Download (PDF 591 KB): https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/46966.pdf
Abstract
The Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Range support thousands of montane lakes, from small, remote tarns to iconic destinations such as Lake Tahoe. Their beauty and recreational opportunities instill high social value, in particular by serving as destinations for hiking, camping, swimming, and fishing. Lakes also have high ecological value because they support a diverse aquatic fauna, including rare species such as the mountain yellow-legged frog (
Rana muscosa/R. sierrae), and they provide food for terrestrial and aquatic predators. A number of stressors interact to affect lake ecosystems in the synthesis area. Climate change is expected to affect lakes by altering physical processes and reducing water levels. In shallow lakes and ponds, reduced hydroperiods could directly reduce the amount of available habitat for lentic amphibians and increase the instances of stranding mortality of eggs and tadpoles. Introductions of fish into lakes have altered food webs and particularly affected native amphibians.
Parent Publication
Keywords
ecological restoration,
socioecological systems,
ecosystem resilience,
forest planning,
fire management,
altered fire regimes,
wildfire,
climate change,
anthropogenic disturbance,
invasive species,
water resources,
species of conservation concern,
California
Citation
Pope, K.L.; Long, J.W. 2014. Lakes: recent research and restoration strategies. In: Long, J.W.; Quinn-Davidson, L.; Skinner, C.N., eds. Science synthesis to support socioecological resilience in the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Range. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-247. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station: 373-390. Chap. 6.4.
