Kimberly Lellis Dibble
Biography
My main area of expertise pertains to fish physiology and the use of biochemical indicators to assess the condition of fish, but I also use quantitative methods to examine environmental drivers that influence trout recruitment and adult size in tailwaters across the Intermountain West. I quantify fish lipid reserves in the laboratory to answer questions pertaining to the health of non-native and native fish residing downriver of Glen Canyon dam. Currently, I'm using lipids to examine temporal patterns of fish energy acquisition and tradeoffs between energy storage, growth, and reproduction in fishes inhabiting five reaches of the Colorado River. I am also interested in the short and long-term population-level effects of fall-timed experimental floods on the growth and condition of age-0 trout. To that end, I'm using lipid classes (triacylglycerides, free fatty acids, phospholipids, etc.) combined with recent daily growth rate from otoliths to compare pre- and post-flood indices to overwinter survival and recruitment rates the following spring. In addition, I'm working with colleagues in the laboratory to develop a non-lethal tool to more accurately measure the condition of native, endangered fishes captured in the Colorado and Little Colorado Rivers.
Science and Products
Understanding Factors Influencing Rainbow Trout Growth in the Colorado River
Rainbow trout is a desirable sport fish that has been introduced in many locations around the world. Although introductions of rainbow trout and other nonnative fishes provide recreational fishing opportunities, they also pose threats to native fish populations. The Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program has tasked scientists and managers with identifying management options that allow...
DATA RELEASE - Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis for an Endangered Desert Fish
These data were used to examine the effectiveness of a non-lethal tool (Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis) to estimate the physiological condition of endangered and threatened fishes in the Colorado River Basin. Humpback chub, bonytail, and roundtail Chub were subjected to different feeding trials to elicit a response in physiological condition.
Net-spinning caddisfly distribution in large regulated rivers
Most of the world's large rivers are dammed for the purposes of water storage, flood control, and power production. Damming rivers fundamentally alters water temperature and flows in tailwater ecosystems, which in turn affects the presence and abundance of downstream biota.We collaborated with more than 200 citizen scientists to collect 2,194...
Metcalfe, Anya; Muehlbauer, Jeffrey; Kennedy, Theodore; Yackulic, Charles; Dibble, Kimberly L.; Marks, Jane C.Water storage decisions will determine the distribution and persistence of imperiled river fishes
Managing the world’s freshwater supply to meet societal and environmental needs in a changing climate is one of the biggest challenges for the 21st century. Dams provide water security, however, the allocation of dwindling water supply among reservoirs could exacerbate or ameliorate the effects of climate change on aquatic communities. Here,...
Dibble, Kimberly L.; Yackulic, Charles; Kennedy, Theodore; Bestgen, Kevin R.; Schmidt, John C.Warm water temperatures and shifts in seasonality increase trout recruitment but only moderately decrease adult size in western North American tailwaters
Dams throughout western North America have altered thermal regimes in rivers, creating cold, clear “tailwaters” in which trout populations thrive. Ongoing drought in the region has led to highly publicized reductions in reservoir storage and raised concerns about potential reductions in downstream flows. Large changes in riverine thermal regimes...
Dibble, Kimberly L.; Yackulic, Charles B.; Kennedy, Theodore A.Pulsed flows, tributary inputs, and food web structure in a highly regulated river
1.Dams disrupt the river continuum, altering hydrology, biodiversity, and energy flow. Although research indicates that tributary inputs have the potential to dilute these effects, knowledge at the food web level is still scarce.2.Here we examined the riverine food web structure of the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam, focusing on organic...
Sabo, John; Caron, Melanie; Doucett, Richard R.; Dibble, Kimberly L.; Ruhi, Albert; Marks, Jane; Hungate, Bruce; Kennedy, Theodore A.Does bioelectrical impedance analysis accurately estimate the condition of threatened and endangered desert fish species?
Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is a nonlethal tool with which to estimate the physiological condition of animals that has potential value in research on endangered species. However, the effectiveness of BIA varies by species, the methodology continues to be refined, and incidental mortality rates are unknown. Under laboratory conditions we...
Dibble, Kimberly L.; Yard, Micheal D.; Ward, David L.; Yackulic, Charles B.Flow management for hydropower extirpates aquatic insects, undermining river food webs
Dams impound the majority of rivers and provide important societal benefits, especially daily water releases that enable on-peak hydroelectricity generation. Such “hydropeaking” is common worldwide, but its downstream impacts remain unclear. We evaluated the response of aquatic insects, a cornerstone of river food webs, to hydropeaking...
Kennedy, Theodore A.; Muehlbauer, Jeffrey D.; Yackulic, Charles B.; Lytle, D.A.; Miller, S.A.; Dibble, Kimberly L.; Kortenhoeven, Eric W.; Metcalfe, Anya; Baxter, Colden V.Flow management and fish density regulate salmonid recruitment and adult size in tailwaters across western North America
Rainbow and brown trout have been intentionally introduced into tailwaters downriver of dams globally and provide billions of dollars in economic benefits. At the same time, recruitment and maximum length of trout populations in tailwaters often fluctuate erratically, which negatively affects the value of fisheries. Large recruitment events may...
Dibble, Kimberly L.; Yackulic, Charles B.; Kennedy, Theodore A.; Budy, Phaedra E.