Evaluation of Conservation Networks to Protect Aquatic Biodiversity in Missouri

The use of conservation networks is an important tool for the conservation of aquatic biodiversity, but we need to understand how well species were represented within these areas to determine their effectiveness.  We analyzed 1176 samples from randomly selected sites from wadeable Missouri streams between 2000 and 2011 to determine if Missouri’s publicly managed lands (PMLs), Conservation Opportunity Areas (COAs), and Priority Watersheds (PWs) represented aquatic biodiversity.  We aimed to identify species which were unrepresented or under-represented within these networks.  We also analyzed how efficiently these conservation networks represented biodiversity by comparing the species richness of sites within the conservation networks to sites across the state.  A total of 173 species were detected statewide, but 29 species were not represented within COAs, 14 in PWs, and 49 in PMLs.  Using a 2-way ANOVA we found that species richness varied by subregion (Mississippi Alluvial Basin=18; Ozarks=17; Plains=15; P<0.001), but did not differ by conservation network status (Ps>0.15).  Although, species richness was similar among conservation status lands, rare species (less than 1% occurrence rate) were underrepresented within conservation networks 60-80% of the time.  Effective conservation of aquatic biodiversity will require better representation of rare species within Missouri’s conservation networks.