Development of fish‐based assessment method for the ecological status of rivers in the Baltic region

Virbickas, Tomas; Kesminas, Vytautas

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2400.2007.00572.x

Cited by 18 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…The selected metrics included six variants: number of species, density (number of individuals per ha) and biomass (kg per ha) per metric as well as relative information on number of species, density and biomass (as percentage of total species). According to Noble et al (2007a) and Virbickas and Kesminas (2007), these variants reflect most of the important ecological aspects of metrics. Associated references and reactions can be found in Table 2.…”

Section: Methods and Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pressure-specific and multiple pressure response of fish assemblages in European running waters

2013

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We classified homogenous river types across Europe and searched for fish metrics qualified to show responses to specific pressures (hydromorphological pressures or water quality pressures) vs. multiple pressures in these river types. We analysed fish taxa lists from 3105 sites in 16 ecoregions and 14 countries. Sites were pre-classified for 15 selected pressures to separate unimpacted from impacted sites. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to split unimpacted sites into four homogenous river types based on species composition and geographical location. Classification trees were employed to predict associated river types for impacted sites with four environmental variables. We defined a set of 129 candidate fish metrics to select the best reacting metrics for each river type. The candidate metrics represented tolerances/intolerances of species associated with six metric types: habitat, migration, water quality sensitivity, reproduction, trophic level and biodiversity. The results showed that 17 uncorrelated metrics reacted to pressures in the four river types. Metrics responded specifically to water quality pressures and hydromorphological pressures in three river types and to multiple pressures in all river types. Four metrics associated with water quality sensitivity showed a significant reaction in up to three river types, whereas 13 metrics were specific to individual river types. Our results contribute to the better understanding of fish assemblage response to human pressures at a pan-European scale. The results are especially important for European river management and restoration, as it is necessary to uncover underlying processes and effects of human pressures on aquatic communities.

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Section: Methods and Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additional studies by Noble et al (2007b), Melcher et al (2007), Schmutz et al (2007b), Virbickas and Kesminas (2007), Grenouillet et al (2007) and Ferreira et al (2007) aimed to find appropriate metrics that showed different reactions under unimpacted/impacted conditions for various regions in Europe.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pressure-specific and multiple pressure response of fish assemblages in European running waters

2013

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“…Among these studies, however, there is no commonality in what factors might be causing longitudinal community variation. Welcomme (2001) stated that stream gradient is a major factor influencing the distribution of fish fauna in rivers, which is echoed by Virbickas and Kesminas (2007). Edds (1993), Esselman et al (2006), and McGarvey and Ward (2008) argued that river discharge was the most relevant factor, while Ibanez et al (2007) found a correlation between conductivity and longitudinal species assemblages.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Longitudinal variation in community structure of floodplain fishes along two rivers of the southeastern USA

GarnettJeffrey

BatzerDarold

2014

Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci.

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Many studies have examined whether longitudinal variation exists in fish communities within stream channels. Yet despite the acknowledged importance of adjacent floodplain ecosystems, no study has investigated longitudinal variation in fish communities in floodplain wetlands. We conducted a study to determine if distinct fish communities exist between upper and lower river floodplains. We predicted that floodplains in the upper portions of a watershed will be dominated by opportunistic riverine fish. In contrast, floodplains farther downstream in the watershed will primarily consist of obligate floodplain fishes. We sampled fishes at 21 floodplain sites along the lengths of the Oconee-Altamaha and Broad-Savannah river systems of Georgia, USA, during the 2008 and 2009 flood seasons. A modified mark-recapture method was utilized to estimate probabilities of species detection and occupancy. Ordination and analysis of similarity using species site occupancy estimates identified two unique communities related to floodplain position, and indicator species analysis supported our hypothesis of community distinction based on life history traits. Water resource managers should consider how flood pulse character influences fish communities when regulating flow regimes. Résumé :De nombreuses études se sont penchées sur l'existence possible de variations longitudinales des communautés de poissons dans les chenaux de cours d'eau. Pourtant, malgré l'importance reconnue des écosystèmes des plaines inondables attenantes, aucune étude n'a examiné les variations longitudinales des communautés de poissons dans les milieux humides de plaines inondables. Nous avons réalisé une étude visant à déterminer s'il existe des différences entre les communautés de poissons des plaines inondables des cours supérieurs et inférieurs de rivières. Nous avions prédit que les plaines inondables dans les portions supérieures d'un bassin versant seraient dominées par des poissons fluviatiles opportunistes, alors que les plaines inondables situées plus en aval présenteraient principalement des poissons inféodés à ces milieux. Nous avons prélevé des poissons dans 21 sites de plaine inondable le long des réseaux hydrographiques des rivières Oconee-Altamaha et BroadSavannah en Géorgie (États-Unis), durant les périodes de crue de 2008 et 2009. Une méthode de marquage-recapture modifiée a été employée pour estimer les probabilités de détection et d'occupation des espèces. L'ordination et l'analyse de similitude basées sur des estimations de l'occupation des sites par différentes espèces ont permis de cerner deux communautés distinctes selon la position de la plaine inondable, et l'analyse d'espèces indicatrices appuie notre hypothèse de la distinction des communautés selon les caractères du cycle de vie. Dans la prise de décisions touchant à la régulation des régimes d'écoulement, les gestionnaires de ressources hydriques devraient tenir compte de l'influence des caractéristiques des crues ponctuelles sur les communautés de poissons. [Traduit par la Rédaction]

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“…In total, 129 metrics were pre-selected for further analyses (Appendix Table 4 in Supplementary material). According to Noble et al (2007) and Virbickas & Kesminas (2007), these metrics reflect the most important bio-ecological functional traits of fish assemblages.…”

Section: Fish Metrics Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the FAME project, beside this ''site specific approach'', the ''spatially based approach'' was considered, which classifies rivers into units with homogenous fish assemblages . Accordingly, studies in multiple regions in Europe by Ferreira et al (2007), Grenouillet et al (2007), Melcher et al (2007), Noble et al (2007), Schmutz et al (2007) and Virbickas & Kesminas (2007) aimed to find appropriate fish metrics that show reactions to human pressures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Divergent reaction of fish metrics to human pressures in fish assemblage types in Europe

2013

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Using a large pan-European dataset, we compared least disturbed sites to sites impacted by human pressures across broad river types to assess which aspects of bio-ecological traits of the fish assemblage are most sensitive to alterations of the river ecosystem. To control for variation across river types and large-scale environmental gradients, we began by clustering the least disturbed sites (n = 716) into four homogenous fish assemblage types (FATs) differing by four fish metrics, i.e., lithophilic, rheophilic, omnivorous, and potamodromous fish. We predicted these FATs (headwater streams, medium gradient rivers, lowland rivers, and Mediterranean streams) using environmental variables, i.e., altitude, river slope, temperature, precipitation, latitude, and longitude for impacted sites in our dataset (n = 2,389). Using tests of sensitivity and intensity, 17 fish metrics showed a clear reaction to human pressures. However, 12 metrics responded exclusively within only one of the four FATs. Hence we observed a divergent reaction of fish metrics to human pressures in, e.g., headwater versus lowland rivers. Type-specific reactions are useful in customizing impact assessment for particular river types. It is of primary importance to understand the comparative sensitivity and efficiency of fish-based indicators of water quality for detecting humaninduced degradation of river ecosystems.

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Development of fish‐based assessment method for the ecological status of rivers in the Baltic region

Cited by 18 publications

References 18 publications

Pressure-specific and multiple pressure response of fish assemblages in European running waters

Pressure-specific and multiple pressure response of fish assemblages in European running waters

Longitudinal variation in community structure of floodplain fishes along two rivers of the southeastern USA

Divergent reaction of fish metrics to human pressures in fish assemblage types in Europe

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