. Ryan Utz (Chatham University) presents a broad scientific understanding of rivers, streams, and the animals that reside within them, written accessibly for a general audience. Topics range from what causes river flows to rise and fall to the ecology of riverine fishes. Kayakers, anglers, and hikers alike will find many tools within Field Guide to Rivers & Streams to deepen their understanding of their favorite waterway.

ISBN-13: 9781493060382

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers - Inc.

Publication Date: 08-01-2022

Pages: 304

Product Dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

Dr. Ryan Utz is an assistant professor of water resources at Chatham University and outdoor enthusiast with an obsession for backcountry camping. He has published over forty scientific articles on subjects ranging from salmon restoration in California to long-term rising salinity levels in North American rivers. An avid outdoor enthusiast, he also contributes to Backpacker magazine.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments v

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 Watersheds 5

Chapter 2 Hydrology 16

Chapter 3 Channel Geomorphology 27

Chapter 4 Ecology of Lotic Ecosystems 39

Chapter 5 A Primer on Identifying Organisms 58

Chapter 6 Insects 62

Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) 69

Ephemeroptera (mayflies) 72

Plecoptera (stoneflies) 75

Hemiptera (true bugs) 78

Megaloptera (alderflies, dobsonflies, and fishflies) 81

Trichoptera (caddisflies) 83

Coleoptera (beetles) 86

Diptera (flies) 89

Chapter 7 Crustaceans 92

Amphipoda (amphipods) 95

Isopoda (isopods) 96

Decapoda (crayfishes) 97

Chapter 8 Bivalve Mollusks 99

Native Mussels 102

Sphaeriidae (fingernail clams) 105

Dreissena polymorpha (the zebra mussel) 106

Corbicula fluminea (the Asian clam) 108

Chapter 9 Fishes 110

Petromyzontidae (lampreys) 122

Acipenseridae (sturgeons) 128

Amiidae (bowfin) 133

Polyodontidae (paddlefishes) 135

Anguillidae (eels) 136

Lepisosteidae (gars) 137

Ictaluridae (catfishes) 140

Percopsidae (trout-perches) 152

Clupeidae (herrings) 154

Esocidae (pikes) 158

Umbridae (mudminnows) 162

Salmonidae (trout and salmon) 164

Aphredoderidae (pirate perch) 177

Gasterosteidae (sticklebacks) 178

Poeciliidae (livebearers) 182

Fundulidae (killifish) 187

Catostomidae (suckers) 195

Cyprinidae (minnows and carps) 214

Atherinopsidae (silversides) 250

Cottidae (sculpins) 253

Sciaenidae (drums) 257

Percidae (perches and darters) 259

Moronidae (striped basses) 276

Centrarchidae (sunfishes) 279

References 293

About the Author 297