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Comparing fish assemblages and trophic ecology of permanent and intermittent reaches in a Mediterranean stream

Mediterranean streams are characterised by seasonal droughts, the frequency and intensity of which vary spatially and are expected to increase with global change. We studied the potential effects of drought and climate change on the fish assemblage and its trophic ecology in a Mediterranean stream by comparing an intermittent tributary with two more permanent neighbouring reaches. Although the three sites were dominated by the same two fish species, Mediterranean barbel (Barbus meridionalis) and chub (Squalius laietanus), the intermittent tributary had a lower overall fish density and fewer eel (Anguilla anguilla). The intermittent tributary had macroinvertebrates with lower density, smaller taxa and higher diversity. Fish in the intermittent tributary had significantly lower biomasses in their gut contents (adjusted for fish length) and more negative electivities than those in the permanent reaches, as well as significantly lower taxonomic diversity. These results indicate that there was reduced resource availability in the intermittent tributary, which resulted in significantly lower condition and gonadal weight (adjusted for length) of barbel and chub. The data obtained in this Mediterranean stream support the observation that reduced water flow may affect fish at both individual and assemblage levels

This study was financially supported by projects CGL2007-65549/BOS, CGL2008-05618-C02-02, CGL2009-12877-C02-01 and Consolider-Ingenio 2010 CSD2009-00065 of the Spanish Ministry of Science. Catalan Water Agency, the Government of Catalonia and the Barcelona Provincial Council (‘Observatori de la Tordera’)

Springer Verlag

Manager: Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (Espanya)
Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Espanya)
Author: Mas-Martí, Esther
García-Berthou, Emili
Sabater, Sergi
Tomanova, Sylvie
Muñoz Gràcia, Isabel
Date: 2010 May 16
Abstract: Mediterranean streams are characterised by seasonal droughts, the frequency and intensity of which vary spatially and are expected to increase with global change. We studied the potential effects of drought and climate change on the fish assemblage and its trophic ecology in a Mediterranean stream by comparing an intermittent tributary with two more permanent neighbouring reaches. Although the three sites were dominated by the same two fish species, Mediterranean barbel (Barbus meridionalis) and chub (Squalius laietanus), the intermittent tributary had a lower overall fish density and fewer eel (Anguilla anguilla). The intermittent tributary had macroinvertebrates with lower density, smaller taxa and higher diversity. Fish in the intermittent tributary had significantly lower biomasses in their gut contents (adjusted for fish length) and more negative electivities than those in the permanent reaches, as well as significantly lower taxonomic diversity. These results indicate that there was reduced resource availability in the intermittent tributary, which resulted in significantly lower condition and gonadal weight (adjusted for length) of barbel and chub. The data obtained in this Mediterranean stream support the observation that reduced water flow may affect fish at both individual and assemblage levels
This study was financially supported by projects CGL2007-65549/BOS, CGL2008-05618-C02-02, CGL2009-12877-C02-01 and Consolider-Ingenio 2010 CSD2009-00065 of the Spanish Ministry of Science. Catalan Water Agency, the Government of Catalonia and the Barcelona Provincial Council (‘Observatori de la Tordera’)
Format: application/pdf
Document access: http://hdl.handle.net/10256/12984
Language: eng
Publisher: Springer Verlag
Collection: info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1007/s10750-010-0292-x
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/issn/0018-8158
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/eissn/1573-5117
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/MEC//CGL2007-65549/ES/EFECTOS DE EPISODIOS DE INTERRUPCION DEL FLUJO SOBRE LA CONTINUIDAD ESTRUCTURAL Y FUNCIONAL DE SISTEMAS FLUVIALES/
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/MICINN//CSD2009-00065/ES/Evaluación y predicción de los efectos del cambio global en la cantidad y la calidad del agua en ríos ibéricos/
Rights: Tots els drets reservats
Subject: Ecologia fluvial
Stream ecology
Ecologia d’aigua dolça
Freshwater ecology
Biologia aquàtica
Aquatic biology
Ecosistemes mediterranis
Mediterranean-type ecosystems
Title: Comparing fish assemblages and trophic ecology of permanent and intermittent reaches in a Mediterranean stream
Type: info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Repository: DUGiDocs

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