Aquatic connectivity and fish metacommunities in wetlands of the lower Great Lakes

2009 ◽  
Vol 66 (6) ◽  
pp. 933-948 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn D. Bouvier ◽  
Karl Cottenie ◽  
Susan E. Doka
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Time Scales ◽  
Fish Assemblage ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Assemblage Structure ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Fish Assemblage Structure ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Aquatic Connectivity

Although many local and regional variables structure fish assemblage composition, few studies have assessed the effects of aquatic connectivity on fish assemblages in wetlands. Fish and habitat surveys were conducted in 12 wetlands across the lower Great Lakes basin in the spring and fall of 2003 and 2004. Spatial and temporal connectivity were classified into four connectivity classes to evaluate the interaction between aquatic connectivity and fish assemblage structure. Sequential, nested analysis of covariance was used to model the effect of habitat area and connectivity at long- and short-term time scales on aggregate descriptors of assemblage structure (i.e., species richness, piscivore richness, abundance, and diversity). Although no species–area relationship was detected, increases in connectivity were shown to positively affect species richness and piscivore richness. A variation decomposition method indicated that a combination of aquatic connectivity, followed by environmental and area variables, was most influential in structuring fish assemblages at short-term time scales. Connectivity thus influences both the local species pool present, as well as the abundance of these species within a wetland. Future fundamental and applied studies (e.g., climate change predictions, impact of humans on water budget, wetland management) on wetland fish assemblages should include connectivity as an important structuring process.

scholarly journals Regional, watershed, and site-specific environmental influences on fish assemblage structure and function in western Lake Superior tributaries

2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (6) ◽  
pp. 1254-1270 ◽  
Author(s):  
John C Brazner ◽  
Danny K Tanner ◽  
Naomi E Detenbeck ◽  
Sharon L Batterman ◽  
Stacey L Stark ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fish Assemblage ◽  
Brook Trout ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Lake Superior ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Assemblage Structure ◽  
Fish Assemblage Structure ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
And Function

The relative importance of regional, watershed, and in-stream environmental factors on fish assemblage structure and function was investigated in western Lake Superior tributaries. We selected 48 second- and third-order watersheds from two hydrogeomorphic regions to examine fish assemblage response to differences in forest fragmentation, watershed storage, and a number of other watershed, riparian, and in-stream habitat conditions. Although a variety of regional, fragmentation, and storage-related factors had significant influences on the fish assemblages, water temperature appeared to be the single most important environmental factor. We found lower water temperatures and trout–sculpin assemblages at lower fragmentation sites and higher temperatures and minnow–sucker–darter assemblages as storage increased. Factors related to riparian shading and flow separated brook trout streams from brown trout (Salmo trutta) – rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) streams. Functionally, fish assemblages at lower fragmentation sites were dominated by cold-water fishes that had low silt tolerance and preferred moderate current speeds, while fishes with higher silt tolerances, warmer temperature preferences, and weaker sustained swimming capabilities were most common at higher storage sites. Our results suggest that site-specific environmental conditions are highly dependent on regional- and watershed-scale characters and that a combination of these factors operates in concert to influence the structure and function of stream fish assemblages.

Temporal variability in fish assemblage structure and recruitment in a freshwater-deprived estuary: The Coorong, Australia

2010 ◽  
Vol 61 (11) ◽  
pp. 1298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenton P. Zampatti ◽  
Christopher M. Bice ◽  
Paul R. Jennings
Keyword(s):  
Fish Assemblage ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
River Regulation ◽  
Assemblage Structure ◽  
Estuarine Fish ◽  
Fish Assemblage Structure ◽  
Murray River ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Freshwater Inflows

River regulation can diminish freshwater flows to estuaries and compromise estuarine functionality. Understanding biotic responses to altered flow regimes is imperative to effectively manage aquatic ecosystems. The present study investigated temporal variation in fish assemblage structure and the recruitment of catadromous fish in the Coorong estuary at the terminus of the Murray River, in south-eastern Australia. Over the three-year study period, freshwater inflows to the estuary diminished and ultimately ceased, disconnecting freshwater and estuarine environments. It was hypothesised that these conditions would lead to (1) increases in estuarine salinities and concomitant changes in fish assemblage structure and abundance, and (2) decreased recruitment of catadromous fish. As freshwater inflow decreased, salinities immediately downstream of a series of tidal barrages increased from brackish to marine–hypersaline, species richness and diversity decreased, freshwater and diadromous species became less abundant and assemblages were increasingly characterised by marine species. Furthermore, the abundance of young-of-year catadromous fish decreased dramatically. Excessive regulation of freshwater inflows is resulting in the Coorong estuary resembling a marine embayment, leading to a loss in species diversity. We suggest, however, that even small volumes of freshwater may promote diversity in estuarine fish assemblages and some recruitment of catadromous species.

scholarly journals Fish Assemblage Structure in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Is Associated with the Architectural Complexity of Coral-Reef Habitats

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 430
Author(s):  
Atsuko Fukunaga ◽  
Randall K. Kosaki ◽  
Kailey H. Pascoe ◽  
John H. R. Burns
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Fish Assemblage ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Hawaiian Islands ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Assemblage Structure ◽  
Fish Assemblage Structure ◽  
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands ◽  
Total Fish ◽  
Curtis Dissimilarity

The architectural complexity of coral-reef habitat plays an important role in determining the assemblage structure of reef fish. We investigated associations between the reef habitats and fish assemblages in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) using in situ fish counts and data on habitat metrics and benthic community composition that were obtained from three-dimensional (3D) photogrammetric reconstructions of the surveyed sites. The structure of fish assemblage as a whole on the basis of Bray–Curtis dissimilarity, species richness and the abundances of herbivores and piscivores were associated with habitat metrics, with higher levels of architectural complexity generally supporting greater numbers of fish species and individuals. Benthic cover did not explain additional variation in these variables after the effects of habitat metrics were taken into account. Corallivorous fish was the only group that showed positive associations with both habitat metrics and benthic cover (Acropora and Pocillopora corals). The total fish abundance and the abundances of planktivores and invertivores did not show associations with either habitat metrics or benthic cover. This study suggests that an appropriate combination of habitat metrics can be used to account sufficiently for the effects of habitat architecture on fish assemblages in reef monitoring efforts in the NWHI.

In situ effects of human disturbances on coral reef-fish assemblage structure: temporary and persisting changes are reflected as a result of intensive tourism

2015 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiago Albuquerque ◽  
Miguel Loiola ◽  
José de Anchieta C. C. Nunes ◽  
José Amorim Reis-Filho ◽  
Cláudio L. S. Sampaio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Reef Fish ◽  
Coral Reef Fish ◽  
Fish Assemblage ◽  
Assemblage Structure ◽  
Fish Assemblage Structure ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Human Disturbances ◽  
Behavioural Changes

Non-lethal human disturbances are often drivers of change in animal population and community structure. To gauge their severity, short-term behaviour (e.g. avoidance and habituation) has been argued to be a sensitive measure. However, many of these behavioural changes may occur only if disturbance-free habitat is readily accessible. In coral-reef fish, we tested whether human disturbances from intensive (i.e. loud music, swimming, snorkelling, splashing and fish feeding by numerous visitors) tourist visitations resulted in assemblage structure shifts led by short-term behaviour. We monitored fish assemblage before, during and after tourist visitations to monitor changes associated with behaviour. Additionally, we monitored two adjacent reefs not visited by tourists because of difficult approach by boat. We posited that if short-term benefits of relocating to disturbance-free habitat outweigh the costs of tolerating disturbances, fish assemblage structure should shift along with tourist visitation levels. By contrast, if sensitive species are unable or unwilling to relocate, we predicted greater levels of assemblage heterogeneity between the visited and control reefs. Our results showed that in situ human visitations led to significant shifts in assemblage structure, resulting from short-term behavioural changes. Additionally, we showed significant between-reefs differences, whereby control reefs were characterised by higher species richness, larger fish sizes and variations in relative trophic guild prevalence. Our results suggest that short-term relocations to adjacent disturbance-free reefs may not mitigate the effects of human disturbances.

Fish assemblage structure and relations with environmental conditions in a Rocky Mountain watershed

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (10) ◽  
pp. 1554-1565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael C Quist ◽  
Wayne A Hubert ◽  
Daniel J Isaak
Keyword(s):  
Fish Assemblage ◽  
Brook Trout ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Cutthroat Trout ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Assemblage Structure ◽  
Fish Assemblage Structure ◽  
Mountain Watershed ◽  
Stream Geomorphology ◽  
Local Habitat

Fish and habitat were sampled from 110 reaches in the Salt River basin (Idaho and Wyoming) during 1996 and 1997 to assess patterns in fish assemblage structure across a Rocky Mountain watershed. We identified four distinct fish assemblages using cluster analysis: (1) allopatric cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki (Richardson, 1836)); (2) cutthroat trout – brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchell, 1814)) – Paiute sculpin (Cottus beldingi Eigenmann and Eigenmann, 1891); (3) cutthroat trout – brown trout (Salmo trutta L., 1758) – mottled sculpin (Cottus bairdi Girard, 1850); and (4) Cyprinidae–Catostomidae. The distribution of fish assemblages was explained by thermal characteristics, stream geomorphology, and local habitat features. Reaches with allopatric cutthroat trout and the cutthroat trout – brook trout – Paiute sculpin assemblage were located in high-elevation, high-gradient streams. The other two fish assemblages were generally located in low-elevation streams. Associations between habitat gradients, locations of reaches in the watershed, and occurrence of species were further examined using canonical correspondence analysis. The results suggest that stream geomorphology, thermal conditions, and local habitat characteristics influence fish assemblage structure across a Rocky Mountain watershed, and they provide information on the ecology of individual species that can guide conservation activities.

scholarly journals Assemblage structure and spatial diversity patterns of kelp forest-associated fishes in Southern Patagonia

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0257662
Author(s):  
Mathias Hüne ◽  
Alan M. Friedlander ◽  
Enric Ballesteros ◽  
Jennifer E. Caselle ◽  
Enric Sala
Keyword(s):  
Fish Assemblage ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Fish Fauna ◽  
Spatial Diversity ◽  
Assemblage Structure ◽  
Kelp Forests ◽  
Fish Assemblage Structure ◽  
Important Species ◽  
Southern Patagonia

Knowledge of the ecology of the fish fauna associated with kelp (primarily Macrocystis pyrifera) forests in Southern Patagonia is scarce, especially in how abiotic and biotic variables influence their structure, diversity, and distribution. This information is important for the management and conservation of this unique ecosystem, which has minimal anthropogenic impacts at present. We analyzed data from 122 quantitative underwater transects conducted within kelp forests at 61 stations from Chile’s southern Patagonian fjords to the Cape Horn and Diego Ramirez archipelagos and the southern tip of Argentina, including the Mitre Peninsula and Isla de los Estados. In total, 25 fish species belonging to 13 families were observed. Multivariate analysis indicated that there are significant differences in fish assemblage structure among locations and wave exposures, which was driven primarily by Patagonotothen sima and Paranotothenia magellanica, which occurred on exposed and semi-exposed stations. P. cornucola was mainly distributed across sheltered stations of the Kawésqar National Park. Temperature, salinity, depth, and kelp density influenced fish assemblage structure, with the highest diversity in areas with the lowest temperature and greater depth at Isla de los Estados. In contrast, species richness, diversity, abundance, and biomass were all lower in areas with high density of the understory kelp Lessonia spp., which might be driven by the absence of P. tessellata, P. squamiceps and P. cornucola, the most important species in terms of occurrence, abundance, and biomass. Our study provides the first broad-scale description of the fish assemblages associated with kelp forests along the southern cone of South America based on non-invasive visual transects, improving our knowledge of the distribution of fish assemblages across several environmental conditions in this vast and little-studied area.

scholarly journals Correlations Between Fish Assemblage Structure and Environmental Variables of Taruwa Pond in Nawalparasi District, Province No. 4, Nepal

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
JASH HANG LIMBU ◽  
KESHI CHAUDHARY
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Variation ◽  
Fish Assemblage ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Mesh Size ◽  
Assemblage Structure ◽  
Fish Assemblage Structure ◽  
Fish Community Structure ◽  
Water Parameters ◽  
Analysis Of Similarity

The correlations between fisheries diversity and environmental variables of Nepal’s Pond are poorly understood. This study aims to investigate temporal variation of fish assemblage at Taruwa Pond in Nawalparasi district, Province no. 4, Nepal from October 2018 to April 2019. For the fish agglomeration, cast net of 4 kg in weight and 3.80 m in length and 22.5 m breadth with 12 mm mesh size was used. In total, 579 individuals representing 16 fish species, 10 families, and 12 genera were recorded. According to similarity percentage analysis, the most contributory species were Puntius ticto (27.92%) followed by Danio devario (12.06%), Puntius terio (9.76%), Badis badis (7.31%), Lepidocephalichthys guntea (5.57%) and Puntius sophore (5.57%). Analysis of similarity suggested that fish community structure was significantly different in temporal variation (R = 0.321, p<0.01). Based on the cluster analysis, fish assemblages were isolated into two distinct groups at Bray-curtis similarity. The Canonical Correspondence Analysis distinctly indicated that the water parameters of dissolved oxygen, carbon-dioxide, depth, and water temperature play an important role in influencing the fish assemblage structure of Taruwa Pond.

scholarly journals Fish Assemblage Structure and Environmental Correlates in Nepal’s West Rapti River, Banke

Our Nature ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-37
Author(s):  
Sujata Chaudhary ◽  
Jash Hang Limbu ◽  
Suren Subba ◽  
Jeevan Kumar Gurung ◽  
Naresh Pandey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fish Assemblage ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Mesh Size ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Assemblage Structure ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variations ◽  
Fish Assemblage Structure ◽  
Environmental Correlates ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Fish Samples

The spatial and temporal variations of fish assemblages in rivers and streams of Nepal are poorly understood. So, the present study aimed to explore the spatial and temporal variations of fish assemblage structure in Nepal’s West Rapti River. The data were collected during autumn, winter and spring seasons, from October 2018 to April 2019. Fish samples were collected using cast net of 12 mm mesh size. A total of 28 species belonging to 7 orders, 10 families and 19 genera were recorded during the study. The analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) showed no significant difference among the stations and seasons. Based on cluster analysis, two major clusters were observed. The similarity percentage (SIMPER) analysis delineated that Cabdio morar (C14, 13.63%), Barilius bendelensis (C11, 10.32%), Gogangra viridescens (C22, 7.85%), Salmostoma phulo (C17, 7.74%), Labeo gonius (C5, 7.53%), Gagata cenia (C23, 6.45%), Garra gotyla (C6, 5.87%) and Labeo dyocelius (C2, 5.62%) were the most contributing species. The Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) distinctly showed that the environmental variables dissolved oxygen, pH, carbon-dioxide, and water temperature play an essential role in shaping the fish assemblage structure of West Rapti River.

scholarly journals 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

2005 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 25 ◽  
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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