Effects of logging with and without riparian strips on fish species abundance, mean size, and the structure of native fish assemblages in Coromandel, New Zealand, streams

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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Patterns of Fish Assemblage, Growth, and Diet Composition in a Tropical River between Two Cascading Hydropower Dams

International Journal of Ecology ◽

10.1155/2021/6652782 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Lee Nyanti ◽

Chen-Lin Soo ◽

Afina-Yian Chundi ◽

Elsa-Cordelia-Durie Lambat ◽

Alvinna Tram ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fish Species ◽

Diet Composition ◽

Fish Assemblages ◽

Condition Factor ◽

Dry Season ◽

Growth Patterns ◽

Native Fish ◽

Wet Season ◽

Fish Samples ◽

The Impact

Construction of cascade dams has been shown to have impacts on fish assemblages and biodiversity. Yet, there is no literature on fish assemblages in the Murum River that connects the cascading Bakun and Murum dams in Sarawak, Malaysia. Hence, study on this modified ecosystem is necessitated to better understand the effects of the cascade dam construction on fish fauna. For this, fish samples were caught at five stations located along the river during both dry and wet seasons. Environmental parameters were taken concurrently with fish sampling. Length-weight relationship, condition factors, and diet composition of selected fish species in the river were also determined. The present study demonstrated that there are indications of the impact of cascading dams on the formation of a complex ecosystem in the Murum River, that is, changing from the shallow downstream of the Murum Dam to the deep transitional and inundated zone of the Bakun reservoir. The transitional zone in the Murum River exhibited the lowest fish species diversity, richness, and evenness during the dry season due to low pH and DO coupled with high turbidity. The biological indices improved when the water quality improved during the wet season. On the contrary, the diversity and evenness indices at the inundated tributary station decreased remarkably during the wet season, likely due to the migration of fish during the onset of the rainy season. This study showed that Barbonymus schwanenfeldii has a wider feeding habit which contributes to its higher distribution and abundance in the Murum River. The growth patterns of B. schwanenfeldii, Cyclocheilichthys apogon, Hampala macrolepidota, Lobocheilos ovalis, and Osteochilus enneaporos were better during wet than dry season. Overall, the condition factor of all native fish species in the Murum River was in poor to fair condition, whereas the exotic species, Oreochromis mossambicus, exhibited excellent condition (K value > 2) for both seasons. The increase in the number of O. mossambicus coupled with its high condition factor indicates biological intrusion and a potential threat to the native fish species in the Murum River. Continuous monitoring is essential to detect in-time risk issues associated with environmental degradation and biological invasion in this regulated and inundated river ecosystem.

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A New Method for Standardizing Inland Fish Community Surveys: Characterizing Habitat Associated with Small-Bodied Fish Species, Abundance, and Size Distributions in a Highly Modified Estuary

Frontiers in Environmental Science ◽

10.3389/fenvs.2021.698210 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Joseph E. Merz ◽

Meghan J. Camp ◽

Juniper L. Simonis ◽

Whitney Thorpe

Keyword(s):

San Francisco ◽

Fish Species ◽

Fish Assemblages ◽

Species Abundance ◽

Ecological Groups ◽

Habitat Types ◽

Sampling System ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Specific Selectivity ◽

Potential Applications

Monitoring fish assemblages in estuary environments is often difficult to standardize due to habitat complexity and gear-specific selectivity. This is further compounded by conventional sampling methods which require fish handling that might cause stress or mortality. To ameliorate these issues, we developed the Single-Platform Aquatic Species and Habitat Sampling System (Platform), an integrated and mobile concentrator net and live box prototype, coupled with a range of physical monitoring equipment. The long-term goal of the Platform is to employ non-invasive sampling techniques such as video and eDNA; however, our aim in this study was to test the Platform’s ability to sample across different habitat types and detect differences in fish assemblages. We investigated the utility of the Platform over a short time period (2 mo) in a relatively small and complex embayment within the highly modified San Francisco Estuary, California. We were able to identify clear physical distinctions among estuary/delta habitat types and detect habitat segregation by ecological groups of sampled fishes with the Platform. The Platform also detected discernable ontogenetic shifts (i.e., size differences) within estuary habitats of commonly observed fish species. These initial results demonstrate the Platform’s ability to contrast fish density, size, and species diversity, which sets the stage to advance more passive monitoring techniques, including video and eDNA methods. The Platform has the potential to fill a methodological gap in non-invasive surveying of small-bodied fish across a range of estuarine habitats, warranting further investigation of potential applications.

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Predicting New Zealand riverine fish reference assemblages

10.7287/peerj.preprints.26479v1 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Adam D Canning

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Freshwater Fish ◽

Riparian Vegetation ◽

Fish Assemblages ◽

Reference Conditions ◽

Native Fish ◽

River Reach ◽

Riverine Fish ◽

Insight Into

Biomonitoring is a common method to monitor environmental change in river ecosystems, a key advantage of biomonitoring over snap-shot physicochemical monitoring is that it provides a more stable, long-term. insight into change that is also effects-based. In New Zealand, the main biomonitoring method is a macroinvertebrate sensitivity scoring index, with little established methods available for biomonitoring of fish. This study models the contemporary distribution of common freshwater fish and then uses those models to predict freshwater fish assemblages for each river reach under reference conditions. Comparison of current fish assemblages with those predicted in reference conditions (as observed/expected ratios) may provide a suitable option for freshwater fish biomonitoring. Most of the fish communities throughout the central North Island and lower reaches show substantial deviation from the modelled reference community. Most of this deviation is explained by nutrient enrichment, followed by downstream barriers (i.e., dams) and loss of riparian vegetation. The presence of modelled introduced species had relatively little on the presence of the modelled native fish. The maps of observed/expected fish assemblage may provide a rapid way to identify potential restoration sites.

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Responses of three PIT-tagged native fish species to floods in a small, upland stream in New Zealand

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1080/00288330.2013.773918 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 47 (2) ◽

pp. 225-234 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

AJ McEwan ◽

MK Joy

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Fish Species ◽

Native Fish

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Long-term study of reservoir cascade in south-eastern Brazil reveals spatio-temporal gradient in fish assemblages

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf18109 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 69 (12) ◽

pp. 1983 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Raquel Coelho Loures ◽

Paulo Santos Pompeu

Keyword(s):

River Basin ◽

Fish Species ◽

Fish Assemblage ◽

Native Species ◽

Fish Assemblages ◽

Native Fish ◽

Fish Diversity ◽

Fish Assemblage Structure ◽

Long Term Study

In reservoir cascades, effects on fish assemblages are expected to strengthen over time and transfer from one reservoir to an adjacent one. To test this, fish-assemblage data from 23 years of monitoring in the Araguari reservoir cascade system, upper Paraná River basin, were analysed. The results showed a clear reduction in richness of native and migratory fish species and an increase of non-native species, following reservoir formation. Migratory species richness was higher in reservoirs that presented habitats similar to lotic stretches or tributaries upstream of the impounded area. There was a clear tendency for native species to decline and non-native fish species to increase, in a downstream direction. Fish assemblages became increasingly dissimilar as reservoirs became more distant from each other (longitudinal gradient) and were dominated by small and medium-sized species. Alongside longitudinal position, reservoir area, age and the presence of herbivorous non-native fish were found to be important predictors of variation in fish-assemblage structure. Results from the present study help clarify the potential accumulated impacts of reservoir cascades on fish diversity, which must be carefully considered in river-basin inventories for hydropower plants, and reinforce the importance of long-term monitoring, considering longitudinal and lateral dimensions of the basin.

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Dietary and spatial overlap between stream populations of a native and two introduced fish species in New Zealand

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf9910423 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 42 (4) ◽

pp. 423 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

GJ Glova ◽

PM Sagar

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Fish Species ◽

Salmo Trutta ◽

Water Velocity ◽

Native Fish ◽

Introduced Fish ◽

Exotic Fish ◽

Inlet Stream ◽

Water Depths ◽

Benthic Prey

Benthic and drifting invertebrates as well as fish were sampled in a lake-inlet stream over a 24-h period in summer in order to investigate interactions for food and space between a native fish species (Galaxias brevipinnis, Galaxiidae) and juveniles of two exotic fish species (Salmo trutta and Oncorhynchus mykiss, Salmonidae) in New Zealand. Galaxias brevipinnis fed almost exclusively at night on the benthos, whereas both trout species fed mostly during the day on drifting and benthic prey. Larvae of Deleatidium (Ephemeroptera), Hydrobiosis and Oxyethira (Trichoptera), and Austro-simulium and Chironomidae (Diptera) were the major prey in the diets of all three fish species. Small prey made up a greater proportion of the diet of G. brevipinnis than for either trout species. All three species of fish were found primarily in riffles and runs in water depths of 0.1-0.3 rn, with G. brevipinnis frequently being in faster-flowing areas (water velocity 0.8-1.1 m s-1) than was either trout species (water velocity 0.4-0.7 rn s-1). These differences in pattern of die1 feeding and micro- habitat use no doubt lessen the interaction between the galaxiid and salrnonid fish species.

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Avoidance of suspended sediment by the juvenile migratory stage of six New Zealand native fish species

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1080/00288330.1997.9516745 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 31 (1) ◽

pp. 61-69 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Jacques A. T. Boubée ◽

Tracie L. Dean ◽

David W. West ◽

Rhys F. G. Barrier

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Suspended Sediment ◽

Fish Species ◽

Native Fish

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The ongoing invasion of translocated sleepy cod (Oxyeleotris lineolata) in the Lake Eyre Basin, central Australia

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr17140 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 45 (2) ◽

pp. 164

Author(s):

David Sternberg ◽

Bernie Cockayne

Keyword(s):

Life History ◽

Fish Species ◽

Fish Assemblages ◽

Length Distribution ◽

Fish Fauna ◽

Native Fish ◽

High Fecundity ◽

Fish Samples ◽

History Information ◽

Central Australia

Context Present-day distribution records show that Oxyeleotris lineolata (sleepy cod) has colonised many ephemeral streams and refugial waterholes of the Cooper Creek catchment in the Lake Eyre Basin within a decade of the first record or capture. When introduced to new habitats outside its natural range, this species is considered to be a serious conservation risk to native fish species. Aims The present study aims to document the transport, establishment, colonisation and integration of O. lineolata in the Lake Eyre Basin, and quantify its impact on native fish assemblages. Methods Fish samples were taken annually in 21 waterholes between 2011 and 2016, by using a combination of single- and double-winged fyke nets. We collected novel diet and life-history information from 242 O. lineolata individuals across their known distribution. Key results Abundance, length distribution and life-history information suggested a ‘colonising front’ moving downstream, across state jurisdictional boundaries and into the Coongie Lakes Ramsar site. Oxyeleotris lineolata diet is most similar to that of two native generalist invertivore–piscivores and preys on several native fish species. With a derived longevity in excess of 15 years and a life-history strategy that combines batch spawning, high fecundity and parental care (i.e. high juvenile survivorship), there is real potential for O. lineolata to dominate fish assemblages in waterholes that provide refuge for native fishes during dry periods. Conclusions The present study showed that O. lineolata has the potential to negatively influence native fish assemblages through both competition and predation in refugial waterholes. Eradication of O. lineolata from the Cooper Creek catchment in central Australia is highly unlikely, given its widespread distribution, the remoteness of the receiving landscape and a current lack of resources to monitor spread and attempt eradication at the moving front of the Cooper Creek population. Implications Achieving greater awareness of the potential impacts of introducing or spreading non-native species is an important first step towards preserving the native fish fauna of the Lake Eyre Basin. Further research is warranted to fully understand the current and potential future distribution of O. lineolata in the basin, its biological and ecological requirements, and influence on native fish species and assemblages.

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Predicting New Zealand riverine fish reference assemblages

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.4890 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

pp. e4890 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Adam D. Canning

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Freshwater Fish ◽

Riparian Vegetation ◽

Fish Assemblages ◽

Reference Conditions ◽

Native Fish ◽

River Reach ◽

Riverine Fish ◽

Insight Into

Biomonitoring is a common method to monitor environmental change in river ecosystems, a key advantage of biomonitoring over snap-shot physicochemical monitoring is that it provides a more stable, long-term insight into change that is also effects-based. In New Zealand, the main biomonitoring method is a macroinvertebrate sensitivity scoring index, with little established methods available for biomonitoring of fish. This study models the contemporary distribution of common freshwater fish and then uses those models to predict freshwater fish assemblages for each river reach under reference conditions. Comparison of current fish assemblages with those predicted in reference conditions (as observed/expected (O/E) ratios) may provide a suitable option for freshwater fish biomonitoring. Most of the fish communities throughout the central North Island and lower reaches show substantial deviation from the modelled reference community. Most of this deviation is explained by nutrient enrichment, followed by downstream barriers (i.e. dams) and loss of riparian vegetation. The presence of modelled introduced species had relatively little impact on the presence of the modelled native fish. The maps of O/E fish assemblage may provide a rapid way to identify potential restoration sites.

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