Adult and larval fish assemblages vary among small tributary mouths of Green Bay, Lake Michigan

Small tributaries of the Great Lakes serve as important habitat during critical life stages of many fish species, though temporal and spatial dynamics of the assemblage that uses these systems are seldom investigated. This study quantifies larval and adult fish assemblages captured by fyke net and light traps among small tributary mouths of Green Bay, Lake Michigan. Ten tributaries harbored a total of forty-five species representing seventeen families, with the most abundant including spottail shiner (Notropis hudsonius (Clinton 1824)) in adult assemblages and white sucker (Catostomus commersonii (Lacepède 1803)) in larval assemblages. Larval fish assemblage structures differed over five biweekly sampling events in May and June. Adult fish assemblage structures varied among tributaries but not among spring, summer, and fall samples. Larval and adult species assemblages at these rivermouths are likely influenced by hydrology, habitat structure, and species-specific ecology. Water movement may transport larvae into rivermouths, as larval assemblages were dominated by species that spawn in coastal habitats. Adult species richness varied with longitude, with the greatest diversity in tributaries on the west shore. This investigation of fish assemblages highlights the spatial and temporal variation that occurs in these systems and their role in shaping fish populations in Green Bay.

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Spatial and Temporal Changes in the Offshore Larval Fish Assemblage in Southeastern Lake Michigan

Journal of Great Lakes Research ◽

10.1016/s0380-1330(91)71339-7 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 25-32 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Richard D.M. Nash ◽

Audrey J. Geffen

Keyword(s):

Fish Assemblage ◽

Lake Michigan ◽

Larval Fish ◽

Temporal Changes ◽

Spatial And Temporal Changes

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Environmental conditions influencing the larval fish assemblage during summer in the Gulf of Gabes (Tunisia: South central Mediterranean)

Mediterranean Marine Science ◽

10.12681/mms.1158 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 666 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

W. K. KOCHED ◽

F. ALEMANY ◽

S. BEN ISMAIL ◽

R. BENMESSAOUD ◽

Α. HATTOUR ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fish Assemblage ◽

Fish Assemblages ◽

Larval Fish ◽

Fish Larvae ◽

Surface Mixed Layer ◽

Gulf Of Gabes ◽

Predator Species ◽

Pelagic Species ◽

Gulf Of Gabès ◽

South Central

An oceanographic survey was carried out during the summer of 2009, from June 25 to July 3 in the Gulf of Gabes. The study area is characterized by a wide continental shelf.A plankton sampling scheme was carried out to study the structure of the larval fish assemblages that characterizes the surface mixed layer, and to assess the influence of the environmental parameters on their spatial distribution.A total of 36 taxa were identified, 3 classified to the level of genus, 5 to family and 28 to species. The majority of identified fish larvae belonged to demersal species, mainly picarel Spicara smaris (23.76% of the total larval fish abundance), followed by red mullet Mullus barbatus (14.92%) and several species of the Sparidae family (9.15%). Small pelagic species as Sardinella Sardinella aurita and European anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus were also abundant (27.75 %) and dominated the fish larvae community in offshore stations. Five large pelagic species were found among the larvae, including bullet tuna Auxis rochei, Atlantic black skipjack Euthynnus alletteratus, albacore Thunnus alalunga, swordfish Xiphias gladius and the highly migratory Atlantic bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus. All these apex predator species appear in 38.5% of the sampling stations and contribute about 7.9% of the total larval catches. The larval fish assemblage of the Gulf of Gabes is predominantly composed of neritic species in correspondence with the shallow depths of the study area. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) showed that larval distributions were mainly conditioned by depth. However, other factors, like hydrographic processes, play also a very important role in shaping the spatial pattern of larval fish distribution.

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Spatial and temporal changes in the fish assemblage of a subtropical estuary in Brazil: environmental effects

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom ◽

10.1017/s0025315410001943 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 91 (3) ◽

pp. 635-648 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Ciro Colodetti Vilar ◽

Henry Louis Spach ◽

Jean Christophe Joyeux

Keyword(s):

Fish Assemblage ◽

Fish Assemblages ◽

Spatial Dynamics ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Shallow Waters ◽

Fish Assemblage Structure ◽

Wet Season ◽

Bay Area ◽

Subtropical Estuary ◽

Citharichthys Spilopterus

This work provides information about the fish assemblage structure along the estuarine gradient of Baía da Babitonga, south Brazil. The seasonal and spatial dynamics of fish and their relationship with physical–chemical variables were investigated. A total of 70,085 fish of 70 taxa were collected. Late larva and early juveniles of Engraulidae, Eucinostomus spp. and Mugil spp. dominated in abundance, representing 62% of all fish captured. Permutational multivariate analysis of variance identified distinct fish assemblages within the bay and during the year. The marine straggler species Harengula clupeola, Oligoplites saliens and Trachinotus carolinus and the estuarine migrant Anchoa tricolor were characteristic of the outer-most bay area, while the estuarine resident and migrant species Atherinella brasiliensis, Anchoa januaria, Sphoeroides greeleyi and Citharichthys spilopterus, and the marine migrant Diapterus rhombeus were characteristic of the inner portion of the estuary. The seasonal changes in community structure observed were mainly related to the greater abundance of T. carolinus in the warm/wet season, Micropogonias furnieri in the transition season and Oligoplites saliens in the cold/dry season. Depth, followed by salinity, explained the greater part of the variability in the abundance of dominant species and was found to be important in shaping the assemblages. Nevertheless, the amount of variation unexplained by the measured abiotic variables was relatively high (73%), suggesting the effect of additional regulatory factors. Many fish species use the shallow waters of the bay in transitory or permanent ways, and knowledge about their relationship with the environment is necessary for the success of conservation strategies for this ecosystem.

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Patterns in fish assemblages from coastal wetland and beach habitats in Green Bay, Lake Michigan: a multivariate analysis of abiotic and biotic forcing factors

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f97-079 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 54 (8) ◽

pp. 1743-1761 ◽

Cited By ~ 44

Author(s):

J C Brazner ◽

E W Beals

Keyword(s):

Great Lakes ◽

Lake Michigan ◽

Coastal Wetland ◽

Fish Assemblages ◽

Abiotic Factors ◽

Fish Habitat ◽

Green Bay ◽

Nursery Habitats ◽

Abiotic And Biotic Factors ◽

Critical Components

From May to September in 1990 and 1991, 24 coastal wetland and beach sites in Green Bay, Lake Michigan, were sampled to investigate abiotic and biotic factors influencing fish assemblages; half the sites were modified by human developments, and half were relatively undeveloped. The greatest assemblage differences were observed among regions, but there also were strong differences among assemblages from different habitats. Degree of development had less of an effect on site differences, although assemblages at undeveloped wetlands were unique, and those from developed and undeveloped sites in the upper bay were relatively distinct. The most influential abiotic factors were turbidity, reflecting the trophic gradient in the bay, and a suite of variables associated with macrophyte coverage and diversity, which were critical components of nursery habitats for the primarily immature fishes we captured. The volatile and unpredictable nature of shoreline habitats in the Great Lakes apparently precluded competition and predation from having a strong organizing role. This study demonstrates that undeveloped wetlands are a valuable and intensely utilized fish habitat, particulartly as nursery areas, that should receive special consideration in ecosystem management plans for the Great Lakes.

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Regional, Habitat, and Human Development Influences on Coastal Wetland and Beach Fish Assemblages in Green Bay, Lake Michigan

Journal of Great Lakes Research ◽

10.1016/s0380-1330(97)70883-9 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 36-51 ◽

Cited By ~ 54

Author(s):

John C. Brazner

Keyword(s):

Human Development ◽

Lake Michigan ◽

Coastal Wetland ◽

Fish Assemblages ◽

Green Bay

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Spatial and temporal variation in fish-assemblage structure in isolated waterholes during the 2001 dry season of an arid-zone floodplain river, Cooper Creek, Australia

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf04111 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 56 (1) ◽

pp. 25 ◽

Cited By ~ 121

Author(s):

Angela H. Arthington ◽

Stephen R. Balcombe ◽

Glenn A. Wilson ◽

Martin C. Thoms ◽

Jon Marshall

Keyword(s):

Temporal Variation ◽

Fish Assemblage ◽

Fish Assemblages ◽

Arid Zone ◽

Dry Season ◽

Assemblage Structure ◽

Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽

Fish Assemblage Structure ◽

Floodplain River ◽

Floodplain Inundation

Spatial and temporal variation in fish-assemblage structure within isolated waterholes on the floodplains of Cooper Creek, Australia, was studied during the 2001 dry season, a period of natural drought in this arid-zone river. Spatial variation in fish-assemblage structure and the abundance of five species in disconnected waterholes early in the dry season (April 2001) were related to the extent of floodplain inundation 14 months previously, and to the interconnectedness of waterholes and waterhole habitat structure. As the dry season progressed, waterhole volumes decreased owing to evaporative water loss and structural habitat elements (anabranches, bars, boulders) became exposed. Marked changes in fish assemblage structure between the early (April) and late (September) dry season were related to habitat loss but not to water chemistry. Interactions between flow and habitat across a nested hierarchy of spatial scales (the floodplain, the waterhole and habitat patches within waterholes) were crucial to the persistence of fish assemblages through the 2001 dry season. We conclude that the magnitude, timing and frequency of floodplain inundation and natural variations in waterhole volume must be maintained if we wish to sustain the distinctive habitats and fish assemblages of this arid-zone floodplain river.

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