Ling Chu

Influences of low-head dams on the fish assemblages in the headwater streams of the Qingyi watershed, China

The influences of low-head dams on the fish assemblages were examined in this study, using fish data collected in six treatment and five reference sites at three low-head dams in the headwater streams of the Qingyi watershed, China. Comparing with those in the reference sites, local habitat variables were significantly altered by low-head dams in the treatment sites, involving wider channel (only in the impoundment area), deeper water and slower flow. Fish species richness varied significantly across seasons, not across site categories, suggesting that these low-head dams did not alter species richness. However, significant decreases in fish abundance and density were observed in the impoundment areas immediately upstream of dams, but not in the plunge areas downstream. Fish assemblage structures kept relative stability across seasons, and their significant difference between-site was only observed between the impoundment areas and the sites far from dams upstream. This variation in assemblage structures was due to the differing relative abundance of some co-occurring species; more lentic but less lotic fish was observed in the impoundment areas. The spatial and temporal patterns of fish assemblages were correlated with local habitat in this study area. Wetted width had negative correlation with fish species richness, abundance and density, respectively. Water temperature also positively affected species richness. In addition, wetted width, water depth, current velocity and substrate were the important habitat variables influencing assemblage structures. Our results suggested that, by modifying local habitat characteristics, low-head dams altered fish abundance and density in the impoundment areas immediately upstream of dam, not in the plunge areas immediately downstream, and thereby influenced fish assemblage structures in these stream segments.

Variation in fish assemblages across impoundments of low-head dams in headwater streams of the Qingyi River, China: effects of abiotic factors and native invaders.

Identifying and explaining the pattern of how stream fish assemblages vary spatially are basic for the conservation and management of fish species diversity. Although low-head dams may facilitate the native invasions of generalist fishes to headwater streams, few studies have evaluated the impacts of the native invaders on indigenous fish assemblages. In this study, we collected 12 indigenous and 13 native-invasive fish species and measured physical habitats and dam dimensions from 62 impoundments of low-head dams located on headwater streams of the Qingyi River, China. We used linear regression and canonical correspondence analyses to evaluate how habitat and dam variables influenced native-invasive fish assemblages. Our results indicated that invasive fish species richness and abundance were related to elevation and upstream and downstream dam abundances, and their assemblage structures were influenced by substrate heterogeneity, dam height, and upstream and downstream dam abundances. We also used similar analyses to examine how habitat, dam, and invasive fish variables affected indigenous fish assemblages. Our results showed that indigenous fish species richness was correlated with substrate heterogeneity and dam height. However, indigenous fish assemblage structures were not only influenced by dam height, substrate, and downstream dam abundance, but also by invasive fishes. The abundance of one invasive species, Pseudorasbora parva, showed a strong negative influence on indigenous fish assemblages. Our study suggests that the combination of changes in abiotic factors and biotic structure and process following dam-building may determine the indigenous fish assemblages in the impoundments of low-head dams within headwater streams.

Influences of local habitat, tributary position, and dam characteristics on fish assemblages within impoundments of low-head dams in the tributaries of the Qingyi River, China

Low-head dam impoundments modify local habitat and alter fish assemblages; however, to our knowledge, the pattern of how fish assemblages in the impoundments relate to local habitat, tributary position, and dam characteristics is still unclear. We used data collected in 62 impoundments created by low-head dams in headwater streams of the Qingyi River, China, to examine relationships between fish assemblages and local habitat, tributary position, and dam characteristics. We also assessed the relative importance of the three groups of factors in determining fish species richness and composition. Linear regression models showed that fish species richness was related to substrate heterogeneity, confluence link, and dam number upstream. Redundancy analysis showed that fish species compositions were influenced by substrate heterogeneity, confluence link, dam height, dam numbers upstream and downstream. Overall, dam characteristics were more important in affecting fish species richness but less important in determining fish species composition than local habitat (i.e., substrate heterogeneity) and tributary position. Our results suggest that low-head dam may affect fish species richness in impoundments by modifying local habitat and constraining fish movement, and the relative abundances of those fish species may depend more on species habitat presences and stream size than on impoundment size and number.

Spatial and temporal patterns of stream fish assemblages in the Qiupu Headwaters National Wetland Park

Identifying and clarifying how stream fish assemblage patterns vary spatially and temporally are basic measures for the conservation and management of fish species. Based on data collected from 24 wadeable reaches within the Qiupu Headwaters National Wetland Park between May and October 2012, we examined the spatial and temporal patterns of the assemblage structures and diversities, collecting a total of 29 fish species belonging to four orders and ten families. The results of our survey showed influences of local habitat and tributary spatial position variables on fish assemblages. Fish diversity showed significant variations across stream-orders and seasons, which were higher in the second-order streams than in first-order streams and higher in October than in May. Habitat factors such as substrate coarseness and heterogeneity, water temperature and water depth, as well as tributary position factor-link, showed significant effects on fish diversity. Fish assemblages fitted the nested pattern that upstream assemblages presented as a nested subset of downstream assemblages. Fish assemblage structures did not vary significantly across seasons but did across stream-orders; fish assemblages between first- and second-order streams showed significant differences despite some overlap. These spatial differences mainly resulted from spatial variations of the relative abundance of Cobitis rarus, Ctenogobius sp., Zacco platypus, Phoxinus oxycephalus, Rhodeus ocellatus and Vanmanenia stenosoma, among which P. oxycephalus had higher abundance in first-order than in second-order streams but the other five species were more abundant in second-order streams. Fish assemblage structures were significantly related to substrate heterogeneity, water depth, stream order, link and C-link.

Age, growth and reproduction of Sarcocheilichthys nigripinnis from the Qingyi Stream in the Huangshan Mountains

Identifying the life-history strategies of fish and their associations with the surrounding environment is the basic foundation in the conservation and sustainable utilization of fish species. We examined the age, growth, and reproduction of Sarcocheilichthys nigripinnis using 352 specimens collected monthly from May 2009 to April 2010 in the Qingyi Stream. We found the sex ratio of this study population was 0.58:1 (female: male), significantly different from expected 1:1. Females and males both comprised four age groups. The annuli on the scales were formed during February and March. No obvious between-sex difference was observed in length-weight and length-scale-radius relationships. The total length in back-calculation significantly increased with age for both sexes, but did not differ significantly at each age between the two sexes. An inflection point was observed in the growth curves given by the von Bertalanffy growth function for total weight. At this inflection point, fish were 3.95 years. Both sexes reach their 50% sex maturity at age 2, when females and males were 94.7 mm and 103.0 mm total length. The temporal pattern of the gonado-somatic index corresponded to a spawning period that occurred from April through July. The non-synchronicity of egg diameter in each mature ovary during the breeding period suggested these fish may be batch spawners. The absolute fecundity increased significantly with total length and weight, whereas no significant correlation was observed between the relative fecundity and body size.