Comparing fish assemblages and trophic ecology of permanent and intermittent reaches in a Mediterranean stream

Mas‐Martí, Esther; García‐Berthou, Emili; Sabater, Sergi; Tomanová, Sylvie; Muñoz, Isabel

doi:10.1007/978-94-007-0608-8_12

Cited by 24 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…This suggests that fishes were not just consuming what they encountered first, but actively selecting or partitioning resources. Mas‐Martı´ et al () observed in permanently flowing Mediterranean streams that the two fish species present (Mediterranean barbel Barbus meridionalis Risso 1827 and the cyprinid Squalius laietanus Doadrio, Kottelat & de Sostoa 2007) would ingest the most available food resources while, similar to this study, in the intermittent stream the two species appeared to select against the most available resources. These data are rarely recorded and few studies are available for comparison.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

“…Within isolated pools, there were differences in structure and availability of macroinvertebrate resources. Other studies have shown that macroinvertebrate densities decreased by 40–60% in isolated pools, which is lower than that found in this study [73–87%; Towns (); Mas‐Martı´ et al ()]. The families that accounted for differences in macroinvertebrate density between sections were those most prominent in the connected pools and included Caenidae, Chironomidae, Heptageniidae, Hydropsychidae, Leptophlebiidae, Polycentropodidae and Psephenidae.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 78%

“…A fish would only invest the energy in increasing GIT length if the benefits outweighed the cost. When resources are limiting in nutrition, condition of a fish may be reduced (Mas‐Martı´ et al , ), but increasing GIT length and allowing for increased nutrient absorption could make up for conditional losses. The condition of fishes measured in the isolated and connected pools was not different between sections.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, ) predicted that one‐half of perennial streams will become intermittent in the eastern U.S.A. This would reduce habitat and eliminate intolerant species from streams, but other studies have shown that some fishes do not maintain condition when in an intermittent pool (Vila‐Gispert & Moreno‐Amich, ; Matthews & Marsh‐Matthews, ; Mas‐Martı´ et al , ). It is only possible to speculate about species that live in perennial systems and how they will respond to sudden isolation due to climate‐induced loss of surface water, but this research shows how some organisms can respond to being in an isolated situation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Little research has been conducted on the interaction between food availability and diet of fishes in intermittent stream systems (Humphries & Baldwin, ; Matthews & Marsh‐Matthews, ; Balcombe et al , ; Mas‐Martı´ et al , ). With current projections of climate change, decreases in precipitation may result in drying of headwater streams, increasing intermittency (IPCC, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of pool isolation on trophic ecology of fishes in a highland stream

Christian

Adams

2014

Journal of Fish Biology

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The objective of this study was to examine the effects of pool isolation on fish diet and to answer three questions: Were food resources different or reduced in isolated compared with connected pools? Were fishes more selective and did they increase resource partitioning in isolated pools? Would individuals exhibit increased gastrointestinal tract (GIT) length in isolation to aid nutrient absorption? Benthic macroinvertebrate density and richness were significantly lower in isolated pools compared with connected pools; fishes became more selective and partitioned resources more in isolated pools and all three species showed an increase in GIT length in isolated pools compared with connected pools. With a changing climate predicted to increase intermittency within headwater streams, the results show that these fishes have the adaptive ability to respond and continue to survive.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 78%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of pool isolation on trophic ecology of fishes in a highland stream

Christian

Adams

2014

Journal of Fish Biology

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A trait‐based approach reveals the feeding selectivity of a small endangered Mediterranean fish

Rodríguez‐Lozano

Verkaik

Maceda‐Veiga

et al. 2016

Ecology and Evolution

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Functional traits are growing in popularity in modern ecology, but feeding studies remain primarily rooted in a taxonomic-based perspective. However, consumers do not have any reason to select their prey using a taxonomic criterion, and prey assemblages are variable in space and time, which makes taxonbased studies assemblage-specific. To illustrate the benefits of the trait-based approach to assessing food choice, we studied the feeding ecology of the endangered freshwater fish Barbus meridionalis. We hypothesized that B. meridionalis is a selective predator which food choice depends on several prey morphological and behavioral traits, and thus, its top-down pressure may lead to changes in the functional composition of in-stream macroinvertebrate communities. Feeding selectivity was inferred by comparing taxonomic and functional composition (13 traits) between ingested and free-living potential prey using the Jacob's electivity index. Our results showed that the fish diet was influenced by 10 of the 13 traits tested. Barbus meridionalis preferred prey with a potential size of 5-10 mm, with a medium-high drift tendency, and that drift during daylight. Potential prey with no body flexibility, conical shape, concealment traits (presence of nets and/or cases, or patterned coloration), and high aggregation tendency had a low predation risk. Similarly, surface swimmers and interstitial taxa were low vulnerable to predation. Feeding selectivity altered the functional composition of the macroinvertebrate communities. Fish absence favored taxa with weak aggregation tendency, weak flexibility, and a relatively large size (10-20 mm of potential size). Besides, predatory invertebrates may increase in fish absence. In conclusion, our study shows that the incorporation of the trait-based approach in diet studies is a promising avenue to improve our mechanistic understanding of predator-prey interactions and to help predict the ecological outcomes of predator invasions and extinctions.

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Fish Assemblages in Non‐regulated and Regulated Rivers From Permanent and Temporary Iberian Systems

Alexandre

Ferreira

Almeida

2012

River Research & Apps

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The effects of river regulation on the hydrological cycle of a river and on the respective fish assemblage may differ according to dam operation purpose and type of river analysed. To assess the spatial and temporal variation of fish assemblages and their response to the hydrological changes caused by two different types of flow regulation, we selected three sampling sites in four rivers with different levels of regulation, two in a permanent river system and another two on a temporary one, which we sampled in four different annual seasons. In the permanent system, hydroelectrical regulation decreased hydrological variability, which affected fluvial specialist species, benefitting the generalist ones, and created a more homogeneous community that presented less intra-annual variation. In the temporary system, agricultural regulation caused an inversion of the hydrological cycle, maintaining a moderate flow volume throughout the drought period that benefited the introduced, generalist and more tolerant species. Monthly volume was recognized, in a temporal scale, as the most important hydrological feature for assemblages' structure, predicting the intra-annual variation of several ecological guilds. This study provides important considerations for dam management and riverine ecosystems conservation.

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Comparing fish assemblages and trophic ecology of permanent and intermittent reaches in a Mediterranean stream

Cited by 24 publications

References 70 publications

Effects of pool isolation on trophic ecology of fishes in a highland stream

Effects of pool isolation on trophic ecology of fishes in a highland stream

A trait‐based approach reveals the feeding selectivity of a small endangered Mediterranean fish

Fish Assemblages in Non‐regulated and Regulated Rivers From Permanent and Temporary Iberian Systems

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