Morphology and microhabitat use in stream fish
Microhabitat use and body morphology were compared among 15 warmwater stream fishes from the Alabama River (Alabama, U.S.A.) watershed. Morphological variation among separate populations of a species was detected in 14 of the 15 species, indicating that populations should be separated in analyses among species. Comparison of morphological variation between microhabitat generalist and specialist species suggested that all species may vary in morphology relative to their environment. Regression analysis showed that within two families, Cyprinidae and Percidae, morphology was related to specific microhabitat variables. In the Centrarchidae, morphology was not related to any microhabitat variables. Morphological differences among the species occurred along gradients that were similar to gradients of habitat utilization, indicating that within a family, species widely separated in microhabitat use were morphologically different and species using similar microhabitats were similar in morphology. Our results suggest that patterns of morphological variation correspond to properties of the available habitat for warmwater stream fish species.