A Community-Level, Mesoscale Analysis of Fish Assemblage Structure in Shoreline Habitats of a Large River Using Multivariate Regression Trees

The mesoscale (100–102 m) of river habitats has been identified as the scale that simultaneously offers insights into ecological structure and falls within the practical bounds of river management. Mesoscale habitat (mesohabitat) classifications for relatively large rivers, however, are underdevelop...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:River research and applications Jg. 32; H. 4; S. 652 - 665
Hauptverfasser: Wilkes, M. A., Maddock, I., Link, O., Habit, E.
Format: Journal Article
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: Bognor Regis Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.05.2016
Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
Schlagworte:
Abiotic factors
Aquatic habitats
Biological effects
Brackish
Chile
Community structure
conservation
environmental factors
fish
freshwater ecology
Galaxias platei
habitat
habitats
Hydroelectric plants
Hydroelectric power
hydromorphology
invasive species
mesohabitats
multivariate regression trees
power plants
River systems
Rivers
Salmonidae
Shorelines
Streams
Chile
ISSN:1535-1459, 1535-1467
Online-Zugang:Volltext
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:The mesoscale (100–102 m) of river habitats has been identified as the scale that simultaneously offers insights into ecological structure and falls within the practical bounds of river management. Mesoscale habitat (mesohabitat) classifications for relatively large rivers, however, are underdeveloped compared with those produced for smaller streams. Approaches to habitat modelling have traditionally focused on individual species or proceeded on a species‐by‐species basis. This is particularly problematic in larger rivers where the effects of biological interactions are more complex and intense. Community‐level approaches can rapidly model many species simultaneously, thereby integrating the effects of biological interactions while providing information on the relative importance of environmental variables in structuring the community. One such community‐level approach, multivariate regression trees, was applied in order to determine the relative influences of abiotic factors on fish assemblages within shoreline mesohabitats of San Pedro River, Chile, and to define reference communities prior to the planned construction of a hydroelectric power plant. Flow depth, bank materials and the availability of riparian and instream cover, including woody debris, were the main variables driving differences between the assemblages. Species strongly indicative of distinctive mesohabitat types included the endemic Galaxias platei. Among other outcomes, the results provide information on the impact of non‐native salmonids on river‐dwelling Galaxias platei, suggesting a degree of habitat segregation between these taxa based on flow depth. The results support the use of the mesohabitat concept in large, relatively pristine river systems, and they represent a basis for assessing the impact of any future hydroelectric power plant construction and operation. By combing community classifications with simple sets of environmental rules, the multivariate regression trees produced can be used to predict the community structure of any mesohabitat along the reach. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bibliographie:ark:/67375/WNG-GTBVJN8K-G
FONDECYT - No. 1110441
ArticleID:RRA2879
istex:93582FBDEA20DD06B46D1D1CCC5C441805EEEC9D
ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 14
content type line 23
ISSN:1535-1459
1535-1467
DOI:10.1002/rra.2879