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Microhabitat Partitioning of an Assemblage of Darter Species Within Two Tributaries of the Tennessee River in Alabama
Author(s) -
Thompson B.,
Stallsmith B.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
river research and applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.679
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1535-1467
pISSN - 1535-1459
DOI - 10.1002/rra.2947
Subject(s) - etheostoma , habitat , tributary , percidae , ecology , spawn (biology) , substrate (aquarium) , geography , environmental science , biology , perch , fishery , fish <actinopterygii> , cartography
Habitat partitioning among syntopic darter species (Percidae: Etheostomatini) was examined in the Flint River and Estill Fork of the Paint Rock River in northeast Alabama from September 2010 to September 2011. Substrate composition, depth, and water velocity were important variables by which species segregated. Niche overlap values also indicated a high degree of habitat partitioning among species at both study sites, although a substantial amount of overlap was seen between Etheostoma simoterum and Etheostoma caeruleum at the Estill Fork site. Segregation among species was present throughout the year, but the significance of differences in habitat preferences did vary seasonally, especially during the post‐spawn period when habitat heterogeneity was reduced. Intra‐specific variation in habitat utilization was present among some species, with males generally preferring higher flow and coarser substrates than females. Habitat segregation was a well‐structured mechanism allowing the coexistence of ecologically similar species. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.