Spawning periodicity and synchrony of bluehead chub (Nocomis leptocephalus) and a nest associate, yellowfin shiner (Notropis lutipinnis), across local streams

We studied daily spawning periodicity of a nest-building species, bluehead chub (Nocomis leptocephalus), and a nest associate, yellowfin shiner (Notropis lutipinnis), in three streams in the upper Piedmont region of South Carolina, USA. Field observations were conducted for 89 consecutive days in 2016 by recording the number of active nests and environmental variables. A total of 71 nests were located across study streams; bluhead chub and yellowfin shiner spawned between April and June. Spawning was observed periodically at intervals of 4–6 days within the same stream and across different streams, indicating broad-scale influences of the same environmental factors leading to synchrony. A generalized linear auto-regressive and moving average model showed that the periodic spawning pattern was likely caused by changes in water temperature, with effects of water level varying by stream. Specifically, spawning was triggered by a short-term (2-day) increase in water temperature and was observed under stable flow conditions (i.e. a lack of precipitation). This study showed that spawning periodicity of bluehead chub and yellowfin shiner tracked daily variation in in-stream conditions, indicating that their reproduction might be affected by anthropogenic disturbances that affect the rate of change in thermal and flow regimes at the fine temporal scale (e.g. hydroelectric dams and impervious cover).