Linking Hydrologic Connectivity in Salt Marsh Ponds to Fish Assemblages across a Heterogenous Coastal Habitat

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 545
Author(s):  
Ashley N. Ragan ◽  
Jeffrey R. Wozniak
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marsh ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Hydrologic Connectivity ◽  
Coastal Habitat

scholarly journals Effects of enhanced hydrological connectivity on Mediterranean salt marsh fish assemblages with emphasis on the endangered Spanish toothcarp (Aphanius iberus)

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Prado ◽  
Carles Alcaraz ◽  
Lluis Jornet ◽  
Nuno Alberto Caiola ◽  
Carles Ibáñez
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marsh ◽  
Fish Community ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Fish Population ◽  
Important Variable ◽  
Hydrological Connectivity ◽  
Local Diversity ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Migratory Movements

The hydrological connectivity between the salt marsh and the sea was partially restored in a Mediterranean wetland containing isolated ponds resulting from former salt extraction and aquaculture activities. A preliminary assessment provided evidence that ponds farther from the sea hosted very large numbers of the endangered Spanish toothcarp, Aphanius iberus, suggesting that individuals had been trapped and consequently reach unnaturally high densities. In order to achieve both habitat rehabilitation and toothcarp conservation, efforts were made to create a gradient of hydrologically connected areas, including isolated fish reservoirs, semi-isolated, and connected salt marsh–sea areas that could allow migratory movements of fish and provide some protection for A. iberus. The fish community was monitored prior to, and for three years after rehabilitation. Results showed an increase in the number of fish species within semi-isolated areas (Zone A), relative to connected areas (Zone B), while at the assemblage level, structural differences between zones were higher than interannual variability. GLMs evidenced that distance to the sea was the most important variable explaining the local diversity of the fish community after restoration, with occasional influence of other factors such as temperature, and depth. The abundance of A. iberus was consistently higher in semi-isolated areas at greater distances from the sea, but a decline occurred in both zones and in isolated reservoir ponds after restoration efforts, which may be attributable to dispersal to adjacent habitats, and to interannual differences in recruitment success. A negative effect of restoration works on fish population cannot be excluded, but the final outcome of the intervention likely needs a longer period .

scholarly journals Climate changes in mangrove forests and salt marshes

2016 ◽  
Vol 64 (spe2) ◽  
pp. 37-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yara Schaeffer-Novelli ◽  
Eduardo Juan Soriano-Sierra ◽  
Claudia Câmara do Vale ◽  
Elaine Bernini ◽  
André Scarlate Rovai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marsh ◽  
Early Warning ◽  
Salt Marshes ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Level Energy ◽  
Mangrove Forests ◽  
Coastal Zones ◽  
Coastal Habitat ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Salt Marsh Species

Abstract This synthesis is framed within the scope of the Brazilian Benthic Coastal Habitat Monitoring Network (ReBentos WG 4: Mangroves and Salt Marshes), focusing on papers that examine biodiversity-climate interactions as well as human-induced factors including those that decrease systemic resilience. The goal is to assess difficulties related to the detection of climate and early warning signals from monitoring data. We also explored ways to circumvent some of the obstacles identified. Exposure and sensitivity of mangrove and salt marsh species and ecosystems make them extremely vulnerable to environmental impacts and potential indicators of sea level and climate-driven environmental change. However, the interpretation of shifts in mangroves and salt marsh species and systemic attributes must be scrutinized considering local and setting-level energy signature changes; including disturbance regime and local stressors, since these vary widely on a regional scale. The potential for adaptation and survival in response to climate change depends, in addition to the inherent properties of species, on contextual processes at the local, landscape, and regional levels that support resilience. Regardless of stressor type, because of the convergence of social and ecological processes, coastal zones should be targeted for anticipatory action to reduce risks and to integrate these ecosystems into adaptation strategies. Management must be grounded on proactive mitigation and collaborative action based on long-term ecosystem-based studies and well-designed monitoring programs that can 1) provide real-time early warning and 2) close the gap between simple correlations that provide weak inferences and process-based approaches that can yield increasingly reliable attribution and improved levels of anticipation.

scholarly journals Effects of enhanced hydrological connectivity on Mediterranean salt marsh fish assemblages with emphasis on the endangered Spanish toothcarp (Aphanius iberus)

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Prado ◽  
Carles Alcaraz ◽  
Lluis Jornet ◽  
Nuno Alberto Caiola ◽  
Carles Ibáñez
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marsh ◽  
Fish Community ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Fish Population ◽  
Important Variable ◽  
Hydrological Connectivity ◽  
Local Diversity ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Migratory Movements

The hydrological connectivity between the salt marsh and the sea was partially restored in a Mediterranean wetland containing isolated ponds resulting from former salt extraction and aquaculture activities. A preliminary assessment provided evidence that ponds farther from the sea hosted very large numbers of the endangered Spanish toothcarp, Aphanius iberus, suggesting that individuals had been trapped and consequently reach unnaturally high densities. In order to achieve both habitat rehabilitation and toothcarp conservation, efforts were made to create a gradient of hydrologically connected areas, including isolated fish reservoirs, semi-isolated, and connected salt marsh–sea areas that could allow migratory movements of fish and provide some protection for A. iberus. The fish community was monitored prior to, and for three years after rehabilitation. Results showed an increase in the number of fish species within semi-isolated areas (Zone A), relative to connected areas (Zone B), while at the assemblage level, structural differences between zones were higher than interannual variability. GLMs evidenced that distance to the sea was the most important variable explaining the local diversity of the fish community after restoration, with occasional influence of other factors such as temperature, and depth. The abundance of A. iberus was consistently higher in semi-isolated areas at greater distances from the sea, but a decline occurred in both zones and in isolated reservoir ponds after restoration efforts, which may be attributable to dispersal to adjacent habitats, and to interannual differences in recruitment success. A negative effect of restoration works on fish population cannot be excluded, but the final outcome of the intervention likely needs a longer period .

Response of juvenile fish assemblages in tidal salt marsh creeks treated forPhragmites removal

Estuaries ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 563-573 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas M. Grothues ◽  
Kenneth W. Able
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marsh ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Juvenile Fish ◽  
Tidal Salt Marsh

scholarly journals Effects of enhanced hydrological connectivity on Mediterranean salt marsh fish assemblages with emphasis on the endangered Spanish toothcarp (Aphanius iberus)

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Prado ◽  
Carles Alcaraz ◽  
Lluis Jornet ◽  
Nuno Caiola ◽  
Carles Ibáñez
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marsh ◽  
Fish Community ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
Fish Population ◽  
Important Variable ◽  
Hydrological Connectivity ◽  
Local Diversity ◽  
Negative Effect

The hydrological connectivity between the salt marsh and the sea was partially restored in a Mediterranean wetland containing isolated ponds resulting from former salt extraction and aquaculture activities. A preliminary assessment provided evidence that ponds farther from the sea hosted very large numbers of the endangered Spanish toothcarp,Aphanius iberus, suggesting that individuals had been trapped and consequently reach unnaturally high densities. In order to achieve both habitat rehabilitation and toothcarp conservation, efforts were made to create a gradient of hydrologically connected areas, including isolated fish reservoirs, semi-isolated, and connected salt marsh-sea areas that could allow migratory movements of fish and provide some protection forA. iberus. The fish community was monitored prior to, and for three years after rehabilitation. Results showed an increase in the number of fish species within semi-isolated areas (Zone A), whereas areas adjacent to the sea (Zone B) increased the number of marine species and decreased that of estuarine species (ES). Yet overall differences in fish assemblages were much higher between zones than among study years. Generalized linear models (GLMs) evidenced that distance to the sea was the most important variable explaining the local diversity of the fish community after restoration, with occasional influence of other factors such as temperature, and depth. The abundance ofA. iberuswas consistently higher in semi-isolated areas at greater distances from the sea, but a decline occurred in both zones and in isolated reservoir ponds after restoration efforts, which may be attributable to interannual differences in recruitment success and, to a lesser extent, to dispersal into adjacent habitats. A negative effect of restoration works on fish population cannot be excluded, but the final outcome of the intervention likely needs a longer period.

scholarly journals Seascape connectivity exerts differing effects for fish assemblages in distinct habitats of the surf zones of ocean beaches

2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 1033-1042
Author(s):  
Jesse D Mosman ◽  
Christopher J Henderson ◽  
Andrew D Olds ◽  
Ben L Gilby ◽  
Thomas A Schlacher
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Indicator Species ◽  
Surf Zone ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Spatial Configuration ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Coastal Habitat ◽  
Rocky Reefs ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Management Approaches

Abstract Animals move throughout coastal seascapes to disperse, feed, and spawn, including the surf zones of ocean beaches. Yet, the influences of seascape context on surf-zone fish are largely unquantified. We sampled surf-zone fish assemblages with baited remote underwater video deployments at 25 beaches across 50 km of coastline in eastern Australia to determine if variation in the spatial configuration of broader coastal seascapes shapes fish assemblages in different surf-zone habitats. We show that surf zones are not homogenous fish habitats, with offshore bars and nearshore troughs having distinct fish assemblages, shaped by different environmental variables. Fish assemblages of offshore bars were characterized by greater species richness and a higher abundance of indicator species (as identified by Dufrene–Legendre indicator species analysis) when close to rocky reefs and estuaries. In contrast, fish assemblages of nearshore troughs were characterized by greater species richness and a higher abundance of indicator species when far from estuaries, and off wider beaches. Our results highlight the importance of seascape connectivity in structuring surf-zone fish assemblages. Consequently, management approaches need to more thoroughly quantify the effects of seascape connectivity over smaller spatial scales and consider surf zones as key components of broader coastal habitat mosaics.

Structure and temporal variations of fish assemblages of the Castro Marim salt marsh, southern Portugal

2006 ◽  
Vol 70 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 27-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Veiga ◽  
Lina Vieira ◽  
Constança Bexiga ◽  
Rita Sá ◽  
Karim Erzini
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marsh ◽  
Fish Assemblages ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Southern Portugal
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