Lateral connectivity between a main channel and a former channel plays an integral role in maintaining ecological functions of stream-floodplain ecosystems. This study virtually restored the connectivity of the former channel, which is currently isolated by channelization, in the Mangyeong River, Korea. Fish habitat improvement after the connectivity restoration was evaluated using River2D, two-dimensional depth-averaged hydraulic modeling, depending on normal and flood flow conditions. Target fish species were crucian carp (Carassius auratus), which are known as lentic species, and pale chub (Zacco platypus), known as lotic species. The weighted usable area (WUA) of the two species was increased after the connectivity restoration: the two-way connection between the main and formal channels was more effective than the one-way connection. The result of the physical habitat simulation at a flood flow condition demonstrated an increased rate of the WUA than during a normal flow condition. In particular, the WUA of pale chub increased about four times on the two-way connectivity restoration. This result suggests that habitat availability of both lentic and lotic fish species will increase after a connectivity restoration, and a two-way connectivity restoration may be more effective. In addition, the restored formal channel would function as a shelter for fish during the flood season.

This study investigated the difference in fish community structures in a main channel and an isolated former channel, considering the environmental factors in the Mangyeong River, Korea. Principal component analysis (PCA) with environmental factors showed that former channels were composed of a fine substrate covered by in-stream vegetation, whereas the main channel was covered by a wide range of substrates with a higher dissolved oxygen and conductivity. The result of the hierarchical cluster analysis with species abundance delineated to the four main groups; three abandoned channel groups and one main channel group. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) showed that fish community structures of each study site differed from environmental factors: former channel fish communities were positively related to in-stream vegetation cover, whereas main channel fish communities were positively associated with dissolved oxygen and conductivity. The results indicated that channelization, where there was a separation between the former channel and the main channel, had detrimental effects on fish community structures of both the main channel and the abandoned channel in the Mangyeong River. In conclusion, this study suggested that the connectivity between the main channel and abandoned channel were required to enhance both habitat structural diversity and species diversity of the Mangyeong River.