Environmental variables measured at multiple spatial scales exert uneven influence on fish assemblages of floodplain lakes
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Abstract
We examined the interaction between environmental variables measured at three different scales (i.e., landscape, lake, and in-lake) and fish assemblage descriptors across a range of over 50 floodplain lakes in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley of Mississippi and Arkansas. Our goal was to identify important local- and landscape-level determinants of fish assemblage structure. Relationships between fish assemblage structure and variables measured at broader scales (i.e., landscape-level and lake-level) were hypothesized to be stronger than relationships with variables measured at finer scales (i.e., in-lake variables). Results suggest that fish assemblage structure in floodplain lakes was influenced by variables operating on three different scales. However, and contrary to expectations, canonical correlations between in-lake environmental characteristics and fish assemblage structure were generally stronger than correlations between landscape-level and lake-level variables and fish assemblage structure, suggesting a hierarchy of influence. From a resource management perspective, our study suggests that landscape-level and lake-level variables may be manipulated for conservation or restoration purposes, and in-lake variables and fish assemblage structure may be used to monitor the success of such efforts.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Environmental variables measured at multiple spatial scales exert uneven influence on fish assemblages of floodplain lakes |
| Series title | Hydrobiologia |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10750-013-1655-x |
| Volume | 721 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Year Published | 2014 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Springer |
| Contributing office(s) | Coop Res Unit Atlanta |
| Description | 16 p. |
| First page | 129 |
| Last page | 144 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arkansas, Mississippi |
| Other Geospatial | Mississippi Alluvial Valley |
| Online Only (Y/N) | N |
| Additional Online Files (Y/N) | N |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |