Sex that moves mountains: Spawning fish can influence river profiles

Sex that moves mountains: Spawning fish can influence river profiles

By Eric Sorensen

Source: WSU News

10/19/2017

It turns out that sex can move mountains.

A Washington State University researcher has found that the mating habits of salmon can alter the profile of stream beds, affecting the evolution of an entire watershed. His study is one of the first to quantitatively show that salmon can influence the shape of the land.

Alex Fremier, lead author of the study and associate professor in the WSU School of the Environment, said female salmon “fluff” soil and gravel on a river bottom as they prepare their nests, or redds. The stream gravel is then more easily removed by flooding, which opens the underlying bedrock to erosion.

“The salmon aren’t just moving sediment,” said Fremier. “They’re changing the character of the stream bed, so when there are floods, the gravel is more mobile.”

The study, “Sex that moves mountains: The influence of spawning fish on river profiles over geologic timescales,” appears in the journal Geomorphology.

Pend Oreille Lake

Salmon, Chinook

Continue...

News Id		Source	Stamp	country
2926	Atlantic herring industry in Maine gets over $7 million to cope with fish losses	newscentermaine	2022-05-05	US
2927	Catch a glimpse! Rare deep-sea fish found in Monterey Bay, US by experts	wionews	2022-05-09	US
2928	They’re less terrifying than you think — but still, those teeth	harvard	2022-05-06	US
2929	Eeling industry hits back at calls to ban commercial fishing of longfin eels	Newshub	2022-05-07	NZ
2930	The people who risk their lives for a catch	theguardian	2022-05-08	UK
2931	‘Testicle’ fish has social media convinced it’s really a ‘sex toy’	nypost	2022-05-03	US
2932	Exceptional Anglers to teach students with special needs how to fish	al	2022-05-04	US
2933	Maine dam owner to make changes to try to save salmon	myjournalcourier	2022-05-02	US
2934	Illegally-Stocked Walleye Caught in Idaho's Lake Cascade	usnews	2022-05-10	US
2935	The Mystery of the Puffer Fish Helmets of Kiribati	atlasobscura	2022-04-26	KI
2936	Missing 88-year-old fisherman found dead in water wearing life jacket, TX officials say	miamiherald	2022-04-27	US
2937	Divers to retrieve lost fishing gear near sunken destroyer off San Pedro	ocregister	2022-04-27	US
2938	World-first women's fly fishing championships beckons Tasmanian trio	ABC Northern Tasmania	2022-05-01	AU
2939	Chinese ‘Devil’s Vessels’ - Sweeping Up The Seas	tippinsights	2022-04-23	CN
2940	SeaSick: Is the quota system the best way to sustain our fisheries for future generations?	stuff	2022-04-26	NZ
2941	Fisherman catches ‘rare and endangered’ 50-pound fish in Missouri	mytwintiers	2022-04-26	US
2942	Hawai’i nears legal prohibition of drones for fishing	dronedj	2022-04-27	US
2943	Father and son catch huge buffalo fish in Shelby Park lake	Nashville Tennessean	2022-04-27	US
2944	Invasive, parasite-carrying fish found in Northern New York	news10	2022-04-28	US
2945	Fish on drugs: cocktail of medications is ‘contaminating ocean food chain’	theguardian	2022-04-29	UK
2946	East Texas 16-year-old sets fishing world record	krqe	2022-04-29	US
2947	Lack of fairness prompts Federal Court to set aside B.C.	nsnews	2022-04-26	CA
2948	How many fish in the see	theindependent	2022-04-29	CA
2949	Angler catches massive paddlefish in Tennessee	Fox News	2022-04-20	US
2950	Missouri fisherman catches 50-pound rare sturgeon	Fox News	2022-04-25	US

117 of [218 - pages.]