Fish behavioral ecology: Pros, cons and opportunities

Barlow, George W.

doi:10.1080/10236249309378854

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 100 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…4,6 In particular, radio telemetry techniques have been used to characterise basic biological parameters of fishes, such as movement and critical habitat requirements, using a small number of individuals. 4,[18][19][20][21][22] Radio telemetry studies have also been used to evaluate the ecological consequences of changes in ecosystem conditions such as rapid increases in flows and temperature changes. [4][5][6] Although these methods are well established internationally, they have only recently received attention in southern Africa.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat preferences and movement of adult yellowfishes in the Vaal River, South Africa

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The yellowfishes of the Vaal River (Labeobarbus kimberleyensis and L. aeneus) are charismatic, socially and economically important fishes, but very little is known about their interspecies habitat preferences and movement. This study is the first behavioural study of yellowfish in the Vaal River using radio transmitters to characterise habitat preferences and movement patterns. A total of 22 adult L. kimberleyensis and 13 adult L. aeneus individuals were tracked for between 1 month and 1 year from 23 September 2006 to 16 May 2010. Radio telemetry revealed that yellowfish established routine daily behavioural patterns through which the habitat preferences and movement of the species could be established. Home ranges of the yellowfish ranged from 1 km to more than 12 km in the Vaal River depending on the species and habitat availability. Habitat preferences varied between species and included deep slow-flowing habitats with associated cover features particularly in winter for L. kimberleyensis and shallow fast-flowing habitats particularly for L. aeneus in spring, summer and autumn. Changes in flows, habitat availability and atmospheric pressure affected the movement of yellowfish. The biology and ecology of the yellowfish in the Vaal River is noticeably more complicated and dynamic than previously documented. We recommend that the behavioural ecology of these and other yellowfish populations in the Vaal River should continue to be characterised, and the use of the movement of yellowfish be developed as an indicator of ecosystem change. Study areaThe study was carried out in a reach of the middle Vaal River, southwest of Johannesburg (Figure 1). The study area is located within the Orange-Vaal River Yellowfish Conservation and Management Association (OVRYCMA) area. Site selection was based on local OVRYCMA member information, historical catch records for yellowfish, historical data 5 and initial field surveys to ascertain the presence of sufficient adult yellowfish individuals for the study. The approximately 190-km reach of the Vaal River selected for the study extends from Parys to an area upstream of Bothaville (Figure 1). Within this reach, both L. kimberleyensis and L. aeneus are abundant, 4 despite disturbances such as water abstraction for agriculture, industry and mine use, wastewater releases and the use of natural products. Habitat diversity was considered to be representative of the middle reach of the Vaal River and included a high diversity of both deep (>3 m) and shallow areas (<1 m) with slow-(0 m/s) and fast-flowing (1 m/s) biotope types. Although some gauging weirs and other barriers that may affect the movement of yellowfish exist in the study area, all of the yellowfish monitored in the study had access to relatively large reaches of the Vaal River (>35 km).

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat preferences and movement of adult yellowfishes in the Vaal River, South Africa

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Laboratory studies of the effects of short‐term isolation on aggressive behaviour in fish

Gómez‐Laplaza¹,

Morgan

2000

Marine and Freshwater Behaviour and Physiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Can cost–benefit analysis explain fish distribution patterns?

Huntingford

1993

Journal of Fish Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This review describes some recent theoretical and empirical research into the way fish respond to spatial heterogeneity in their environment, and particularly to patchily distributed resources. The ways in which the need to acquire food interacts with other important requirements such as thermoregulation and predator avoidance to determine space use are considered, as are interactions with other members of the same species, viewed both as shoaling companions and as competitors. Recent developments in ideal free theory are discussed and the extent to which this formulation can explain how fish distribute themselves among feeding patches is examined. The implications of overtly aggressive interactions, in the form of dominance hierarchies and territorial systems, for distribution patterns in the laboratory and in the field are also reviewed. Finally the extent to which cost–benefit analysis can help to explain fish distribution patterns and the relative importance of behavioural processes compared to other determinants of the distribution of fish are considered.

show abstract

Fish behavioral ecology: Pros, cons and opportunities

Cited by 5 publications

References 100 publications

Habitat preferences and movement of adult yellowfishes in the Vaal River, South Africa

Habitat preferences and movement of adult yellowfishes in the Vaal River, South Africa

Laboratory studies of the effects of short‐term isolation on aggressive behaviour in fish

Can cost–benefit analysis explain fish distribution patterns?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About