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
3901	Russia accuses Greenpeace of encouraging Senegal to seize trawler	theguardian	2014-01-09	UK
3902	Canadian seafood imports targeted by U.S. environmental group	CBC News	2014-01-07	CA
3903	6-year-old saves brother who nearly drowned in fish tank	KDKA / CBS NEWSPATH	2021-05-13	US
3904	Snorkeler Spots Man’s Lost Wedding Ring Wrapped Around Fish's Body in Australia	people	2021-05-12	AU
3905	Anglers get 'catch of a lifetime' near Anna Maria Island	wtsp	2021-05-14	US
3906	Scientist bleaches and dyes dead creatures to reveal their amazing inner anatomy	daily mail	2013-12-17	UK
3907	How the Cavefish Lost Its Eyes	gizmodo	2013-12-12	US
3908	Man catches 'prehistoric' fish on Caney Fork River	newschannel5	2021-05-10	US
3909	‘Bodacious’ Bahamas Fishing Trip Costs Florida Man His Boat Plus $25	cbslocal	2021-05-09	US
3910	This Parasite Eats a Fish's Tongue — And Takes Its Place	wired	2013-11-22	US
3911	'Cleaner fish' eat salmon parasites	BBC Scotland News	2013-11-19	UK
3912	Norwegian salmon farm offers bounty for escaped fish	aljazeera	2013-11-18	NO
3913	Bluefin tuna quota demand slammed by environmentalists	CBC News	2013-11-17	CA
3914	Arctic mystery fish identified	CBC News	2013-11-15	CA
3915	The four fish I would still eat – even after watching Seaspiracy	theguardian	2021-05-10	JP
3916	after 420 million years in the deeps, modern gillnets from shark fin trade drag coelacanths into the light	mongabay	2021-05-12	MG
3917	The Surprise Hiding in the DNA of Pet Fish	The Atlantic	2021-05-14	GE
3918	Man catches salmon weighing same as 7-year-old boy	itv	2013-11-13	UK
3919	Scientists Track Young Salmon's First Moves In The Ocean	underwatertimes	2013-11-11	US
3920	Cold-water fish food not adapting to a warming world, study says	nbcnews	2013-10-21	AU
3921	Thousands of dead fish found on Eastern Auckland coastline	nzherald	2021-04-28	NZ
3922	Angler catches bizarre mystery fish	theborneopost	2013-11-06	MY
3923	Fluorescent barramundi growing in Lake Kununurra	abc	2013-11-04	AU
3924	Stinky fish balls at Salton Sea. Really stinky	laobserved	2013-11-04	US
3925	Asian carp threatening ecosystem in the Great Lakes	upi	2013-10-29	US

156 of [218 - pages.]