Community structure and trophic relationships of the fish fauna of an estuarine Posidonia Australis seagrass habitat in port hacking, new South Wales

1984 ◽  
Vol 18 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 71-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.J. Burchmore ◽  
D.A. Pollard ◽  
J.D. Bell
1976 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 551 ◽  
Author(s):  
RDJ Tilzey

The fish fauna of all major streams within the Lake Eucumbene catchment in south-eastern New South Wales was sampled by electrofishing or poisoning with rotenone. Galaxias coxii was found in only four, and G. olidus in only one other of the 27 streams sampled whereas the introduced salmonids (Salmo trutta or S. gairdneri, or both) occurred in all but the stream containing G. olidus. Values for galaxiid biomass were low in comparison with those for trout where both occurred together. Sampling in 1971 and 1974 in the one stream observed in 1971 to contain only G. olidus spanned an invasion by S. gairdneri and by 1974 the galaxiid species had completely disappeared below a natural barrier to trout, but above this barrier the biomass and population structure of G. olidus had not changed greatly compared to the 1971 values. This indicated that the presence of S. gairdneri was the sole environmental factor causing galaxiid disappearance below the barrier. Historical data for the catchment area suggested that the introduction and subsequent success of trout are primarily responsible for the present, much fragmented galaxiid distribution.


2008 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dean R. Jerry

The geologically complex eastern Australian coastal margin supports the highest taxonomic diversity of freshwater fishes on the continent. However, mechanisms leading to coastal biogeographic patterns are poorly understood. A 399-bp fragment of the hypervariable mtDNA control region was sequenced from populations of eel-tailed catfish (Tandanus tandanus) to determine their phylogeographic structure and to relate this to proposed biogeographic mechanisms and landform evolution. Genetic structure in Tandanus is complex, with haplotypes clustering into three lineages: a phylogenetically distant, northern Queensland clade that is probably a new species; a mid-northern New South Wales clade corresponding to the recently discovered ‘Bellinger’ Tandanus cryptic species; and a third ‘derived’ clade T. tandanus. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that eastern Australian Tandanus originally invaded freshwaters from the coast where volcanic activity in the north and increasing aridity from the Paleocene reduced inter-fluvial connections, causing genetic divergence of northern Queensland and mid-northern New South Wales populations. The haplotypes represented by Murray–Darling drainage T. tandanus were the most derived, indicating that this species originally evolved on the coast and subsequently colonised the Murray–Darling basin. Tandanus in eastern Australia is phylogenetically structured and possibly comprises three species in this region; a pattern potentially shared by other eastern Australian freshwater fishes.


1978 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 543 ◽  
Author(s):  
KA Bishop ◽  
JD Bell

Some observations on the consequences of construction work at Tallowa Dam (Shoalhaven River, New South Wales) on the fish fauna below the dam are described. In total 17 species of freshwater fish were collected on four occasions between 29 November and 22 December 1976 when water flow was terminated for short periods below the dam wall. Large numbers of individuals belonging to several fish species died on each occasion, including 312 Australian grayling, Prototroctes maraena (an 'endangered' species), on 29 November. It is suggested that water resources authorities should give careful consideration to the ecological effects of constructing and maintaining impound- ments on downstream fish communities.


1978 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 631 ◽  
Author(s):  
JD Bell ◽  
JJ Burchmore ◽  
DA Pollard

Three species of leatherjackets, Monacanthus chinensis, Meuschenia freycineti and Meuschenia trachylepis, averaged 34% of the total biomass and 27% of the total numbers of fishes in a Posidonia australis seagrass habitat near Sydney. Monacanthus chinensis was dominant, comprising 22% of the total biomass and 18% of the total numbers in this fish community. All three species were omnivorous, consuming considerable amounts of seagrass and algae as well as animal material. However, only the encrusting fauna and epiphytic algae of the seagrass appeared to be actually digested. Other foods of all three species included hydroids, molluscs, crustaceans and polychaetes. Meuschenia freycineti consumed the largest quantities (65%) of seagrass, Monacanthus chinensis consumed the largest amount (40%) and greatest variety of animal foods, and Meuschenia trachylepis took the smallest quantity (12%) and number of animal foods and the greatest amount (55 %) of algae. All three species were found to be highly dependent on the encrusting fauna, epi- phytic algae and other epifauna and infauna of this seagrass habitat, and the importance of preserving Posidonia beds is therefore stressed.


1994 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 1045 ◽  
Author(s):  
SDA Smith

The effects of an outfall of low-volume, tertiary-treated effluent were evaluated within Jervis Bay on the southern coast of New South Wales by using the macrofauna inhabiting kelp (Ecklonia radiata) holdfasts. A range of analytical methods was used to determine differences in faunistic patterns between six sites (three close to the outfall and three controls) in the winters of 1990 and 1991. The analyses indicated that community structure was highly variable over both the spatial and the temporal scales of the study. Although some of the methods provided results consistent with a perturbed environment on the first sampling occasion (ABC plots, log-normal plots), these patterns were not repeated on the second sampling occasion. In addition, the species primarily responsible for the 'perturbed' configuration with those methods were from taxa that have been highlighted as pollution-sensitive in other studies of holdfast fauna. Non-parametric multivariate statistical methods (MDS, ANOSIM) consistently showed significant differences among sites but also revealed highly significant differences within a site over time. There was no consistent difference between sites closest to the outfall and more distant sampling locations and so no outfall effect was suggested. The results indicate that natural environmental factors are more influential than the low-volume, tertiary-treated effluent from the outfall in determining patterns of community structure in the holdfast community within Jervis Bay.


1998 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Hacking

Macrofaunal community composition of ten exposed sandy beaches in northern New South Wales, Australia, appeared to correlate with beach morphodynamic state even though the data represented sampling at only a single time. Better results were obtained by using the Beach State Index (BSI) rather than the dimensionless fall velocity (?). Species number and abundance significantly increased as the BSI value increased, whereas biomass was not correlated with BSI. The New South Wales beaches had a higher species number and abundance relative to BSI than did beaches in a published review of beaches around the world.


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