In a 1982 US reservoir review, fish and plankton productivity rose after valleys were flooded, then declined as spawning habitat and detritus became less available

In a research paper titled “Some observations on the ecology and fish management of reservoirs in the United States,” published in the Canadian Water Resources Journal, the USGS scientist N.G. Benson concluded that, by 1980, 1,608 American reservoirs larger than 500 acres each were created, taking about 4 million hectares of riverbeds, forests, and farmlands in the process. The scientific explanation behind it has been around for more than 40 years since 1982. It was a massive, pre-planned reshaping of the natural American landscape, and Benson's findings reveal what happened next with the fish and plankton communities that survived in the wake of such transformations. Benson described a pattern of early growth, followed by decline and then a long period of relative stability. Four decades later, this pattern has informed reservoir management in the USA.

Growth first, then a leveling off