Search

There is an urgent need to build the public's resilience in the face of disinformation. Nevertheless, librarians may be hesitant to assume a frontline role in confronting politicized misinformation. We conducted ethnographic observations and interviews across three Montana libraries to understand the informational needs and search habits of library patrons and the role that librarians play in promoting effective search practices. Montana poses unique challenges with regard to broadband speed and access; however, our findings replicated studies in school settings across the country regarding reliance on antiquated search literacy techniques. The librarians interviewed noted challenges with confronting patrons about specific information claims that might be politically sensitive, but they expressed confidence in their ability to build patron trust and teach effective search literacy practices. We built and tested interventions designed to enable librarians to build their skills and empower patrons to better confront misinformation now and in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Algae and aquatic plants support river food webs through in-situ primary production. However, gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER) are rarely evaluated in the context of river management or habitat restoration. We estimated daily GPP and ER during 2 growing seasons for 7 reaches in the Kootenai River and 1 reach in the Elk River, spanning 290 river km across British Columbia, Canada, and Montana and Idaho, USA. We characterized responses of GPP and ER to river management, including reaches with unregulated flow, regulated flow, nutrient addition, and habitat restoration. Downstream GPP and ER generally increased after changes in river management, and higher management intensity led to greater increases. GPP and ER followed a seasonal pattern with low initial values in spring, elevated values in mid-summer, and a return to low values in late summer and autumn. Timing and duration of the elevated period for GPP and ER also differed among reaches following changes in river management. Our results suggest that river management affects GPP and ER, likely through reducing turbidity and the frequency and magnitude of extreme flow events, nutrient additions, and enhanced floodplain connectivity, thereby altering the timing and amount of autochthonous carbon available to the food web. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Floodplains are comprised of aquatic and terrestrial habitats that are reshaped frequently by hydrologic processes that operate at multiple spatial and temporal scales. It is well established that hydrologic and geomorphic dynamics are the primary drivers of habitat change in river floodplains over extended time periods. However, the effect of fluctuating discharge on floodplain habitat structure during seasonal flooding is less well understood. We collected ultra-high resolution digital multispectral imagery of a gravel-bed river floodplain in western Montana on 6 dates during a typical seasonal flood pulse and used it to quantify changes in habitat abundance and diversity associated with annual flooding. We observed significant changes in areal abundance of many habitat types, such as riffles, runs, shallow shorelines, and overbank flow. However, the relative abundance of some habitats, such as backwaters, springbrooks, pools, and ponds, changed very little. We also examined habitat transition patterns throughout the flood pulse. Few habitat transitions occurred in the main channel, which was dominated by riffle and run habitat. In contrast, in the near-channel, scoured habitats of the floodplain were dominated by cobble bars at low flows but transitioned to isolated flood channels at moderate discharge. The areal abundance of habitat types in near-channel floodplain areas varied as discharge fluctuated. These areas were most diverse and dissimilar in habitat composition at intermediate flows during both the rising and falling limbs of the hydrograph. The geomorphically stable areas of the floodplain were dominated by herbaceous habitat, and we observed fewer transitions from one habitat type to another during the seasonal flood pulse. However, the largest habitat diversity occurred during peak flow, which highlights the influence of flooding on the development and expansion of a broad array of aquatic habitats during the annual cycle of flooding. We conclude that the response of floodplain habitat abundance and diversity is strongly influenced by location on the riverscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]