Keith Gibbs
Assistant Professor Western Carolina University
- Cullowhee NC
Keith Gibbs's research endeavors to promote the protection and restoration of aquatic resources in Western North Carolina.
Media
Social
Industry Expertise
Areas of Expertise
Education
Tennessee Tech University
Ph.D.
Environmental Science
2013
Media Appearances
‘The fish that wears a feather’: Sicklefin Redhorse fish given scientific name
Smoky Mountain News online
2025-03-25
In February, Assistant Professor in the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resources at Western Carolina University Keith Gibbs and his team were awarded a $40,000 grant from the Sicklefin Redhorse Conservation Working Group in order to study the species’ movement using radio telemetry.
In the research, Gibbs’ team will implant radio transmitters into hatchery-raised fish at the Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery in Georgia. After giving the fish a few days to acclimate and recover in the hatchery, the team will release the fish into the Little Tennessee river and go out weekly to track their movements.
Gibbs earns grant worth nearly $40K for sicklefin redhorse research
WCU Stories online
2025-01-30
Inside Keith Gibbs’ office hangs an imprint of a sicklefin redhorse, a sucker fish that the Western Carolina University assistant professor in the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resources takes great interest in.
The fish is primarily found in the Hiwassee and Little Tennessee Rivers, right in WCU’s backyard, but it’s also a threatened species. And thanks to a grant, Gibbs and his collaborators will be able to learn more about this aquatic neighbor.
The Sicklefin Redhorse Conservation Working Group awarded a $39,997.99 grant for Gibbs and his team to track the movement and habitat use of juvenile sicklefin redhorse through radio telemetry.
Tuckasegee River has more than just garbage
The Western Carolina Journalist online
2023-04-28
Keith Gibbs, WCU professor of geosciences and natural resources has been studying the Tuck and says that though the water quality is considered “good,” the Tuckaseegee mirrors the same problems of other rivers throughout the U.S.
“Suspended sediments from runoff is the largest source of pollution in the Tuckasegee, however, this isn’t a unique problem. Sedimentation is the leading cause of degradation to most streams and rivers throughout the U.S.,” said Gibbs in an email exchange.
Research Focus
Current research projects include:
Riverine Restoration Ecology
Effects of Land Use Alteration on Aquatic Resources
Rare and Imperiled Species Conservation
Fish and Macroinvertebrate Assemblage Response to Perturbation
Aquatic Fauna Sampling Efficacy and Efficiency
Articles
Developing a Watershed Prioritization Index to Guide Restoration Initiatives in the Upper Little Tennessee River Basin
NC Water Resources Research Institute2024
Our research objectives were to: 1) analyze geospatial data across the Upper Little Tennessee River Basin (ULTRB) to 2) rank subwatersheds for risks to water quality at multiple spatial scales and 3) link land cover change over time to water quality and aquatic biota. We extracted land cover and landscape feature data at multiple spatial scales to categorize attributes and rank subwatersheds from least to most susceptible to impairment. Water quality and aquatic habitat were sampled in a subset of subwatersheds to verify and validate geospatially derived prioritization rankings. Historical fish and macroinvertebrate assemblage data were compiled and georeferenced to identify gaps in knowledge and target supplemental sampling efforts. Although the ULTRB is predominantly forested (> 87%),~ 8.5% is developed and~ 2.5% is agricultural.
Comparing passive and active macroinvertebrate sampling gear efficacy during biomonitoring in Southern Appalachian mountain streams
River Research and Applications2023
Aquatic invertebrates are important components of any aquatic ecosystem and are frequently monitored to determine the ecological integrity of those systems. Various gear types are used to collect aquatic macroinvertebrates in wadeable streams. We analyzed commonly used active and passive gear types, including kick seines, Hess samplers, drift nets, and Hester–Dendy samplers, across a watershed in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to determine their efficacy under various habitat conditions in wadeable Southern Appalachian mountain streams. Hester–Dendy samplers were significantly different from other gear types for most univariate and multivariate analyses. Kick and Hess samples were most similar in multivariate comparisons of macroinvertebrate assemblages.
High and dry in days gone by: Life‐history theory predicts Appalachian mountain stream fish assemblage transformation during historical drought
Ecology of Freshwater Fish2022
Understanding the ecological dimensions of drought is critical for predicting how humans and nature will be affected by the expected increased prevalence of drought in the future. We tested life‐history‐based predictions for fish assemblage responses to drought using retrospective analysis of long‐term (1986–2003) fish surveys from two streams in the Appalachian Mountains of North America. We hypothesised that (1) fish assemblage composition would correlate with wet and dry hydrologic conditions as assemblages fluctuated within a loose equilibrium and (2) life‐history traits of fishes would correlate with dry versus wet periods such that opportunistic life‐history strategists would dominate during drought. Results showed fish assemblage changes in Little River and Cataloochee Creek correlated with drought severity measured one year prior to fish surveys.
Temporal trajectories in metacommunity structure: Insights from interdisciplinary research in intermittent streams
Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water2021
Metacommunity ecology represents a framework for identifying linkages between environmental heterogeneity, spatial processes, and local communities of organisms. Despite advancements in metacommunity theory, there remains a need to understand temporal dynamics of multi‐taxa metacommunities in variable ecosystems such as intermittent streams. We present a review of literature, three recent conceptual models, and a case study regarding metacommunity temporal dynamics in intermittent streams. The literature review revealed that the cumulative number of studies addressing temporal dynamics in aquatic metacommunities steadily increased between 2012 and 2020. Intermittent streams were the fourth‐most commonly studied ecosystem and interdisciplinary studies involving multiple taxa were the third‐most common taxonomic focus.
Riverscape correlates for distribution of threatened spotfin chub Erimonax monachus in the Tennessee River Basin, USA
Endangered Species Research2019
Globally, aquatic biodiversity is imperiled at an increasing rate, especially in diversity hotspots such as the southeastern USA. The spotfin chub Erimonax monachus is a federally threatened minnow with a disjunct distribution resulting from numerous impoundments on the Tennessee River and its tributaries in the heart of the southeastern USA. Recovery actions required to remove federal protection for E. monachus are dependent on the establishment of additional populations within the historical range of the species, but little is known regarding macroscale habitat requirements that could guide conservation planning. We analyzed local-and network-scale watershed attributes to develop an ecological niche model (ENM) for E. monachus useful for directing conservation actions at sampled and unsampled sites across the Tennessee River Basin.
