Oral Presentation Freshwater Sciences 2023

Going Hog Wild: Using time-integrated samplers to reveal the role of feral hogs on stream sediment yield in small headwater streams (#64)

Stella Wilson 1 , Arial Shogren 2 , Zacharie Loveless 2 , C. Nate Jones 2 , Lisa Davis 3 , Carla Atkinson 2
  1. Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
  2. Biological Sciences, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
  3. Geography, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA

Wild hogs (Sus scrofa) are highly invasive and considered a nuisance species in the Southeastern region of the United States (USA). One of the most destructive behaviors of wild hogs is their rooting behavior, which alters terrestrial plant community structure, disrupts soils and riparian zones, and may degrade surface water quality. However, few studies have assessed how large riparian wallows facilitate exhumation of sediment into the stream. We quantified the role of riparian hog wallows on stream sediment dynamics and bank erosion. We deployed time-integrated sediment samplers ("rockets") above and below five targeted hog wallows in five forested headwater streams in south central Alabama, USA. We deployed the rockets for 7 months from June to December 2022 and sampled each rocket every three weeks. From the trapped material, we quantified total sediment mass (g), (% inorganic and organic matter), and particle size distribution. We also deployed high-performance motion-capture game cameras at each wallow to monitor hog activity. Our findings suggest that hog activity variably influences stream sediment loading, where the impact was predicted by frequency of disturbance (total hog site visits per 3 weeks), abundance (total hogs per site visit within 3-week intervals), and differences in suspended sediment mass (g) above and below hog wallows. Hog activity frequency ranged between 0-12 hogs per day across sites. Our study suggests that hog wallows may reduce surface water quality. Hog wallows may be worthy of inclusion in sediment delivery ratio estimates in watersheds with known hog populations and geomorphic conditions conductive to hog wallow effects.