scholarly journals Comparative habitat use by large riverine fishes

2014 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 164 ◽  
Author(s):  
John D. Koehn ◽  
Simon J. Nicol
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
River Channel ◽  
Microhabitat Use ◽  
Radio Tracking ◽  
River Bank ◽  
Habitat Patches ◽  
Murray River ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Carp Cyprinus Carpio ◽  
Murray Cod

The present radio-tracking study compared adult daytime microhabitat use by three large Australian native freshwater fishes (Murray cod, Maccullochella peelii, trout cod, M. macquariensis, golden perch, Maquaria ambigua) and introduced carp, Cyprinus carpio, in the Murray River, south-eastern Australia. The paper describes habitat patches used by all species and quantifies differences among species. All species were strongly associated with structural woody habitat (>68% cover), deeper (>2.4 m), slower water (<0.2 m s–1) closer to the river bank, with variations in substrate. Murray cod and trout cod used deeper habitats (2.8 m and 2.9 m, respectively), with higher surface water velocities (0.37 m s–1 and 0.49 m s–1, respectively) and further from the bank than the habitats of golden perch (2.6 m; 0.31 m s–1) or carp (2.4 m; 0.20 m s–1), the latter species using wood higher in the water column than did cod species. Trout cod used habitats furthest from the bank and carp those closest. These data provide support and direction for reintroduction of structural woody habitat patches for rehabilitation which, in general, should have >70% cover, be >1.5 m high, located <15% of the river channel (width) closest to the bank, with surface water velocities of 0.3–0.6 m s–1.

Spatial partitioning in the use of structural woody habitat supports the cohabitation of two cod species in a large lowland river

2016 ◽  
Vol 67 (12) ◽  
pp. 1835 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Lieschke ◽  
J. P. Lyon ◽  
P. D. Moloney ◽  
S. J. Nicol
Keyword(s):  
Lowland River ◽  
Specific Interactions ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Catch Per Unit Effort ◽  
Spatial Partitioning ◽  
Murray River ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
The Common ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Murray Cod

Many freshwater fish worldwide have been shown to use Structural Woody Habitat (SWH) for a variety of reasons. The mid reaches of the Murray River, a large lowland river in south-eastern Australia, was surveyed by boat electrofishing, to investigate the use of SWH type (hollows, rootmass and solids), SWH distance to bank (near bank, intermediate to bank and mid-channel) and the interaction between SWH type and distance to bank. The study found that Murray cod catch per unit effort (CPUE) increased in near-bank areas when hollows were a component of the SWH. The CPUE of trout cod was higher when hollows were present. However, the interactions between distance to bank and hollow SWH were complex and dependent on presence or absence of rootmass. The species-specific interactions between SWH microhabitat and distance to bank found within this study has important relevance for stream managers. The common practice of realigning SWH favours Murray cod over trout cod, which could have negative consequences for the endangered trout cod. More broadly, managers may need to consider a balance of SWH type and where it is placed in the river for the species they are targeting when rehabilitating rivers via the introduction of SWH.

scholarly journals Microhabitat use by Phalloceros harpagos Lucinda (Cyprinodontiformes: Poeciliidae) from a coastal stream from Southeast Brazil

2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 665-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosana Mazzoni ◽  
Vitor Considera Novaes ◽  
Ricardo Iglesias-Rios
Keyword(s):  
Water Column ◽  
Water Velocity ◽  
Microhabitat Use ◽  
Mato Grosso ◽  
River Bank ◽  
Underwater Observation ◽  
Electivity Index ◽  
Southeast Brazil ◽  
Stream Bank ◽  
Vegetal Cover

The size-related microhabitat use of Phalloceros harpagos Lucinda, 2008 from Mato Grosso stream (Saquarema - RJ) was examined. We analyzed, during 8.3 h of underwater observation, a 200 m long reach in the upper Mato Grosso stream, quantifying the following microhabitat descriptors: (i) distance from the stream bank, (ii) water column depth, (iii) occurrence on riffle, pool or run mesohabitat, (iv) water velocity, (v) substratum, and (vi) subaquatic vegetal cover. Microhabitat selectivity was analyzed by comparing the microhabitat used by fish and the microhabitat available in the study site. Complementary analyses, based in the Ivlev Electivity Index were applied in order to test selectivity for the microhabitat use. We did not found differences in the microhabitat used by juvenile and adult individuals. Phalloceros harpagos was selective for five among the six analyzed microhabitat descriptors. The occurrence of Phalloceros in the studied stream was limited to shallow pools, close to the river bank, with low water velocities and mud substratum. Vegetal cover was not an important factor in the occurrence of the studied species.

scholarly journals The effect of water level on lateral movements of fish between river and off-channel habitats and implications for management

2010 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarod Lyon ◽  
Ivor Stuart ◽  
David Ramsey ◽  
Justin O'Mahony
Keyword(s):  
Water Level ◽  
Fish Community ◽  
Life History Strategy ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Water Level Fluctuations ◽  
Main River Channel ◽  
Murray River ◽  
Wetland Biodiversity ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Riverine Wetland

Off-channel habitats, such as wetlands and backwaters, are important for the productivity of river systems and for many species of native fish. This study aimed to investigate the fish community, timing and cues that stimulated movement to and from off-channel habitats in the highly regulated Lake Hume to Lake Mulwala reach of the Murray River, south-eastern Australia. In 2004–05, 193 712 fish were collected moving bi-directionally between a 50-km section of the Murray River and several off-channel habitats. Lateral fish movements approximated water level fluctuations. Generally as water levels rose, fish left the main river channel and moved into newly flooded off-channel habitats; there was bi-directional movement as water levels peaked; on falling levels fish moved back to the permanent riverine habitats. Fish previously classified as ‘wetland specialists’, such as carp gudgeons (Hypseleotris spp.), have a more flexible movement and life-history strategy including riverine habitation. The high degree of lateral movement indicates the importance of habitat connectivity for the small-bodied fish community. Wetlands adjacent to the Murray River are becoming increasingly regulated by small weirs and ensuring lateral fish movement will be important in maintaining riverine-wetland biodiversity.

scholarly journals Response of the Snowy River Estuary to two environmental flows

2015 ◽  
Vol 127 (2) ◽  
pp. 28
Author(s):  
Errol J. McLean ◽  
Jon B. Hinwood
Keyword(s):  
Fresh Water ◽  
Peak Flow ◽  
Environmental Flows ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Environmental Flow ◽  
River Channel ◽  
Salinity Gradients ◽  
Tasman Sea ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Major River

The Snowy River is a major river in south-eastern Australia, discharging to the Tasman Sea via a barrier estuary, with its entrance constricted by marine sands. Since the construction of the Snowy Mountains Scheme, river flows have not been sufficient to maintain the river channel. A program of environmental flow releases (EFR) is returning water to the river to restore the fluvial reaches and is now trialling flow regimes that may also benefit the estuarine reaches. This paper documents the response of the estuarine segments of the Snowy River to two EFRs; the release in 2010 was designed to scour the upper reaches of the Snowy River while the larger 2011 release was intended to extend the scouring downstream. For each release, the effects on the entrance morphology, tides and salinity through the flow peak and recovery are described. Each EFR caused minor increases in depth and very minor longshore movement of the entrance channel, although each EFR had been preceded by a larger fresh flow that would have scoured the channels. The small increase in fresh water inflow in the 2010 EFR pushed salinity contours seawards and steepened vertical salinity gradients. The larger inflow in the 2011 EFR purged the upper estuary of saltwater. After the peak flow, salinity recovery was rapid in the principal estuarine channels but took weeks where poorly connected wetlands could store fresh flood waters. Critical flows for scouring the entrance and purging salinity are estimated.

Salinity-induced acidification in a wetland sediment through the displacement of clay-bound iron(II)

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annaleise R. Klein ◽  
Darren S. Baldwin ◽  
Balwant Singh ◽  
Ewen J. Silvester
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Pathway ◽  
Natural Sediment ◽  
Inland Waterways ◽  
Proton Production ◽  
Murray River ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Displacement Experiments ◽  
Low Sulfur ◽  
Hydrolysis Of ◽  
Sulfur Containing

Environmental context Acidification of inland waterways is an emerging issue worldwide, mostly because it disturbs the balance of reduced sulfur species in soils, sediments and mine tailings. We describe a pathway for wetland acidification through salt displacement and oxidation of Fe2+ from clay minerals. This alternative pathway for acidification raises environmental concerns because an increasing number of inland waterways are affected by increasing salinity. Abstract A wetland near the Murray River (south-eastern Australia) was found to have significant levels of exchangeable reduced iron (Fe2+) in the sediment clay-zone, and the potential for acidification under high salinity and oxidising conditions. Cation exchange experiments using purified clay from this site show relative affinities consistent with the lyotrophic series: Fe2+>Ca2+>Mg2+>H+>K+>Na+. This relative affinity is confirmed in Fe2+ displacement experiments using natural sediment clay. Proton production during oxidation of salt-treated sediments corresponds to that expected for the oxidation and hydrolysis of Fe2+ displaced from clay interlayers, taking into account the buffering properties of the sediment matrix. This work shows that wetland acidification can occur in low sulfur-containing wetlands and is not exclusively a problem associated with sulfidic sediments.

Too close for comfort: a fishway exit and a hydro-power station inlet

2010 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivor G. Stuart ◽  
John D. Koehn ◽  
Tim A. O'Brien ◽  
John A. McKenzie ◽  
Gerry P. Quinn
Keyword(s):  
Management Strategies ◽  
Field Testing ◽  
High Water ◽  
Fish Passage ◽  
Native Fish ◽  
Power Station ◽  
Hydro Power ◽  
Murray River ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Radio Transmitters

A major environmental issue for hydro-electric power generation is passage of fish through turbines, or entrainment onto trash racks. At Yarrawonga Weir, on the upper Murray River in south-eastern Australia, the positioning of a fish lock resulted in the potential for upstream migrating fish to be swept back into the adjacent power station by cross flows. In 2004, a 4.5-m long steel extension flume was attached to the exit to alleviate this problem. To determine the fate of native fish after exiting the extension flume, 72 individuals (305–1015 mm long) were implanted with radio-transmitters and released into the fish lock exit channel. In 2004 (power station inflows 10 300 ML day–1), the majority of fish exited successfully (44 of 45) and only a single fish (2%) was entrained into the power station. In 2005 (power station inflows 12 000 ML day–1), fish again exited successfully (26 of 27) but with a higher proportion entrained (5 of 27; 18%). This reduced success appeared to be related to strong transverse flows with high water velocities adjacent to the fish lock exit. The efficiency of fish passage at this site might be improved by altering water management strategies, integrating engineering and fish biology, and through field-testing of proposed solutions.

Population biology of carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) in the mid-Murray River and Barmah Forest Wetlands, Australia

2005 ◽  
Vol 56 (8) ◽  
pp. 1151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Brown ◽  
K. P. Sivakumaran ◽  
Daniel Stoessel ◽  
Annie Giles
Keyword(s):  
Cyprinus Carpio ◽  
Population Biology ◽  
Stock Assessment ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Total Mortality ◽  
Pest Species ◽  
Average Growth ◽  
Murray River ◽  
Carp Cyprinus Carpio ◽  
Potential Pest

The present study quantitatively describes a significant stock of carp (Cyprinus carpio L.), an exotic pest species, in a temperate riverine floodplain wetland. Intensity and duration of flooding influenced relative abundance, distribution and recruitment. Average growth (mm) in length was described with the von Bertalanffy growth model for males (L∞ = 489, k = 0.249, t0 = –0.519), and females (L∞ = 594, k = 0.177, t0 = –0.609) to age 28. Variation in growth was described with a lognormal distribution of k. Total mortality (Z year–1) was 0.268–0.407 for males, 0.311–0.422 for females, 3.24 for age-0 juveniles and 1.80 for age-1 juveniles. Natural mortality (M year–1) was 0.199 for males and 0.262 for females. Fishing mortality (F year–1) was <0.05 for males and 0.11–0.30 for females. Gonadal changes indicated extended spawning seasons peaking in September 1999 and October 2000. Median sizes and ages at initial maturation were 307 mm, 584 g and 1.1 years for males and 328 mm, 688 g and 2.7 years for females. Sex ratio varied significantly with age from equal as juveniles to a significant male-bias as adults. This description will enable better stock assessment and development of simulations that evaluate potential pest management strategies.

A theory of prior streams as a casual factor of soil occurrence in the riverine plain of South-Eastern Australia

1950 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 231 ◽  
Author(s):  
BW Butler
Keyword(s):  
Land Surface ◽  
Alluvial Fan ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Local Soil ◽  
Murray River ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Soil Surveys ◽  
South Eastern Australia

A new theory is submitted on the origin of the soil formations in the alluvial plains region of southern New South Wales and Victoria embracing the Murray River and tributaries which has been given the name of the Riverine Plain of South-Eastern Australia. The Riverine Plain is delineated and the climate and physiography of the environment are briefly described. The theory postulates the occurrence of a system of prior streams independent of the present stream pattern; from the activity of this system the present soils and land surface were derived. The formations are discussed in terms of sedimentary array, salinity, and degree of leaching. Figures illustrate the ideal sediment pattern of a prior stream formation, a typical alluvial fan, and a simplified map of the region showing prior and present stream systems. A classification of the named soils from local soil surveys is given in the form of 15 sequences of general catenary relationship. The influence of halomorphism in soil development is discussed with the deduction that solonetzous and solodous soils occur generally throughout the region. The age of prior stream activity is set at late Pleistocene to early Recent.

Daily Behavior and Microhabitat Use of the Waterfall Frog, Litoria nannotis in Tully Gorge, Eastern Australia

2001 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Hodgkison ◽  
Jean-Marc Hero
Keyword(s):  
Microhabitat Use ◽  
Daily Behavior ◽  
Eastern Australia

Movement patterns of southern bell frogs (Litoria raniformis) in response to flooding

2008 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Skye Wassens ◽  
Robyn J. Watts ◽  
Amy Jansen ◽  
David Roshier
Keyword(s):  
Movement Patterns ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Flood Frequency ◽  
Resource Utilisation ◽  
Radio Tracking ◽  
Habitat Patches ◽  
Habitat Occupancy ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Ephemeral Habitat ◽  
Full Capacity

Within the semiarid regions of New South Wales, Australia, the endangered southern bell frog (Litoria raniformis) occupies a landscape that is characterised by unpredictable rainfall and periodic flooding. Limited knowledge of the movement and habitat-occupancy patterns of this species in response to flood events has hampered conservation efforts. We used radio-tracking to assess changes in movement patterns and habitat occupancy of L. raniformis (n = 40) over three different periods (November, January and April/May) that coincided with the flooding, full capacity and subsequent drying of waterbodies within an irrigation landscape. We assessed (1) the use of permanent and ephemeral habitats in response to flooding and drying and (2) distances moved, turning angles and dispersion of frogs during wetland flooding, full capacity and drying. Individuals remained in permanent waterbodies in November but had abandoned these areas in favour of flooded ephemeral waterbodies by January. As the ephemeral waterbodies dried, radio-tracked individuals moved back into permanent waterbodies. The movement patterns of radio-tracked individuals were significantly different in the three radio-tracking periods, but did not differ significantly between sexes. Individuals moved significantly greater distances over 24 h, in straighter lines and movements were more dispersed while they occupied ephemeral waterbodies during January than when they occupied permanent waterbodies during November and April/May. Local weather conditions did not influence movement patterns when all three tracking periods were modelled together using a single linear stepwise regression. The dynamic distribution of habitat patches over space and time, combined with changing patterns of resource utilisation and movement of L. raniformis, highlights the importance of incorporating both permanent and ephemeral habitat patches into conservation plans. Reductions in flood frequency and extent of ephemeral wetlands due to modified flooding regimes have the capacity to limit dispersal of this species, even when permanent waterbodies remain unchanged.

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