Estuarine characteristics, water quality and heavy metal contamination as determinants of fish species composition in intermittently open estuaries

Estuaries are critical aquatic environments that are used by many fish during their life cycle. However, estuaries often suffer from poor water quality as a result of anthropogenic activities. Fish diversity studies in estuaries are common, although few have examined whether correlations exist between water quality, metal contamination and fish assemblages. In the present study we investigated the effect of abiotic conditions, heavy metals and estuary characteristics on the abundance, diversity and composition of fish in four intermittently open estuaries along the Illawarra coast of south-eastern Australia. The heterogeneity of environmental conditions was reflected in the fish assemblages in each estuary. Environmental variables predicted fish species composition, and estuaries in particularly poor condition contained few species (estuarine residents) in high abundance, indicating their ability to acclimatise and survive in conditions that are hostile to other species. Overall, these findings demonstrate that estuarine fish assemblages may be useful indicators of estuary condition and reveal the importance of managing anthropogenic activities in the surrounding catchment to improve water quality so that biodiversity of fish can be restored in these estuarine environments.

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The growth of whitefish in relation to water quality and fish species composition

Journal of Fish Biology ◽

10.1111/j.1095-8649.1999.tb02030.x ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 54 (4) ◽

pp. 741-756 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

J. Raitaniemi ◽

T. Malinen ◽

K. Nyberg ◽

M. Rask

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Species Composition ◽

Fish Species ◽

Fish Species Composition

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HISTORICAL APPROACH OF THE FISH SPECIES COMPOSITION IN ARROYO MORENO, VERACRUZ, MEXICO

BIOCYT Biología Ciencia y Tecnología ◽

10.22201/fesi.20072082.2019.12.72323 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (45-48) ◽

Author(s):

Adriana Marisol García-Villar ◽

Jesús Montoya-Mendoza ◽

Rafael Chávez-López

Keyword(s):

Species Composition ◽

Fish Species ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Ecological Guilds ◽

Commercial Fish ◽

Estuarine Habitat ◽

Natural Reserve ◽

Fish Species Composition ◽

Del Rio ◽

Local Fisherman

<p>Arroyo Moreno (AM) is an estuarine water flow located between Boca del Río and Medellin municipalities from Veracruz State; although this estuarine habitat is situated in a state natural reserve, their environmental conditions had been altered in last decades by anthropogenic activities, which had caused changes on biotic communities including fishes. The aim of this contribution was to describe the temporal variation of fish species composition from Arroyo Moreno; an updated list of fish species was compiled for this estuarine channel, this list was made with ethnographic information provided by local fisherman using surveys, fish species catalogues, previous publications and complemented with cast net samplings. Sixty-two fish species were recorded, of these 18 were collected directly for us, another 41 species were identified by surveyed fishermen; the most abundant ecological guilds were marine temporary, freshwater temporary, and marine migrant species. With the historical fishermen’s information was inferred than both fish species richness, abundance and size had diminished noticeably in commercial fish species mainly, this outcome was related by the fishermen to the use of estuarine channel as drainage attributed to urban development in the zone.</p>

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Fish Diversity at Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project Area in Mahakali River

Nepal Journal of Science and Technology ◽

10.3126/njst.v13i2.7741 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 225-230

Author(s):

Tej B Saund ◽

Jham B Thapa ◽

Harish P Bhatt

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Fish Species ◽

Quality Parameters ◽

Fish Diversity ◽

Suitable Habitat ◽

Project Area ◽

Baseline Information ◽

Total Fish ◽

Fish Species Composition ◽

Study Sites

A study was carried out to prepare a baseline information on water quality and freshwater fish diversity at Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project area in Mahakali river. The study was conducted in autumn (October 2008) and summer (June 2009). A total of 24 fish species belonging to 3 orders, 4 families and 13 genera were recorded during the investigation period. Cypriniformes was the most dominant order accounting 75% of total fish species. Siluriformes and Synbranchiformes accounted for 21% and 4% of fish species composition respectively. Spawning and rearing areas in study sites were evenly distributed providing a suitable habitat for both cold and warm water fish species. The water quality parameters, i.e., water temperature (20.50-22.63 0C), DO (8.58-11.85 mg/l) and pH (6.93-7.20) were found within the suitable range supporting diverse fish species. Nepal Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 13, No. 2 (2012) 225-230 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njst.v13i2.7741

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FISH DIVERSITY IN THE DOWNSTREAM REGION OF CIPANAS RIVER INDRAMAYU, WEST JAVA INDONESIA

Zoo Indonesia ◽

10.52508/zi.v29i1.3978 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Titin Herawati ◽

Gema Wahyudewantoro ◽

Yuli Andriani ◽

Heti Herawati ◽

Naomi Masnida Yunisia Siregar

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Census Data ◽

Fish Assemblages ◽

Survey Methods ◽

Upstream Region ◽

Fish Diversity ◽

West Java ◽

Fish Collection ◽

Java Sea ◽

Downstream Area

Cipanas River is one river in West Java where its upstream region in Tampomas Mountain, Sumedang and it is emptied into the Java Sea, Indramayu. The study was aimed to investigate fish diversity in the downstream area of Cipanas River. The study was conducted by survey methods with census data collection techniques, taken place at 3 stations of Santing, Tempalong, and Cemara of Indramayu Regency. The parameters measured consisted water quality and fish assemblages. Water quality was measured referring to standard laboratory protocol, and fish collection was made by case net with different mesh sizes. The results showed that water quality conditions of the Cipanas River downstream was suitable for inhabiting fishes. There were as many as 548 individual fishes caught belonging to 21 species, 16 genera, and 14 families. Fish diversity was categorized as medium with 1.6 ≤ H ’≤ 2.2 indicating fairly good community structure, and the Evenness index was 0.81 ≤ E ≤ 0.86 to show highly evenly distributed.

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Regional and Seasonal Differences in Species Composition and Trophic Groups for Tidepool Fishes of a Western Pacific Island – Taiwan

ILMU KELAUTAN Indonesian Journal of Marine Sciences ◽

10.14710/ik.ijms.23.1.1-18 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Colin K. C. Wen ◽

Li-Shu Chen ◽

Kwang-Tsao Shao

Keyword(s):

Species Composition ◽

Fish Species ◽

Fish Assemblages ◽

Coastal Development ◽

Species Number ◽

Pacific Region ◽

Trophic Groups ◽

Species Numbers ◽

Intertidal Fish ◽

Intertidal Fishes

Spatial and temporal variations in the species composition of assemblages are common in many marine organisms, including fishes. Variations in the fish species composition of subtidal coral reefs have been well documented, however much less is known about such differences for intertidal fish assemblages. This is surprising, given that intertidal fishes are more vulnerable to terrestrial human disturbances. It is critical to evaluate the ecology and biology of intertidal fishes before they are severely impacted by coastal development, especially in developing countries such as those in the tropical western Pacific region where coastal development is rapidly increasing. In this study, we investigated the species composition, abundance, biomass and species number (richness) for intertidal fish assemblages in subtropical (northern) and tropical (southern) Taiwan across four seasons by collecting fishes from tidepools using clove oil. We also examined the gut contents of collected fishes to identify their trophic functional groups in order to investigate regional and seasonal variations for different trophic groups. We found significant differences in the species composition of tidepool fish assemblages between subtropical and tropical Taiwan. Bathygobius fuscus, Abudefduf vaigiensis and Istiblennius dussumieri were dominant species in subtropical Taiwan, whereas Bathygobius coalitus, Abudefduf septemfasciatus and Istiblennius lineatus were dominant in tropical Taiwan. Other species such as Bathygobius cocosensis, Abudefduf sordidus and Istiblennius edentulus were common in both regions. For trophic groups, omnivores and detritivores had or showed trends towards higher species numbers and abundances in the subtropical region, whereas herbivores, planktivores and general carnivores had or showed trends towards higher species numbers and biomass in the tropical region. Overall, many intertidal fish species and trophic groups showed differences in abundance, biomass and species number between subtropical and tropical Taiwan. Further studies on large scale geographical gradients in trophic groups and species compositions in the Indo-west Pacific region are encouraged to assist with ecosystem monitoring and assessment. Keywords: Intertidal fishes, spatio-temporal pattern, feeding guild, diet

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The contribution of environmental factors to fish assemblages in the Río Acahuapa, a small drainage in Central America

Neotropical Ichthyology ◽

10.1590/1982-0224-20170023 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 15 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Francisco S. Álvarez ◽

Wilfredo A. Matamoros ◽

Francisco A. Chicas

Keyword(s):

Fish Species ◽

Habitat Structure ◽

Fish Assemblages ◽

Species Abundance ◽

Main Channel ◽

Estuarine Fish ◽

Species Origin ◽

High Temperature Water ◽

Distribution Of Fish ◽

Temperature Water

ABSTRACT The ichthyofauna of the Río Acahuapa was analyzed sampling 17 sites that included the basin main channel and its tributaries. Fish were collected using dip-nets, seine-nets and electrofishing. Fish standard length and species abundance were recorded. Species origin and salinity tolerance criteria were used to classify fish species. Water physicochemical variables, habitat structure and sampling sites elevation were recorded. A total of 33 fish species were registered, 12.1% are primary, 45.5% are secondary and 42.4% are of marine derivation. Fish species richness declined with increase of elevation (R2=0.55, p=0.0006). Two assemblages of fishes were identified: the first one associated to sites of low elevations (19-184 masl), composed mainly of secondary and marine-estuarine fish species related with high temperature, water velocity, river width, dissolved oxygen and low sand and silt substrate cover; the second one associated to sites of middle and higher elevations (185-519 masl), composed by primary and secondary freshwater fishes related with high pH, logs and rocks substrate cover. In summary, elevation and environmental variables contributed to the composition and distribution of fish in the Río Acahuapa.

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Dredging fundamentally reshapes the ecological significance of 3D terrain features for fish in estuarine seascapes

Landscape Ecology ◽

10.1007/s10980-021-01394-5 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Hayden P. Borland ◽

Ben L. Gilby ◽

Christopher J. Henderson ◽

Rod M. Connolly ◽

Bob Gorissen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fish Assemblages ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Ecological Impacts ◽

Fish Diversity ◽

Urban Landscapes ◽

Ecological Significance ◽

Landscape Modification ◽

Eastern Australia ◽

Coastal Landscapes ◽

Terrain Features

Abstract Context Landscape modification alters the condition of ecosystems and the structure of terrain, with widespread impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Seafloor dredging impacts a diversity of flora and fauna in many coastal landscapes, and these processes also transform three-dimensional terrain features. The potential ecological significance of these terrain changes in urban seascapes has, however, not been investigated. Objectives We examined the effects of terrain variation on fish assemblages in 29 estuaries in eastern Australia, and tested whether dredging changes how fish associate with terrain features. Methods We surveyed fish assemblages with baited remote underwater video stations and quantified terrain variation with nine complementary metrics (e.g. depth, aspect, curvature, slope, roughness), extracted from bathymetry maps created with multi-beam sonar. Results Fish diversity and abundance were strongly linked to seafloor terrain in both natural and dredged estuaries, and were highest in shallow waters and near features with high curvature. Dredging, however, significantly altered the terrain of dredged estuaries and transformed the significance of terrain features for fish assemblages. Abundance and diversity switched from being correlated with lower roughness and steeper slopes in natural estuaries to being linked to features with higher roughness and gentler slopes in dredged estuaries. Conclusions Contrasting fish-terrain relationships highlight previously unrecognised ecological impacts of dredging, but indicate that plasticity in terrain use might be characteristic of assemblages in urban landscapes. Incorporating terrain features into spatial conservation planning might help to improve management outcomes, but we suggest that different approaches would be needed in natural and modified landscapes.

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