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Lamprey ( Lampetra fluviatilis and Lampetra planeri ) ammocoete habitat associations at regional, catchment and microhabitat scales in Northern Ireland
Author(s) -
Goodwin C. E.,
Dick J. T. A.,
Rogowski D. L.,
Elwood R. W.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
ecology of freshwater fish
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.667
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1600-0633
pISSN - 0906-6691
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0633.2008.00305.x
Subject(s) - lampetra , lamprey , habitat , ecology , abundance (ecology) , drainage basin , biology , fishery , geography , cartography
– Habitat characteristics associated with lamprey ammocoetes ( Lampetra spp.) were investigated at three different spatial scales: regional (Northern Ireland), catchment (Ballinderry River) and microhabitat. At the regional scale, ammocoetes were more abundant in rivers with a pH ≥8.2, while within a catchment, abundance was negatively related to the number of potential lamprey barriers and distance upstream. At the microhabitat scale, at sites where ammocoetes were present, ammocoetes were more abundant where median phi ≥1.94 (very coarse sand), where sediment depth ≥11.5 cm, and where kurtosis was >1.71. This study provides information on habitat associations of lamprey in the UK which may be of use in their conservation, in particular it highlights the negative association of migration barriers with lamprey abundance.