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Habitat value of aquatic plants for fishes
1991 •
Raymond Morgan
Journal of Freshwater Ecology
Macrophyte re-establishment for fish habitat in Little Bear Creek Reservoir, Alabama, USA
2011 •
Jonathan Fleming
Journal of Great Lakes Research
Influence of the aquatic vegetation landscape on larval fish abundance
2015 •
Christiane Hudon
North American Journal of Fisheries Management
Distribution and Abundance of Fishes Associated with Submersed Aquatic Plants in the Potomac River
1989 •
Nancy Rybicki
Lake and Reservoir Management
Advancing aquatic vegetation management for fish in north temperate lakes
2019 •
Paul J Radomski
Environmental Biology of Fishes
Structure of Littoral-zone Fish Communities in Relation to Habitat, Physical, and Chemical Gradients in a Southern Reservoir
2002 •
Guy Sewell
How the distribution and abundance of organisms vary across environmental gradients can reveal factors important in structuring aquatic communities. We sampled the littoral-zone fish community in a large reservoir (Lake Texoma) on the Texas–Oklahoma (U.S.A.) border that has pronounced environmental gradients from up- to downlake and between major tributary arms. Our objective was to evaluate the predictability of the littoral-zone fish-community structure from a suite of environmental variables. A stepwise multiple-regression model, with environmental factors at independent variables, explained 64% of the variation in fish species richness across sample sites. The number of species was positively associated with water-column productivity and total Kjedahl nitrogen, and negatively associated with Secchi depth and benthic productivity. Canonical correspondence analysis, with environmental factors as independent variables, explained 63% of the variation in fish-community structure across sites. Equal proportions of the variation in community structure were explained by variables that have strong gradients within the reservoir (e.g., Secchi depth and water-column productivity) and those that represent local habitat variables (e.g., shoreline aspect and substrate type).
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology
Comparison of fish assemblages associated with native and exotic submerged macrophytes in the Lake Pontchartrain estuary, USA
1998 •
Donald Baltz
Estuaries and Coasts
Nursery Habitat Quality Assessed by the Condition of Juvenile Fishes: Not All Estuarine Areas Are Equal
Mary Fabrizio
Dense macrophytes influence the horizontal distribution of fish in floodplain lakes
Rômulo Behrend, Eduardo R Cunha
Fish species distribution is commonly influenced by aquatic macrophytes. Despite of the usage of these plants as habitats for refuge, feeding and reproduction by fish, too dense macrophyte stands make microhabitats unsuitable for certain fish species. Moreover, the distance from the open water within macrophyte stands may also affect fish species distribution because of increasingly harsh conditions. In order to test differences in species distribution of small-sized fish within macrophyte stands we sampled stands of Eichhornia spp presenting low and high levels of macrophyte density and at several distances from the open water (0, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 m). We measured depth, temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductivity and pH of the water column and attributes of the fish assemblages. We captured 1,167 individuals of fish belonging to 24 species. Oxygen was significantly higher in lower levels of macrophyte density and similar patterns were found for fish abundance and species richness. These results indicate that, in general, small sized-fish prefer less dense macrophyte stands. In addition, both depth and oxygen were significantly higher at the closest distance from open water, where the composition of fish species was also distinct from those found in other distances. In accordance with changes in species composition, different fish species showed divergent distribution along distances from the open water. Together these results demonstrate that oxygen content influences fish species composition, and indicate that fish species are able to use less suitable microhabitats most likely because of morphological, physiological and behavioral adaptations.
Frontiers in Conservation Science
Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Patch Size Affects Fish Communities in a Turbid-Algal Lake
2021 •
Charles Martin
Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) is declining worldwide, leading to subsequent reductions in the ecological functions associated with SAV in shallow aquatic ecosystems, including providing habitat for fishes. Extensive restoration efforts are required to reverse this trend, but studies focusing on aquatic vegetation have been uncommon in recent years relative to other primary producers. Evaluations of the most beneficial SAV species and characteristics for fishes are especially rare. Because of the potentially complex and inconsistent responses of fish to different management actions, further research is necessary to evaluate the species-specific and community-level effects of SAV to inform restoration decision-making. To examine what SAV characteristics increase fish habitat use in a turbid-algal lake undergoing restoration, we sampled 29 areas around Lake Apopka, Florida (USA) with fyke nets and trotlines. We examined the impact of eight environmental variables on fish abundance, biomass, community structure, and predation potential. For each approximated 0.6 m 2 increase in SAV patch size, total fish biomass catch increased 6.5 g hr −1. Fish community composition based on abundance also changed with an increase in SAV patch size. The number of bait items missing from trotlines, a measure of predation potential, was most affected by water temperature, wind speed, and time of day, but not by the SAV variables tested. These results expand existing knowledge of fish habitat use of SAV and will inform future management efforts to conserve and restore fish communities by focusing on specific SAV characteristics such as patch size.
