1. We examined the effects of habitat fragmentation caused by dams on freshwater fish species using a database of 7848 fish presence/absence surveys, conducted between 1953-2003 in Hokkaido, Japan. 2. A series of generalised linear models showed that for 11 of 41 taxa examined, the probability of occurrence had been influenced either negatively (eight taxa) or positively (three taxa) by the presence of a dam downstream from their habitat. 3. Maps of modelled predictions revealed that dams had had widespread negative impacts on certain taxa, while for other taxa the impact was limited to specific basins. Two of the three taxa whose probability of occurrence was increased in areas above dams have long been transplanted into reservoirs in Japan. 4. For four of the eight taxa whose probability of occurrence was reduced above dams and all three taxa whose probability of occurrence increased above dams, the temporal length of habitat isolation (i.e. the number of years between dam construction and sampling) was also a significant predictor of the probability of occurrence. This pattern indicates that these taxa experienced a gradual rather than an instantaneous population impact as a result of dam construction. 5. The eight taxa whose probability of occurrence was reduced as a consequence of dams all exhibit migratory life cycles. Although migratory taxa are probably more susceptible to the negative effect of dams, we could not detect significant relationships between migration life histories and the effect of fragmentation by dams. 6. These analyses enable stream and fisheries managers to quantify the impacts of habitat fragmentation because of dams for individual species. The spatially explicit nature of our analyses also enables identification of the areas of the impact at broad geographical scales. Using our results, managers can take effective conservation and restoration measures to predict, mitigate or remove the impact of dams. For example, our results can be used to prioritise dams for removal or to predict losses of biodiversity and ecosystem services in advance of dam construction.

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We examined the effects of dams on freshwater fish species based on data collected during 1990-2004 from 200 drainage systems in Japan. Of the 76 fish species examined, the occurrence of 20 species within Petromyzontidae, Cyprinidae, Cobitididae, Salmonidae, Cottidae, and Gobiidae was negatively affected by the presence of dams located in the downstream reaches of fish survey sites, whereas the occurrence of 12 species within Cyprinidae, Adrianichthyidae, Centrarchidae, and Gobiidae was positively associated with the presence of dams. A significantly higher proportion of the fishes with a negative damming effect were diadromous species as compared to the fishes with a positive damming effect. Conversely, the latter group had a significantly higher proportion of nonnative species than the former. A significant interaction existed between the effects of damming and the effects of elevation on family-specific species richness. Families dominated by native migratory species showed a greater reduction in the number of species above dams at lower elevations, whereas families represented primarily by nonnative species had higher species richness above dams at higher elevations, except for Centrarchidae, which was always higher in species richness above dams regardless of elevation. Based on our findings, dams in Japan have adversely affected native freshwater fishes by blocking their migration routes, favoring nonnative fishes, or altering existing habitats.

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The Kushiro Mire, the largest mire in Japan, presently faces the serious problem of turbid water flooding. Shortening of stream channels associated with agricultural development is a major cause of streambed aggradation. This aggradation reduces the carrying capacity of the channel, resulting in sediment laden water spilling over the wetlands in a flood event. Sedimentation progresses with repeated inundation by turbid water, which significantly alters the edaphic conditions, and thereby the composition and structure of marsh forests. Aggradation of the geomorphic surfaces with sedimentation lowers the water level, and increases soil particle size and nutrient status. This situation was clearly displayed in an ordination of canonical correspondence analysis. Among the environmental variables, water level was related most strongly to the pattern of a forest community. Salix species dominated the flood areas, which were characterized by a low water level, coarse sediment, and high electrical conductivity. Alnus japonica, the most common tree species in the Kushiro Mire, favors soil conditions represented by high water table and organic content. A. japonica adapts to a higher water level by developing lenticels with hypertrophied and adventitious roots, multiple sprouting and regenerates vegetatively. Basal areas (BAs) of A. japonica, however, seem to be limited by high fluctuations in water levels, which are amplified by channelization. This raises serious concerns for the integrity of the Kushiro Mire. It is important to implement a conservation plan from a watershed perspective because most problems originate in upper basins. Creating riparian buffer strips, sediment-filtering wetlands, and restoring the original meandering course may slow down sedimentation in the mire, and thus help to restore the natural hydrological regime.