The dynamic and seasonal variation of the fish food webs in the mainstream of Three Gorges Reservoir

Li, Bin; Wang, Zhijian; Yang, Jieping; Yue, Xingjian; Qi, Zemin; Zhang, Yaoguang

doi:10.3724/sp.j.1231.2013.38428

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…The FCL in the upstream reach of the dam exhibited a wide variation, and the impounded reaches had a longer food chain, inferring the impact of the construction of the TGD on the FCL. The impoundment of the reservoir altered the original and continuous status of the upstream, which has objectively resulted in the diversity of aquatic habitats, including the deep lacustrine environment, backwater areas, and the fluvial habitat, characterized either by an incised channel or large open sections with wide lateral habitats [33,35,39]. Theoretical and empirical evidence, including our results, indicate that environmental variability plays an important role in determining FCL [7,24].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

“…Located in a subtropical monsoon climate, the Yangtze River Basin marks predictable rainfall patterns and hence has a seasonal river flow [35]. In addition, periodic hydrological regulation carried out by the TGD according to flood control utterly alters the hydrological process, which may influence fish growth and breeding and, in turn, the food web structure [34,39,46]. Outwardly, longer food chains are more vulnerable to disturbance and more difficult to recover than shorter food chains, which implies that food chains should be shorter in highly variable environments [20].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Due to the impoundment of the dam, the reservoir area has changed from a single river habitat to a variety of habitats with flowing water, slow flowing water, and still water [32,34,35]. The TGRA is mostly canyon-shaped and is tremendously complex and diverse in width and depth [35,39]. However, the downstream of the TGD typifies a meandering channel connecting to lakes in some sections [40,41].…”

Section: Study Site and Site Descriptionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In our study, the potential top predators were mainly carnivorous fish and omnivorous fish, which have a relatively high trophic position in the region's food web [39,40]. Samples were collected in July (flood season) and December (dry season) 2018.…”

Section: Sample Collection and Stable Isotope Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

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Food Chain Length Associated with Environmental Factors Affected by Large Dam along the Yangtze River

Chun

Deng

et al. 2020

Water

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Food chain length (FCL) is a critical measure of food web complexity that influences the community structure and ecosystem function. The FCL of large subtropical rivers affected by dams and the decisive factors are far beyond clear. In this study, we used stable isotope technology to estimate the FCL of fish in different reaches of the main stream in the Yangtze River and explored the key factors that determined the FCL. The results showed that FCL varied widely among the studied areas with a mean of 4.09 (ranging from 3.69 to 4.31). The variation of FCL among river sections in the upstream of the dam was greater than that in the downstream. Regression analysis and model selection results revealed that the FCL had a significant positive correlation with ecosystem size as well as resource availability, and FCL variation was largely explained by ecosystem size, which represented 72% of the model weight. In summary, our results suggested that ecosystem size plays a key role in determining the FCL in large subtropical rivers and large ecosystems tend to have a longer food chain. Additionally, the construction of the Three Gorges Dam has been speculated to increase the FCL in the impoundment river sections.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Site and Site Descriptionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sample Collection and Stable Isotope Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

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Food Chain Length Associated with Environmental Factors Affected by Large Dam along the Yangtze River

Chun

Deng

et al. 2020

Water

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“…Changes in channel habitat characteristics, water‐level dynamics, and flow regime affected the spatial and temporal distribution of diverse aquatic organisms from plankton to benthic macro‐invertebrates to fishes (Mihalicz, Jardine, Baulch, & Phillips, 2019; Wang, Liu, Peng, & Yang, 2015). In the TGR, benthic shrimp are abundant across the reservoir (i.e., Exopalaemon modestus and Macrobrachium nipponensis CPUE averaged 2.6 kg/boat/24 hr evaluated by benthic fyke nets; Li et al, 2013), while other zoobenthos (such as amphipods, aquatic insects, and mollusks) show a 34‐fold decrease in abundance from the lotic to lentic zones (Wang et al, 2015). These food resources are critical to maintaining the biomass of abundant benthivorous fishes in the TGR (Tófoli, Alves, Higuti, Cunico, & Hahn, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Longitudinal habitat gradient affects diet and body condition of riverine fish: A case study ofPelteobagruscatfishes in the Three Gorges Reservoir, China

Liao

Chen

Correa

et al. 2022

River Research & Apps

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To understand how riverine fish respond to longitudinally different habitats created by impoundment, we selected three congeneric yellow catfish species (Pelteobagrus spp.) as a model system to assess changes in diet, prey selectivity, and body condition among the lotic, transitional, and lentic habitats along the Three Gorges Reservoir. Our results add to previous findings highlighting a shift in fish diets from diverse zoobenthos to shrimp‐dominated as the river becomes lentic by showing spatial segregation in the size of shrimp prey consumed. Relative to the available shrimp populations, catfish populations selected smaller shrimp in the upper (lotic) section and larger shrimp in the middle (transitional) and lower (lentic) sections. Complementary body condition indices exhibited a consistent spatial pattern, where populations in the lotic zone were healthier than those in the transitional and lentic zones. This pattern seems to result from a greater nutrient value of zoobenthos, the dominant food in the lotic zone, relative to shrimps. Our results suggest that these generalist fish species have adapted to the spatial habitat gradient and maintained their populations, but the impoundment has deeply influenced their energy acquisition and allocation.

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Impoundment led to spatial trophic segregation of three closely related catfish species in the Three Gorges Reservoir, China

Liao

Chen

Correa

et al. 2020

Mar. Freshwater Res.

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The construction of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), the largest dam in the world, created novel spatial and seasonal fluctuations in food availability along the Yangtze River. We studied changes in diet and niche overlap of three co-occurring catfish species between the upper and lower sections of the TGR and across four hydrological seasons to investigate whether the diets of native catfish species reflect the fluctuations in food availability. Zoobenthos dominated the diets of the three species in the upper section, but shrimp made the bulk of the diet in the lower section. This was the case in every season except during the rising-water season when all three species increased the consumption of allochthonous foods. Diet breadth was significantly broader in the upper section relative to the lower section, and expanded during the rising-water season in the lower section. Niche overlap was significantly lower in the upper section than in the lower section. A non-significant trend of reduced niche overlap during the rising-water season was observed in both sections. Our results suggest that, in less than a decade, dietary plasticity facilitated the adaptation of these species to novel habitats and a shifted food-resource base formed by the impoundment.

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The dynamic and seasonal variation of the fish food webs in the mainstream of Three Gorges Reservoir

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

Food Chain Length Associated with Environmental Factors Affected by Large Dam along the Yangtze River

Food Chain Length Associated with Environmental Factors Affected by Large Dam along the Yangtze River

Longitudinal habitat gradient affects diet and body condition of riverine fish: A case study ofPelteobagruscatfishes in the Three Gorges Reservoir, China

Impoundment led to spatial trophic segregation of three closely related catfish species in the Three Gorges Reservoir, China

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