Michael J. Anteau Carl W. Isaacson Jake D. Carleen Breanna R. Keith Barry Thoele Michael Bieganek Alaina Taylor Danelle M. Larson Megan J. Fitzpatrick 2024 <div class="abstract-group metis-abstract"><div class="article-section__content en main"><p>Conservation translocations may be a useful tool for the restoration of declining freshwater invertebrates, but they are poorly represented in the literature. We conducted a before-after/control-impact (BACI) experiment to test the efficacy of conservation translocation for re-establishing abundant populations of the amphipod<span>&nbsp;</span><i>Gammarus lacustris</i>, a declining species and wildlife food resource in depressional wetlands in the upper Midwest of the United States of America. Each study site (<i>n</i> = 19) contained at least one treatment wetland receiving translocated<span>&nbsp;</span><i>G. lacustris</i><span>&nbsp;</span>from a local donor and one control wetland. We selected study wetlands based on a suite of wetland characteristics and randomly assigned recipient versus control treatment.<span>&nbsp;</span><i>Gammarus lacustris</i><span>&nbsp;</span>was detected post-translocation at only 2 of 22 recipient wetlands (1 of 19 sites). Overall, there was a statistical increase in<span>&nbsp;</span><i>G. lacustris</i><span>&nbsp;</span>density in recipient wetlands compared to controls; however, the results were of minimal biological significance due to being driven by a single site with low<span>&nbsp;</span><i>G. lacustris</i><span>&nbsp;</span>densities. Accordingly, our results suggest that future conservation translocations of amphipods might be successful if limited to recently restored wetlands or informed by a more complex habitat suitability model to differentiate dispersal limitations from habitat limitations. To develop such a model would involve identifying the fewest, most influential physical and biological factors (e.g. wetland size/structure, fish, aquatic vegetation, and water chemistry) from the numerous inter-related factors that correlate with the abundance of naturally occurring<span>&nbsp;</span><i>G. lacustris</i>; candidate wetlands to receive amphipods would be those for which the model predicts abundant<span>&nbsp;</span><i>G. lacustris</i><span>&nbsp;</span>but in which they do not presently occur.</p></div></div> application/pdf 10.1111/rec.14191 en Wiley Low rate of population establishment of a freshwater invertebrate (Gammarus lacustris) in experimental conservation translocations article